Alexandrian List: What are Prodromoi used for?

flameberge · Post by **flameberge** » Tue May 06, 2008 4:55 am

I was wondering if any one used Prodromoi and how they used them? I have no experience with the game yet and just got the Immortal Fire book and when looking through the Alexandrian list to make my army I noticed the Prodromoi; LH lancers swordsman. It seems LH are usually used by people for missile fire to disrupt the enemy and retreating to avoid melee but the Prodromoi seemed to be designed for melee combat but since they are LH I can't see them being all that useful in that role unless they are basically used to hunt down opposing skirmishers. Is that how most people use them, to kill skirmishers, or are they maybe used for trying to get a flank attack in support of your true combat troops?

WhiteKnight · Post by **WhiteKnight** » Tue May 06, 2008 9:47 am

They should win impact a lot of the time and melee fairly often against enemy LH. They may work best operating with other friendly LH which shoot. The Prodromoi chasing off enemy LH may then enable your own missile LH to operate against enemy flanks. They may be good to provide quick support to a melee? They'll be excellent at making sure routers stay routed!

On the other hand, they're optional...

Martin

davem · Post by **davem** » Tue May 06, 2008 10:00 am

If you can find the ap, they might be enough to ensure the +4 PBI.
They can be useful vs other Lh/LF and possibly as a flank march where the baggage and light troops are obvious prey. They can also be useful charging routers to ensure they don't bolster and return.
But apart from that, not very useful unless you can afford the ap!

Regards

Dave M

ars_belli · Post by **ars_belli** » Tue May 06, 2008 2:46 pm

Historically, the prodromoi appear to have functioned as skirmishers and scouts, and also possibly served in battle to support the heavier cavalry as sarissaphoroi. So the uses in FoG described by Dave sound pretty accurate.

Cheers,
Scott

pezhetairoi · Post by **pezhetairoi** » Thu May 08, 2008 3:05 am

I'm not sure I believe the "prodromoi" existed as a separate unit.
I'm not sure I believe in them at all.

Any account that I've read (Curtius, Arrian) talks about "sarrisophoroi" being thrown into the thick of things, sometimes as a delaying action. Hardly a job for LH if you ask me. I have my own theories about them ... non-noble cavalry lancers who don't deserve the title "companion", the troops chosen that day as the scouts, a junior training unit....

I'm glad the authors made them optional.
Not so useful in this game, unless you are hurting for another LH horse unit for your other flank, and are playing an early version of the list without Scythians.