Hints for beating Richard's campaign?

**seireikhaan** · 02-15-2007, 06:02

Grrr, that final battle is hard!

Does anyone have advice for how to beat Salah-al-Din?

**naut** · 02-15-2007, 06:15

Is that Jaffa?

If so pull back to a Saxon "sheild wall" formation and then also use the walls of the Castle to prevent the Muslims any ability to flank you. Then use you knights to plug gaps as they appear.

**seireikhaan** · 02-15-2007, 06:24

The name escapes me at the moment, but yeah the one where you're backed up against the castle walls. I've tried shield wall, but my army seems to get pulverized every time, even w/ arrow support. Plus, they always seem to break through a spot in the wall and unleash hell on my poor archers.

**Agent Miles** · 02-15-2007, 15:19

Just attack, you're only outnumbered three to one.
https://s132.photobucket.com/albums/...ntMiles/Jaffa/
Always be bold!

**seireikhaan** · 02-16-2007, 01:53

Agent Miles, impressive! Well, Ok, at least to someone who hasn't beaten that battle yet. I can't believe Salah-al-Din fell to Genoes Sailors! Very nice summary of the battle, good link.

**Caerfanan** · 02-16-2007, 11:10

Aye this is a very good victory. Congratulations! My opinion on defensive battle while totally outnumbered is to strike hard a very good enemy unit, the general if possible, to create a chain rout situation for the adversary. After the 2-3 first units routing, they will rally eventually, but are likely to rout again after 5-10% loss in their unit, especially if the general is dead. This helps your tired fighters to create 2 or 3 to 1 local situations which will feed at the same time the "chain routing effect".

But this is touchy, because you are taking a risk: the time during which you concentrate tyour efforts on the good/general enemy units at the beginning of the melee can give time to the "crap" enemy unit to do some damages in your flanks, creating the same chain routing effect among your troops as the one you are looking for.

BTW, the defensive diagrams on Frogbeastegg's beginner's guide is very good. Look at the unit's morale level and put the highest on the flanks!

**Agent Miles** · 02-16-2007, 15:32

Thanks! This looked like a train wreck, so I just decided to go out fighting. When Saladin routed I did a Ctrl+A advance. Then he rallied and counter-attacked. I thought that I had walked into a trap. Fortunately, the Genoese saved my crusader's butt. Toujours l'audace!

**Martok** · 02-16-2007, 19:01

Originally Posted by Caerfanan

But this is touchy, because you are taking a risk: the time during which you concentrate tyour efforts on the good/general enemy units at the beginning of the melee can give time to the "crap" enemy unit to do some damages in your flanks, creating the same chain routing effect among your troops as the one you are looking for.

Aye, indeed. To paraphrase from the book I'm reading right now (Virtues of War, by Steven Pressfield), it's a little like grappling with a bear: You're trying to stab the bear in the heart before it can crush/rend you with its claws. It's always a risky tactic, but one that can work very well -- provided your flanks hold out long enough.

**Caerfanan** · 02-20-2007, 18:20

Originally Posted by Agent Miles

Thanks! This looked like a train wreck, so I just decided to go out fighting. When Saladin routed I did a Ctrl+A advance. Then he rallied and counter-attacked. I thought that I had walked into a trap. Fortunately, the Genoese saved my crusader's butt. Toujours l'audace!

Weirdly, this makes me remember of one of my very frst battle, years ago. I had MTW, but played only a few games, and went back to that game when the eras box went out (last summer?).

I was playing the polish, attacking a small army in a bordering province (can't remember which) and my king got decapitated by the first rock fired by the enemy catapult!!!! I was routed like a bunch of rabbits while having three times more fighters!!!

Following the routing units was a very good idea, this didn't give them time to reassemble their freaking minds, and so they couldn't "build" a new wave. You could take the units one by one, even with tired defenders!

**Caerfanan** · 02-20-2007, 18:22

Originally Posted by Martok

Aye, indeed. To paraphrase from the book I'm reading right now (Virtues of War, by Steven Pressfield), it's a little like grappling with a bear: You're trying to stab the bear in the heart before it can crush/rend you with its claws. It's always a risky tactic, but one that can work very well -- provided your flanks hold out long enough.

That's an elegant metaphore, Martok!

This exactly what I had in mind!

PS: I hope that "metaphore" is a word, in english...

**Martok** · 02-20-2007, 21:35

Glad you like it, Caerfanan; I enjoy the analogy as well. Not that I can take credit for it, though -- thank Pressfield (or possibly Alexander himself).

Originally Posted by Caerfanan

PS: I hope that "metaphore" is a word, in english...

It is. (And it's spelled "metaphor" in English.)