Maltacus Guide to Field Battles, updated 19 February
This is a general guide to field battles. It is rather heavy reading with no pictures so I recommend reading it a little bit at the time. I have tried to make it generalized but since I have played mostly Stainless Steel with RC, it is of course a bit geared towards that mod. Other mods that I have played are Broken Crescent and Third Age, but they have not been nearly as influential.
The guide is not completed yet, but these parts are ready enough to be useful I hope.
Part 1, Cavalry
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
1. Cavalry
The power of cavalry derives from the speed and the shock of its charge. With the superior speed cavalry units can lure away elements of the foe, outrun or outmanoeuvre them, and get back to the main battle line – thereby removing several units from the opponent’s army without even touching them. Heavy lance cavalry can inflict more damage per second than any other unit type due to the high charge value. Most cavalry tactics are meant to maximize these two advantages.
1.1 Luring away units
Most battle ai:s do follow units that get too close to their army, at least for a short distance. Sometimes melee combat triggers a more aggressive behaviour – once you have hit a unit it and the others come out of the “trance” of their marching. It goes without saying that lighter cavalry is better at luring away units due to the better stamina. Missile cavalry is generally the best since a foe that doesn’t chase them suffer casualties if the missile cavalry is allowed to close in behind units, perhaps even able to shoot a general in the back.
In order to make the foe follow light melee cavalry you will want to hit them as lightly as possible since the goal is to lure them away, not to do great damage. Infantry is the best target since they are slow, but since they almost always march in the centre flanking cavalry may be safer – less time you are in the range of enemy archers marching in the centre. That is of course if the cavalry is slower, if they match yours in speed it is likely impossible to lure them away and get back before them. In order to hit as lightly as possible, create a rather compact formation, to make it collect and turn quicker and thereby move faster, and charge your target. As soon as the first line hits with their lances, really as soon as one soldier in the first line hits with his lance, pull them back. Consider turning 90 degrees rather 180, in order to get away faster. Cavalry seems to need less time to turn to the side than around. This is one of the situations where professionals shine; being much less prone to staying and engaging the enemy unit even if they take casualties and turning faster as a group.
If enemy units follow you, try to make them follow as few of your units as possible so the others can lure away more or get back quicker. Sometimes the enemy units become so disorganized that the light cavalry can crush them one by one without losing much time.
With missile cavalry, sometimes it is actually beneficial to do the same – charging and breaking away to lure the enemy away – rather than staying behind and raining arrows as is conventional. Imagine that you are facing 4 heavily armoured cavalry units per flank. The arrows can maybe kill 10 % of the flank force before they reach your battle lines and starts charging. Much better then to lure one of the enemy away, depriving him of 25 % of the force for the initial attack. That can be enough to give your flank of heavy cavalry units a clear victory on their side after which they can easily beat the lone straggler catching up with his comrades.
1.2 Charging
Charging is easy. Charging effectively is slightly harder. Charging effectively with so little casualties that the cavalry can be effective in the next and next battle is not so easy at all. It is one of the situations in game battles that require the most intense micromanaging.
1.3 Charging cavalry frontally
Cavalry have generally enormous attacking capability but mediocre defence. When facing enemy cavalry, it becomes a matter of who charges who first and hit the other at the better spot. Suppose you face three enemy units with three of yours. Both sides have one company of feudal knights and two lighter mailed knights. The mailed knights are notably weaker, but their charge is still powerful enough to seriously reduce the feudal knights.
If both sides charge each other, everyone gets off a frontal charge at the enemy. If you are lucky or the ai very bad the enemy may keep walking and not get any charge. Let us hope that the ai is good enough to charge in time, otherwise the game gets boring.
If you on the other hand charge with one company and succeed in engaging all three enemy units you will get off one frontal charge and the enemy 1 + ½ + ½ frontal charge. But all the enemy cavalry will have stopped and your two units held back will charge the enemy in the flank, inflicting massive casualties compared to charging at the front.
