Most humiliating defeat ever suffered by you

**Rex_Pelasgorum** · 09-26-2006, 09:30

Be honest, and write here about the most humiliating defeat you have ever suffered in RTW.

Whith 820 men, mostly peasant levies, comandad by a simple captain, i have lost against the 82 elite men of a 9 star enemy general.

In that moment, i thought of quiting to play RTW....

**Lord Comnenus** · 09-26-2006, 10:22

speak to yourself i got 900 libyan but got beaten by 1000 grand spqr army! 2 times!

**Quillan** · 09-26-2006, 14:47

I lost a general to a unit of peasants ones...

**Celt Centurion** · 09-27-2006, 21:16

As Scipii, I had a good army of Legionary Cohorts, Urban Cohorts, Roman Cavalry, and Archers in Antioch. It was almost a full stack, and because of whatever temple was in there, I was able to get "gold" armor for all.

The reasons that I had such a fine army inside the city, was that it was being attacked almost every turn, and the combination I had in there worked very well to destroy any army (even a full stack) foolish enough to attack the walls alone.

I'd also not yet learned to move the army out, and fill it with peasants, and rebuild buildings of my own type, (Roman in this case.)

The place revolted, and I found myself standing on the bridge to the North of the City.

There was already one full stack Egyptian Army coming at me from North of the River. Then I was on the bridge, with another full stack Egyptian Army coming out of the city. This included Pharaoh's Guards, Pharaoh's Archers, Desert Axemen, and all sorts of cavalry and chariots, all with gold armor of course.

Both Egyptian Armies arrived on the battlefield at the very beginning, and both hit me simultaneously from both sides of the bridge.

I got my hiney kicked.

I pulled up the saved game and tried again.

I tried 4 more times and got my butt kicked every time!

Then, just for the hallubit, I tried again, but this time, I let the AI do it.

Normally, the AI loses battles I could easily have won.

In this case though, the AI won it for me with very few casualties.

I sent some units to Tarsus to retrain, and laid siege with the remainder, as well as some units from Tarsus, and took it back.

But, it was humiliating to lose that fine Army 5 times to the Egyptians, and have the AI effortlessly win it.

Strength and Honor

Celt Centurion

**El Diablo** · 09-27-2006, 22:32

Whilst not technically a defeat, last night whilst playing as the Julii (on E/E I might add as I am still getting the hang of the game) I seiged a Briton town and was attacked by a full stack Briton Army I did not see coming.

That would not be a problem as I had nigh on a full stack to compensate.

What the battle lines were drawn I noticed that there was only one unit of Chariots in the city(or town really) so I sent one ram to bash the gate in whist leaving the rest of the army to wait for the Briton Onslaught (it did not initially come) so with the gate down I sent three full units of Hastati and two full units of Velities to "take out" the charoits in the town centre and force the big Briton army to attack me in my favorable position. (five units v one easy meat right - especially as I have read not to attack charoits with horses).

Needless to say I have fought the gauls a few times but not the Britons and there grrrr chariots.

They went straight through my infantry and destroyed my velites before I was forced to send two units of barbarian cav to save the day. When they arrived and killed the "general" - oh sorry the KING!!! I was not happy with routing hasati and Velities everywhere. With the town square taken I just ran the clock down as I was rather bitter and twisted.

The funny thing is (and those not from the UK or Australia, New Zealand or South Africa might not get it but..) being a Kiwi whenever we play England at Rugby they sing "swing low sweet chariot".

I now really really really hate chariots.
(note to the moderators - that was really hard not to swear

)

**GeneralHankerchief** · 09-27-2006, 22:59

City defense. Stone walls. I had placed my men in good spots to break up the enemy's siege engines (they had slightly more men than me, quality was about even). Bad thing is, the enemy sneaks a ram around to a side gate. By the time I realized and sent archers to try to set it on fire, they were already busting down the gate.

Just my luck it's a huge city, and so I desperately had to pray that my men finished off the other troops on the walls quickly, and then that they would get back to the center square in time.

