Rhodok Tactics

[mrdang]

There's been quite a few threads complaining about these guys and how they don't use or even spawn with the pikes as they should. Well that's okay, just use them for what they're worth and one of these days the devs will finally institute F-commands for using specific weapons--in other words, Rhodoks aren't the only ones who have problems with weapon priorities.

I think people are afraid of using these troops because they don't have a strategy in mind. Lots of people say run to the top of a hill. Well that works if the enemy is actually going to charge you, or if that hill even exists. My tactic is all out offense with these guys. Don't be afraid to rush in there and take out the enemy--you have the biggest shields in game.

My army always consists of at least 75 men to optimize party speed and battle size maximums. It consists of my 6+2 companions (the last two are my minister-to-be and emissary-to-be), 30 maximum Sharpshooters, and the remaining as Sergeants. Parties of 60 will suffice as well but you won't be able to take down gangs of 300+ Sarranids like that. My companions serve as the only cavalry--if you're running on full infantry, you're missing out how cavalry can aid your infantry without overtaking your game.

Why Rhodoks?
A party full of Rhodoks is siege-ready. Anytime. No need to run back to your garrison to switch out cavalry (who are so obsolete in siege compared to any infantry unit). The only obstacle to tackle then is the wide-open battlefields and this is where I have a solution for you. Play it just like a siege.

Tactics against Sarranids, Swadians, Vaegirs

Spoiler: The Sandwich

Immobilize their cavalry and the battle is yours.

• Battle start: Open up the map to see whether the enemy is charging or positioning themselves.
• Companions/Cavalry: Follow Me
• Infantry: Charge!, Stand Closer x 3
• Archers: Hold position about half-way in the map and to your left (away from enemy spawn). Spread Out x1
• You: ride forward a little bit ahead of your infantry and to the sides of enemy forces
• Heroes: they should be following you at this point, have them charge towards enemy cavalry if they're the bigger threat, otherwise, towards infantry. Give the command once your Sergeants are about 30 meters away from the enemy infantry. This is to raise chaos for your infantry to get into position.

• • You and Companions: lure the enemy cavalry to follow your cavalry or lure them to collide into your mob of infantry.
  • Infantry: Do not let them chase after enemy cavalry, have them Hold various Positions near enemy infantry blobs if you need to force them
  • Archers: Your Sharpshooters should be walking behind your charging sergeants at this point since you had them hold position. They provide cover fire to keep your sergeants safe. So long as they are halfway down the map, they should be able to reach anything with their crossbows. Advance paces as you find necessary. They are spread apart so that each of them has a clear shot somewhere.
  • If they charge you first, then hold positions near your baggage and let the enemy cavalry collide. You'll take a few casualties if their lances are out, but it could be worse. Take out their cavalry while stuck in your mob and the battle is yours. Slowly advance paces forward
  
  Tactics against Nords and other Rhodoks
  The hardest part is in handling their reinforcement waves who are very well clumped together just like you like your own.
  • Infantry: Charge and Stand Closer x 3
  • Archers: Hold Position straight forward 3/4 down the lane but before the enemy advancement.
  • You and cavalry: circle around back of the enemy infantry to redirect their fire and to scatter them. Charge when your infantry almost meet them
  • • Infantry: As soon as the first reinforcement wave comes, hold position near their spawn point to meet them
    • Archers: Hold new Position almost all the way down the field in clear view of the reinforcement waves. This will form a right triangle around the enemy with archers on one leg, infantry on the other. Always stay to the left of your infantry and away from the reinforcement waves.
    • You and Cavalry: Do not pursue the reinforcements yet, your job is to mop up whatever the Sergeants didn't finish in the initial skirmish then join them afterwards (this is with routing nearly disabled). Alternatively ride circles around the enemy reinforcements to further scatter them.
    
