Art De La Guerre

[MathomHouser]

90 German list for an upcoming Classical/Roman period tournament. Arminius and Sybarites are verboten!

1st Corps
Competent
3x Medium cavalry elite
2x Light cavalry javelin

2nd Corps
Competent
6x Heavy swordsmen impetuous elite
3x Light infantry javelin
1x Light infantry bow

3rd Corps
Competent
6x Heavy swordsmen impetuous elite
3x Light infantry javelin
1x Light infantry bow

200pts, 25 units, initiative 2


What do you reckon? I'm expecting to face a lot of pikes (for my HI to charge at) and elephants (for my LI javelins to throw sticks at). Is this reasonable?

[Hazelbark]

Yes this is a solid

I might remove 1 LI from each of the infantry
remove the competenet from the cavalry
then buy more HI or MC

They are not many armies that will want to fight you 12 wide. The issue is you maneuver like a brick.

[Commodore]

[MathomHouser]

Thank you both! I now have my rulebook in front of me, and can see that I can't have that many competent commanders! So, taking into account your advice...

90 GERMAN CAVALRY

1st Corps: Teutons
Included and Unreliable: Teutobod
4x Medium cavalry elite
2x Light cavalry javelin

2nd Corps: Cimbri
Competent: Boiorix
6x Heavy swordsmen impetuous elite
3x Light infantry javelin
1x Light infantry bow

3rd Corps: Cimrbi
Competent: Lugius
6x Heavy swordsmen impetuous elite
3x Light infantry javelin
1x Light infantry bow

200pts, 26 units, initiative 2

Q1: I could downgrade all the HI to MI, and take my full complement of 6 Fortifications and a Fortified Camp. Too dependent on terrain?

Q2: Would you transfer the two LCv to the other two corps, and use them to plug gaps in the line?

[MathomHouser]

An alternative would be to lose the MCv, and go all-infantry:


90 GERMAN INFANTRY

1st Corps: Teutons
Ordinary: Teutobod
5x Heavy swordsmen impetuous elite
2x Light infantry javelin
2x Light infantry bow

2nd Corps: Cimbri
Competent: Boiorix
5x Heavy swordsmen impetuous elite
2x Light infantry javelin
1x Light cavalry javelin

3rd Corps: Cimrbi
Competent: Lugius
5x Heavy swordsmen impetuous elite
2x Light infantry javelin
1x Light cavalry javelin

200pts, 25 units, initiative 2


I think this would be a more one-dimensional army however.

[Truscott Trotter]

I was about to suggest a similar list.

Take 15 HI and ram them in your opponent's face.

Only change I would make is drop 1 LH and get a fortified camp.

[ethan]

I like have something like 2 MC + 2LC but would put them in a corps with a Brilliant general. Drop another general down to ordinary included and give him 2 swordsmen and a LI.

[Snowhitsky]

I'd have 1 MC in each corps just to keep enemy mounted and skirmishers honest. The all infantry commands will make it relatively easy to ignore one or even two commands and concentrate against the other(s). Having one unit of cavalry in each command will give you some flexibility in an otherwise very unmanoeuverable army and your opponent won't be able to manoeuvre quite so carelessly near your commands.

[MathomHouser]

Here we go then:


90 GERMAN

1x Fortified Camp
5x Fortifications

1st Corps: Teutons
Ordinary: Teutobod
1x Medium cavalry elite
4x Heavy swordsmen impetuous elite
2x Light infantry javelin

2nd Corps: Cimbri
Competent: Boiorix
1x Medium cavalry elite
4x Heavy swordsmen impetuous elite
2x Light infantry javelin
1x Light cavalry javelin

3rd Corps: Cimrbi
Competent: Lugius
1x Medium cavalry elite
4x Heavy swordsmen impetuous elite
2x Light infantry javelin
1x Light cavalry javelin

200pts, 24 units, initiative 2


I suppose I would use the fortifications to defend my flanks.


An option could be to make the Ordinary general Unreliable, lose the Fortifications and Light Cavalry, and buy two more HI units. Would that be worth doing? My initiative is so low anyway, it barely seems worth taking the two LCv.

[Commodore]

[MathomHouser]

I think I have now had three main pieces of advice:

Take no cavalry
Take cavalry, and spread it amongst the corps as a second line
Take cavalry, and use it as a corps on a wing

All very different approaches! Presumably this means different strategies are valid?

I am leaning towards the third option. It is more visually appealing if nothing else!

[Truscott Trotter]

In my book 4+ Heavy Cav is a cavalry wing. 3 medium cavalry is a 'target'

[Ramses II]

The role of the medium cavalry is to hinder or delay enemy attacking the flanks of the HI, to act as a mobile reserve to cover any holes that appear during melee, and just possibly to pursue isolated enemy units in the end game. 

There are only 3-4 medium cavalry but they are really quite good if they are elite, and should have 1 or 2 LC to help them. If you keep 1 MC in each of two infantry corps you can group 2x MC and 2x LC as a small cavalry corps under an included ordinary general. With this configuration you might include a LC in the ‘outside’ infantry corps. 

If you choose to have three infantry corps the the two ‘outer’ corps would each have cavalry, while the central corps might get away with keeping a unit in reserve in the second line. 

As Commodore says, taking Arminius as the Strategist makes sense, so even if you win the initiative against an opponent without mountain or forest terrain, you can still defend in your own forest. The intention is to close down the table as much as possible, so taking fortifications is another key tactic - and your medium cavalry can happily defend behind them if need be (so not such a ‘target’ as they may seem). 

Personally I favour two infantry corps, commanded by strategist and ordinary generals, and one small cavalry corps with an included unreliable ordinary general (to maximise additional points). 

[Janos Hunyadi]

[MathomHouser]

Once again I am amazed by the quantity and quality of responses on this forum! Truly ADLG is a game of gentlemen and women.

First game with this list is tomorrow. Here goes:

90 GERMAN

1x Fortified Camp
2x Fortifications

1st Corps: Teutons
Ordinary, included & unreliable: Teutobod
2x Medium cavalry elite
2x Light cavalry javelin

2nd Corps: Cimbri
Competent: Boiorix
1x Medium cavalry elite
6x Heavy swordsmen impetuous elite
3x Light infantry javelin

3rd Corps: Cimrbi
Competent: Lugius
1x Medium cavalry elite
6x Heavy swordsmen impetuous elite
3x Light infantry javelin

200pts, 25 units, initiative 2

Something we haven't discussed is what to do with the fortifications! I have no idea.