1. Roman manipular tactics: Yes, I know, the new revisionists are saying that there were no real manipular tactics per se...well, there certainly has been plenty written about this for the past several centuries. I'm beginning to really dislike historical revisionists! Anyway, use three units of Roman foot working in concert with each other; hastati, principi and triari formed up as follows:

Each circle represents a figure, four stands of figures for the hastati (top)/principi (middle) and two for triari (bottom).

Now, this formation allows that each of the units is fully supported. It also allows for the hastati to fight in the first round of close combat...the intitial 'hit'. If this doesn't break the enemy, the next round the principi charge in (presupposing that the enemy is a larger unit and has stands eligible to be charged). This should bring enough strength to bear on the hapless enemy that he will be forced back a second time, fragmenting him and probably sealing his fate. The triari remain in support of both fighting units and are available to guard against flank attacks. Now if this sounds very familiar, it should, as Livy, Polybius and Caesar all wrote of variations on this very theme.

2. The Skirmisher Screen: Skirmishers are of the utmost value when used to screen your heavier and better quality troops from enemy missile fire as you move up into combat range. Keep your heavier troops directly behind your skirmishers. The enemy fire will be directed on the skirmishers. If your skirmishers are archers or slingers, you will be able to return fire, albeit with no great effect, but still.... Once you have gotten to within your normal movement range with your attacking troops, you can order a charge and freely pass through what's left of your skirmisher screen, slamming into the enemy missile troops who will only get one shot at you and have his effectiveness cut by the fact that you are charging him. Use skirmishers as they were meant to be used, to screen your better troops and protect them from enemy fire.

3. Heavy Chariots: Successful use of HCh means having a supporting unit of either skirmish cavalry or light chariots available to keep the enemy from simply retreating out of combat (many troop types are too fast to catch with HCh if they break off from combat and run away). Always keep the SC/LCh unit ready to charge into retreating enemy troops. This will often dissuade the enemy from trying to run away. If they do run, next turn you will undoubtedly catch them sitting at the halt, usually disordered as well if they have been pushed back by the HCh and then further disordered by retreating. Bon appetit!