Example: Team A deploy the knights in equal lines, 2x4 soldiers each. Team B deploy the centre consisting of the stronger feudal knights in a thin line, 1x8, stretching so far that the feudal knights will hit all of team A:s units (1). The B centre hits the foe and lose two units while also killing two. The two centres are engaged in a stalemate melee while the A flanking knights turn inward to the middle, beginning to envelop the B feudal knight (2). While A and B centres are steadily reduced to 5 units in the melee the B flanking knights hit their opposite numbers, not frontally, but at their unprotected sides killing 5 of each unit while losing only 1 themselves (3). Then B has won on the flanks and can envelop the A centre if it still holds.
1)__________________________2)___________________________3)
AAAA_AAAA_AAAA__________AA_AAAAAA_AA_____________AA_AAAAA_AA
AAAA_AAAA_AAAA_________AAA_BBBBBB_AAA___________BABB_BBBBB_BABB
____________________________AAA________AAA____________BBBB_________BBBB
____BBBBBBBB
___________________________BBBB________BBBB
BBBB________BBBB _________BBBB________BBBB
BBBB________BBBB
This is one of many ways to make the best of a frontal charge against a strong foe. The essential point is to turn the frontal attack at least partially into a flank attack (for you). Frontal attacks are often risky (=costly) but may be necessary to keep the centre units flank safe, or to quickly engage and thereby lock enemy forces to clear a path for others.
1.4 Outmanoeuvring cavalry
If you have the time and space, you may be able to hit all enemy cavalry from the side without having to face them frontally with any unit. Enemy cavalry chasing yours can be led next to another cavalry unit that charges them as they pass while the other turns around to fight. If the enemy cavalry breaks off the pursuit before that your “bait” can turn around and possibly attack their exposed back. If you fight in a wooded area, why not hide a wide semi-circle of riders among the trees and lure some unfortunate enemies into their jaws. An excellent start of the day.
Enemy cavalry that has started charging move unusually fast, but also have trouble changing direction. If they chase your cavalry, turning sharply to the right or left may avoid the charge, especially if the enemy uses a narrow formation. Then your unit can turn around and fight on equal terms or escape. If your unit has superior discipline and speed it may even be able to turn and charge the enemy before they have picked up speed for another charge. Some units have everything to gain on this kind of scenario. The Norse war clerics are one example. They have heavy armour but no lances and low charge. Facing heavy cavalry like chivalric knights they are at a distinct disadvantage if the later are allowed to use their devastating charge. If that advantage is negated and they meet in melee, it is the clerics who have the upper hand with their armour crushing maces.
Cavalry engagements quickly become a mess and it is difficult for reserve units to hit the enemy very good as friend and foe is mixed up. Consider withdrawing unit(s) caught up in the melee – they will lose some men doing that but not as much as the enemy when your reserve gets a clear shot for their charge. Or maybe not. Sometimes it is better to make a mediocre charge with reserves and continue the melee, such as when friend and foe is too mixed up and withdrawing will be too costly.
1.5 Cavalry formations
Forming up riders in the best way is a vital part of good cavalry commanding. There are not that many variations, line, square, column or wedge. The real trick is rather to know when to use what and when to take the time to reform, which depends on what mod you play and what kind of cavalry you have. Here are some basic tips:
- Line formations are good for maximizing hitting power and to hit and engage as many enemies as possible (see above 1.3). They are bad for turning and easily penetrated.
- Square formations offer great mobility as the unit has roughly as many soldiers on each side. They are good when you expect to be chased or need to move very rapidly in all directions.
- Wedge formation is good for penetrating the enemy front but not much else. It is a compact formation so it is rather mobile, but very stretched out.
- Column formations are more or less like the wedge, with a bit more hitting power. A possible use is if you want to charge and destroy a tiny bit of the enemy front like a single infantry unit, and then break through in that gap.
