Alexandrian Imperial

[flamingpig0]

Has anyone used Alexandrian Imperial with the experimental phalanx?

[MikeCampbell]

Probably....not me tho...however I did use a lot of Bw(X)/(O) Nikephorians & am happy to tell you anything you want to know about teh Bw(X) troops type - the Alex's can be (X)/(S) IIRC - which is jsut a bit more dangerous.....

Otherwise:

1/ they are pretty tough - factor 5 vs everything in the enemy turn in close combat is prety good.
2/ shooting is useful
3/ they look like they are adeep line - but they are not - always remember that the whole DBE disappears when it gets killed, so they need a 2nd line to plug gaps
4/ they are expensive ME's!

[flamingpig0]

Thanks for the reply.

I also have Persians with Bw (x) types but haven't ahd a chance to use them as yet.

[MikeCampbell]

The Persian Irr ones are a bit different due to being (I) in close combat, and clumsy/irregular mor manouvre.

with those handicaps they are probably not as good value as regular ones - although being (I) won't be quite as bad in 1.1/2.0 as there are fewer tie-breaks ie they don't -1 on an even result so have fewer recoils & qick kills agaisnt them.

[william]

Has anyone used Alexandrian Imperial with the experimental phalanx?

Yes I have used them (and Persians) and I found that I had better luck with the Pk(O), with their free PIP and ME count I find them more usefull against historical opponents. Being Bx-O they are expensive lower ME count and one has to take a lot of them. One may also have to take the Persian Archers and slingers with them as well (some players think) giving a huge minimum.

I do a bit of cheese though, I upgrade the the Hypapists giving 4 DBE's of Bw(X-S) and a couple of spare Pk(S), these are very handy to hold a flank and keep the enemy occupied while the rest of the pikes swarm across the table.

I also have Persians with Bw (x) types but haven't ahd a chance to use them as yet.

The Persians are different, they are at present very fragile in combat, taking the regulars helps for PIPs though, if using Cyrus the irregulars could be the main battle line while the Cv, and Reg's work the flank.

I am trying to come up with a workable list using the 4 Kn(O) one can take, along with an irr Cv(S), looks interesting if a little small, this will probably mean staying away from those minimums marked **

William

[Barritus]

G'day Flaming Pig (nice nick!)

My experience with Bw (X/O) DBEs is quite positive. I've used them in small numbers in a Nikephorian Byzantine army, and they usually did the job for me that I needed.

For me, the big strength of the Bw (X/O) DBEs is that they only count as 1 ME per DBE while still being quite formidable fighters. Yes, that means you're paying 10 AP per base, and it means your commands will be smaller in ME than they would be if they were Pk (O). However, this means that losing the DBEs has less effect on your army's morale than losing an equivalent AP of Pk would.

What this means is that a good command structure involves leading the attack with the Experimental Phalanx, and using, say, Kn (F), Ele and baggage as support to bulk up the command's ME. If you design the command the right way, it's possible for the command to still be alive, even if the Experimental Phalanx elements in the command have been wiped out. In my books that makes them quite powerful.

I've used a similar powerful-but-expendable system with my Sub-Roman British - lead with the 0.5 ME Irr Sp (I) and rely on weight of numbers to overwhelm the enemy, even if the army contains troops which normally Quick-Kill the Sp, while the elite 1 ME Irr Cv (O) skulk behind the line.

Good luck.