which way do you order your reinforcements??

[Dark Water]

Hello out there I'm curious as to other players strategy's for ordering reinforcements in large battles....I battle fine when it's a relatively small battle but it's a juggling act when I have loads....I'm not sure when to withdraw troops(3/4 or 1/2 casualties) or where they become ineffective with regards to their fatigue, and how far their moral will carry them....I've lost battles I should of won over bad strategys with reinforcements .....any help would be very much appreciated

[CountArach]

I like to have mine behind my army and order them to where they need to be to hold the line. However, if they are to the enemy's rear, I make sure that m yarmy is back far enough to give me enough time to get them in position. Then I charge both armies simultaneously.

[Lord Cazaric]

Why not just bring them on each time you lose 3 or so units? That means potentially 300 Italian infantry or spearmen can charge in...

[Dark Water]

Why not just bring them on each time you lose 3 or so units? That means potentially 300 Italian infantry or spearmen can charge in...

I see said the blind man makes sense doing it in "shifts" rather than one at a time...i've a big battle with the French now lets hope this new strategy makes mince meat outta those frogs legs

[caravel]

Are you referring "ordering" of reinforcements in the pre-battle screen (assuming you have VI)? Or when to bring them on? The ordering is crucial, as you don't want 7 units of peasants to come on and off before you can finally bring on a decent unit. So juggling your units around before battle is vital in order to have the right units available when needed. Missile units tend to run out of their missiles and then become next to useless, so it's a good idea to have groups of replacements ready in your reinforcements line up. When actually on the field it's a good idea to bring on reinforcements for exhausted units and those out of ammunition in phases.

For example as the Turks, playing a defensive battle, I would have some groups of cavalry, Ghazis and missiles first, with replacement Saracens further down the list as they are not likely to move around much and die slowly in their defensive role.

[stson]

I accidently came upon a tactic that worked well.

When convincingly losing a battle with many reinforcements in wait, I delay reinforcements until I can bring them on the battlefield en masse. Then I plant my flag in a section far from the action. This allows me to organize my new defensive position and forces the enemy to march (and tire) himself to fight what in effect is a new battle.

Additionally, the AI's advance usually isn't as tightly grouped as its initial advance in a fresh battle and gives the player an opportunity to take out individual AI units unsupported by other units.

[Lord Blackbury]

Indeed, the last poster has "stumbled" across generally the best way to use your re-inforcements. Use them en masse when your original force needs to retire and utterly devastate what's left of the enemy with your new army.

However, as other posters indicated, you may wish to throw in replacement missile troops if you feel the initial army could hold and win with some support. I guess it all boils down to the situation dictated by the battle.

LB

[Dark Water]

All the posts here have helped ( as i've tried them in battle...thanks) it also improved on the size of battles I can fight because I was losing large battles which (when I selected automatically resolve for the same battle) the computer would win......generally a bad sign thanks

[Caerfanan]

All the posts here have helped ( as i've tried them in battle...thanks) it also improved on the size of battles I can fight because I was losing large battles which (when I selected automatically resolve for the same battle) the computer would win......generally a bad sign thanks

I had one like this last week! I made a couple of stupid mistakes and lost my general, I was then on the "routing every other second" side....

[Rocketman]

I tend to commit all my infantry in the battle line, then have some light cavalry screening the flanks and the heavy cavalry attacking the enemy's rear.

[Martok]

As nice as it would be to withdraw and replace units en masse, I generally find that doing so is far too dangerous, especially when fighting defensive battles.

I tend to have a slew of extra missile units in my first wave of reinforcements, followed by spear/pike infantry to hold the center line. Only after I've replenished my missiles and main-line infantry will I bring in cavalry and other flanking units (should time and the necessities of battle permit).

[Caerfanan]

I tend to commit all my infantry in the battle line, then have some light cavalry screening the flanks and the heavy cavalry attacking the enemy's rear.

I usually try to create a chain routing situation, especially in big defensive battles when outnumbered like 60 units against 25. Meaning that everyone starts with 16 units on the field. To obtain this, I usually put strong defensive units (spearmen) to stand alone on one side, while having 2/1 or 3/1 local fighting situations with spears "fronting" and big attack units flanking (highlanders, gallowglasses). Rear's are for my 1 or 2 cavs if they're not occupied making the enemy archers run and/or die. When one side of the battle line breaks (hopefully my enemy's...) I then roll my units from the wining part on the back of the enemy's in the battle line. After this, I usually need to replace my archers, and my first "chock troops". Then the spears.

I think I would do as Martok, having spears before the flanking inf units/cavs if my enemy was having chopping units like axemen likely to deal massive damage to my spears...

[Caerfanan]

Indeed, the last poster has "stumbled" across generally the best way to use your re-inforcements. Use them en masse when your original force needs to retire and utterly devastate what's left of the enemy with your new army.

However, as other posters indicated, you may wish to throw in replacement missile troops if you feel the initial army could hold and win with some support. I guess it all boils down to the situation dictated by the battle.

LB

Well, replacement "en masse" could be very useful, but you have to be very cautious of the routing among your units, especially the general, then. Being vastly outnumbered on the field could be very risky. Otherwise, I tend to order my reinforcements a bit like Cambyses II. Missile units more dense at the beginning, especially if I have a defensive battle with 4-5 archers behind a line of spears on a hill. Il like then to have one or two chock troops (Highlanders, Gallowglasses, Huscalres/Berserkers) those troops dying quickly because they are heavily involved in melee, then some spears. Don't know much about cavalry, though, playing viking campaigns, they usually only serve to mop up prisonners and charge one or two times in the back...

[Jobst_vonGrünungen]

Hello out there I'm curious as to other players strategy's for ordering reinforcements in large battles....I battle fine when it's a relatively small battle but it's a juggling act when I have loads....I'm not sure when to withdraw troops(3/4 or 1/2 casualties) or where they become ineffective with regards to their fatigue, and how far their moral will carry them....I've lost battles I should of won over bad strategys with reinforcements .....any help would be very much appreciated

I try to follow von Moltke's strategy and win the battle before I fight it, by making sure that I have a larger, better equipped and trained army than my opponent before I choose to fight him. I generally try to ensure that the army I command contains the best units available to me within range of the battle, and then let the reinforcements act as emergency reserves if I'm really in trouble, use them to block off a fleeing enemy if they come in at the right place, or simply ignore them if I find them useless.

As far as a battle where both sides are evenly matched and reinforcements are critical? I try to avoid those kinds of battles wherever possible. If I make it out of one of those it will usually either be luck or stupidity on the AI's part.