I have fought Carthagenian players online for a total of 11 times. Using a "No Rules, 10k Denarii" setting, all of my previous Carthage opponents have fought in typically the same manner: a well-balanced army with heavy infantry in the center, cavalry on both flanks and skirmishers in front of the infantry center. On occasion, my foes will use elephants. But this morning, I fought an opponent who thought outside of the box. This particular commander of Carthage used the "Box" tactic typically associated with the Greek City-States. I really wasn't expecting this.
With the "Box" came the spam army:
- 1 General's Armoured Bodyguard (plus the general)
- 9 Sacred Band (spearmen)
- 9 Slingers
- 1 Onager
At 10k denarii, the enemy had 500 denarii left to spend on upgrades. I'm assuming all of his denarii went to upgrading the attack of his Slingers. This gave the enemy a total number of 1505 troops (not including the general). In comparison, I had 1020 troops... The Macedon Army: Individually, 1 Sacred Band Spearmen was clearly superior to 1 Royal Pikemen. The fact that he had 9 of them (compared to my 4) clearly worked in his favor. His 9 Slingers also held a superiority in firepower over my Archers/Peltasts. My advantage in cavalry was nearly negated by the fact that his troops fought in a "box." This is how the enemy initially arrayed his troops: Each flank was closed off by 2 Sacred Band spearmen standing in tight formation. The front of the "box" was enclosed by 2 Sacred Band spearmen stretched out quite thinly in loose formation (to allow the skirmishers to enter and leave as they pleased). The rear of the "box" was protected by 3 Sacred Band spearmen in loose formation (not as thinly spread as the front spearmen). Just behind the "box" was the enemy's general unit (the General's Armoured Bodyguard). His "box" could not be opened up without attacking him. And so I attacked. It was the only way to get my cavalry into the battle. At the beginning of the battle, I advanced all of my troops forwards towards the enemy. The enemy adjusted his box so that both of our fronts would clash on an equal frontage. I sent my Archers forward to do battle with his Slingers. I also charged my Companion Cavalry on both flanks towards the enemy Slingers who were standing outside of the wall of Sacred Band spears. I did harm to several Slingers. At the same time, his Onager was wreaking havoc on my infantry. In just 2 shots, his Onager had taken out close to 30 Royal Pikemen. Another shot scared away one formation of Companion Cavalry. While my phalanx advanced towards his "box," my cavalry circled around the enemy formation in the hopes that a gap would soon appear. The General's Armoured Bodyguard fled into the center of his box as soon as my Companions approached it from the rear. Finally, my 4 Royal Pikemen came upon the enemy's front where 2 Sacred Band spearmen stood guard. Just before contact, the 2 stretched out Sacred Band spearmen closed ranks to meet my spears. As spearmen tightened formation, a gap opened between the pair of Sacred Bands. And that's when the "box" finally opened up. I galloped all of my horses at topspeed towards the opening at the front. Instead of running from my horses, his Slingers put up a heroic stand. His General's Armoured Bodyguard assisted in ejecting my first unit of Companion Cavalry. But then came my remaining 3 units of Companion Cavalry who plowed right through the horde of Slingers. One by one, his Slingers fled. Next the Carthagenian general fell to his death after my Companions thrust their spears fowards. The Sacred Band spearmen peeled away in pairs to close in on my cavalry. The box was coming apart but my horses were losing room to maneuver. Soon the action resembled the chaos of a typical battle where units were free to maneuver. But despite routing his 9 Slingers, 1 Onager and his General's Armoured Bodyguard, I was clearly outmatched by the mere presence of 9 Sacred Band spearmen. By this time, I had lost too many Pikemen to continue a spearfight with higher-quality spearmen. My remaining Companion Cavalry attacked the enemy from behind and managed to route 2 Sacred Band spearmen. But once his remaining spearmen got rolling, there was no more opportunity for my horses to outflank his units effectively. I surrendered once my Royal Pikemen fled. 1 cavalry unit alone doesn't stand a chance against 7 units of enemy spearmen. [This message has been edited by Barbarian_Prince (edited 03-03-2007 @ 02:02 PM).]
- 4 Companion Cavalry (plus the general)
- 4 Royal Pikemen
- 2 Archers
- 2 Peltasts
A) 7 Slingers stood in close formation in the middle of the "box." 2 more Slinger units in front of his "box" in loose formation (ready to exchange fire with my skirmishers).
B) In the center of the "box" (amid the Slingers) was the enemy's Onager unit.
C) & D) 9 Sacred Band Spearmen formed the skeletal structure of the "box."
"It is a lovely thing to live with courage and to die leaving behind an everlasting renown." - ALEXANDER THE GREAT