How do you form your troops

[Wildfowler]

Most of us here I am sure are aware of the Swedish and Dutch system of drawing up a regiment of foot. Both these methods gave support for the shot from Cavalry by using the pikes.

I was wondering how people draw up their units in this mod.

I have noticed that on initial set up the Shot have a block of pikes immediatly to their rear. I tend to keep them like this and group that unit of pike and shot together. That seems to work quite well.

I then put the majority of the Horse on the flanks and group each flank together.

Dragoons I tend to place in areas where they can break up an enemy attack. The edges of woods, in villages etc.

When talking about Infantry it has to be remembered that the optimum for Pike to shot was two shot to one Pike. This was certainly the ratio in the New Model Army. However early in the war especially with the Royalists the shortage of muskets meant a ratio of one to one was normal.

[Kyrre]

Hi Wildfowler! Nice to have you on the forums!


I usually used the Dutch System which you mentioned in my Royalist Campaign. But with Rupert's Force I made a change. I gave it a lot of Cavalry (6 units + the Prince himself), 8 Saker guns (4 units of them), 7 units of Musket and only two units of pikemen. I Deploy them in the following way:

  
          
MPM                 MgMgMgMgM MPM                            
         CCGC             
                               CCC  

G= General, the rest should be clear.

When the battle begins I start shooting all my sakers on one single enemy Pikemen unit. If the enemy pushes forward with his Cavalry I stop the gunfire and attack them with my own riders (saving their ammo for later), sending my whole infantry battleline forward while the Cavalry melees. The goal is to execute all of the enemy's Cavalry to secure my musketeers. Therefore I have so much riders. If the enemy also has I throw my left wing Pikemen into and the enemy cav has no chance. This way the foe has absolutely terrible losses. I only loose some Cavalry.
Most of the times and I only have less then 10% losses even against larger armies! But if the enemy has too much cavalry it can become a desaster so I stick with the dutch system for the rest of my armies. :hmmm:Those sakers really rock when used in numbers!



See you!

[Wildfowler]

Interesting set up you use! Seems to be effective.

I agree with you about saving the ammo of the cavalry. I tend to Charge into enemy cavalry rather than use the caracole method of firing off pistols by rank. This is because if the enemy tire of this first and charge home you are forced to recieve the charge standing still and cavalry are at a distinct disadvantage then!

I do use my cavalry to fire at Pikemen to cause gaps before charging home. however when the Ai has done this to my pikes I find a brisk adavance by the pikes towards the cavalry tends to make them back off.

How do you employ your Dragoons?

Cheers

[Kyrre]

Hello!


If I have some of them I usually deploy them on the Flanks, behind the cavalry. The AI often sends whole pikemen units to hunt my cavalry. This way I can easily rally them and the dragoons will continue the fire while the cavalry keeps the persuing pikemen on distance. But generally I prefer usual infantry. It's more reliable, especially the Bluecoats!





So far...

[Wildfowler]

Hi,

Have your tried a "Forlorn Hope" at all?

I did on a custom battle where I had some spare musketeers. Instead of using them as Commanded Musketeers amongst the Horse I lined them out in front of the main force and let them fall back as the enemy approached.

Seemed to work quite well. But one unit fell victim to a sudden cavalry strike which cut them to ribbons!

[Ciaran S]

[...]
I have noticed that on initial set up the Shot have a block of pikes immediatly to their rear. I tend to keep them like this and group that unit of pike and shot together. That seems to work quite well.
[...]

That´s the case when you´ve got the equal number of pike and musket units. If you´ve got more muskts than pikes you´ll usually get a MPM formation, if you´ve got more pikes than muskets you´ll get:
M
PP
blocks.
Most of the time I tend to use an equal number of pike and musket units, quite a lot light artillery and usually two units each of ranged cavalry (Royal Haquebusiers or Parliamentarian Lifeguards) and melee cavalry (Ironsides and Cuirassiers or Royal Lifeguards). I also keep at least one, often two light cavalry units (Troopers or cavaliers) in the back to wipe out routers.

[Wildfowler]

I had not noticed the change in formation when the balance of shot to pike is uneven!

