Pontos infantry strategy

[Rodion Romanovich]

How should I build up the infantry base of my Pontic armies - any strategical tips? From what I can see there aren't too (stats-wise) impressive infantry units available. I'm also running out of population to recruit from in the capital.

[Tellos Athenaios]

Pantodapoi phalangitai + clever tactics should suffice should you wish to battle hard-infantry armies, but apart from those I would take my time to invest in slingers and archers. Caucassus is not far away, and those archers are surely worth their cost. Now, apart from that you can get some hard-hitting fast-moving, AP-infantry with 200 men a unit on hughe settings (thus 200 javelins per volley as well): my (Seleukid) Cappadocian Hillmen have given the Ptolemies a run for the money more than once. Oh and, be sure to recruit some Caucassian Spearmen of the Pantodapoi-style: they are the same cost (nothing, not even for a financially weak kingdom) but a few notches thougher, and should do well defeating armoured cavalry. However, do not let them (nor the Hillmen for that matter) face prologned harassment by archers or slinger for against such opponents they are utterly wasted.

Should you require some cheap, reliable and easily-replaced swordsmen: well there's always a band of Galatians looking for employment nearby.

[Midnj]

Use your infantry to occupy while you flank with other infantry and/or cav. Cav is the ideal choice. The problem is you face many enemies with better cavalry than you do. But there's no rule saying you have to melee enemy cavalry with your own. Use your cavalry to engage your opponents cavalry and bring some infantry into the melee to decisively rout their cav. Then flank.

Also, if you don't have any reservations about exploiting ranged units (of which Pontos has a good selection) you can use a lot of skirmishers/ranged units in the fashion of the Ottoman turks of the Medieval Era. Wear them down with skirmishing/ranged troops until your own infantry can win.

Movement/flanking or firepower. Or both. Those are your guiding principles.

[Tancredii]

Pretty much more of what the others have said. Use spies and watchtowers to fight on your terms. Pin, flank and flee. Slingers firing into the flank of a phalanx can be nasty. Also never underestimate the Galatians you can get very easily. (Not your specials but the Ankyra ones).

My biggest issue was always the Companion Cavalry who can slegde most lower order spearmen.

[konny]

In my longest Pontos campaign (EB 0.8) I ended up with an army of classical Hoplites drafted in large numbers from the West (Pergamon etc.). The Pantodapoi Phalangitai was to weak againsts the Seleucid Phalanx and the Chalkaspidai (what is now the Chalkaspides) was to expansive/rare to field in large numbers.

With the new line up I would probably use a Roman style infantry with these longsword soldiers. I had some good experinces with their Armenian equivalent, before AS eat me up by sheer numbers.

[beatoangelico]

With the new line up I would probably use a Roman style infantry with these longsword soldiers. I had some good experinces with their Armenian equivalent, before AS eat me up by sheer numbers.

they require level 4 MIC atm, which among other things made them pretty useless

[russia almighty]

That's why I personally modified the Armenian Sparabara wannabes to a pretty good unit. 19 points spread out total for armor , shield and defense skill . Made them disciplined too BTW .

[Rodion Romanovich]

Thanks for the tips! So far I've managed to fight more conservatively without losing as many phalangites, while my city populations have been growing. An occasional galatian unit and uazali have also helped saving me. I think I will go for hoplites and peltastai as melee core, eastern slingers and caucasian archers will handle distanced duels... and the pontic generals will win the battles

[Elthore]

Pontos can field some of the heaviest armies in the late game.
try this:
3 classical hoplites
4 medium phalanx
1 elite phalanx
4 syrian/bosphoran archers
1 scythian noble cav(cheaper and stronger than the kappadocians)
2 sarmation noble horse archers (these last two are kinda far)
2 roxolani riders (im using scythian HAs until i reach sarmatia)
1 galatian heavy spearmen
1 elite thracian infantry
1 general

thats pretty expensive, but some units like the classic hoplites and archers are good deals. It hauls a lot of ass

as for cheaper armies, i build entire armies of natives of a specific region. These vary in size but you can easily reduce or increase their numbers if you send them home to rest. for example:
galatian army might have, swordsmen, heavyspearmen, celtic slingers.
thracians might include, light cav and spears, and their elite infantry.
later on you could have a persian army, a greek army, an alexandrian army, and a scythian army. The last of which i find particularly useful, cheap, and quick defence for any part of the empire, a border guard of sorts. You'll have to keep in mind to command the galatians like galatians, persians as persians, etc.

[Rodion Romanovich]

Where do you get hold of the medium and elite phalanx, and the syrian archers (which MIC and which region)?

[Tellos Athenaios]

The Medium phalanx can be recruite from captured Seleukid/Ptolemaic Klerouchies - at least if that's what's being referred to (Klerouchoi Phalangitai).

[mAIOR]

I believe that Pontos is one of the best factions to play as. Late game you have a very good army and in the early game you have to make do with what you have. I find that fighting defensive battles with whatever remnants of an army I've got at the time is quite satisfying. Use your pantodapoi phalangitai as shock troops. Their AP secondary armor can shred heavy infantry espetially if you hit them from the flanks (basically use some Pantodapoi as Phalanx and others as shock cavalry.

I find that early Pontus supports the motto, if you have to do it, you'll do it... Meaning you win battles that otherwise you wouldn't consider trying. But, as your survival depends on it, you'll do it anyway!
It kinda remuinds me when I have to turn in a project for school. It gets to those 2~3 days before the deadline and I manage to pull of the impossible...


Cheers...

[konny]

I think I will go for hoplites and peltastai as melee core, eastern slingers and caucasian archers will handle distanced duels.

Yes that should do. 6 units of Hoplites and 4 of Peltastai for the flanks makes a solid line for just 2,674 mne that even the Successor phalanxes can't break without serious trouble. Add to these 10 units of FMs, horesarchers, slingers and the like and you'll have a full army for under 5,000 mne. By these low costs you should be able to field two or three full stack armies, enough to defend and expand your territory against the Seleucids and the terrible Ptolees.

they require level 4 MIC atm, which among other things made them pretty useless

Yes, that's a little much. Their descreption as "elite" is also somewhat misleading because they are infantry of the line, pretty much the same as Polybian Principes. The Armenian/Georgian unit of the same type is much better available from local MICs - but also even more limited.