posted 21 December 2007 17:43 EDT (US)
Before you follow me on my Spanish battles, I want everyone to know that I refer to “Spain” as “Spain” because it's the name given to it by the designers. By the way, this is the "Spain" of Antiquity.
So basically, Spain is pretty bad. I'd say they'reen par with Gaul in terms of lethalness, but Spain does have an advantage in the missile department since Gallic Foresters are way too expensive at low denarii.
That said, it's time to join me as I take you on a march with the warriors of Spain...
Online Battle #683: Spain vs Rome
December 17, 2007
Grassy Flatlands
Spain (me)
- 6 Iberian Infantry (plus general)
- 4 Long Shield Cavalry
- 6 Slingers
Scipii Romans (Blue)
- 2 Roman Armoured Generals (plus general)
- 2 Cavalry Auxilia
- 1 Praetorian Cavalry
- 1 Urban Cohort
- 1 Praetorian Cohort
- 2 Hastati
- 2 Triarii
- 1 Velite
- 1 Archer Auxilia
- 1 Auxilia
- 1 Onagers
- 1 Repeating Ballistas
Once the battle started, I came right at my opponent.
(I ordered my troops to charge before they had time to realize they were up against Romans)
There was no brilliant pre-battle maneuvering – I simply shoved my infantry line into Blue's. I did this because of a noticeable weakness in his infantry line. Certainly, the Urban Cohort, Praetorian Cohort, and Hastati on his left were life-threatening, but on the right side of his line stood Triarii, Auxilia and Hastati. I had faith in my Iberian Infantry to overpower his right flank quick enough to support my infantry opposing his elite Urban/Praetorian Cohorts.
(the Praetorian Cohorts had more trouble fighting their laughter than my Iberian Infantry)
Aware of the weakness on his right, Blue decided to re-deploy his Urban Cohorts to his right flank. This was a good move by blue since my Iberian Infantry had just managed to rout the Hastati and Auxilia on his right. The Urban Cohorts plugged in that gap most effectively.
On my opponent's left flank, his Praetorian Cohorts were giving my Iberian Infantry the business. Due to my huge superiority in infantry numbers, though, I was able to use multiple units against 1 of his. Even his elite units like the Urban Cohorts and Praetorian Cohorts couldn't take too much of that abuse. They fought to the last man as any good Roman should do.
During the huge infantry battle in the center, my cavalry was used mainly to annoy his cavalry (and keep them away from my undisciplined infantry). During my cavalry maneuvers, I caught his Praetorian Cavalry in an isolated position in which I was able to gang up on it with multiple Long Shield Cavalry. Once his Praetorian Cavalry was out of the picture, it was easier to clean up his remaining horses with combined attacks from cavalry and infantry.
With the freedom to do as they pleased, my cavalry wreaked havoc on Blue's artillery pieces at spear-range. Furthermore, any Roman units found running away from the battlefield were trounced by the Spanish horses.
(still laughing at Spanish cavalry?)
The battle could've been over a lot sooner, but my opponent insisted on running away from me with his remaining Cavalry Auxilia unit for a solid 4-5 minutes. Sometimes running away has tactical meaning but not when it involves 1 depleted Cavalry Auxilia versus my entire Spanish army.
Online Battle #684: Thrace vs Britons
I won't discuss this battle since it didn't involve Spain. When my opponent picked the Britons, I really didn't feel like fighting them without pikes/spears. To make a long story short, I won this battle (without Spain). End of story.
Online Battle #685: Spain vs Greece
December 18, 2007
Grassy Flatlands
Spain (me)
- 2 Bull Warriors (plus general)
- 4 Scutarii
- 3 Long Shield Cavalry
- 6 Slingers
Greece (Katya)
- 2 General's Armoured Bodyguard (plus general)
- 5 Spartan Hoplites
- 2 Heavy Onagers
- 1 Peasant
For this battle, I purposely deployed in the most chaotic manner. The purpose of that ploy was primarily psychological. My opponent will either think I'm a noob or she won't know what to think at all. In either scenario, I'm the one who benefits.
In any case, I advanced slowly forward as I scanned Katya's army. The most obvious weakness of my opponent was her lack of archers. As I was advancing, I received a few nasty hits from Katya's pair of Heavy Onagers. “Onwards,” I pushed my Spaniards. The Heavy Onagers managed to get some lucky shots on my infantry...
(getting hit by artillery isn't as bad as it looks)
My cavalry moved ahead of the army at a trot. Katya then sent her 2 General's Armoured Bodyguard units to intercept my horses. My 3 Long Shields could overcome her Armoured Bodyguard with moderate casualties so I let that event unfold with little interest. Knowing this, Katya sent two units of Spartan hoplites to assist in dealing with my cavalry. Luckily, the Greek horses routed before the Spartans could assist them.
(Spanish gallantry on horseback)
My opponent was then confused as to which units to attack with her artillery (as evident in the rotating movement of the Greek onagers). My Slingers threw so many rocks at the artillery crew, though, that they were unable to operate their machinery altogether.
My Slingers then rushed around the flanks of the Spartans. That was the decisive movement in the battle as it presented my opponent with two options: stand fast (and die) or move fast (and die).