The three minutes ended with about five units thisclose to the center square. I couldn't believe it. I quit in disgust and didn't play for the rest of the day.

**Goalie** · 10-23-2006, 00:58

Originally Posted by Rex_Pelasgorum

Be honest, and write here about the most humiliating defeat you have ever suffered in RTW.

Whith 820 men, mostly peasant levies, comandad by a simple captain, i have lost against the 82 elite men of a 9 star enemy general.

In that moment, i thought of quiting to play RTW....

What units did these elite men happen to be? In all truth you should have lost that battle anyways. Peasant levies against anyone isnt a very good combination, especially a 9 star general, even out numbered 10:1, i would have expected to loose.

Originally Posted by gardibolt

I've had really bad luck with forest battles, to the point that I avoid them whenever. I've been Roman forces slaughtered by Germans with inferior numbers in the woods. I just can't keep track of what's going on and inevitably get destroyed before I can react (I don't use the Pause button).

Well there is a pretty simple explaination for this, Germans are amazing the forest. They are very good against romans if used correctly. They get a pretty big combat bonus in woods, also did you enemy happen to have berzerkers, those usually scare the crap out of most units. Even if they didnt have berzerkers, they probalby had some kinds of axemen, which are very good agianst roman armour.

**Bombasticus Maximus** · 10-23-2006, 09:23

Thats why it's always fun invading germany...

**Rex_Pelasgorum** · 10-23-2006, 13:25

What units did these elite men happen to be?

They were the units composing the Eastern Generals Squad...
And some armenian heavy cataphtracts....

**jhhowell** · 10-23-2006, 22:33

I ran into some super-peasant rebels near Siwa last night. I've come to regard chariots as ideal anti-rebel units, so I sent my new one down to take these guys out. Charge, disengage, charge, disengage, repeat, rest, repeat, repeat - and despite being Shaken or Wavering the whole time, the peasants never break and eventually cause my chariots to lose control. Adding insult to injury, I sent in the Levy Spearmen unit from the Siwa garrison to mop up the remaining 78 peasants (of 120 originally). Somehow those peasants were able to mostly ignore the spears and walk right up to the phalanx's front row, and they inflicted near 1:1 casualties before finally breaking at 1/6 of their original strength. I was quite concerned that these peasants might have managed to rout a full strength pike phalanx in a frontal attack (and they would have, if the chariots hadn't chewed them up in the first battle)! If only I could buy peasants that good!

**Goalie** · 10-24-2006, 01:25

Originally Posted by Rex_Pelasgorum

They were the units composing the Eastern Generals Squad...
And some armenian heavy cataphtracts....

Well there is your explaination. I would take cataphracts and a general outnumbered 10 to 1 any day over peasant levies. Heck I would take them outnumbered 20:1 Like the quote from one of the loading screens, "valour is superior to numbers". That is a very good general rule of thumb.

**dacdac** · 12-07-2006, 02:40

man...i really don't want to do this. As Seleucia, i thought a unit of elephants and 5 pikemen could take out 3 units of rebel peasants. Marching towards them i get ambushed by a full stack of egyptian chariots and spearmen, and end up killing zero men, while all mine died because my elephants trampled every single man i had.
My loss: 436
Their losses: 0

**ByzantineKnight** · 12-08-2006, 08:02

Originally Posted by dacdac

man...i really don't want to do this. As Seleucia, i thought a unit of elephants and 5 pikemen could take out 3 units of rebel peasants. Marching towards them i get ambushed by a full stack of egyptian chariots and spearmen, and end up killing zero men, while all mine died because my elephants trampled every single man i had.
My loss: 436
Their losses: 0

Ouch!

**A. Smith** · 12-09-2006, 16:27

my most humiliating defeat ever is a town defence. I was greece, and i had a few militia hoplites and one or two standard hoplites in a small town (with the first level walls) and i had been attacked by a relatively small army (a few hundred men, including some cavalry). they besieged the city, built one ram, and attacked.

