Swords vs Phalanx

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

Historically the weakness of the phalanx was the lack of mobility and fact that they have to walk, because once you get around their flanks they are screwed. You don't neccessarilly even need a centre. You can just attack with two flanking forces. That dirty great wall of spears is no use if it has nothing to smash into.

Ultimatly though if you are assaulting you've already lost. You lose a huge proportion of your army, usually less troops than the enemy loses and you've damaged the walls, so if you have to defend next turn you are trying to plug all those lovely breaches that you made.

a Siege is a waste of time and resources, more so than a pitched battle, but an assault is worse. So says Master Sun.

[pezhetairoi]

I discovered that the only way to crush the enemy is to swarm them. This is 6 principes and 3 generals 2 equites against 2 armoured hoplites, 2 hoplites, 1 militia hoplite and 1 general. I make three breaches, push through one principes into each to engage whatever comes, then quickly swarm all my cavalry into the breach where the most formidable unit is defending. In this way I quickly crushed the two armoured hoplitai before they were able to do more than take out 30 Equites and 3 bodyguards. Meanwhile through the other breaches the remaning principes are pushing through. It's impossible otherwise without taking nasty casualties. The cavalry must make a concentrated charge, preferably right through the enemy and hit the rear. But the gate is so crowded that they are actually quite vulnerable, and the first units to contact the enemy will be killed before they can hit a single blow.

[antisocialmunky]

Something else I might add which was probably said a while ago. In RTW, unlike MTW or STW, there are no dedicated classes of troops. Phalangites(Germans not included) and most auxillary infantry all carry around swords for close in fighting so most everyone are technically swordsman. The higher up phalanx units can fight quite well in melee. I wouldn't rely on the old TW system of Cav > Swords > Spear > Cav.

The thing about RTW and phalanxes too is that if you're playing a human player who doesn't form a giant box of phalanx and uses them intellegently, they'll just take them out of phalanx to move and then reform with or without the cover of cavalry. Ph34r the Macedonican Lancers and the Companions.

[Puzz3D]

I wouldn't rely on the old TW system of Cav > Swords > Spear > Cav.

Yes. That's the problem with the gameplay in RTW. Basically spears = swords. So, the melee tactics are simplified to Cav > Swords since the third component is mostly lost. To some degree you still have Cav > Ranged > Swords, although, I don't think this is true for the better armored units. In either case, the cav has no effective counter. Flanking is highly effective, but the fast combat resolution reduces that aspect to one mostly advantageous to Cav except in SP where the AI constanly exposes the flanks of its units.

[Marquis of Roland]

Nice diagram. That is exactly how I attack a phalanx.

I also put my secondary troops (like velites or what have you, but high-attack flankers work best) in the center and my heavy legionaries on the flanks. I make my center stand in front of their center and not attack, and just attack their flanks.

If they turn to face the flanks, they will expose a new flank to your center. If they do not turn, they will be systematically cut down by your flanking attack with heavier infantry. Either way they cannot maintain a solid phalanx line against you, and you won't have to suffer undue casualties trying to hold their line when you can hold their line without actually engaging (if you throw javelins at them their center will come forward, making your flanking maneuver even more effective). Most of the time the AI just stands there and gets slaughtered.

I think Publius Scipio did that to Hannibal Barca's brother around Massilia and it worked pretty well.

[antisocialmunky]

Yes. That's the problem with the gameplay in RTW. Basically spears = swords. So, the melee tactics are simplified to Cav > Swords since the third component is mostly lost. To some degree you still have Cav > Ranged > Swords, although, I don't think this is true for the better armored units. In either case, the cav has no effective counter. Flanking is highly effective, but the fast combat resolution reduces that aspect to one mostly advantageous to Cav except in SP where the AI constanly exposes the flanks of its units.

I think in RTW , still somewhat along the lines of Cav > Ranged > Swords > Cav but more unit specific.

Catanks > Swords
Horse Archers > Everything - especially those Parthians
Roman Legionairy Pilumm > Cav and everything

That kind of thing.