taking towns

[Franconicus]

You know this situation: Your army approaches an enimal city and you expect them to open the gates welcome you. Usually this is exactly what these fools do not do. So what?
Of course you can wait, until hunger changes their minds. But usually you do not have the time or you just do not feel like it today.

What are your personal suggestions and experiences with different factions?

[Brutus]

If I've got enough decent infantry, I'll assault them as soon as possible. No good having an army standing outside a city for 7 turns doing nothing. Otherwise, it's usually a good idea to just besiege them and wait outside... mostly within a few turns, the enemy will sally forth and you can smash them in open ground. But that's only usefull when you don't have enough infantry good enough for an assault on the walls.

Oh, and never ever assault through the gates your spy opened for you when they've got stone walls or better...the gates will make toast of your men.

[Franconicus]

You are right! I tried!

How do you attack towns with stonewalls?

[tibilicus]

If theres desent infantry get in there and leave no enemy units alive. Unfortunatly playing as armenia resntly i have found there infantry so rubbish i normaly have to wait seiges out or let them sally out and come to me...................

[Viking]

I seldom have siege battles.

I use to wait for an enemy relief force to come and fight about the fate of the city on the battlefield. That`s much more fun!

If the relief force never come I`ll either wait for a sally, or starve them to death.

[Somebody Else]

I love a good siege - it helps me that I play with the timer off though. Two methods.

Wooden walls - smack two holes in the walls with a ram, ballistas, nellie, whatever - one being the gate - no sense damaging my property overly. Kill as many of the enemy as possible with archers, forcing them back away from the breach. Run in with some tough infantry, and allong the wall slightly - so that if the enemy is to engage, they have to attack down a narrow road - once they've gone past the opening, and possibly engaged my first troops, send in some more to hit them in the rear. That deals with the bulk of the defenders. Town square next - set up some heavy holders a little away from the centre, stick some archers behind them to lure the enemy out, flank at will.

Stone walls - hardest infantry I have goes up on the wall way off to the side of the wall-based defenders - if the assault troops are tough enough, it should be a matter of grinding along til the defenders are dead. Otherwise come in on the other side of the city, run to the town centre to lure them off the walls, and flank and destroy at leisure in the streets. Town centre, deal with as wooden walls. Note, I always have one or two units running around, capturing all the towers after the walls are cleared. Siege weapons (ballistas, scorpions, onagers and towers can be used to help clear the walls - but some hack'n'slash is likely needed)

I did have some fun once with cavalry heavy armies (including elephants - great fun in those packed streets). It's nice when two cavalry units converge in a city street, sandwiching some hapless isolated enemy unit.