This is for the beginners or the novices out there... I'll refrain from calling you n00bs 
Also, the points below are somewhat random-in-order but the bold-print indicates the general subject... hope this is helpful! Here's a list of the general topics I cover:
Army Composition (20 units)
Army Formation
AI Battle Tactics
Naval stuff
Spies
Creating your financial foundations
Campaigning
Creating your best government
Army Composition (20 units)...
This is really personal preference, but my own tried-and-true army consists of the following (the actual formation I use is further below and key):
- 1 general; if you don't have a true general leading your 20 units, you're fighting from a disadvantage right off, as they can offer morale bonuses during a battle, plus they have a number of special skills in NTW (inspire, etc)
- 2 cavalry, preferably light-to-medium (for endurance); also great is to have the ability to shoot from horseback (as opposed to the various Dragoon units, which must dismount to shoot) -- this ability effectively creates two very mobile infantry units until you need to use them to smash-up/chase-down the enemy
- 4 "elite" infantry, e.g. French Old Guard, etc
- 6 "standard" line infantry
- 2 sharpshooters/skirmishers, preferably with a range of 125
- 2 cannon; again, 6lb, 9lb, 12lb, etc, is up to personal preference -- basically, the "bigger" the gun, the less accurate it is and the longer it takes to re-load, but you get a bigger bang-for-your-buck; I personally prefer two 12-pounders for the "bang"
- 3 howitzers; it takes a while to be able to produce these (techs and ordnance-building-upgrades required) but they are worth the wait and investment -- I've watched untold numbers of enemy units flee a battle, without ever engaging them with any of my units directly (i.e. no casualties for me), other than the howitzer blasting them with exploding shells from a distance; also, the formation below will still work until you can build howitzers -- it's just that it will take longer to win the battle and you'll suffer more casualties as a result
Army Formation...
Again, this is really personal preference, but using the units listed above, laid out in the formation below, I have NEVER lost a battle to the AI, regardless of the AI's troop-quality or the amount of AI reinforcements -- just stay in this formation and use your artillery smartly, and it's like the AI army or armies hit a "wall"
G = general
C = cavalry
E = elite infantry
X = standard infantry
S = sharpshooters/skirmishers
V = cannon
O = howitzers
(Left Flank)...C...S...X...X...X...E...V...E...E...V...E...X...X...X...S...C...(Right Flank)
(behind the front line)....................O...O...O.....................(behind the front line)
(G... place your general behind the howitzers, preferably behind a hill, wall, etc, to protect him from enemy cannon fire, then move him up when the enemy infantry start to engage your own units)
The success of this formation comes down to a fairly old tactic -- mutually supportive firing positions. The flanks protect the cannon, the cannon protect the flanks, and the howitzers blast everything they can until the enemy moves up to engage you. Another important point to make is that the positioning of the two cannon units is dependent on their range when firing grape-shot. The arc of each cannon-unit should reach almost to the extreme outer edge of each respective flank. The formation above is based on that grape-shot range being between 200-250 (I use a projectile mod), so if you're using the vanilla-range of cannon (125, I think), then your front line formation should look like this:
(Left Flank)...C...S...X...X...E...V...E...X...X...E...V...E...X...X...S...C...(Right Flank)
(behind the front line)....................O...O...O.....................(behind the front line)
Last thing about the formation and employing it... like I said previously, do NOT break the formation. If the enemy units are engaging you in a shoot-out, you may notice that they will try to gang up on one side of your flank and/or one or two of your units on the edge are taking more-than-average casualties. Your instinct or knee-jerk-reaction might be to panic and start to try reorganizing your line. STOP! That's what your cannon are there for -- you should be pumping grape-shot into the "mass" of the enemy formation that's causing the issue. This means that you must constantly reassess where to aim your cannon next -- your cannon should NEVER be on the setting for "fire-at-will" -- you direct the cannon manually, it usually takes no more than two grape-shot-rounds to start an enemy unit routing. The only change you SHOULD make to your formation is to swing one or both flanks, either towards the enemy if the flank is not being engaged, or away from the enemy if they're trying to get around the flank. But your cannon and the infantry in the middle of them NEVER move (consider them your anchor or pivot-point).
Here are a bunch of photos of screenshots that I took from a recent battle, along with some new comments on each photo. They help illustrate the points above, as well as some of things mentioned under AI Battle Tactics. Just press the "Spoiler" button to view them...
