The Battle of Telamon, 225 BC

Two armies of Roman Julii forces surround the barbarian Gaul. As instructed in the briefing, the Gaul won’t be able to take on combined Roman forces in a single battle. Not only are the Gaul outnumbered but it’s extremely poor positioning because the Roman forces have effectively flanked the Gaul. Instead you must quickly decimate the Roman forces ahead of you before the approaching Romans from the rear can reach your position and aid their allies in the attack.

Split your forces into specific groupings: add the warhounds to one group to use against enemy cavalry; place the chosen swordsmen in a second group for use against enemy triarii and infantry; group your cavalry units in a third group for flanking moves against enemy cavalry and infantry and for use against Roman ranged units left unprotected; and finally Gaul skirmishers to bombard approaching Romans with projectiles.

You can’t afford to wait until you’re completely surrounded. Aggressively advance toward the closest Roman army and force it into retreat.

Don’t wait around for the closest Roman army to advance to you. Instead, select your groups and move toward their position. Charge your warhounds against approaching enemy cavalry and use the chosen swordsmen to engage in melee combat with Roman infantry and spearmen. Use the skirmishers to toss projectiles into the bouts but be careful to avoid friendly fire. Keep your cavalry ready to assist the warhounds or infantry units but steer clear of the Roman triarii.

Obviously it’s important to minimize losses because there’s another equal-size Roman army to still fight. Chase down surrendering units; you don’t want any Romans to linger around and return to battle. Scan the battlefield for any groups off to the side, particularly archers still raining damage on your Gaul forces. Send cavalry units to rout them.

With the first Roman army in flight, reorganize your troops and retreat onto the hill on the northern section of the map. The makeup of remaining Roman forces is similar to the first battle so conduct the fight in a similar fashion. The hill should provide some advantage for your remaining skirmishers. Plus you can afford to wait for the Romans to approach this time; since you were flanked earlier, you didn’t have that luxury and had to act quickly. As the Romans approach, make your move with counter units. Use your cavalry effectively to flank cavalry and archers and avoid those triarii.

The Siege of Gergovia, 53 BC

A perhaps overconfident Julius Caesar encountered trouble against crafty Gaul warriors protecting their homeland. On the approach to the Gaul settlement, the Gaul troops surround Caesar’s men. You must manage to hold off the Gaul assault while protecting the battering ram that will demolish the gate into the Gaul settlement. Break down the settlement’s gate with the battering ram and control the town to complete the mission.

Choose the north or south Gaul ambush and return their assault. You can overpower either flank with more powerful units.

Your troops are out of position and outnumbered but are more powerful than their Gaul counterparts. You possess both legionary cohorts and archer auxilia. Utilize their special abilities to aid in the battle against the Gaul. The cohorts can use the testudo formation, which uses their shields as protection against Gaul ranged fire. The archer auxilia possess flaming arrows; fire them at Gaul heavy cavalry or other enemy units before their charge.

You’re surrounded to the north and south. You could retreat and force the Gaul to position more in front of your troops or you could quickly attack the north or south Gaul. Note that it’s unlikely you can eliminate the northern or southern groups before being flanked by the other. Amongst all this you must also protect the battering ram so you can usher troops inside the Gaul settlement.

You must protect the battering ram, which will be used to bust down the gate on the Gaul settlement.

Your troops are strong so your primary battle objective is to avoid, as much as possible, disadvantageous battles. As soon as you see Gaul outnumbering one of your squads, move over your cavalry to flank the Gaul attackers. Watch for the Gaul cavalry to disrupt your archer lines; protect them with cavalry and cohort squads. Once you’ve gained the upper hand outside the settlement, chase down any potential remaining Gaul threats then move the ram to the gate and break it down. Maneuver troops inside, defeat any defenders, and control the settlement to complete the battle.