Romani Lovers... How did u face Horse archers and Heavy cavalry only army?

**chenkai11** · 07-28-2009, 00:37

Originally Posted by Mikhail Mengsk

Did you use Testudo?

I don't think so. Legionaires wouldn't be hidden in the forest and be invisible in radar map if they are in testudo.

**Cute Wolf** · 07-29-2009, 15:39

Originally Posted by chenkai11

I don't think so. Legionaires wouldn't be hidden in the forest and be invisible in radar map if they are in testudo.

Actually he defeat me with tactics more suitable for Sweboz or Lusotann..... pretty barbaric and plain brutal... just hide and waaarrrrggghhhhh, and those romaioi barbarians shower pilum on my men's face...

Well, my wrong to sent waypoints without scouting first...

**chenkai11** · 07-30-2009, 03:30

Originally Posted by Cute Wolf

Actually he defeat me with tactics more suitable for Sweboz or Lusotann..... pretty barbaric and plain brutal... just hide and waaarrrrggghhhhh, and those romaioi barbarians shower pilum on my men's face...

Well, my wrong to sent waypoints without scouting first...

Yeah...at least it is still not good enough to proof that Roman army can defeat cavalry factions.

**Rahwana** · 08-01-2009, 17:13

Originally Posted by Cute Wolf

Actually he defeat me with tactics more suitable for Sweboz or Lusotann..... pretty barbaric and plain brutal... just hide and waaarrrrggghhhhh, and those romaioi barbarians shower pilum on my men's face...

Well, my wrong to sent waypoints without scouting first...

Well, you always mostly do the same tactial error in every MP games I play with you, as your initial Zerglings and Hydralisks army always got pwned by my Dark Templars, and your Scrin hordes mostly lost in the region where I build disruption towers. BTW I know that historically, hide and seek is accurate and valid tactics against army that was tactically superrior in open field, maybe If we meet again after holidays, I'll try fight with those Barbarians (oops you also call the Romans barbarians? what about your Steppe army? ).

**Mikhail Mengsk** · 08-01-2009, 18:19

Today i faced a full cavalry SAKA army with an Imperial Roman Legion, with 1 first cohort, 5 cohorts, 2 pedites extr, 4 eastern auxilia, 2 eastern auxilia archers, 1 cohors evocata, 1 cohors pretoriana, a general, 1 gallic cav, 1 german cav, 1 extraordinarii cav. 40000 mnais.

Babylonian flat map.

I won, but it was against the AI, so...

Anyway, i saw that it's better NOT to use testudo, because the heavy cavalry charges hit it before they could reform original formation, and hit really bad. Normal formation, use infantry to cover flanks, use the few cavalries to attack isolated units.

**Aemilius Paulus** · 08-02-2009, 06:10

Originally Posted by Mikhail Mengsk

Anyway, i saw that it's better NOT to use testudo, because the heavy cavalry charges hit it before they could reform original formation, and hit really bad. Normal formation, use infantry to cover flanks, use the few cavalries to attack isolated units.

Exactly. Which is why Crassus never used it. Learn from history, and it will even help in EB MP. Also, it tires troops, both in RL and enormously in EB.

Accensi are questionable to me, as your human opponent would simply charge them. Numbers would have to be your saviour.

The most important thing you should know is that NEVER stand and take a cavalry charge. Even spearmen, even hoplites, even the hoplite elite/thorkitai can take a heavy cavalry charge standing. This is the most common misconception ever. In RTW, if you let you infantry counter-charge, it will suffer very, every few casualties, if any. Running away from the horsemen and then turning when their charge dissipates is even more effective against the heaviest of the heavy cavalry. This is quite (very!) ahistorical/counter-intuitive, but that is how RTW works, and I consider myself a master of RTW game mechanics.

**Cute Wolf** · 08-02-2009, 06:21

Honestly, after that defeat, I just admit that the element of surprise ambush did play a really significant role on the battlefield. But running against cav charges is also a good option when fought in the woods. Just curious, why units that was fallen into ambush tend to rout much quicker?

**Aemilius Paulus** · 08-02-2009, 06:27

Originally Posted by Cute Wolf

Just curious, why units that was fallen into ambush tend to rout much quicker?

Hah, have you ever seen the "surprised by the emerging enemy"?? That indicator shaves off a few points of morale. Now take some Gaesatae/other naked warriors/Slavic Spearmen, and add some fire arrows, a few routing enemies, your general close by, or even a rear attack, and you get an insta-rout. Thus, always keep some of your men hidden, even if there is no tactical value in that.

**vartan** · 08-02-2009, 06:34

Originally Posted by Aemilius Paulus

Running away from the horsemen and then turning when their charge dissipates is even more effective against the heaviest of the heavy cavalry. This is quite (very!) ahistorical/counter-intuitive, but that is how RTW works, and I consider myself a master of RTW game mechanics.

Would you ban this in an online tournament?

**antisocialmunky** · 08-02-2009, 16:09

Originally Posted by Aemilius Paulus

Exactly. Which is why Crassus never used it. Learn from history, and it will even help in EB MP. Also, it tires troops, both in RL and enormously in EB.

Accensi are questionable to me, as your human opponent would simply charge them. Numbers would have to be your saviour.

The most important thing you should know is that NEVER stand and take a cavalry charge. Even spearmen, even hoplites, even the hoplite elite/thorkitai can take a heavy cavalry charge standing. This is the most common misconception ever. In RTW, if you let you infantry counter-charge, it will suffer very, every few casualties, if any. Running away from the horsemen and then turning when their charge dissipates is even more effective against the heaviest of the heavy cavalry. This is quite (very!) ahistorical/counter-intuitive, but that is how RTW works, and I consider myself a master of RTW game mechanics.

I rather just sit there any take the charge. I'd also rather have a few chevroned up skirmisher units run infront of the cavalry to screw up any formed charge. Its what the Gauls do online and its quite effective,

**chenkai11** · 08-03-2009, 02:04

Originally Posted by antisocialmunky

I rather just sit there any take the charge. I'd also rather have a few chevroned up skirmisher units run infront of the cavalry to screw up any formed charge. Its what the Gauls do online and its quite effective,

Yes, that is a very effective way to counter cavalry frontal charge. A few skirmishers, slingers or archers line up before your front line, in guard mode and loose formation.