Ambush in place Sir! (sitting behind a tree...)

**Mujalumbo** · 07-13-2006, 19:04

Split your army. Send your larger force into the bush. Leave your smaller force on the opposite side of the bush. End turn.

If all goes well, the enemy should move to attack the smaller force, and if your general/captain is successful, should ambush them.

You don't need dense forest to ambush; I've ambushed out in the east using a single tree! (On the strategy map, I mean. I suppose it represents some small patch of light forest.) The trick is to use some bait to lure the AI in. Maybe a lone family member or something.

@Obelics: You're right. I don't recall how often my ambushes have failed, but more so than I'd expect.

As for how the actual ambush, well, that's quite a broad topic. It depends on the force I'm ambushing, what units I have, etc., etc. Generally, I'll deploy on both sides in an attempt to crush the force between my men. The goal should be to route, and destroy if possible, the bulk of their army in a single go.

If you're really paranoid about being ambushed, attach a spy or two to your army to scout out potential ambush sites before you move your forces.

**Obelics** · 07-13-2006, 20:30

ah to put a sort of sacrifical prey to attract the enemy in to ambush... it is a good strategy, i have to try it.
Anyway if you haven't a general with a trait relate to ambushing, like "good ambusher" or somethink like this, i think it is harder to get a good ambush. But to obtain these traits you must at last achive your first ambush...ah
Anyway ive just obtain to ambush a 300 men enemy army with my 3 man capitain...aargh so i think the dimension of your army could be a factor.

I must do some try also with my parthians in the East pheraps i will obtain some better result (before i never tryied cause it seems there are few forest, but if you say also a single tree can go...).

Ah i remember that when i played with Romans on vanilla RTW, it was really satisfating to sourround enemies with my legion and to sloughter them without exit... eheh.

must study better the problem regarding wich factors influence your ambush fails/notfails

**Mujalumbo** · 07-13-2006, 20:51

How about the amount of movement points remaining at the end of the turn? Might wanna fiddle around with that, too.

**LorDBulA** · 07-14-2006, 09:46

1) Do you use this strategy and how often you obtain to surprise your enemy
4) if your ambush go well, how do you set your formation on the battlefield? (example: i sourround the enemy with javelimen or i use heavy infantry to sudden charge them in the flanks etc)

I use it when strategic situation force me in to fighting and i know i cant win in a fair battle. Other then that i prefer to use what was coled in 17century Polish way of fighting. I prefer destroying enemy army in few big open field battles.

How to fight in ambush is a big topic. Few tips from my point of view (weaker army ambushing stronger). Concentrate your forces on most dangerous part of enemy army. Your goal is to annihilate in first few minutes most dangerous part of enemy army to even the odds and tip the balance of force to your side.
Dont forget to screen your main attack force so they dont get hit from sides or rear. Use some troops to distract and confuse enemy.
Hiding some archers in such position that they can fire in the back of enemy soldiers advancing against your main force may also be a good idea.

Just remember ambushing is always dangerous.
Ambush can fail or even your ambush can be triggered by some pathetic small stack of enemy troops and instead of ambushing the big enemy army you can end up fighting them in fair battle (my army was annihilated this way once).

Good luck.

**Obelics** · 07-14-2006, 10:37

thanks people, i find the discussion very interesting, ive done a "search" in the forums yesterday but i found too few thinks...

regarding my personal experience, i can remember one of my roman generals to have a "great ambusher" trait, so his ambush go well almost all the time, but im asking now, suppose your army is ambushing near a forest or a tree, now suppose the enemy general has the "scout" trait or somethink like this, i think your ambush cant be achieved, Im also asking myself, if there is an enemy tower near your ambushing army, i think the probability of your ambush do not fail are really low, even if your general says "ambush in place sir".

@majalumbo
i think the remaining movement points could be a factor only for the enemy army, suppose your enemy finish his movement point before to reach your army, and he stops very close your ambushed stack, well i think he will spot your hidden stack, and in the next turn your ambush fails, but im not sure...

Anyway i think i ve found a good place for ambushing after the bridge that link massalia with mediolanum, in a small piece of forest down the Alps. But evil Romans have built a sentryTower, so i think this could be one of the factors that play a disavantage in my ambush to be achieved...