Militia Hoplites...

[rvg]

In my Greek campaign I used to sneer in disgust at these guys, but now in my newest Seleukid game I came to appreciate just how good these guys are. With a few simple guidelines (upgrade their morale/armor/weapon if possible/use deep formation/protect their flanks) they fight like champs. Cheap, hardy, EXTREMELY easy to retrain, excellent city defenders and not bad in the field either.

Needless to say, I now respect those little guys.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

They really are a good garrison force - especially in narrow streets with a wall on either flank.

Cheap, easy to retrain, not worrisome if you take casualties.

I sometimes would send a unit or two of milhops with my siege armies -- even in the late game -- to dig under walls, push rams, take towers toward a defended wall. Anywhere I thought a unit would take 20-40% casualties REGARDLESS of the unit, it just made sense to send the cheap stuff in place of the difficult to replace.

[woad&fangs]

I remember that some guy here (I think Guinea Wolf) uses them almost exclusively. If you can keep them from routing than they are pretty good.

[guineawolf]

too bad they wear nothing,if they ever get a shirt on will be look like swordmen in"ALEXANDER"(MOVIE)

or get leather armor or chainmail on just like medieval2(just bought,my second original game(non piracy)

they carve out a Thracian empire in my Thracian campaign with militia hoplites as regulars spearmen and swordmen....

[Caius]

I hate when they rout. I find them useless.

[mrdun]

To be honest I hate any unit which is prone to routing.

[Charge]

Hm, if you playing as Seleucids (or macedon), it is always a good cheat option to use Levy Pikemen as garrisons .

It is also funny to play with militia hoplites (hard), but there is nothing more annoying than playing against them!!

[Wessex Rob]

I've only played one campaign as the Greeks and to be honest, after a fairly short time, I got bored with the battles. Hoplites are good troops, and the upgraded versions are superb, but the battles all felt the same. Line up, march forward, win. I found the lack of tactical variety bored me after a while and I went back to using factions with a more varied roster and more options on the battlefield.

[rvg]

I've only played one campaign as the Greeks and to be honest, after a fairly short time, I got bored with the battles. Hoplites are good troops, and the upgraded versions are superb, but the battles all felt the same. Line up, march forward, win. I found the lack of tactical variety bored me after a while and I went back to using factions with a more varied roster and more options on the battlefield.

Well, that is basically true for all phalanx troops. I don't even use them for attack, but merely move my entire army close enough to the enemy so that my Cretans can shoot everything to tatters from behind the spearwall. By the time they run out of ammo, the enemy army is usually in a very sorry shape and ripe for a cavalry sweep. So, even when I'm on the offence strategically, my phalanx troops remain defensive tactically.

[Meldarion]

For guarding city streets these guys are generally excellent like most phalanx style units. I wouldn't risk using them in the open field as regulars unless I was desperate, they have their day early game but don't endure long after.

[hamilcarX]

maybe i am wrong cuz i don't play rtw cuz the cd does not work on my computer, but the problem with phalanx units is always their immobility, i mean, they are a good unit if you use them well, but they are slow, wich means if they walk in broken terrain you'll have gaps in your lines, so enemy sword troops can sneak in those gaps and decimate your army in the flanks of all your phalanx units.
however, if you play with phalanxes i have a good stratetgy that may do the job of winning a battle.


in your left or right wing you place all your best infantry phalanxes, and i mean, REALLY THE BEST. the rest go on the other wing.

let the enemy march, and when you think they are close enough let your ELITE wing march to the opposite enemy wing, make them rout, and then attack the outher wing in the rear or the flanks when that enemy wing is attacking your weaker wing wich is supposed to hold line and be used as decoy.
This strategy is handy if you use cavalry too.

[Celt Centurion]

I just started a new campaign as Seleucids. I have noticed that the only useful shrine/temple in the early stage for these guys is Haephestus.

Until a militia barracks is built, one can only get militia hoplites. So I keep a small garrison of 4-5 units in each town until I can get the levy spearmen.

I still use them to garrison newly taken towns as often they are the only units I can retrain there. I also use newly retrained ones with upgraded armour to switch out with those in towns that have no armourer.

Say I bring in 5 units of militia hoplites from Antioch to say; Hatra. They may be attacked along the way by Egyptians or Pontics, but with silver armour they take very few casualties and get to Hatra intact. From there, I can send the ones from Hatra to Antioch to be retrained as well, or I can discharge a unit and retrain casualties to the armoured group. That keeps the whole group armoured. I then increase the population of Hatra by discharging the ones already there.

When I can get the upgraded infantry I will, but the militia hoplites with silver armour can usually take care of most attackers. Hatra and Damascus have fought off Egyptian and Pontic armies nearly every turn using militia hoplites upgraded in Antioch with silver armour. It just takes a bit of logistical shuffling.

But be advised that I will not be using them to march on a full stack of Pharaoh's Spearmen.

Strength and Honor

Celt Centurion

[Patroclus]

They're decent in city battle, but their morale is rubbish; they're a liability in many circumstances.