Spear v. Pikes

Can anyone give some advice on how a LHG Thessalian army, with Cav option, (II/5d) should tackle a pike army, for example Alex Imperial (II/15).

I must confess I am struggling to come up with winning tactics!

If my opponent sets up with double ranked pikes, and protects his flanks, it makes it very difficult to find any winning match ups.

Please note too that I play with 25mm which gives even less scope for manouverability on the flanks.

Thanks

David

No matter what the flanks are the key to this match up. If he double ranks his Pikes then his army has a much smaller over all front than yours. You can easily, in essence overlap his entire force. You can also use your Cav superiority to make that flank/rear area threat even more potent. If he single ranks his pikes then your spear will over-match his pikes. Protect your spear flanks with Psiloi support elements and use the Cav as a mobile strike arm. Use the Alexandrian tactic of pinning the main body and then using cavalry to exploit gaps and flanks. At least that is how I would tackle it. But what do I know, I am a relative novice in DBA (but not in history or wargaming) and I even chose Pompey as my online avatar rather than the more successful Caesar.

So we are talking about:

Thessalians
1x3Cv(Gen), 3x3Cv, 6x4Sp, 2x2Ps or 4Ax

Alexandrian Imperials
1x3Kn(Big Al), 1x3Kn, 1x2LH, 6x4Pk, 1xArt or El, 1x3/4Ax or 2Ps, 1x2Ps

So you both have a heavy foot core (Sp or Pk) and equal amounts of light infantry. The Imperials have some kind of pip hog element (Art or El) but the El stomps on Sp. The Thessalians have more mounted, but Big Al's knights are hard hitting.

Indeed, I guess I would take back the observation that the light elements are even because between knights and elephants I would think the Thessalians would just about have to keep a Ps with the Sp.

The Thessalians should at least get to fight on the ground of their choosing. (Agg 1 vs. 4)

So -- hmmm -- how to win?

With at least one pip hog element, it seems the Thessalians want to try to play a game oriented toward attacking Big Al's pips. I'm never good about thinking through that -- but if your terrain can create command radius issues and isolate parts of his army from others, then your relatively faster Cv might be able to overwhelm part of his army.

Shabby thinking, I know. But maybe clearer thinkers will chime in.

Slart,

I had good luck (once) playing an Aetolian army against Alex. I forced his pikes to engage my psiloi in a narrow front whilst my light horse and few spear held off his cav.

With only two Ps this strategy may not be for you. But don't be timid in engaging those Pikes.
They don't get support vs Psiloi or LH. Pike slow-LH and Ps fast.

I think Pompey Bill has the essence of the situation. But personally I'd stake my game on a LH Banzai charge against the pikes and hope for the elusive QK. If he's low on pips or deployed awkwardly it can work.

-Sean (Co-chair for a Macedonian Free Greece)