In EB Roman manipular tactics work fine if used correctly. As Konny very well illustrated each Hastati maniple must be supported by a Principe maniple. If we today are correctly deploying this tactic, each Hastati is supported by two Principe maniples. The Romans always made used of reserves and the Principe where deployed first to critical points in the Hastati line and to add more pressure on the front line. In ancient warfare enemy soldiers fought at intervals, moving to hand to hand combat then retreating back, and again and again until one panics and flees. In this way the tired Hastati where withdraw from the fighting and rested, quite impossible in Eb and my highest casualty rate is among my four Hastati maniples. Also the hastati where supported by the Velites in the initial rounds of combat, then gradually retreated. The Triari where only used in very dire situations. hence the Roman said that where a situation was critical, it was resolved by moving forward the third line " It come to the triari".

I use these tactics in Eb, by removing the skirmish mod from the Velites, they have more time to launch their javlins, then retreated back as they suffer badly in hand to hand. Then the Hastati are given orders to auto launch their pila, then the Principes. By the time the enemy comes to hand to hand they panic and flee. But I found that massed phalanxes are a pain in the *** to fight with the romans, the hastat are depleted. In my campaign 192 BC, I invaded my client kingdom of Epirus. I lost my first battle, we where outnumbered but in Roman belive there is no retreat. In the second battle I used a consular army commanded by a consul Decimus Valerius Maximus. I had to used exraordinarii to outflank and outmaneuvere the phalanx, but casulaties on my part where as high as 30%, even if i charged them on the rear they keept on figting, with their king butchered.

Cheers.