1.6 Charging infantry
The most lethal use of cavalry is without doubt to crash into the back of an engaged infantry unit. In those situations the battle has usually turned out well since the foe has been surrounded, but not always. Sometimes you need to charge and then get somewhere else quickly. The trick is to decide how deep you want your charge to go into the foes unit. If it goes too deep the cavalry will be bogged down and lose its cohesion – becoming vulnerable to enemies rushing in as support. If it is too shallow it will do too little damage. Hit the foe hard enough to achieve a rout or whatever effect you aim for, but not any harder.
A cavalry charge against infantry has several visible stages. First the first line hit with their lances. Then they plunge into the infantry. Then the riders start thrusting with the lance, continuing to push back the infantry in most cases. If the enemy waver, perhaps only the first initial hit is necessary to make them rout. Going deeper in this case is just a waste of time, unless to continue to another target. As soon as you have achieved your goal order the cavalry right back to get out of the infantry formation. There will be plenty of time to catch prisoners after the battle is won. This is one of the situations where you may benefit from using a square rather than a line – being able to pull out quickly to face a new threat outweighs the lack of damage due to the shorter line.
Charging infantry frontally can be done the same way as charging cavalry frontally described above, at least in theory. The biggest problem is that infantry formations are so small compared to cavalry. You need to make the first unit have a very narrow formation and not spread out after they have hit the foe lest they will stand in the way of the others. A variation is to have the first attacking unit form a wedge and aim for a gap in the enemy line and penetrate it. If the infantry turn to face that unit, they expose their flank to your cavalry charging next. If they stand their ground, your penetrating unit may break through completely and threaten their general, or attack the infantry’s flank and rear.
If you have several cavalry units they may get into each others way if you send them at once against the same section of the enemy front. It is usually better to let one charge and hit, then withdraw it and send the next away, maintaining a rotation of charging. Withdraw the cavalry to the side, not right back, in order to get out of the others way as fast as possible. This requires lots of micromanaging and therefore lots of time. It is most useful against infantry with strong morale, in other cases it is often better to send everyone at once and remain in the melee for a time to break the enemies will by great numbers and constant pressure.
Part 2, Infantry
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
2. Infantry
Infantry comes in many forms and strengths. This section deals only with melee infantry, missile troops are described in a separate section. I will try to describe the most commonly featured types of infantry first and then address various basic tactics.
Swordsmen, Macemen and other one handed weapons except spears
Featuring everything from barely dressed tribesmen to the walking cans known as dismounted knights, these troops are mainly for use against other infantry. They usually have high defence deriving from the shield combined with armour and/or defence skill. They are ineffective against cavalry compared to other infantry. Armour piercing axes and maces generally have an edge over swords later in the game as more and more protection derives from armour rather than skill.
Spearmen
The basic anti-cavalry infantry, ranging from the puny spear militia to magnificent guard units. The spears have a bonus against riders but generally lower attack than other infantry weapons. Most spearmen carry huge shields, although a general lack of armour make most rather vulnerable to arrows anyway. Spearmen are generally useful for holding a line against both infantry and cavalry. Most are too weak to do well one on one against heavy cavalry, at least in open terrain.
Two handed swords and axes
With a generally higher attack and charge than other infantry, most of these units have a lower defence. In many mods they also have a bonus against cavalry. They are however among the most vulnerable to a cavalry charge and to missiles. As armour increases in the game, this infantry is gradually gaining on other infantry. In most mods they are effective against pikemen.
Pikemen and halberdiers
Generally appearing late in the game, these troops have fantastic defence abilities due to the long reach of the weapons and the phalanx/spear wall formation. They can keep much infantry and cavalry away from them in guard mode for quite some time. Pikemen have generally longer weapons and higher bonus against cavalry. Halberdiers often have better defence and pierces armour. Both can stop cavalry better than other infantry, but pikemen do it best. Halberdiers are generally better at killing the cavalry once they have stopped. Both are notoriously vulnerable to missiles since they lack shields and move slowly.
