Lopsided Victories

Still getting the hang of the game, but my battlefield control (won't say tactics quite yet) is dramatically improving. I find the groups function to do wonders.

Anyway, last night I matched up against the Spanish in Flanders. 5600 men vs. 2000 for me. For my first 16 units I had 6 ILI, 2 Fuedal Knights, 3 genoese sailors, 1 Royal Knights, and 2 FMAA. Spanish was a mixture of jinetes, some fmaa, spear and couple mounted missiles.

Wow. They got crushed. Caused 2500 kia to my 500. I didn't even bring on my reinforcements. Needless to say, they haven't attacked since and are now looking for ceasefire.

What's your biggest victory, especially at bad odds?

Wahaha. Just had it a few nights ago. Playing as the Turks, crushed the Spanish in Constantinople (Yes they had got that far O_o). Had just over 1000 troops they had Over 5000. I was like "How the hell am I gonna do this?" Decided to make a last stand on a teeny incline at the back of the map (and I mean tiiiiiiiny). Set up the Saracens in the middle flanked by Janissary Heavies. With wings of Armenian Heavies on the extreme flanks. Archers in the middle rear with a few Turcoman Horse for chasing routers and Harrassment duty ~D . The result was:-

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...kishpwnage.jpg

Yas thats right total and utter pwn4g3!!! Casualty ratio 46:1 !!! Repeated Hammer (Armenian Heavies Ghulam Bodyguards) and Anvil (Saracen and Jannisary Heavy Infantry) Tactics annihilated them. Of Course I slaughtered all the prisoners Gaining the General:-

Skilled Defender;
Against All Odds;
Butcher;
Scant Mercy.

The Legendary General - Amir Rokh - renowned and feared throughout Europe. :charge:

I fielded 3500 against 16000+ screaming, sweaty, stinking mongols and routed them BAD as the Byz. Similar deal when I played the Turks and played a long and very tiresome game of feint and counter to trap their mounted units in the treeline where they got slaughtered. I got suprised a couple times as the turks by the spanish and hungarians, the hungarians faced me in a bridge fight and massacred (I lost less than a 100 men and still won the butcher vice, would have won it 3 times over if the game let me) and the spanish sent jinittes and militia sarges against my Turkish horse, camels and fatuwa ... in the desert ... basically removed them as a contender in one fight.

Whoa!!!! The Thermopylae of MTW. Holy Sheet!

Question, with captured prisoners, I typically kill them periodically throughout the battle because:

1) I wasn't sure if the tide turned, whether I'd lose those prisoners, so wanted to make sure they were done with.

2) I tried to do the math to figure out whether it would be more damaging for the men to be killed and taken off front line, or make the extra cash. It seemed like it was a better deal to kill troops that might have higher valor and then let the faction rebuild and move new, raw troops to the front line. Especially if you're planning a counter move in the next turn or two. Is there some advantage I'm missing by not keeping prisoners and then ransoming them back, other than the $$$$ of course.

I had a recent one. I was playing as the Italians, and had launched a large crusade from Venice through the Hungarian Empire towards Constantinople, occupied by the Egyptians. The Egyptians and Hungarians were allied, but the Hungarians allowed me passage. I fought a large, bloody battle in Bulgaria - won and chased the Egyptians to their castle, but I took a good deal of casualties myself - I had about 1200 men left. (I was pissed - I captured and executed 980 men - almost enough for "butcher".) But they still had mega-armies lead by mega-generals moving in my direction, so I knew I was going to get counter-attacked the next turn and I was sweating bullets - my crusade looked like it was in real trouble.

Well, the Egyptians counter-attacked with about 1800 men. And low and behold their allies the Hungarians joined the attack with almost the same number. I'm badly outnumbered and they've got some good troops as opposed to the mish-mash in my crusade. I'm looking at the battle planning screen preparing to go down fighting when I suddenly realize that the province the Hungarians attacked from (north-west of Bulgaria) gave me a river defense! I scratched together all the archers, javelins, and sturdy spears and polearms/swords that I could out of my crusade and hunkered in a "U" on my side of the one bridge. I had a nice slope and I had four archers, three javs, one horse archer, my general (knight), and the rest spear and militia, maybe a sword or two. First the Egyptians hit me. We fight hard and I eventually drive them back when I kill the sultan with an arrow. Their reenforcements continued to arrive however, and they started to mass just beyond the fight.