(meet the fastest slingers in the Old, Old West)
My opponent decided to rush forward and attack my infantry. The Spartans advanced with magnificent valour and discipline, but they were no match for the combined force of Slingers, Long Shields, Bull Warriors and Iberian Infantry.
(Swarming with Spain)
The lack of Greek archers forced the Spartans into that predicament.
Online Battle #686: Spain vs Egypt
December 18, 2007
Grassy Flatlands
Spain (me)
- 6 Scutarii (plus general)
- 4 Long Shield Cavalry
- 6 Slingers
Egypt (Sean)
- 6 Pharaoh's Guards (plus general)
- 3 Pharaoh's Bowmen
- 2 Egyptian Chariot Generals
- 2 Heavy Onagers
My opponent didn't have the most optimal Egyptian army, but he had the weaponry to annihilate me. Sean, my Egyptian adversary in this battle, confessed before the battle that he had no experience with Egypt.
When I saw his deployment, I assumed right away that he had no experience. But as an online player, you can never assume anything.
(my first time seeing an Egyptian use a Noob Circle)
Most experienced Egyptian players wouldn't deploy in a “noob circle” against my type of army (which is what my opponent did). Onagers, also, do not belong in an Egyptian army as it reduces the potential for more archers or chariot archers.
That said, he still had the troops to win. So I wasn't going to take too many chances regardless of what his deployment might look like.
I didn't want his Egyptian Chariot Generals gunning my Slingers down so I immediately launched all 4 units of my Long Shield Cavalry at them. It was a sacrifice to be sure. It wasn't an easy one either since my opponent kept his chariots in skirmish mode.
(Hmm...do I really want to catch those chariots?)
Slowly, but surely, I was able to kamikaze into his chariots as originally intended. All of my casualties from the entire battle would occur in this attack. It's amazing just how powerful chariots are.
During that chariot chase, my Slingers had managed to decimate the Pharaoh's Bowmen with ease.
(they're lucky we couldn't find any tomatoes)
I'm not sure what the infamous Bowmen of the Pharaoh were shooting at, but my Slingers managed to win this fight somehow with nothing more than a minor papercut (or should I say a minor “papyrus” cut?).
Sean's Onagers managed to get a few lucky shots at my Scutarii, but the damage I received was nothing compared to the damage I had given.
Without his Egyptian Chariot Generals and Pharaoh's Bowmen, Sean was reduced to the same tactical situation as my Greek opponent in the battle prior to this one.
Several times, my opponent attempted to lunge forward with his spearmen, but each time he did so, my Slingers reminded him of the futility of any course of action. The battle was long over, but my opponent fought like a brave warrior.
(Look, we almost look Roman here!)
He resisted my Spanish warriors until his men finally gave up on the battle.
CONCLUSION
I had fun with Spain. All of my opponents (except for Blue) had enjoyed the battles as much as I had. Spain is quite deadly, but they're definitely no substitute for Rome (despite a slight resemblance in infantry tactics).
"It is a lovely thing to live with courage and to die leaving behind an everlasting renown." - ALEXANDER THE GREAT
So basically, Spain is pretty bad. I'd say they're
That said, it's time to join me as I take you on a march with the warriors of Spain...
Grassy Flatlands
Spain (me)
- 6 Iberian Infantry (plus general)
- 4 Long Shield Cavalry
- 6 Slingers
Scipii Romans (Blue)
- 2 Roman Armoured Generals (plus general)
- 2 Cavalry Auxilia
- 1 Praetorian Cavalry
- 1 Urban Cohort
- 1 Praetorian Cohort
- 2 Hastati
- 2 Triarii
- 1 Velite
- 1 Archer Auxilia
- 1 Auxilia
- 1 Onagers
- 1 Repeating Ballistas
Once the battle started, I came right at my opponent.
There was no brilliant pre-battle maneuvering – I simply shoved my infantry line into Blue's. I did this because of a noticeable weakness in his infantry line. Certainly, the Urban Cohort, Praetorian Cohort, and Hastati on his left were life-threatening, but on the right side of his line stood Triarii, Auxilia and Hastati. I had faith in my Iberian Infantry to overpower his right flank quick enough to support my infantry opposing his elite Urban/Praetorian Cohorts.
Aware of the weakness on his right, Blue decided to re-deploy his Urban Cohorts to his right flank. This was a good move by blue since my Iberian Infantry had just managed to rout the Hastati and Auxilia on his right. The Urban Cohorts plugged in that gap most effectively.
On my opponent's left flank, his Praetorian Cohorts were giving my Iberian Infantry the business. Due to my huge superiority in infantry numbers, though, I was able to use multiple units against 1 of his. Even his elite units like the Urban Cohorts and Praetorian Cohorts couldn't take too much of that abuse. They fought to the last man as any good Roman should do.
During the huge infantry battle in the center, my cavalry was used mainly to annoy his cavalry (and keep them away from my undisciplined infantry). During my cavalry maneuvers, I caught his Praetorian Cavalry in an isolated position in which I was able to gang up on it with multiple Long Shield Cavalry. Once his Praetorian Cavalry was out of the picture, it was easier to clean up his remaining horses with combined attacks from cavalry and infantry.