“Eastern halberds”
Some units like the janissary heavy infantry are armed with a halberd yet do not form phalanxes nor move slowly. They also charge decently. Their weapons works mostly like a two handed axe but seem to have increased range and better ability to stop cavalry when they brace. I have played with, and looked at these very little so I can’t say for sure.
2.1 Overview
The strength of infantry is its numbers and constant effectiveness, in the way that they do not depend on a high charge or good view of the enemy. Infantry fights well everywhere but thrive in settlements and woods since it protects against cavalry and missiles. The disadvantages are lack of speed and individual weakness, thereby being dependant on good order and cooperation between units. The infantry is usually relatively stationary in field battles, making up the centre and engaging enemy counterparts. As the game progresses they can fill a more and more active role as more advanced troops become available. Some factions posses’ strong and diverse infantry right from the start.
2.2 Resisting cavalry early in the game
My definition of early is before strong phalanx units appear that can stop cavalry in its tracks all alone. The only troops in that time that are good at absorbing a charge are usually spearmen. Spearmen are defensive infantry and work best when standing still and bracing. If you look at a unit of those you will see that they at first stand idle and relax, then, when the enemy closes, they raise their shields and spears to form a wall. That is when they become effective. I don’t know exactly but my guess is that some of their bonuses are tied to this bracing animation. Spearmen on the move who are hit are very vulnerable in comparison.
First of all, you would want to make enemy charges as ineffective as possible. That can be done in a number of ways which all aim to reduce the number of riders that hit your men with their lance. There are often natural obstacles to take advantage of. Trees work great, bigger rocks can help also. If you fight close to settlements there is often a building or two. Buildings can be used to guard a flank or frontally to disrupt the enemy formation. Position your infantry a little behind a building and the foes cavalry will have to use a narrow space which means that riders will get in the way of each other.
If you don’t have natural obstacles, there may be some cultural ones available. Siege units are actually a great asset in the field even when they cannot fire. Positioned in front of infantry they can block a big part of the passage, restricting cavalry to using narrow passages between them. More about these tactics below. Trebuchets and mangonels are often the best because of their size but take the number of artillery pieces per unit into account as well.
Another way to reduce the impact is to make the target as small as possible. Forming schiltrom reduces the number of spearmen hit but also the number of riders being harmed by the spears. The same goes for all squares without supported flanks. Another option is to form a wedge of two units, pointing against the enemy. The wedge can hardly be hit frontally by more than one unit and the length of the formation makes it hard to outflank. The wedge will also be discussed in detail later.
If you lack spearmen or similar infantry, run. Not away from battle, but to the side, try to escape the charge as much as possible. Run away from a line of obstacles to let the cavalry be trapped and disorganised, then back to attack them while their formation is stretched out and vulnerable. If you have much offensive infantry, like two handed axemen, you may be able to flank a cavalry unit chasing one of the infantry. Try to position your units so that cavalry units get in the way of each other and to surround them so they cannot retreat to charge again.
2.3 Countering the cavalry early in the game
Supposing you defend with spearmen, you will likely need a more offensive unit to complement them; otherwise the enemy will be stopped but not very damaged. Among the infantry, two handed weapons are good at this. They can rush in fast and deal huge damage with their large weapons. To maximise this cooperation it is a good idea to leave gaps in the line of spearmen, where the offensive infantry can rush in. They can of course go through the spear formation but it takes time and the cavalry may escape. There is also a chance that cavalry charges into the gaps, enabling you to trap them. Spearmen can also be used in offensive manner but they may need to be ready to absorb another charge and it takes some time to reform the lines.
