scythed chariots

[Furious Mental]

Well it's only the "scythed chariots" in the game that run amok. None of the other chariot units do that.

[eadingas]

Actually, the cav does run amok (in RL, not in game), but it's easier to control a horse when you're riding it then when it pulls a chariot. Cf. Crusades, where western knights used the fact that their stallions went crazy in presence of saracen mares to their advantage, and polish hussars who used their 'wings' to incite mad charge in their horses.

[jerby]

ok thanks.

[eadingas]

Also, I forgot to add, not sure about celtic, but I think eastern chariots didn't have certain devices that help you control a horse the way later carriages have.

[anonymous_joe]

Not to mention, scythed chariots was EXTREMELY limited by terrain. They were used by Darius in one of his battles against Alexander (stupid leaky memory, keep forgetting names!). In that battle, Darius had to PURPOSELY smooth over a section of the battlefield to use the chariots, since broken ground would have destroyed their wheels VERY quickly.

It was Gaugemala. And the scythe chariots were obsolete even then, (330-ish), Darius brought them back as a surprise, but the Agrianians and other light troops made mince meat out of them.

[Mr Frost]

They could be very effective if cleverly used .
Pontus used them in 61 BC, on the plains before Ennium to fatally cripple a Roman army {which was then destroyed with 38,000 Romans dead} . First the light horse feined a charge kicking up lots of dust which conceiled the 500 scythed chariots and 10,000 Galatian mercenary infantry following close behind . The cavalry threw some javlins at the Romans to provoke them into forming tesudos and then quickly wheeled to the flanks to occupy {and destroy} the Roman cavary and the chariots with Galatian infantry following charged the Roman lines whom were too late spotting the threat to reform {their tightly formed tesudos were highly vunerable to such a charge} . The chariots smashed great , bloody holes in the Romans' lines that the Galations poured through to have a feild day of slaughtering {or a happyhour perhaps ;p} .
The first Roman line simply ceased to exist , and the second and third were very badly mauled . That the Romans chose to charge the Pontic main army later suggests that the general wasn't very good that day as they were already beaten by that charge .


Pontus might be the only "faction" in the games' time period that actually had a net positive experience with using scythed chariots {the Selucids had a questionable time with them , Rome only used something barley similar twice and Egypt never had the at all} .

[jerby]

well, egypt had chariots. but then it was in 1200BC, acctually. the entire egypt missed it by 900 years!

[Reverend Joe]

Here' a suggestion that'll piss off a lot of people:

just take out chariots entirely, except for Pontus. From what I've heard, the Seleucid chariots were ineffective, and the Britons used them mainly for transportation, so they can be dropped there; also, as it has been said, they simply didn't exist elsewhere.

Correct me if i'm wrong, but don't be condascending.

[Sarcasm]

From what I've heard, the Seleucid chariots were ineffective (...)

Yes, they were. The art of driving a chariot effectively in war had disapeared from the Near East almost entirely. Still, my opinion is that the Seleucids should have them anyway. But this is not up to me...

(...) the Britons used them mainly for transportation, so they can be dropped there;

Actually, it was sort of a platform for leaders to fight from. We have no way of knowing how trully effective they were, but they existed. Some were even present when Caesar first landed in the southern shores of Britannia, near present-day Dover (I think...).

(...) also, as it has been said, they simply didn't exist elsewhere.

Some Celtic cultures still used them to a certain degree, the fact that they were declining in use, doesn´t mean they didn´t exist then.

[Ranika]

British chariots were more than transports, they were platforms for javileners, as well as platforms for leaders to command a battle from (at least in the case of Cassia and the Cenimages; the most prolific Cenimage tribe came to be the Icenes; better known as Iceni/Icenii, Boudicca led from a chariot). The chariot was also still used in Gaul. However, in Gaul, it was almost solely used as a transport, but still brought an amount of mobile firepower to the field, with javelins again. However, the Britons used it more effectively and notably as both a weapon platform, and as a transport. They were noted to be able to stop their chariots even if their draw-ponies were at full gallop, could turn as easily on slopes and inclines as they could on open plains, etc. British chariots were still in use by the people of Dumnonia AFTER the Romans (it's notable that the Dumnones were never actually Romanized, they were allies of Rome; the coming of Saxons and spread of Romanized Britons actually had a greater effect on them, including the end of chariot war for them).

Caesar said of British chariots, "They combine the mobility of cavalry, with the staying power of infantry."; He had never fought Gallic chariots, but they would likely have been seen the same way, as they were used the same way, but British charioteers were probably more skilled.