Sample of Enemy Formation…
Sample of My Formation (showing left flank)…
Sample of Protecting Your General…
Targeting Enemy Units with Artillery…
Mortar Spread Using “Direct Targeting”…
Mortar Spread Using “Indirect Targeting”…
Sample of Using Defensive Terrain…
Final Points…
AI Battle Tactics...
As far as AI formations, they're pretty run-of-the-mill. The AI almost always places its cavalry on its extreme flanks, with its cannon (if it has any) next, and finally it places the infantry in the middle. If I have howitzers, I use my first shot to try to put a hurting on the AI's artillery, but then I quickly focus on his cavalry. Another "glitch" you'll notice is that as soon as you aim your artillery at a cavalry-unit or the general and actually "click" on it, the AI will immediately react (his cavalry will charge your line and/or his general will try to flee outside the range of your cannon, at least at first)... if you want to avoid this, simply click the ground in front of the enemy unit you're targeting (this should already be your tactic if you're firing your cannon using ball-shot, anyway); last note, if the AI has NO artillery (or once you've weakened/destroyed his artillery), he will usually head straight for you, so get your cannon ready to fire the grape-shot
One last thing I'll throw in about battles and tactics is using the zoom-feature; the graphics, effects, etc, are pretty cool in NTW and there is a tremendous urge to zoom in on a particular portion of the battle, to watch those guys getting tossed in the air like puppets after a howitzer hits home or there's a cavalry-rider that was shot off his horse and is now being dragged across the field with his leg caught in a stirrup... good stuff 
BUT, remember that there's a battle going on, you're the general, and if you take your attention off the "big picture" for much more than a moment, something devastating can happen to your chances for victory, and it can happen quite quickly... so don't get TOO caught up in the visual goodies, i.e. you should be zoomed OUT for most of the battle, which allows you to keep scanning the whole battlefield for signs of trouble, or opportunity.
Naval stuff...
- look, unless you're playing as the British or at least have the British on your side, any thoughts of dominating the sea are a long way from coming true; if you're playing as France or one of its allies, here's the best advice I can give... if you see Nelson, run away 
Maybe after three years or so, you might be able to support a full 10-ship-fleet that is comprised of all 1st-rates, and then you MIGHT have a chance at beating Nelson, maybe, but I'd still give Nelson the edge -- the British naval stats and Nelson's bonuses just make him VERY difficult to defeat -- your best shot is to seriously hurt him in your first engagement (while your fleet gets massacred), then have a second fleet ready to actually finish him off; but then you better be ready to blockade any British Drydocks indefinitely, or they'll be back
Here are a few new screenshots that "illustrate" my strategy of dealing with Nelson... just click the spoiler button to open them.
Uh-oh, it’s Nelson… The tale of the naval stats…
Alas…
- Unlike ETW, there is no known way to demote Admirals in NTW, but I did figure out a way to salvage a "good" ship while getting rid of a "bad" admiral; playing as France, for example, you start with an average 3-star admiral that controls your only 1st-rate, but there's a 6-star admiral in the queue, if you have the money to recruit him; to give the 1st-rate to the 6-star admiral, first find a ship you're willing to destroy -- for example, a sloop; now recruit the 6-star admiral onto the sloop, then place both admirals in the same little mini-fleet; finally, choose to "scupper" the sloop; at that point the game will delete the lesser admiral, along with the sloop, and place the 6-star admiral on the 1st-rate
Spies...
- basically used to gather information about targets of interest and/or eliminate enemy characters (generals, gentlemen, or other spies); also of note, gentlemen can KILL spies in a duel -- this comes in handy if an enemy spy is found, but you don't have any spies nearby
- a new feature in NTW is the "spy network"; now if you infiltrate an enemy city with a spy, not only do you see what's happening in that specific city, if you wait 5 turns (I think), the spy creates a "network", which essentially lifts the "fog-of-war" off the entire region of that city, as well as a small portion of the bordering region(s); for example, set up a spy network in the city of Berlin and then watch as the fog-of-war is lifted off almost the entire western half of the Prussian empire
- I've noticed that the AI seems to love to use spies in NTW, especially to assassinate your coveted generals, and there's nothing more annoying than watching your beloved 7-star-general be removed from the game under "suspicious circumstances" 
-- for this reason, I try to ensure that EVERY general has a personal spy "guarding" him and his army; this means that I only have up to two universities, and all my other "educational" towns are used to build the secret-society-buildings that generate more spies -- once I have all my generals covered with a spy, I send any additional spies to set up spy networks in enemy regions
Creating your financial foundations...
