Horse archers

**Jeanne d'arc** · 10-04-2004, 03:01

Cheap, brilliant units especially when used on bridge battles.In this battle a 800 men Seleucid army never reached the other side alive.I substained 0 casualties apart from some friendly fire deads in my own ranks.After this battle my general got named Arses the horsemen and gained a +3 command when commanding cavalry units.
The Seleucids wanted to cross the bridge badly cause a few turns later they showed up with war elephants,they send there elephants over the bridge followed by the infantry, this was a good move to cross it but still they got defeated cause the elephants routed quite easely.
I am planning to have a horse only Parthian army with persian horsearchers and some of those heavely armoured cavalry units to support in melee combat if thats ever gonna be the case

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**Tamur** · 10-04-2004, 04:12

Ick, what a bridge! Paved with your enemies' fallen, someone should write a song about that.

**Thoros of Myr** · 10-04-2004, 04:18

HA's are dominant.

**Mr. Juice** · 10-04-2004, 09:23

Random thought... what do you do when the arrows run out? Can they melee at all?

**andrewt** · 10-04-2004, 09:41

I have only tried one battle with them so far that I've used melee and they actually won. I think it was the Seleucid's General Cav with around 7 men. They were exhausted and my cavalry were exhausted. I charged with around 40 HA and I don't think I took any casualties. They most likely didn't charge back and 40 charging against 7 really stacked the odds in my favor. I've also beaten militia cavalry when I manage to charge them on the flanks. They're not very good however. I lost a few attacking routing militia hoplites from the back. Ouch.

They move really fast so pincer movements with them work much better. I haven't experienced enough to gauge their melee very well.

**Jeanne d'arc** · 10-04-2004, 11:46

Originally Posted by Mr. Juice

Random thought... what do you do when the arrows run out? Can they melee at all?

The arrows run out but by the time that happens they already decimated ceveral units, in a melee battle they hardly stand a chance against heavy infantry or cavalry.
When u build 2nd level stables u get persian horse archers and they are much better in melee.

**The_Emperor** · 10-04-2004, 12:37

I fought as the Macedonians against the Gauls on that bridge map, a big formation of Phalanx Pikemen greeted the charging barbarians...

The dead were piled high, VERY high!