Now, it should have been an easy battle: they only had one ram, so they were bound to come by the gate. knowing that, i stacked all of my hoplites as close as they could be near my gate.

the firstpart of the battle went rather well. they took down the gates and charged a unit or two, that i repelled easily. however, due to my heavy stacking, they were out of position, and they had even began chasing the routers. at that precise moment, their cavlary charged in, routing all of my disorganized militia hoplites, which in tunr routed my normal hoplites. they then proceded to kill oll of them while they routed towards the town center.

I have never re-organized hoplites while being attacked since then.

**Afkazar** · 12-17-2006, 19:28

i havent really had to many defeats.most of em had been from me sending a single unit out to get enemy army info.

I suppose my greatest loss was when i lost antioch.i sent out my army and was outnumbered badly.vs eygptians.I lost 2 generals that day.But eventually id take it back.

**davidchandlee** · 01-07-2007, 06:20

It was my first large city defence, a stone-walled city against a large army. I noticed part of the army with one tower seemed to just stand there doing nothing. Another part broke my wall but I just managed to hold against them with nearly matching losses. I thought all was well and the battle was over until I got the message that that other group had climbed up and got a detachment to the main square which I forgot was the real objective.

**HumphreysCraig00** · 01-19-2007, 21:57

I just had a truly terrible one lol

Army 1

5 Units of town watch 0 exp, 5 barbarian mercenaries 1-2 Exp, 3 Spanish mercenaries 1 exp, 1 heavy peltast mercenary group 0 exp, 2 Rhodian slingers 2 exp

Army 2

1 Barbarian mercenaries 2 exp

Enemy

Spanish faction leader with 100 early bodyguards 4 exp

I walked both armies upto him, he charged Army 2 who I halted and then warcried and his charge litterally completely wiped out all 240 before it slowed from charging speed, he lost 0 men.

He then turned and charged the town watch in army 1, who held with no casualties from the original charge, I completely surrounded him withevery melee unit in my army
with the slingers and heavy peltasts firing on him.

He lost 0 men

He then routed my barbarian mercenaries which auto routed the rest of the army except the slingers, every man in my army who was routing ran into the generals unit and he killed 1500 men within about 40 seconds.

He lost 0 men still.

He ran down most of the routing units but 1 Barb merc 40 strong regrouped as did 1 spanish merc 60 strong. He charged them and they were vapourised.

He had still 0 losses.

He then charged the slingers who had him under fire most of the time, they oddly enough didnt immediately rout and caused 34 casualties in melee before routing and being destroyed.

SO the end numbers were

Close defeat (apparently!!!)

Me Start 3020 men, end 114 men

Spaniards Start 100 end 66 men

I was so sickeningly annoyed I forgot to get a screenshot but the general is still there if you want me to march another pretty much fullstack on him and get another terrible defeat.

I know im on Vh/Vh but 100 men killing 3000 While surrounded with no advantages to speak of is ridiculous :/

This is going to hold back my conquest of spain for at least half a century (im going to have to wait for the guy to die of old age lol)

**antisocialmunky** · 01-20-2007, 05:03

Lol, sounds like fighting Byzantines in MTW bud, sorry...

**Teleklos Archelaou** · 01-20-2007, 06:19

I had a whole campaign recently where this happened. I was Pontos (in EB), starting with my capital city. I took Sinope, and was marching on Nikaia, but even though I took Nikaia, I lost my family member with that army. Then a rebel stack shows up and within a few turns was sieging my capital (Amaseia). I thought I could hold out, and sent my Sinope units from the coast inland with some Greek regionals to try and defeat this "pretender" army, but in the first battle my faction leader was lost. It ended in a draw, with the siege still continuing. I wanted to pull back to Sinope with my one character, but at that moment the Seleucids betrayed me and laid siege to Nikaia. I had to get Amaseia back, took all my Sinope units and my faction leader, and attacked the pretenders again, but lost the battle, my faction leader, and the campaign all in one go. It was fun, but I think I'll switch from VH(strat)/M(battle) back to M/M or H/M.

At least when I'm playing as Pontos.