    Tactics against Khergits
    Since they're all ranged and like to keep their distance, you want them to think the opposite.
    • Infantry: Hold Position half-way down the map. Stand Closer x3
    • Archers: Hold Position half-way down the map as well, but a little bit behind. Spread out x1
    • You and Companions: cavalry follow you until infantry arrive at their destination then Charge! Target the ones with couching weapons
    • What happens with your infantry and sharpshooters together is that Khergits will feel threatened to charge you using melee weapons. Even if they don't, their horses will fall if they just come within range of a pike or sword. Crossbows will dehorse many so make sure they have a clear view even if only on one side of your infantry blob.
    • • If the Khergits happen to charge first, then do the above tactics but hold position closer to your baggage since they will likely reach you right away via their coursers.
      • Don't worry too much about your Sergeants since they have tough shields vs. arrow fire. The Lancers will mostly target your sharpshooters however.
      
      General Tips
      • Keep your infantry together, there's nothing easier for cavalry than isolated infantry. The exception is the sharpshooters who are spread out but still act as a unit. Use Hold Position every now and then to regroup them--easiest to just hold down F1 for a sec.
      • Assist against raging enemies. If a mounted enemy is scoring kills one after another, take him out yourself. Your casualties and workload will be minimal if you treat only the hot spots and leave the rest for your troops to shred up. Case and point: Sarranid ground units are nothing without Mamlukes around--so take out Mamlukes using your companions and yourself. Sergeants will take out any that are foolish to run into them.
      • From Mikan:
        

        Something to note: Always have infantry to the right of your archers.
        
        You want to kite enemy troops so that they expose their right flanks to crossbow fire. If your infantry are to the left (or even head on) then half (or even all) of the bolts will hit their shields... and few will hit the troops at all!

      • Troop priority: on the battlefield, keep Sergeants higher than the Sharpshooters in the party list; in siege, sharpshooters over sergeants.
      • Casualties happen. You will have more casualties than if you had an all cavalry army of course. But that's not why we use Rhodoks in the first place You need a companion with Surgery 10, and your own character should have 4 dedicated points (Carry The Great Book of Surgery for the 5th). This will net you 5+2 backup Surgery if your main healer is wounded. It will turn things around for you in a heavy casualty siege:
        
        Spoiler

        
      • Pathfinding 10 is a must. I'm at 10+1 thanks to my 2 little points, my 80 size army can catch up to a 11-man Sarranid lord
      • A wall is a wall is a wall. It doesn't matter if you use that hill or not, horses just can't ride through your infantry mob.
      • What you should notice is that Rhodoks are highly F-command dependent. I suggest reworking your controls into something that you can memorize and one that's intuitive. Personally, I remapped the group keys for Infantry, Archers, and Cavalry to the numberpad so that there's no confusing with the F-commands so near it. Try it and you'll see why.
        
      
      Share your tactics! I'd love to hear how you use infantry in general--I know lots of you use Huscarl's. 

 

[woofty]

The funny thing is, when I fight Rhodocks, they do use their polearms regurlary.  Of course, most of their troops have them.  The sergeants pull those blasted voulges and have at you.  They often hit me before I can even tough them or cause my horse to rear.  I lose knights to them all the time.  Them and sharpshooters.  I hate sharpshooters.  But more to the point, I think you're right.  It's about tactics and line formations.

 

[mrdang]

i swear sharpshooters and sergeants ignore your surgeon x_x

which is why i wanted them on my team

 

[woofty]

i swear sharpshooters and sergeants ignore your surgeon x_x

which is why i wanted them on my team

I hate them but I use them as one of my primary castle defenses, along with some cantankerous Nords.

 

[orangatang]

i swear sharpshooters and sergeants ignore your surgeon x_x

which is why i wanted them on my team

I hate them but I use them as one of my primary castle defenses, along with some cantankerous Nords.

I love them for capturing places. You can take castles and lose only 5 or 6 men with the rodoks.

 

[Noapte]

One of my worst fears is facing an enemy with a lot of Rhodok Sharpshooters. Deadly from afar and more than competent in melee.

