The Battle: Its Parts and Strategies
2/6/2003
by Matt Gorski
Introduction:
This guide is going to focus on the different parts of a battle (e.g. skirmishing), give the player some overall tips for each part, give some specific strategies for the section, and provide replays featuring some excellent examples of each. The type of battle this guide will focus on is a 1v1 with about 15000 florins. Though some replays may feature team battles it will talk about them in the context of a 1v1 because that is the simplest type of battle (well not quite but you’ll understand eventually) and its tactics can be adapted to team play. Hopefully by gaining a better understanding of the battle, the player will be more equipped to tackle more advanced tactics.Also, If you don’t know your controls and hotkeys, learn them! I won’t explain them here so you may not know how to do what I’m talking about. You’ll only learn so much from this guide, so get a teacher or a couple games with a veteran supervising you.
Choosing your army:
Despite some players’ insistence that this is the last thing they need advice on, it is the first. Having the right units means you’ll be able to do what you want without thinking “hey, maybe I should have upgraded the valour” as your unit flees the field. I’ll provide some exact 15k armies to get you started:
| Byzantine Army: | | Qty | Unit | Valor | Armor | Weap. | | 2 | Pronoiai Allagion | 2 | | | | 4 | Byzantine Infantry | 4 | | | | 3 | Varangian Gaurds | 1 | | | | 2 | Spearmen | 4 | | | | 4 | Pavise Arbalesters | | 1 | | | | French Army: | | Qty | Unit | Valor | Armor | Weap. | | 3 | Chivalric Knights | 1 | | | | 4 | Order Foot | 2 | | | | 4 | Chivalric MAA | 3 | | | | 4 | Pavise Arbalesters | | 2 | | | 1 | Turcopole | 2 | | 1 |
| | English Army | | Qty | Unit | Valor | Armor | Weap. | | 4 | Chivalric Knights | | | 1 | | 4 | Chivalric MAA | 3 | | | | 2 | Order Foot | 2 | | | | 2 | Billmen | 3 | | | | 4 | Pavise Arbalesters | | 1 | | |
| German Army: | | Qty | Unit | Valor | Armor | Weap. | | 3 | Chivalric Knights | 1 | | | | 3 | Chivalric MAA | 3 | | | | 2 | Swiss Halberdiers | 2 | | | | 2 | Order Foot | 2 | | | | 2 | Halberdiers | 3 | | | | 4 | Pavise Arbalesters | | 2 | | |
These are very basic armies and you may see people doing crazy things like all cavalry armies but don’t be tempted into using them unless you are too good to be reading this in the first place.
Setting up:
Setting up is the stage on the battle map when you can position your units without having to wait for them to walk there.
Formation:
The first thing you’ll want to do is pick a spot right in the middle of the map and set up your formation. There are a variety of these so here’s a replay of me going through several different set-ups with the same army, and then positioning it.
Positioning:
This is pretty simple to do, but tactically complicated. Select your whole army and then stick it on the map where you want it. The complicated part is selecting the right spot. Here are a couple points:
- Don't set up too close to the front
- Set up where you can gain high ground quickly or are on it already
- Don't set up in the corner (no one likes campers)
- Trees provide cover, but spears and cavalry are weak in them and it's hard to keep track of all your units.
Grouping:
Now group your units. I suggest dividing them either into types (swords, spears, cavalry) if you use them in one line, or sides (front line, left flank, right flank).
Here’s the replay with me using the English army to create several formations and then positioning it. Check back soon for link! positioning
Maneuvering:
Now that the battle has begun you’ll want to move your army to where you want the battle to take place. Move in small increments so if you need to, you can change direction. Stop just out of archer range.
Positioning:
This positioning is different than above. Basically move your spears to where the enemy will have his horses and so on in the rock, paper, scissors fashion. Again, this is more complicated than it sounds because of the varieties of different troops and terrain. This you may have to learn on your own. Again I stress getting a teacher. Another option is not to position and rely on flanking to win the day. This is used best when you don’t have time to position, with order foot in the front (strongly defensive) and the left/right flanking groups.