- trade posts (those anchor-things spread out on the sea margins) are very tempting and are a huge boost to your economy, BUT you better make sure that you can protect the port that the trade passes through; if you rely too much on the income you're getting from trade posts, and then the port that the trade comes through is suddenly blockaded and you can't remove the enemy fleet... well then, you're bankrupt (game over, most likely) -- if you have another trade port somewhere, you can try destroying the blockaded port (which will re-route the trade) and then hope the enemy fleet doesn't catch on, but short of that, you're basically going to start watching your grand armies dwindle away from lack of pay 
- roads are key; not only do they boost your economy, they also enhance the respective region's replenishment-rate, not to mention speed up the travel of your armies
- Admin-buildings should be your next biggest focus, after roads; do NOT start building an army-barracks in all those one-slot-regions, and for the most part, the one-slot-regions that start out as army-barracks should be converted to admin-buildings; regardless of which faction you decide to play, you won't NEED more than two centers that can build troops (and only one center for building artillery), at least for the first third to half of the game
- Cultural buildings (i.e. theaters) are a great investment in those multi-slot-cities; once you determine which two cities should have a barracks and which one city should have an ordnance building, you should start building cultural buildings in all the others that have multi-slots
- Markets are almost always the better choice than a Supply Post; unless the respective region is on the front line of your empire where you expect to be constantly at war, there is no reason to build or maintain a Supply Post; build a Market, which enhances the region right off and, as the Market is upgraded, it enhances ALL of your regions; also, don't forget to convert Supply Posts into Markets, once they are behind your empire's border-regions
- If you have a Vineyard (winery) in a region, e.g. Provence, try to upgrade it quickly to the top tier; again, it enhances the region right off and, once it's upgraded to its third "tier", it enhances ALL of your regions
- Do NOT build Arms Factories; I don't even understand why they're in the game, honestly -- their bonus for reducing infantry recruitment costs is so minimal that it probably costs you more in the long run; just build factories and convert any Arms factories to regular ones
Campaigning...
- as the saying goes, Those who fail to prepare are preparing to fail... in other words, start with a plan right from the beginning; even if you have to change the plan -- and you will -- it gives you something solid to work towards; NTW is not a game where you can just wander around the map with your armies willy-nilly-style; while the Campaign AI can do some really dumb things, it's not a complete idiot, and if you give it an easy opportunity, it will take advantage of it -- it also has a subtle but devious coordination in some of its moves that at times will likely surprise you
- so where to start... you need armies, full stacks that can really do some damage while also protecting your own borders; but they cost lots of money, both to recruit and then maintain, and you're poor to start off
- so your basic starting point is to consolidate your borders for a defensive war; you may not be attacked, but you should prepare yourself for the likelihood; build only the most essential units to bolster your defense, and try to maintain an income of at least $1,000 for the first few months; use that income to increase your financial foundations
- pay attention to the AI moves, especially battle-results and/or regions that have been embroiled in war; while you might not be able to support full-stack, multiple armies, all the factions have some offensive capability right from the start -- if an easy opportunity presents itself, seize upon it, BUT...
- think ANY move through that you're pondering ; similar to the game of Chess, NTW is not a game for people that act without thinking out their actions; if the "easy opportunity" you seize upon is a region on the fringe of your empire, surrounded by hostile regions that are now eyeing you as the opportunity... well, you just got yourself in a pickle and might have to spend a fortune to defend some outpost that you may have been better to just let someone else seize, at least in the early stages of the game
- but after a while, your financial investments should start paying off, and by the end of the first year, you should be able to easily support your first "true" offensive moves with a decent army; so now what?