With the freedom to do as they pleased, my cavalry wreaked havoc on Blue's artillery pieces at spear-range. Furthermore, any Roman units found running away from the battlefield were trounced by the Spanish horses.
The battle could've been over a lot sooner, but my opponent insisted on running away from me with his remaining Cavalry Auxilia unit for a solid 4-5 minutes. Sometimes running away has tactical meaning but not when it involves 1 depleted Cavalry Auxilia versus my entire Spanish army.
I won't discuss this battle since it didn't involve Spain. When my opponent picked the Britons, I really didn't feel like fighting them without pikes/spears. To make a long story short, I won this battle (without Spain). End of story.
Grassy Flatlands
Spain (me)
- 2 Bull Warriors (plus general)
- 4 Scutarii
- 3 Long Shield Cavalry
- 6 Slingers
Greece (Katya)
- 2 General's Armoured Bodyguard (plus general)
- 5 Spartan Hoplites
- 2 Heavy Onagers
- 1 Peasant
For this battle, I purposely deployed in the most chaotic manner. The purpose of that ploy was primarily psychological. My opponent will either think I'm a noob or she won't know what to think at all. In either scenario, I'm the one who benefits.
In any case, I advanced slowly forward as I scanned Katya's army. The most obvious weakness of my opponent was her lack of archers. As I was advancing, I received a few nasty hits from Katya's pair of Heavy Onagers. “Onwards,” I pushed my Spaniards. The Heavy Onagers managed to get some lucky shots on my infantry...
My cavalry moved ahead of the army at a trot. Katya then sent her 2 General's Armoured Bodyguard units to intercept my horses. My 3 Long Shields could overcome her Armoured Bodyguard with moderate casualties so I let that event unfold with little interest. Knowing this, Katya sent two units of Spartan hoplites to assist in dealing with my cavalry. Luckily, the Greek horses routed before the Spartans could assist them.
My opponent was then confused as to which units to attack with her artillery (as evident in the rotating movement of the Greek onagers). My Slingers threw so many rocks at the artillery crew, though, that they were unable to operate their machinery altogether.
My Slingers then rushed around the flanks of the Spartans. That was the decisive movement in the battle as it presented my opponent with two options: stand fast (and die) or move fast (and die).
My opponent decided to rush forward and attack my infantry. The Spartans advanced with magnificent valour and discipline, but they were no match for the combined force of Slingers, Long Shields, Bull Warriors and Iberian Infantry.
The lack of Greek archers forced the Spartans into that predicament.
Grassy Flatlands
Spain (me)
- 6 Scutarii (plus general)
- 4 Long Shield Cavalry
- 6 Slingers
Egypt (Sean)
- 6 Pharaoh's Guards (plus general)
- 3 Pharaoh's Bowmen
- 2 Egyptian Chariot Generals
- 2 Heavy Onagers
My opponent didn't have the most optimal Egyptian army, but he had the weaponry to annihilate me. Sean, my Egyptian adversary in this battle, confessed before the battle that he had no experience with Egypt.
When I saw his deployment, I assumed right away that he had no experience. But as an online player, you can never assume anything.
Most experienced Egyptian players wouldn't deploy in a “noob circle” against my type of army (which is what my opponent did). Onagers, also, do not belong in an Egyptian army as it reduces the potential for more archers or chariot archers.
That said, he still had the troops to win. So I wasn't going to take too many chances regardless of what his deployment might look like.
I didn't want his Egyptian Chariot Generals gunning my Slingers down so I immediately launched all 4 units of my Long Shield Cavalry at them. It was a sacrifice to be sure. It wasn't an easy one either since my opponent kept his chariots in skirmish mode.
Slowly, but surely, I was able to kamikaze into his chariots as originally intended. All of my casualties from the entire battle would occur in this attack. It's amazing just how powerful chariots are.
During that chariot chase, my Slingers had managed to decimate the Pharaoh's Bowmen with ease.
I'm not sure what the infamous Bowmen of the Pharaoh were shooting at, but my Slingers managed to win this fight somehow with nothing more than a minor papercut (or should I say a minor “papyrus” cut?).
Sean's Onagers managed to get a few lucky shots at my Scutarii, but the damage I received was nothing compared to the damage I had given.
Without his Egyptian Chariot Generals and Pharaoh's Bowmen, Sean was reduced to the same tactical situation as my Greek opponent in the battle prior to this one.
Several times, my opponent attempted to lunge forward with his spearmen, but each time he did so, my Slingers reminded him of the futility of any course of action. The battle was long over, but my opponent fought like a brave warrior.
He resisted my Spanish warriors until his men finally gave up on the battle.
I had fun with Spain. All of my opponents (except for Blue) had enjoyed the battles as much as I had. Spain is quite deadly, but they're definitely no substitute for Rome (despite a slight resemblance in infantry tactics).
"It is a lovely thing to live with courage and to die leaving behind an everlasting renown." - ALEXANDER THE GREAT
[This message has been edited by PrinceofMacedon (edited 12-22-2007 @ 08:45 AM).]
