Well the indians were pretty adaptable. The first encounters in NA lead to the Indians getting shredded as they came out in, well not exactly formation, but they came out into the open to settle their stuff like usual. Even they preferred to do stuff mano a mano when disputed had to be settled.
They learned their lessons well and stayed well away from such tactics. The Europeans however took extremely long to learn to use light infantry tactics when the indians no longer wanted to meet them head on. There is a reason the 13 colonies didn't stretch very far inland... The powerful indian conferderacies that gave out black eyes left and right if groups of settlers decided to go too far.
And while the image of the indian warrior is one of the noble savage as the description goes, they were actually very quick to learn to use the musket and rifle, and apply it to light infantry tactics. While being peppered with arrows from unseen enemies was scary, the sound of 20-30 muskets all around would be even more scary to a lonely detachment. It would be even more obvious that they were alone and surrounded.
I do think that the indian factions have a little too many muskets, but at the same time they have no good musket infantry. Give them high accuracy and high reload, but no better range than now to simulate their poorer weapons in general. And all are light infantry with skimishing and light inf tactics. That would make them scary.
Then tone down the lancers.
Bookmarks