Getting Smacked by Gaul General

**CMcMahon** · 06-13-2005, 05:59

Have you tried setting up way in the back of your deployment area, so that his guys get at least somewhat tired by having to march all the way over to you?

**caesar44** · 06-13-2005, 10:13

don't use your cavalry until the end , place your hastati in the front and your missile units behind them and just wait for them to come - they don't have a chance the hastati wont loose , then send your equites

**edyzmedieval** · 06-13-2005, 10:28

If you have Barbarian mercenaries, put them in front of the army. They are spearmen and very effective against a cavalry charge. Hastati really are useless when dealing with cavarly. Battle deployment should be like this:

Barbarian Mercenaries(line 1)
Hastati(line 2, to kill cavalry when they stop in the spears of mercs)
Skirmishers and/or archers(line3, need protection,very weak!!!)
Cavalry(Equites and/or Barbarian cavalry, flank troops)
General(last line, only for use when situation is desperate)

If you have some Cretan Archers(although you can only recruit them in Greece, also you can find 3 units of them in Crete, bribe them!!!) they are very useful because they can do a lot of damage.

You can beat the Gauls very easily by having some superior troops like Principes. But if you have Preatorian cohorts, you can kill them immediately.

**derF** · 06-13-2005, 17:01

I once got hammered by the Gauls in northern Italy. By Lugorix The Cunning. I later sent a fresh new army with new tactics and new Principes. That sorted him out.

**Lancome** · 06-13-2005, 19:06

If you have some Cretan Archers(although you can only recruit them in Greece, also you can find 3 units of them in Crete, bribe them!!!) they are very useful because they can do a lot of damage.

You can also find Cretan archers in Asia Minor for some reason. Also try instead of playing attacker, try to play defender. Try to find a nice little hill and hold it and when they rout chase them w/ whatever Cavalry you have left.

**katank** · 06-14-2005, 00:14

Bribing will not give you those Cretans as Romans don't own the unit.

Also, contraryto popular belief, barbarian mercs have no bonus vs. cav as they do not have the spear attribute despite holding one.

They should be frontline with your hastati behind with fire-at-will enabled.

Disable skirmish for all your missiles and have fire-at-will.

Aim to have overlapping field of fire just in front of the barbarian mercs.

Kepp your cav in reserve and only boost a caving center or give chase later.

Pila storm should own them.

You cna corner camp also to prevent enemy flanking.

**Somebody Else** · 06-14-2005, 00:16

Find a bridge - picking the battleground is always an important part of winning. Failing that, build a fort. Bring up reinforcements. Winning each and every battle is not the only way - you can outmanoeuvre them on the strategy map too.

**Auctoritas** · 06-14-2005, 02:57

I appreciate all of the recommendations. I will definitely give them a shot. What I don't understand is how the Gauls got so many seriously experienced troops relatively early in the game. I've got troops with one or two chevrons and they are running around with multiple troops with silver chevrons.
Am I doing something wrong?

Again, thanks for all of the ideas/input.

KPB

**Quietus** · 06-14-2005, 12:41

Originally Posted by Auctoritas

Am I doing something wrong?

No, you're just doing just fine.

You do need to shoot the closest units with your archers. Like, I've said, don't move your center. But you have to be quick with your flank. In my guide, I put the formation as crescent shaped. Your center must be able to throw at least some of the pila. Preferably all of it before melee.

The line has to be long as well, so the flank can work out.

Lastly, do use the pause button liberally to execute orders.