When I have extra shot I tend to use them as commanded shot amongst the Cavalry.

[Virtanen]

                  P      P      P      P      P
             C      M       M      M       M       C

                                 CGC

P= Pike
M= Musket
C= Cavalry
G= General

Hasn't let me down yet.

[Wildfowler]

                  P      P      P      P      P
             C      M       M      M       M       C
 
                                 CGC

P= Pike
M= Musket
C= Cavalry
G= General

Hasn't let me down yet.

You seem to favour having high ratio of Pikes to Shot. I tend to go the other way.

[Henricus Rex]

I tend to keep about an equal number of pikes and muskets with the default formation of pikes directly behind the muskets. Ideally I normally have a couple of extra pikes that I place on my flanks, with the dual roles of defending the flanks against cavalry and of being able to go forward and join a cavalry/cavalry melee that normally develops on the wings (I keep about 4 units of cav, not counting the general. Enough to stop the enemy's cavalry but not enough to always win the melee without heavy casualties). The extra pikes are also used to shelter my cannons, which I normally try to place on my flanks on some kind of high ground.

I'm really looking forward to the patch and I'm quite sure my tactics will change some. I'm looking forward to more accurate artillery and muskets that fare better against unarmored foes. I might lower my ratio of pikes to muskets depending on how that plays out.

[Wildfowler]

I like your idea of Pikemen to protect the cannon. And of having them on the flanks. I think I will try that.

[AlphaDelta]

Call me old fashioned but I use the default formations.

If things get messy and I start losing too many musketeers I drag them back 50 meters and get them into a line, leaving the pikes forward.

Cheers

[leonn]

defaults good enough,fix em with the musket and thump em with the pike.works for the sealed knot!

[Sir_Viriato]

Formation: Muskets in front, pikes behind them and cavalry in the flanks...

[kozakk]

g g g g g g
c c n n p p p p p c c
c c c c


This works well for me, particularly when im defending. I get my cannons going, and wait for the enemy to get withing range of my guns, they usually charge the attacking gunners, so before they can reach them i pull my center gunners back behind my pikes. The pikes hold the line if im able to i send my flank gunners forward and have them shoot the at the enemies front line, and send my calv forward to cover them. Then i bring my center gunners around the from line and use them wherever they are needed.

I have not yet lost a battle doing this.

[Sir James the Good]

Interesting formations, I'll have to try some of them out. I used to use something similar to Virtanen's but the enemy cavalry kept charging my muskets right between my pikes. The result was that my muskets took heavy casualties from excessive hand-to-hand combat and the enemy cavalry, after knocking holes in my line, were now behind my pikemen--terrible for morale!

I've thus started to "pair up" my pike and shot so that when the latter is charged, I can pull them back and give the enemy horse a faceful of spearheads. I maintain the staggered front and typically deploy the cannon on either flank, like so:



The cavalry and dragoons are deployed in reserve behind the cannon so as to present a smaller front to the enemy. Because the AI will attack what troops I have presented to it, I wait to deploy my cavalry until the enemy cavalry have comitted to charging my center. I may then swing inwards and press on their flanks with my cavalry, retreating the muskets behind the pikes where necessary. Meanwhile, my dragoons tramp along behind the cavalry.



Having driven back the enemy cavalry, I bring my general out and charge the enemy muskets from the front while my other cavalry charge from the wings.



Naturally, the enemy pikemen all advance towards the center so as to support their dieing comrades. What they have unwittingly done is walk straight into a trap--I have formed my musketeers in a half circle. My cavalry pull back and let the shot rip the sluggish enemy pikemen to pieces. My cavalry swing around to the rear and complete the encirclement.



Brilliant aye?

It doesn't always play out like this and that's just fine. Sometimes there are two enemy armies coming from two sides simultaneously. In scenarios such as those, I frequently take a pair or two from the wings and place it behind the others so that my formation is three-pair deep (envision the Roman triplex acies--same idea). I can also place my cannon in one of the gaps if I feel like it. Sometimes I break a few pairs off from the main formation, escepcially if I'm attacking, so that I can attack from two sides. It really is quite a flexible formation.

[Wildfowler]

Excellent screenshots. Really shows how you do it!