Siege Formations

[Raijer]

I'm having a hell of time with my sieges. While I'm ultimately winning the battles, I seem to be doing so thanks only to sheer numbers. On average, I'm losing twice as many men as the enemy - which seems exceptionally high. While I've read the excellent guides available here, I'd like some advise in matters none of them seem to touch on, and that's how exactly to form up your troops outside the city gates. Do you line them up in columns? Do you decrease the width of your units formation to prevent bottlenecking - a major problem for me?

I should probably note that these sieges are early in the game, without the use of artillery.

Any advice you can give me along these lines will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

[Omanes Alexandrapolites]

Hi Raijer,
I understand your feelings, sieges are heavily biased in favour of the defender in all TW games. However, using loose formation for troops, or testudo for the Romans in the later game should you be discussing R:TW, really does help restrict the number of own casualties to a minimum.

Another tactic you could use involves the use of peasants as a suicide force. Simply line them up infront of the walls, in loose formation, and let the towers batter them! While the arrows are focusing on them move in your real force to do the proper work! It's also often wise to use peasants for ramming and brining the siege weapons to the wall. Afterwards you can order their withdrawal and again send in the real men to do the full fighting.

Hope this helps you, cheers!

[Vuk]

lol, that is funny. I ussually lose my record number of troops defending, and lose relatively few assaulting. (early game) I think that may be because of my affinity for cavalry. (my armies are rarely anything less than 90% cavalry )
My best advice for early game is to stock big into the cavalry. Send peasant if you want (but if you can afford it, pike men or legionairres) with a battering ram to the gates. Meanwhile, have a unit of light cav in loose formation circling just within range and drawing fire. It takes a little management, but usually, not more than two will die (and that if worst case) if done correctely. (that is what I do at least. I do not believe in peasants or expendable troops) As soon as the gate is down, have your cav (in deep narrow formation) charge the gate head on as your archers pour into the back. (note: cav archers circling outside and shooting in as the battering ram does its work is a good idea too. And you won't have to worry about you light cav distraction)
As soon as the first unit(s) of cav makes it through, send them out of the fight deeper into the enemy fortifications, and fill up the gap with your stongest inf. Then have the cav charge back.
This works for me at least.

Vuk

[Mithrandir]

Your probably don't have camel's in your army?

Get them and it'll be no problem at all...

[Severous]

Which game?

If its RTW or BI:

Hand to hand wall fighting, assaulting defended gates, charging a packed plaza..all good ways to loose lots of your own men. So do the opposite. Kill them away from the plaza.

Try to gain access to the city where there are no wall towers firing at you and no defenders.

Use missile troops to shoot the enemy in the streets (wooden type walls) but only fire at those presenting their backs to you.

If its stone walls then capture a wall top somewhere where the enemy isnt. Then run along the top capturing towers. Avoid fighting on the walls. Once one or two units move into the city the defending wall units often fall back from the wall. That your queue to capture any last remaining wall towers and use their firepower to kill the defenders in the city streets.

[Doug-Thompson]

Javelin cavalry.

For a siege? You bet. Use a ram to break down the gate. 99.9999 percent of the time, knights or armored infantry will be there. Javelin cavalry will take care of those.

Cavalry are better for this than foot javeling throwers because jav-cav can throw on the move. Foot cav can't throw while skirmishing away. Therefore, jav-cav lay down a continuous hail of missiles that quickly clear the way.