Split troops

[Axalon]

?

Hi guys... Am I missing something here? Why would you not want to split your forces Tony? I mean, is it not what cavalry in MTW are used for?!? I guess it all boils down to command-style and available troops, but I do it all the time, it certainly seems that I am not the only one either. I would imagine that things would get more difficult as well as friendly-casualties would probably increase otherwise (especially at heavy odds, which are the usual standard for me at least). Maybe it's just silly 'ol me...

- Cheers

[caravel]

Splitting to use 'hammer and anvil' tactics is normal every day stuff. Splitting into two distinct army groups operating independently is a whole other matter. You should probably only do this if you have overwhelming numbers where you don't need to use your whole force to defeat the enemy.

Splitting into two army groups will also incur morale penalties for those units that are not in the general's group (i.e. they will be too far away to receive the morale bonus). It will also mean less units to protect each others flanks and thus: more morale penalties. So really unless it's a dual bridge assault or some cavalry maneuovres (i.e. HA skirmishes or chasing routers) it's best to keep the main army together: Strength in numbers.

[macsen rufus]

On the scale of the typical MTW battlefield, I generally don't split forces, but there are exceptions, and it really boils down to specifics of a particular battle... as ever, universal 'rules' don't apply

And of course it depends on faction, army composition etc. With a strong HA faction (like Turks) then I might have a forward wave of HAs to break up the enemy formation before the tough guys get in there... and the classic hammer/anvil will always have a place, but whether that really counts as 'dividing' your forces is debatable, as it's a tactical application of the 'march divided, fight united' principle.

In double bridge battles a few cavalry units running between the bridges can be a great tactic as the enemy runs from bridge to bridge whilst your archers are ranged along the bank between bridges. But that's evil....