I think it's preferable for the forward ally to set up at the back of his/her zone. Even so, the ally behind has to come up fast or else the forward ally should fall back if the enemy is aggressive. The plan, attack or hold the line, should be determined before the battle starts. An army set up forward can work if the allies come up quickly, and can hit the enemy in the flanks as the enemy tries to finish off the exposed ally. However, if I set up forward and don't make that plan know to my allies, I can't really expect them to rush forward with everything. That amounts to trying to force your allies hand by your own play. If you have agreed on a commander beforehand, then you should do as commanded. Otherwise, the battle should be approached as a cooperative effort without any one taisho calling the shots.

I enjoy both approaches. A pre-made plan that works as expected is nice, and a more flexible cooperative style of play is satisfying as well. If things don't go well, then we go over the battle later to see where we went wrong. That leaves the door open to playing with that player as an ally again.

You will find players who do not make good allies because of their style of play. It's best to keep them on the other side of the fence as opponents. They can become very good opponents even if not good allies.

MizuYuuki ~~~
Clan Takiyama ~~~