Kocmoc and Nashwan give us a lesson here: Check back soon for link! nash12th
Skirmishing:
Your goal during skirmishing should be to wear down the enemy force in numbers and fatigue while suffering minimal casualties. Don’t get too cocky or you’ll end up worse than the enemy, be on guard to counter his maneuvers, and don’t be wasteful.
The Archer Duel:
This is probably the most dreaded and boring part of the battle, but often the most crucial. The idea is to be able to inflict damage on the enemy’s melee units while receiving few to your own. To do this you’ll have to get your archers further in front of your front line than the enemy has his. You’ll have to use a hill or trees to do this, or just be a little more daring. You can either guard your archers with spears behind them or cavalry. The enemy will probably try to kill some of your archers with fast cavalry so when you see them coming either send your spears close to your archers to change his mind or send your cavalry out to kill him. Protecting your archers with heavy cavalry on the end slightly out of range of the enemy archers is preferable to using spears, which are often too slow to save your archers. Meanwhile target your archers on expensive enemy units or ones with low morale. Use your own light cavalry to charge unprotected enemy archers and then either make them run back or hit the rout button to get them out of there really quick, though you might not be able to get them back.
Other Tactics:
- Use horse archers to shoot lightly armored units, but keep away from enemy archers.
- Use cavalry to trap a slow enemy unit too separated to get help.
- Hide a unit at the beginning of the battle and then rush out in an ambush.
- Shoot at an enemy who didn't take light cavalry with your horse archers.
He will chase you with his heavy cavalry which won't be able to catch you.
This will hurt the heavy cavalry's fatigue.
Here’s an excellent game full of skirmishing: Check back soon for link! skirmish
The Melee:
Okay now, down to business. There are two types of situations you may encounter now: having the enemy suddenly rushing at you, or vice versa. When both armies rush at each other consider it attacking.
Defending:
First of all get your archers back behind your front line. Next, move your units so your front line is about the same width as his and with the same number of units. You now have two options as to what to do with your flanks. First, you can move out your units out around the enemy’s flanks and hope to break through on the edges, or hold down your corners and plug gaps with your cavalry. When you notice your front line may be breaking you can easily change the tide by sending a cavalry charge to a problematic area. Support wavering units with your own archer fire and move your general close to them. Another trick could be to move your general away from your weak spots to draw away enemy attacks and lead them into ambushes. This is especially useful with the Byzantines because most of the troops aren’t affected by their general’s death. Killing the enemy general can also help you turn the tide or seal the coffin.
Attacking:
You don’t have much of a choice as to when to defend, but attacking is different. Usually you will be attacking either because the enemy has made a mistake and you want to capitalize on it or waiting around any longer will get you killed. Never attack because you’re bored of skirmishing. Since your army may not have an easily definable middle from the positioning stage, you may not be able to correctly place the whole thing at once. First start your archers moving to a little ways behind where the fighting will be. Next aim your flanking to where you want them to be and then your front line. Since cavalry is the fastest move that last. When everyone is moving make them run their fastest. Make units attack the ones you positioned them across from. Use free units to flank or help suffering ones.
The Regrouping:
Well someone just faired better in the melee and if you or your opponent haven’t totally routed of the field you have some units waiting to do something. Gather your units at a spot roughly in the middle of where they all are now, hopefully on a hill or in the trees. Use cavalry to “cover” slow units so the enemy won’t be tempted to pick them off.
Reform your army much as you did your first time, except put units in deep formation with weak ones in back. Rest your army until there are two bars of fatigue and then move it towards the enemy.
The Final Conflict:
Now for the final clash that will decide the winner. Conduct this in much the same way as the first conflict but remember your units have lower morale so support them with weakened units. Only skirmish here if you have a lot more archers than your opponent. In the battle just hit all of his units best you can and watch his your morale. In the final battle horses are a lot stronger than they are at first because of the reduced sizes and valour gains so use them to take on large units and beware of the enemy’s.
I hope this helped you. I may an advanced tips sections in the future so check back ever month as that’s how often I plan to add more. Also look for battle reviews.
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