 

[mrdang]

Best part about Rhodoks is the upkeep costs. Knights are about 40denars/week but Sharpshooters and Sergeants are less than half of that 

I'll only have a net loss of 400 denars by the end of this week compared to when I was playing as the Sarranids in my last game.

 

[Askorti]

I remember first time when my full of Vaegir Knights army was defeated... I were too self-confident after fights with these Nordic pussies and tried to attack Rhodoks. It was a massacre! I didn't even noticed when half of my army was crushed by sergeants or sharpshooters. When I noticed what happened it was too late, they captured Me and my companions

I still don't know how that happened
But it was a good lesson. Rhodoks are much stronger than Nords

 

[AWdeV]

Are they? Much stronger? I mean, as a mercenary in Swadian Employ with 40-ish heavy cavalry, I can just crush through a Rhodok generals' army.

 

[Askorti]

Are they? Much stronger? I mean, as a mercenary in Swadian Employ with 40-ish heavy cavalry, I can just crush through a Rhodok generals' army.

When fighting against cav: Yes, much stronger. But only on higher difficulty ofc

 

[AWdeV]

I am playing on high difficulty. They're theoretically strong against cavalry, but too stupid in game. 'course, it's entirely possible Nords're even easier. Just not at war with them. I found I had more trouble fighting Vaegir or Sarranids with Heavy Cav than Rhodies.

 

[Thundertrod]

Have your sharpshooter stand some were any were reayy with a line of sight have your sargent stand some were else preffbly just over the crest of a hill or in some trees for aracher cover.
Have you comaniuns and any one else on a horse fallow you, Horse archers work great. run circels areound your enemy thay will all go after you the player ignoring every one else. By running in circel the enemy will get all notted up and not be abel to move the knights will dismount since there horses can't move the whole time your sharpshooter are just devisting them.

If your horse is allmost dead run to your sargents. Once all the enemy knights have dismouted order your sragents to charge.

 

[mrdang]

Rhodoks, the only faction units capable of 0s across the board in siege:

Spoiler

The enemy could have brought 200 more men, only to face the same result

 

[rapier17]

Rhodoks are such an under rated faction, but when you're used to using them, they are awesome. Certainly my favourite faction, especially when it comes to archery. 50 Sharpshooters obliterate anything standing against them. About to start a new character, a 'pike'/'crossbow' centered character for use in a Rhodok force.

 

[McBeverage]

Tercio... hmm.

[me=McBeverage]wets self[/me]

 

[Mikan]

Something to note: Always have infantry to the right of your archers.

You want to kite enemy troops so that they expose their right flanks to crossbow fire. If your infantry are to the left (or even head on) then half (or even all) of the bolts will hit their shields... and few will hit the troops at all!

 

[Anthropoid]

I've always gone for the total Cav force in MB and yeah, it does tend to get kinda cheesy. The idea of exploring some sort of badass Conan two-handed mayhem wieilder leading masses infantry and archers has always appealed to me. I think I may try it out

 

[mrdang]

I've always gone for the total Cav force in MB and yeah, it does tend to get kinda cheesy. The idea of exploring some sort of badass Conan two-handed mayhem wieilder leading masses infantry and archers has always appealed to me. I think I may try it out

yay!

the only factions youll have problems fighting are sarranids when mamlukes are abnormally present and khergits since theyre all mounted and evasive.

if your surgery skill is not high, an large infantry army may be heart breaking at times 

 

[Mikan]

They're easy to train though. That's if you choose to stick with mid-tier troops instead of top-tier.

It's actually cheaper and works out with roughly the same results. Vaegir Infantry are extremely easy to field in a hurry. Vaegir Guards a bit damn hard to get though! And the Guards rarely spawn with shields 'n'

 

[Seawied86]

Rhodoks give me the most grief out of all the factions. Their sharpshooters are so damn good, and their sargents are numerous and are one of the few troops that rip me a new one.