Positioning units for bridge defences

[caravel]

I also favour a "chevron" formation when defending bridges, though a box formation may work better in many cases (especially if you have enough units of the right type to pull it off). This strategy works better than placing a few units facing the bridge as it means the enemy are immediately flanked when they cross the bridge. Keep them under fire with your archers and you will break their resolve soon enough.

[ReluctantSamurai]

I tend to take a similar approach when defending bridges. Getting too close to the waters edge will bring your units under archer/teppo fire from the opposite bank......something you want to stay away from when defending against a multiple-stack invasion (where you really need to minimize losses).

I keep my troops far enough away from the river to force enemy archers/teppo to have to cross to my side or bunch up on the bridge. I generally keep a loose horseshoe formation with infantry to the front backed up by archers. When guns become available, holding bridges is so easy it's almost a crime.....even against 3000-5000 attackers

I conserve my cavalry for crossing the bridge to chase off enemy CA and SA after all enemy infantry and cav have routed off the map.

[Kloreep]

Thanks for all the welcomes and replies. :)

Making the enemy's bridge approach one side of a triangle sounds like a good suggestion. At the start of the game, I sometimes only have one or two units, so there's not much for it but to put them right up at the bridge foot. I've continued to just place a unit or two right in front of the bridge even when I have more soldiers, figuring that keeping the enemy on the bridge is the best way to disadvantage them. Really, though, coming from all sides sounds a lot more effective.

Staying away from the bridge area as a whole is an interesting suggestion as well, and one I hadn't considered. I'm usually too tempted to line my own archers up along the riverbank to consider keeping my troops out of enemy archer fire. (Guns are the one game element I haven't had experience with yet, so I guess that will be a new element for me to figure out as I play a campaign through.) Exactly how far do you keep them away? Maybe I should search around on youtube for some examples; this seems like a game where very marginal shifts can make a huge difference.

[Wishazu]

If you read some of the campaign reports here I`m sure you`ll come across screenshots etc. of some of the resident players defending bridges, they might help you out.

[ReluctantSamurai]

Really, though, coming from all sides sounds a lot more effective.

A lot more effective. You get flanking attacks and attacks to the enemy rear when they rout.

Exactly how far do you keep them away?

The best way to figure this out is to set up a custom battle with archers/teppo on the enemy side. After a few battles you'll get a feel for how far to stay back

Another suggestion is to remove the fire-at-will from your archers/teppo. This conserves ammo in large battles and allows you to rake enemy units as they cross the bridge. I usually group my archers so they fire as one unit. As soon as an enemy unit(s) become engaged with my own infantry, I move their fire onto units crowded on the bridge. You cause a lot more casualties that way for the same amount of ammunition.

When facing multiple stacks, I try keep several archers in reserve (if I have them available). Even with micro-management, you'll still run out of arrows at some point. Tuck those archers that are out of arrows to the rear (or withdraw them if you have reserves, though I wouldn't count on getting them onto the battlefield when you need them), and move fresh ones to the front.

In large, multi-stack battles, try and refrain from using ammo on reduced-size units. The AI favorite unit to do this with is CA. It'll prance those dozen or so (for example) CA's all over the place making you use up precious arrows shooting at them. Better to chase them off for good with your own cavalry or just hold your fire and wait for the main enemy reinforcements to arrive. The damage caused by these broken units is usually minimal and not worth tiring out your units by giving chase.

Again, use the custom battle generator to play around with units and techniques.....it's much better than getting your head handed to you during a game because you were unfamiliar with how things work

[Drisos]

Another suggestion is to remove the fire-at-will from your archers/teppo.

For archers, yes, I'd say: use the arrows only when they will do much damage. For teppo... ehh, they have almost unlimited ammo anyway?

I move their fire onto units crowded on the bridge. You cause a lot more casualties that way for the same amount of ammunition.

I do the same! Also because I thought it would be harsch firing into the engaged units. I would also hit my own.
Yet, I have no clue if this little strategy of ours really pays off in numbers. I guess so.

How I usually deploy in bridge defense nowadays:



red being archers, black melee inf. probably yari samurai. I dislike it when my infantry needs to run through archers to block the incoming enemy. this way, my archers can keep firing for a long time (since no yari's are running through them), and I can still block the enemy when they get too close. Usually, any enemy routs when my yari's charge. I usually don't let them engage. I do often fire the routing units, it seems to cause a good deal of casulties. that is, if they're crowded. espcially when you're outnumbered, it's important that ALL of your arrows are spent well. I usually use 2-3 archer units when a delegation of the enemy army crosses. when they get close-yari charge-rout-wait, and it starts over again. I don't need all archer units on the first line. some can wait, and replace the units in line when they run out of ammo.
If you're out of ammo and the enemy is still outnumbering you... I'd say, consider running away to minimize your losses. However, most of the time you can still win. the enemy is tired and has low morale by this time. the formation above seems to work fine for a final battle too. It ensures that you charge both the front and the flank of the incoming enemies. usually you can rout the entire bunch and chase them to the border. if they don't rout, you'll have to fight it out!

[ReluctantSamurai]

For archers, yes, I'd say: use the arrows only when they will do much damage. For teppo... ehh, they have almost unlimited ammo anyway?

Most of the time I'd agree with you. But..............in my last Oda 1580 camp I had 3 teppo with my defending army at Mikawa and all three were run out of ammo with FaW disabled

I think there's a screenee of that battle in my Nobunaga's Ambition AAR..............

Yet, I have no clue if this little strategy of ours really pays off in numbers. I guess so.

If the number of dead bodies after a bridge battle is any indication, then I would think it does because the greatest concentration seems to be always on the bridge itself....................