[General Tacticus]

Originally posted by vanedor:
Armor is cumbersome. Make it more difficult to manipulate weapons.

Just a suggestion.

"That makes them excellent arrow catchers."

Right, but as Pythium, about all my units are excellent arrow catcher. IMO, they are not cheap enough to be fodder and too frail in close combat to be core troops. A better slightly better precision could make them great flanker.

But of course, I'm just rambling and I'm still fairly newbieish.

I think their precision is enough. As javelin throwers, they'll be close to their targets anyway, and the javelins should easily hit any decent-sized squad. Plus, javelin damage is not bad. Depending on the map and your scales, gold may or may not be a problem, though, but very few nations get troops that cost less than 10 gold, and you should see how weak THOSE are. Hey, Pythium has one of the best bargain, with gladiators, have you tried them ?

I think gladiators are Pythium's best arrow catchers and shock absorbers, the challenge being to put just enough of them (you don't want leftovers after the battle ), and to make sure you get a fresh supply after each battle... They are not very useful for initial expansion, except for very tough targets, but they'll win you any war of attrition you might find yourself in...