(RTW) British War Chariots...

[guare]

...Are overpower.

When I first met them in battle (this is my first truly campaign as Julii), I was crushed. Reloaded the game, and crushed again. So I decided o make a custom game: 3 warlord chariots (me) against a fairly big roman army. I won.

I tried again: 3 chariots against 3 general's bodyguards. I won.
3 general's bodyguards against 3 chariots. I lost.

what the hell. How do I put them to the sword? Please don't tell me it's incendiary pigs. Pleease!

 

[Dachs]

Use missile cavalry.

 

[Pieman]

I don't think you should use cavalry against chariots as chariots can mince cavalry.Try using archers. I think chariots might be vulnerable to massed archer fire. Or you could try to tie em down and kill em through lots of infantry (if you can trick their chariots into running into your men that is).

 

[guare]

I don't think missile cavalry is a good option either. And the archers, well, they're pretty vulnerable against them. I got some little result throwing legionary cavalry against them, but it was expensive and they could simply overun they...

 

[Dachs]

I don't think you should use cavalry against chariots as chariots can mince cavalry.

Depends. Obviously it'd be stupid to send an FM after the chariots, but missile cav - by which I don't just mean Numidian-style or cavalry auxilia-style crap, but HAs - usually works so long as you stay out of their way. Directly engaging the chariots is obviously a poor idea, but using HAs makes perfect sense.

Try using archers. I think chariots might be vulnerable to massed archer fire. Or you could try to tie em down and kill em through lots of infantry (if you can trick their chariots into running into your men that is).

Both of these are valid (obviously combined arms is the best way to do things) but also will get you more casualties. Strangely, I find the RTW AI to be very prone to simply driving the chariots into a mass of infantry and instantly dying, but with significant deaths on both sides, which is why I try to avoid them. (Also I don't play vanilla anymore.)

I don't think missile cavalry is a good option either. And the archers, well, they're pretty vulnerable against them. I got some little result throwing legionary cavalry against them, but it was expensive and they could simply overun they...

Don't use javelin cavalry like the Numidians, hire some HA mercs and use those instead. And so long as you keep the archers shielded behind some heavy infantry they ought to be fine, though your heavy infantry should take a beating.

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

Javelins are supposed to be very effective against chariots. If you can convince them to wander into spearmen (and hoplites all the more) they will be cut to pieces.

 

[guare]

Javelins are supposed to be very effective against chariots. If you can convince them to wander into spearmen (and hoplites all the more) they will be cut to pieces.

you mean, just throwing my velites and that light auxilia at them with no mercy?

my cavalry auxilia was just pwned by them. again. doode, I'm seriously thinking about leaving the british alone. Do I suck so hard, or it's just a momentum?

 

[Pieman]

you mean, just throwing my velites and that light auxilia at them with no mercy?

my cavalry auxilia was just pwned by them. again. doode, I'm seriously thinking about leaving the british alone. Do I suck so hard, or it's just a momentum?

Nah you don't suck; in my experience, cavalry auxilia are pretty weak. Just try killing chariots through sheer numbers of archers and infantry (expect fairly heavy casualties though).

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

Chariots are doubly effective against cavalry, because the grazing attack that normally only knocks infantry down actually kills the horses, so mounted units are destroyed much more quickly that dismounted ones.

Velites might work, but you'll need to team it with a spear unit; whether you use Triarii or local levies is up to you. Put the Velites behind the spear unit, so that the chariots are fighting a unit they are weak against, and have the Velites throw javelins at them. You might lose a few guys to friendly fire, but the chariots will bite it pretty quickly. Or, as I said, get the chariots to wander into the front of a phalanx, you can use Mercenary Hoplites to do this with the Romans.

 

[Tank_Guy#3]

I just let the chariot run head-long into my spearmen, or more correctly my phalanxes.

 

[Longus]

As has already been said, spearmen are the key. Use your archers and missile troops, or if you're very careful indeed then you could try missile cavalry, to lure the chariots into making a run toward your line whilst the bait retreats behind it; they'll smash themselves to bits against your spears

True, you may lose some of your ranged troops in the process, but they're cheap to replace, and once you've killed-off the chariots, the Brits don't really have that much left - even grossly out-numbered Roman forces will make mincemeat out of barbarian warbands

 

[Book Budda]

I haven't had a problem with war chariots. I played as Gaul and fought against Brittania, I was playing on medium difficulty and I just rushed them with my Warbands and Swordsmen with my generals close behind to give a morale boost.

 

[Stuck in Pi]

I found that against chariots in general that archers shred them because of the low defense rating.

But if you get phalanxes, they work the best when fighting chariots.

 

[Jos Ballenbak]

the best thing against chariots are a spear men preferably one with a phalanx. The phalanx crushes almost every charge in the game

 

[LightSpectra]

Chariots melt like butter to phalanxes. I once had a battle where I had 700 Germanic troops, two units being phalanxes; and the enemy was 1400 troops, all of them chariots (something like 20 squads). I lured them into my phalanx and they routed faster than France.

 

[Jos Ballenbak]

I too played a game against Brittania with Germanic tribes, it was when I massacred the Brittish in front of Londinium. I sieged the remaining forces and when I went to the Town Center there were only 2 British General units on chariots left. I just let one of my Phalanx unit taunt them and they were butchered, by a single unit. Those chariots cost like 2000 together and they were raped by my meagre spear men of 350. MUAHAAHAHA (evil laughter)

 

[JonathanStrange]

I used to play-test all sorts of battles in RTW. You know how you wonder if you lost because your timing was off? Or your deployment was faulty? Did the goddess Fortuna turn her face away from your prayers? Should you have picked veteran hastati instead of going for extra numbers of velites?

One of the scenarios I'd custom battle used British war chariots against a primarily Roman infantry force. Back then, in that version of RTW (which may have greatly changed since), the chariots were awesomely effective against most legion combinations. I never knew if that was historically true; I'd read that under the right conditions chariots were impressive, but mediocre most times. That chariots had been the weapon of choice but had one osolete long before the Roman invasion of Britain yet here it was awesome. Even the triarri had difficulty with them.

 

[Flying Pig]

I take the traditional approach to dealing with armour; either hit it hard (not easy, turning a volley of ballista fire on it is about the only way to do this) or harry it while stopping it hitting - use two contingents of missile cavalry attacking each side, and bring the other into combat if it swings for one of them

 

[Jos Ballenbak]

Pin, Surround and defeat them.

Or use Elephants

 

[Atticus]

I've used light auxilia against them. They aren't necessary very effective destroying the chariots, but at least keep them busy while you destroy the core of their army. After that the chariots will be easier.