writing battle tactics/strategy guide

[Geezer57]

One factor seldom mentioned that I find critical to both bridge battles and siege assaults: the squeeze factor. Whenever you crowd men together, so that they don't have sufficient room to wield their weapons properly, they'll attack and defend at significantly reduced effect.

The way around this is to set your unit's formation, before allowing it to engage, to a width that doesn't exceed the bridge or gatehouse width. On an assault across a bridge with the typical infantry unit, I find that a frontage of no more than seven columns (resulting in very deep rank formations) is ideal. I prefer polearms or swords to spear units, as their attack factors tend to be higher. Set to this frontage, I seldom (on Expert) need more than one unit to breach the enemy's frontage, unless they're massively equipped with missle troops. But in melee my men are fighting to full effect, while all the enemy's troops are struggling at half effect.

[Martok]

Good point, Geezer. I hadn't thought of the "squeeze" factor, but you're absolutely right.

I have a semi-related question in regards to bridge battles: When defending a bridge, does everyone just try to jam the attacker right at the crossing (assuming there's only one bridge on the battle map)? I'm curious because I myself sometimes allow the attacker to get a few of his units across, and only then do I hit him (on 3 sides). I realize this strategy can be risky; but it often pays off for me, as the attacker tends to route faster since he's being flanked. Does anyone else do this?

[Geezer57]

I have a semi-related question in regards to bridge battles: When defending a bridge, does everyone just try to jam the attacker right at the crossing (assuming there's only one bridge on the battle map)?

My usual approach when defending is to use a single elite (or as elite as is available) unit just off my end of the bridge, supported by massive amounts of missle troops. But that depends on having the right army composition, right?

So if I'm missle-poor and infantry-heavy, I'll adopt either an inverted "V" (two units) or "U" (three units) formation with my best infantry, which (as you've found) forces the enemy into a flanked position as soon as they step off the bridge.

But I find the single-unit defense method is usually more than adequate, depending on unit morale, General's rank bonuses, missle support, enemy compbat power, and other factors. So that's what I normally use.

[satchef1]

I use the same strategy for pretty much every battle. I base my armies around the spear:
6 units of the best spears i can get
3 units of heavy cavalry
2 units of sword/axe infantry
4 units of Missle Infantry (usually hybrids so i can use them to reinforce weak spots)
1 General (additional to the above, he only joins the fight if its absolutely necessary)

I line up the spears, place the missle behind and the sword/axe on the missles flanks to protect them. The general goes behind and the cavs to his flanks.

I slowly march my force forward, sending my cavalry wide when im near the enemy. I stop my infantry when im close to the enemy (about javelin throwing distance) and move my cavs round to the enemies rear (out of missle range).
At this point the AI usually charges straight into the spears (Note: i never charge the AI. If they dont respond, i march closer) and i simply wait a couple of minutes for the mellee to really get going then hit them in the rear with my cavs and send the sword/axe inf into theyre flanks. If my lines thin too much, in go the missle inf.

Works well enough for me, even though casualties are usually reasonably high among my inf.

[Innocentius]

And another question: Which really is the best unit for deploying the Doppelsöldner-tactic? Is it quite plainly CMAA?

[Martok]

And another question: Which really is the best unit for deploying the Doppelsöldner-tactic? Is it quite plainly CMAA?

If that's your best sword infantry unit, then yes, CMAA would be who you'd want to use. A few factions get another unit even beyond that, but they don't become available until the Late period.

[Kavhan Isbul]

When defending bridges I rely ehavily on missile units. I usually put a good spear unit at my end, especially if the AI is attacking with heavy cavalry. I use two or three javelin units right behind the spear unit - I take them off the skirmish mod (otherwise they retreat outside of their range), and wait for the enemy to approach. Usually the AI attacks with its best unit first, but if it sends a relatively weaker unit I preserve the javelines for later and only use bows or crossbows (arbalests if I have them). As long as the spear units holds the initial impact for even less than 30 seconds, just enough to allow my javelinmen to do their damage, this tactic has spectacular results. The best I can remember was using three units of lowly Slav javelinmen to kill two units of Variangian guards with armor upgrade and plenty of valor - nothing nicer than to see how the elite of the Eastern Roman Empire disappears in a matter of seconds, and it is a rare sight indeed to see a few Variangian guardsmen from a 7 valor unit on expert to run away, greatly diminishing the morale of the rest of the Emperor's army. The only weakeness of all types of javelinmen except armored Almughavars is that they are usually not armored and get many casualties if within range of the enemy missile units.