Goths (BI faction)

[Aetius22]

Yeah, but by the time the slavs came I was sufficiently built up that they were no threat. I am trying this strategy with the Sarmatians right now on M/M and so far things have been going smoothly. The Slavs haven't appeared yet though.

[Garvanko]

With the Goths your initial strategy should really be geared towards taking Constantinople, Thessalonica and Athens in the first fifteen turns or so - naturally you should do this as a horde. Once the first two are taken build forts at the bridges north of them, and you'll never have trouble from the other Hordes. Ever.

After that, consolidate, get an Alliance with the ERE, get trade rights with everyone, etc, and build up you forces for the next phase, which is a direct and prolonged assault on the WRE. You should be making 5000d per turn by now, so you know the score - build, conquer, advance. Ad infinitum.

Works for me on H/H.

[Emit_Flesti]

Hi! I just bought Barbarian Invasion and decided to take it easy, so I went for the Goths in Easy settings. I might have tried some strategies you people suggested, but I was just letting things happen this time. Anyway, I conquered the rebel settlement to the west, and a couple of turns after sent my army to attack an ERE Rebels city to the south. Meanwhile, the hordes came and I won a couple of victories (had to break the siege and rush north), but in the end they won and I had to pack up. Besides, my capital revolted to the Ostrogoths (I was trying to milk it for taxes and, of course, also hoping to turn into a horde and get the hell out of the Vandals' and Huns' way. It might be possible to stop them, though).

This is no problem,because you can just go take whatever you want, right? I went for Byzantium and Thessalonica and took it after long sieges and several small battles. I'm considering heading south towards the balcanic peninsula with the remaining two stacks of the horde and start building a new army to wipe out the ERE west of the Bosphorus. Does this make sense?

[teja]

If you once engaged ERE and settled near their borders it is best to kick them out of Europe to get rid of their strikes. For money it might be useful to grab Krete too. The Aegeis, the area around Cypris.. these are the usual milkcows in RTW. For the Goths these 2 areas are not too pretty, because you had to go in nowadays Turkey to gain all the benefits its offers. But European coastline of ERE including Krete is fine in with your starting strategy.

I prefer to go Horde with the Goths. Make a few spys and some archers during the first ticks, milk my homeland and then pack and sack whatever you can sack on my way west. You will get no benefit in killing other Hordes. Leave them alone in the east, jump in front of them. Most Hordes move very slow and fight over very long time in the Balkans and north of Italy. Jump in front of them. There are better fishes to fry west of that, belive me. I already made my points for this strategy in the Vandal and Frankish threats. It pleases me more then to stick in the Balkans where many fractions will come to cross.

[Orb]

With goths I horded and settled in this nice tract of land in Italy
I then hammered the Vandals to the east, the allemanni to the north and the pitiful remnants of the WRE in the west simultaneously and without great difficulty.

I also use the Alans because they can irritate enemy lancers and cavalry as well as run down light infantry and outflank heavy infantry.

The Gothic Spearmen are excellent, particularly when besieged. Ambushing enemy cavalry is my second major use for them.

Stick one schiltrom behind that gap in the wall and noone can ever break through it (noone being about 6 units of elite cavalry, 4 units of good infantry and a general).

Chosen swords and warriors quite good for general staying power and holding walls as well as besieging.

Raiders are ok but not spectacular. Can be nasty in areas with tall grass.

Lancers are very useful indeed as a general flanking force.

[Sebastian Seth]

I tried few turns with M/M...

I tought I try to keep Dacia and took Tribus lazygens for money.

1st game
I managed to build 4 x goth spearmen, 4 x goth raider, 3 x goth lancer and I got 2 bodyguard units form faction generals and 1 alain mercenary archer.
The huns came and attacked with 4 stacks. I placed the goth spearmen in sculthrum formation to block 1 road and the raiders around the flag to arrow down to all directions. Then I used cavarly to draw them to that plocked road and charged them there. After the battle I had 7 from 458 man left but I won. The huns lost 1976 men. Faction leader gained 6 experience but died and got healed and then reseted. Faction heir got 6 experience and 391 kills with 13 man. I was so exited that I decided to give it another try.

2nd game
I managed to build 4 x goth spearmen, 4 x goth raider, 4 x goth lancer and I got 3 bodyguard units form faction generals. This time it was the vadals and they attacked with 3 stacks. I changed my tactic a bit and used the spearmen and the raiders to hold the other road and charged the other road with cavarly. I managed to get 2200+ kills but was under 100 in man streight again. Next attack finished me.

The spearmen dont actualy kill so many but they are needed to hold the road.
The raiders are really lethal but they get runned over easy.
Lancers where really effective but they seem to get tired easy.
The bodyguards are the key element because the hordes are scared of em.

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I think I try to build fortresses to hold the hordes next time. But It seems really hard to hold Dacia at start.

[Roman_Man#3]

in my game, i built 6 spearmen, 3 raiders, probably 2 lancers, and 5 general units, along with merc vetenarii, bosphorun mercs and 2 alan , 1 armoured sarmation HA. plan went pefectly, i gaurded the town square. 2 spearmen in each alley way. HA to slow their advance, raiders to shoot and kill them from town square, vetenarii and bosphorun mercs to throw in where we were losing, lancers to also throw in and the generals as a last ditch effort. i killed basically everyone but about 100 from thier two full stacks, and i didnt lose very many at all. goths can really hold kick some hunnic buttocks. wow, that las remark sounded so laaaaammeee!!!!