Ambush on campaign map question
Situation:
It is my turn to do my moves on the campaign map. I have been wiping out Poland, but the Teutonic Order had a stack making a nuisance of itself going in and out of my lands, so I decide to teach them a lesson. The TO stack is located at the bridge just to the east of Marienburg, and I have a cavalry stack of Mameluks and Mamluke Archers a little to the east of Poznan, and direct it to hit the TO army, moving along the road south of the river. About half way there a Polish army jumped out of the forest to the south of the road, where it was hidden, and attacked my army (and was thoroughly trounced).
Again, this happened during my movement phase on the campaign map.
Now I am new to Total War, but am a couple hundred turns into the campaign, and have moved and fought across and conquered the middle-east, Anatolia and most of Europe and all the Mediterranean islands, but have until that point, never seen the AI move on my turn (unless withdrawing from an attack or after losing a battle).
What I want to know is, how do I do this, with my armies?
Re: Ambush on campaign map question
If you place your army in a forest on the campaign map where it can hide you will be given a chance to ambush an enemy army that approaches you during the AI turn. It’s been a while since I played MTW2 but I think the game will tell you when an ambush is prepared.
Re: Ambush on campaign map question
When the model of your general on the campaign map crouches and says something like "Ready to ambush" you'll know it's prepared. Even if he does not, usually ending within a forest tile lets you set up an ambush.
Re: Ambush on campaign map question
Well, I'm now in the Americas fighting the Aztecs, and they have ambushed me a couple of times, I have set myself up to ambush them as well, and it looked to me as though they had moved into my ambushes, but, I did not get anything I recognized as a notification to fight on the AI's turn. The enemy units stopped and I had to fight them on my turn.
Re: Ambush on campaign map question
Perhaps the AI simply ran out of movement before triggering the ambush. Or maybe your forces were not in fact hidden.
Some units like (elephants) cannot hide. I'm not certain if they inhibit ambushes.
Re: Ambush on campaign map question
To avoid ambushes use spies, priests, diplomats and cheap units to scout ahead the likely path of your main army.