Things you just never do in battles.

[Kamakazi]

Never Ever Engage a massively superior force unless you have a death wish.... oh isnt that obvious?

my bad

[caravel]

Gah, that's half the fun: 5,000 Turks vs 50,000 Mongols - those were the days!

[naut]

Never underestimate hilly terrain. Lost too many battles that way.

Also never chase after the Picts.

[Roark]

Things I never do in battle:

- Let my horses go anywhere near Chivalric Foot Knights.
- Leave javelins on skirmish.
- Manage to capture the Pope on the field (in 4 years of gaming!!!).
- Frontal charge Granadian Almohad Urban Militia.
- Use siege engines to attack.
- Send my archers charging in.
- Engage Huscarles units that have more than half-strength numbers.
- Chase missile cavalry with infantry.
- Hold mercs back in reserve.

[Lokiss]

- Use siege engines to attack.

Ballistas can be useful for an accurate shot into a mass, providing your patient and can seize on the morale hit they take.

[bozewolf]

I think he meant he doesn't use siege engines in a battle where he's the attacker since they're fixed and will almost never be able to get close enough to the enemy.

That is something I never do as well. I even limit my missile troops severely or bring none at all if I'm attacking.

[Ironsword]

Never, ever, trust the pope.

[Kamakazi]

Gah, that's half the fun: 5,000 Turks vs 50,000 Mongols - those were the days!

well if u look in other posts i once faced a force that outnumbered me at leas 10-1 i think and i won lol then again it was 1v1v1v1vme lol it was crazy i stayed on the hill and watched for tyhe most part... beat back everyone with my good mix of archers and used my cavs to their peak effectiveness

thje good old days.... i remember them well

and Ironsword i agree.. the pope is a back stabbin @%@#%(* many times i had to kill that old fool for gettin lippy and over confident

[PershsNhpios]

Never engage Turkish, Cuman, GH, or Arabic armies of Horse Archers. At all.

And never bother engaging the home-sitting family army of 7 Royal Knights with a 4 star King, which can normally be found in Scotland, or Denmark. They will tear you up. Unfairly.

Oh and never engage armies in an isolated, last-ditch-defence position, like in Armenia, or Bohemia.

It will have you in tears.

[gollum]

Originally posted by Glenn
Never engage Turkish, Cuman, GH, or Arabic armies of Horse Archers. At all.

Why not? Horse archers have this soft texture that makes a nice sound when hit by arrows and bolts. Sit the infantry in woods behind the shooters, and use the fire at will toggle on and off to concentrate fire on horse archers as they close by to stillness for shooting one by one - take the pop corn and enjoy.

Oh and never engage armies in an isolated, last-ditch-defence position, like in Armenia, or Bohemia.

Bohemia is the first target to take out as the HRE. First or second turn. They become a nuisance only if left unchecked for too long, because they accumulate heirs. Armenia doesnt even have a chance, whether the player attacks it or not.

!it burnsus!

[Wishazu]

I couldnt think of any decent "Never" battle anecdotes so i`ll contribute a campaign one.

Never, ever conquer the Byzantine Empire before the Mongols show up

[oz_wwjd]

Never engage a byzantine army led by a 7 star or more Kata general,those things can really be a pain..

[caravel]

I couldnt think of any decent "Never" battle anecdotes so i`ll contribute a campaign one.

Never, ever conquer the Byzantine Empire before the Mongols show up

I go for the opposite approach. I prefer to secure the choke points and get a strong garrison in place before the Byzantine crumble and let them into the interior of Asia Minor (which causes absolute havoc and can set you back decades technologically). I will then hold on to Georgia, defending against everything they throw at me and attack them in their other provinces and try to cut off and divide their forces.

Never engage a byzantine army led by a 7 star or more Kata general,those things can really be a pain..

There is always a counter to every enemy. I don't see there as being many "never" situations - apart from being vastly outnumbered and outclassed of course. When it comes to Kataphraktoi they are vulnerable to Polearms, AP units (flanking only), javelins and arbalests so it is a good idea to engage them with these until you've taken down 2/3 of the unit's strength and / or pin them with spears and hit them in the flanks with polearms such as JHI, Halberdiers or Chivalric Foot Knights.

[PershsNhpios]

Here's one;

Never say to yourself - "Ah! The age of gunpowder! And I am years ahead of my neighbours.. Well, I'll construct 10 Demi-Culverins, support them with two units of Chivalric Foot Knights - and nothing will stand in the face of my all-destroying line of fire!"