- you should be studying the map, starting on turn 1, watching what moves the AI might have made, noting where his armies are depleted; look for strategic cities/regions that help you continue to defend your empire's borders as you expand them, and avoid taking the others until you grow your armies; for example, one city that I can tell you is in a terrible strategic position, for ANY faction, is Tyrol -- unless you or your allies control Switzerland, Bavaria, Northern Italy, Venice, AND Austria, I can guarantee that if you take Tyrol, the AI will constantly attack and harass you from one or more of those five border-regions
- in addition to strategic cities/regions, look for strategic "choke-points" and river crossings, especially ones where you can lay ambushes -- ambushes are lethal and nasty things for the defender in NTW; the hardest battle I ever fought was after getting caught unawares in an ambush -- they allow the defender NO opportunity to form up or choose where to deploy, and the attacker is right there, in perfect formation, waiting to pounce; a great example of a choke-point AND ambush location is on the extreme western edge of Saxony
- alliances are pretty serious in NTW, so like George Washington once counseled, avoid them if you can; do everything to avoid attacking an ally, because the penalties are sharp and long-lasting to your diplomacy; if there's an ally that you simply feel "must go", see if they have another ally that you're not affiliated with, then declare war on the "third party" and more than likely, your ally will desert you and leave you to attack them without penalty; a great example I run into when playing as France is my alliance with Northern Italy (which is forced upon you at the start of the game, among others) -- when I get sick of them blocking my expansion towards Venice, the Italian "boot" and beyond, I declare war on the Papal States (which usually allies with Italy by the 3rd month or so) and this seems to always force Italy to break our alliance and declare war on me
Creating your best government...
- ministers are very important, especially at the beginning of the game; the difference between a 3-star Finance Minister and a 5-star minister can mean the difference of $1,000-more-per-turn; if you want to conquer your neighbors early on, a good Justice Minister can mean all the difference between an easy-takeover and a region just waiting to rebel on you
- regardless of which type of government you get with your faction, there is the opportunity to enhance it with your "choice" of ministers; NTW, like ETW before it, uses a "random-seed" characteristic, which is re-set every time the user makes a change to something
- so let's say you're playing as a monarchy/empire (dominant in the game), it is turn 1, you look at your ministers, and they're all average 3-star-guys with no characteristics; to make this easier to diagram, we won't use their titles, but the starting five ministers are set up (from left-to-right) as follows:
A - B - C - D - E
- you have a reserve pool of ministers that you can use to replace your starting ministers; for this example, they're all average 3-star-guys with no characteristics as well; we're going to take the first one in the pool (let's refer to him as 1), use him to replace one of the starting ministers (A thru E), and make him "better" at the same time by ensuring he gets at least one "good" characteristic that increases his star-rating and/or his ability
- so we do a quick-save on the game (i.e. CTRL-S), and then we try replacing A with 1; nothing happened to 1 when he got moved up from the pool, i.e. he stayed as an average 3-star-guy with no characteristics; so we do a quick re-load of the save (i.e. CTRL-L)
- 1 is back in the reserve-pool and A-thru-E are still the ministers; now, we swap the positions of A and B, so that the starting five ministers are set up (from left-to-right) as follows:
B - A - C - D - E
- we do another quick-save on the game (i.e. CTRL-S), and then we try replacing A with 1 again; this time, 1 picked up a new characteristic when he got moved up from the pool; this is due to the random-seed, which generated a new outcome because we changed something, then re-loaded the save; but his stars didn't increase and upon closer examination, he picked up the characteristic "Jug Head", which is not a good characteristic, especially for a monarchy; so we do a quick re-load of the save (i.e. CTRL-L)
- 1 is back in the reserve-pool and A-thru-E are still the ministers; now, we swap the positions of A and C, so that the starting five ministers are set up (from left-to-right) as follows:
B - C - A - D - E
- we do another quick-save on the game (i.e. CTRL-S), and then we try replacing A with 1 again; this time, 1 increased his stars to four and picked up a new characteristic when he got moved up from the pool; the characteristic is "Knighthood", which is a good one (increases management in any position by one star and has no negative influence on any class of citizenry); so now our ministers are set up (from left-to-right) as follows:
B - C - 1 - D - E
- we still have four other reserve-ministers in the pool; with enough patience, we can keep using the rotating method described above, which re-sets the random-seed generator, and replace B, C, D, and E with the reserve-pool as well, i.e. we can end turn 1 with five ministers that are all four-or-more stars
Ntw Tactics - Tips & Strategies by feanor68
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Originally Posted by Chewie
shells could NOT destroy a cannon with a direct hit. My exact wording is "...
