German Units?

[Servius]

I think I once saw a German army with a phalanx. Is that true, can the Germans build phalanx units?

The reason I ask is because I'm looking for a faction that has decent and/or above-average versions of the key units types: archers, spearmen, swordmen, cavalry. The Romans (the Julii at least) have Legionaries for swordmen I guess, Auxilia for spearmen, Auxilia Archers for archers, and 2-3 versions of post-Marian cavalary (light and heavy). They also have fluff units like Jinetes (though I don't know if they're as fast), dogs, pigs, and mobile field artillery.

The Gauls don't seem to have archers of any worth, nor heavy cav, nor spearmen (though this impression may just come from wiping them out too early). I also have tried the Brits and they seem to lack archers and true cavalry too.

As an associated question, does anyone know where I can get a unit tree like the one that came with MTW? It was very useful, as the unit tree is the least-intuitive of the three (unit tree, building tree, and map) and the only one not represented in-game (or is it?).

Thanks.

[Basileus]

You could just go into custom battle and check all the faction units, gauls have a kicks a*s archer unit though forrester war band i think they are called but the germans have a better mix and the spear unit that forms phalanx.

[ThijsP]

Yes, the germans can build phalanx spearman: the spearman warband. They also got reasenable archers and cavalary, and vere good sword/axe men.

[Servius]

cool cool, thanks. I'll try a German game now.

[Dorkus]

little more than "reasonable", in the campaign at least.

Germans have the best archers and cav in the game. 16/10/22 exp 3 goth cav are virtually unbeatable 1on1. chosen archers at 3 exp are better tahn ph. bowmen (egypt has no exp temple), and better melee stats than foresters. And they take only 1 round to produce.

PS Since exp is bugged, germans are even better. chosen archers are only "hardy" (ph and for are both very hardy, and thus due to the bug tire out faster), and gothic cav are not hardy (giving them the best stamina possible)

[Dead Moroz]

Is it historically accurate that German spearmen can make phalanx?

[sapi]

I'm not entirely sure, but i suspect not. To form a phlanax required a huge amount of dicipline and i don't think the barbarian tribes had that.

The german spear warband rocks - it defeated my Roman army when i had just had no trouble cleaning up gaul, britannia and spain!

[chemchok]

"Throwing aside [therefore] their javelins, they fought with swords hand to hand. But the Germans, according to their custom, rapidly forming a phalanx, sustained the attack of our swords. There were found very many of our soldiers who leaped upon the phalanx, and with their hands tore away the shields, and wounded the enemy from above. Although the army of the enemy was routed on the left wing and put to flight, they [still] pressed heavily on our men from the right wing, by the great number of their troops."

Commentaries on the Gallic War , an account of Gaius Julius Caesar's campaign.
It's a good read if you have the time

[The_Emperor]

'm not entirely sure, but i suspect not. To form a phlanax required a huge amount of dicipline and i don't think the barbarian tribes had that.

That is because of the historical bias against those cultures by historians for many years. Painting them as unsophisticated savages. But they were very clever in combat, and we must also remember that the Germanic Tribes were a constant thorn in the side of Roman Empire until its fall, despite numerous attemts to campaign against them.

and as the above posts shows the Germans did use a Phalanx formation in battle, as caesar's accounts of his Gallic campaign shows.