Multiplayer strategy

I usually play late era, and I use the arbalester as my ranged unit. My basic army is 4 cav, 4 ranged, 4 spears and 4 swords with my general being one of the cavs. That army provides a lot of flexibility, but I'll sometimes slant it towards more hth infantry and less ranged or cav if I think I'll be rushed by infantry. I'll also substitute polearm units for the swords if I expect to be facing mostly cav. My usual setup is ranged out front, spear line behind that and swords behind the spears with the cav protecting the flanks. You can attack out of that stance or defend by dropping the ranged back behind the spears.

My battle strategy is to maintain a strong center with the hth infantry and see what I can do with the ranged and cav units. Eventuallly, the battle comes down to engaging with the hth infantry. It's possible to loose either the ranged or cav skirmishing and win the battle. However, if I loose the hth infantry fighting, I've lost the battle.

When playing with allies, just make a simple plan at the beginning. If you want to deviate from the plan as the battle progresses, let them know and ask if the change in plan is ok with them. Walk your army into position to avoid unnecessary fatigue, and be aware that, if you move too far away from your ally, you are opening up the possibility of a double team attack by the enemy on one of you. As your judgement of time and distance improves, you can even use that as a ploy to entice the enemy into an unwarranted attack. If you are attacking with allies, double team an enemy army if possible. You may have to commit some units to block an enemy's ally trying to come to the rescue.

One of the most enjoyable things about this game is finding players who's style of play compliments yours such that you make good allies.