Then the Hungarians hit me hard. I poured all the rest of my arrows into the tangle on the bridge. Some of my militia and spears got chewed up keeping them back. They kept coming and they replaced routed units with reenforcements - damned Szelky would work their way on the bridge and fire volleys of arrows at my tired spearmen - I was getting worried. I still had javelins left so I moved them up to throw over the heads of my tired infantry. Just then the Hungarian general charged into the fray. I killed him and the Hungarians finally routed en mass.

The Egyptians then made one more assault - most of my units were worn but I had a couple small but valored units I'd been saving and before too long the Egyptians fled the field as well. I killed countless men, but I took very few prisoners as I had few cav with me and my men were far too tired to pursue when the battle was finally finished. I lost between 300 & 400 men - a couple of my spears got pretty chewed up, as did a couple of my militia. Some archers caught some arrows, but not too many, and one of the jav units got caught on the bridge and was almost decimated. I got a little impetuous and ran my men onto the bridge in a couple of places - if I'd stuck to my "U" a little more I could have done better. Pretty cheap victory all-in-all, though.

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Originally Posted by weegee

Whoa!!!! The Thermopylae of MTW. Holy Sheet!

Question, with captured prisoners, I typically kill them periodically throughout the battle because:

1) I wasn't sure if the tide turned, whether I'd lose those prisoners, so wanted to make sure they were done with.

2) I tried to do the math to figure out whether it would be more damaging for the men to be killed and taken off front line, or make the extra cash. It seemed like it was a better deal to kill troops that might have higher valor and then let the faction rebuild and move new, raw troops to the front line. Especially if you're planning a counter move in the next turn or two. Is there some advantage I'm missing by not keeping prisoners and then ransoming them back, other than the $$$$ of course.

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If you kill them your general gets a vice. The first time it gives him one dread star. The more times you do it, he starts getting more dread but also gains moral penalties. (His men are pretty upset that he keeps killing prisoners they could ransom, and it's also a pretty unchivalric thing to do.)

But you're right - sometimes it's the best thing to do. If you ransom them you will eventually fight them again. If they are bigger than you and you don't desperately need the money it may be wisest to kill all your prisoners.

Amir Rokh fatass too? (has 0 valour)

But on loopsided victories. ~D

3090 killed 1530 captured vs 367 (240 of my men still standing). Main troop? Hashishin(!) modded to 20 man units and some cav (7 units, 83 men in the end). His withdrewing 4 star (rebel) vs my 5 star Egyptian general.

895 killed 2605 captured vs 52 (485 men still standing) 67.3 kill ratio vs a French faction re-emergence! My troops? 2 demi-culverins, two arqebusiers (took 30% of the losses = 16 men) and 12 lancers and two units were 1 man units. Lancers own ~;)
My 4-star (Aragonese) vs his king (unknown stars)

Yeah, I forgot one very early on. Landed 3 units of Turk horse against 1 full unit of vanilla spear. I didn't lose a single guy, but they were slaughtered to a man. Anyone who put money on the Byz spear that fight really needed their head examined, but it was still a lopsided victory.

That is actually not so rare... I usually send 2 Horse Archers against one non-archer, or non-cavalry unit when I play the Hungarians. It is quite possible to kill 100 spearmen with 2 x 40 Horse Archers... without a single man lost.

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Originally Posted by CherryDanish

Yeah, I forgot one very early on. Landed 3 units of Turk horse against 1 full unit of vanilla spear. I didn't lose a single guy, but they were slaughtered to a man. Anyone who put money on the Byz spear that fight really needed their head examined, but it was still a lopsided victory.

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Originally Posted by Ironside

Amir Rokh fatass too? (has 0 valour)

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LOL YAS!!! He had that vice that gives him -4 Valour. . . Greed? He actually started the battle at -1. Managed to get him to 0 though. Can't have a wuss leading the Constantine Defense now can we? ~D

@ BAD:

Cool screenie ~:)

Indeed - very impressive, well played.

And keep fighting the system as well. ~:cool:

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Originally Posted by BAD

LOL YAS!!! He had that vice that gives him -4 Valour. . . Greed? He actually started the battle at -1. Managed to get him to 0 though. Can't have a wuss leading the Constantine Defense now can we? ~D

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Gluttany. Fatass sounds better ~;)
The annoying thing is that -8 morale, it makes some generals so big cowards that they flees from a certain victory, thus getting a even worse morale penalty.