RTW - General Pointers

1. MATCH YOUR OPPONENT.

They say common sense is common, but its not!

If an opponent takes a pike nation, its USUALLY normal to match it with your own pike nation, although better players can take on pikes with other factions, depending on IF ITS A TEAM GAME, or THE TERRAIN will give you an opportunity or advantage. Furthermore, remember what faction units have bonuses in certain conditions, i.e woods or desert. think of what special units and abilities the enemy faction will have, and counter them.

2. EFFECTIVE AGAINST.

If a faction has better cav than you, match it with increased pikemen or inf who can handle them, to balance the defecit. Pikes have a bonus vs cav, chariots and eles...use this advantage. some units have a HUGE powerful charge which can send units ROUTING, this can be effective when used properly. other units are effective vs all armour units, i.e legions, cataphracts, so note your opponents faction. Chariots are great against sword-wielding infantry and SOME cavalry without strong spears.

3. SPECIAL UNITS.

Most factions have a unique and interesting unit that can turn the tide of battle, some have a unit with extra HIT-POINTS which means they deal more damage with fewer strikes. e.g spartans and bull warriors. These units are amazing but COST A LOT and thats the gamble you take. elephants are the ultimate bulldozing unit, but are vulnerable if not protected, either with a screen of cavalry or kept out of action unitl the final surge. They, and scythed chariots will RUN AMOK when they rout and can destroy your own men. berserkers are legendary if used well, but must be protected even more, if they are hit by arrows or attacked, they will go berserk and you lose control over them. Some factions have great cavalry units with long range, they are great for harrassing enemy units and earning some breathing space for your army.

4. DIVIDE AND CONQUER.

Basic warfare is simple, destroy one element of an enemy, INFANTRY, CAVALRY OR MISSILE, and they rest of the army will usually fall. kill an opponents cavalry, he will have no protection on his flanks and back when you engaga his infantry face to face. kill his missile units, you can pick his units off at leisure. lure an enemy cav away from his infantry with a single unit, use your remainding cav to support your attacking infantry. keep your army close together, UNLESS you have a good chance of destroying an enemy element. Seperate the enemy, and he will feel broken.

5. RANGE.

Missile units are VERY VERY important in battles using up to 25000 denarii per player. beyond that, most infantry armour is nearly invulnerable and its not worth taking many missile units, except to counter special units like elephants and chariots. On low money under 25k, missile units often decide the battle, so upgrading them can be the key. Sacrifice weaker infantry for better armoured archers? Or keep strong infantry and use archers as cannon fodder to waste enemy arrows? The decision should be based on whether you want to stand and skirmish, or rush strike and go for instant melee with the enemy. RANGE is very important as a long range unit WILL hit 10% of your short range missile units before they get in range. Long range units can cost a lot, so its sometimes best to mix them with short range units. remember to match your opponent.

6. TIMING OF ATTACK.

ONLY A FOOL charges from the start. be patient with your army, check out the enemy for weak spots (you can spot which units have been upgraded by looking at the small squares above each unit) and decide which element you want to deal with first. Usually after a skirmish of missile units, infantry will engage, and its your CAVALRY which will often be the deciding charge for the win. Better players will learn to group and divide their cav to suit their style, but its often best to keep your cav together and as wide as possible to maximise their IMPACT ON CHARGE.
Some cav are made for charging, others for FIGHTING OTHER CAV so be careful to support your cav with pikemen if your against melee cav. When you think the enemy infantry is vulnerable, or you have destroyed his cavalry, attack the BACK or sides of each enemy unit, and they will usually ROUT. Timing is key, because some infantry units move fast, and pikes are obviously deadly vs cav, so decide when is best, and dont change your mind once your charging.

7. STAMINA.

Although some units are far superior to weaker units, FRESH units will often stand their ground well against EXHAUSTED superior units. slow to strike, low on morale, a group of archers can defeat a unit of TIRED swordsmen because their strikes hit faster and the exhausetd unit cannot defend themselves. do not forget about your archers when melee fighting begins, you can use them as melee infantry aswell, every unit has a knife or spear....peasants use pitchforks!! excellent stamina (and morale) is rare, but it means that unit will LAST A LONG TIME fresh and can run long distances. It costs, but depending on your plan, it can be important.


SMALL TIPS

A generals rally will inspire some routing units to return, and if used in a charge can help rout an enemy.

Any barbarian warcry will boost their attack, but for a few seconds they are stood vulnerable, so be careful of timing.

Any unit, even SPARTANS, is vulnerable to FIRE, shoot fire into their backs, they will fall.

Testudo formation is great for defence, but poor for offence, and is VERY SLOW to change in and out of. Avoid testudo unless you have good protection from cavalry and your expecting a hail of fire arrows.

Cantabrian circle with horse archers is fun and will help them dodge enemy arrows, but it will DRAIN your stamina and your cavalry will be easy targets for fast cav, so be careful to have protection for them, or turn it off when you feel out of range.

Roman pila are DEADLY if you let them throw, so get in FAST and engage them melee to avoid heavy losses. Once legions are engaged, they cannot throw them and the odds are even.

Regards
Gummy

nice one gummy, that must have taken you ages.
good contribution.