Once the cavalry retreats to charge again – which it typically will – you have the choice of following them to prevent them from charging again, or to reform your lines and await the next attack. Which option to chose depend on your troops (high proportion of offensive infantry or defensive) and on the battle as a whole. Perhaps you hold a very sound position or you need to check the cavalry to prevent them from attacking other more vulnerable troops. As the cavalry withdraw, it becomes a good target for missile troops, well worth a shot or two because their backs will be exposed.
2.4 Fighting cavalry late in the game
With the pikemen and elite spearmen becoming available later in the game your infantry can feel much safer. With pikemen it is absolutely vital that they absorb the charge in phalanx formation (have them stand still with guard mode and spear wall activated to make them form up) and are not flanked. Once they have been hit, deactivate guard mode to make them attack more and deal damage. Also send some offensive infantry or halberdiers forward to assist. Because pikes offer such good protection, other infantry can wait close to the front among the pikemen without much danger of being trampled.
Other than this, the same basics as before apply. Pikemen should not be overestimated and late cavalry can have tons of armour. Use everything at hand to block their charge. If you make a square of spearmen or pikemen make sure the corners overlap each other. Although soldiers on the flanks sometimes turn to brace against flanking enemies the line as a whole will not do well when being flanked.
2.5 Fighting infantry
Actually all infantry can be good at something versus enemy infantry. Spearmen and pikemen are usually ineffective, but can at least hold the line for a while. Swordsmen excel at it and two-hander’s are good at flanking where they may spread out and to crack armour.
…with pikemen
Because pikemen can use the weapons of several of their ranks they are good at supporting other infantry. For example: positioning swordsmen with the first rank just before the first rank of pikemen combines the high defence of the swordsmen with the support and cavalry protection of the pikemen. The most extreme version of this that I know is probably to place gunners at the first rank. In one battle the enemy infantry (dismounted knights if I remember correctly) were unable to get past the pikes, which allowed for the gunners to reload and fire, routing them. Pikemen can also be good at attacking a small portion of the enemy front, where they can outnumber the enemy by being able to bring more weapons to bear (like in the battle of Leuctra in Greece between Sparta and Thebes). Overall they are effective against crowds of enemies like many engaged units in field battles and on crowded city streets. Always support them to keep their flank protected and counter anti-pike units if such exist.
…with halberdiers
More or less the same things apply here as for pikemen. Halberdiers are generally better against infantry than pikemen are, with more armour and attack. They are less effective as support units since they have shorter weapons.
…with swordsmen and their like
Easily the strongest overall, swordsmen can be used in many ways. They can defend or attack with equal ability and flank as well as penetrate. Their weakness is the short reach of the weapons which sometimes let spearmen and phalanx units keep them at a distance. Because they have generally high defence, they are very good at exhausting the enemy – holding the line for a long time, seeking to make as many enemy units as possible engage and tire rather than going offensive.
…with two-handed swords and axes
These troops can be rather different depending on what mod you play. Mostly, because of the slow attack speed, they do well in open areas where fewer enemies interrupt the attack. With good armour they can be very effective since it compensates for their lack of shield and defence skill. They are often very ineffective in crowded areas like when storming a gate or across a bridge, especially early less armoured versions. A good way to use them in the field is often to allow a more defensive unit to engage the foe and then send two-handers at their flank or at a gap in your line. Their charge can make it worth the time to position them well before striking, as with cavalry. In some mods they are especially good against pikemen.
Against enemy infantry there is much less need to use obstacles and other ways to disrupt their attack. Depending on your strategy you may benefit greatly from these though. Higher ground is also great because infantry move slower and tire quicker than cavalry. First, decide if you want to defend or attack. By this I mean that when you engage the enemy foot soldiers, whether you come to them or they come to you, there are several ways of continuing.
The complete defending is to simply hold the ground until enemies rout from exhaustion or some other troops can make an attack. Here is a situation where obstacles are very important. Your goal will be to engage as many enemy units as possible, with as few of your own and as little effort as possible. It is a good start to make the foe get in the way of each other and be stopped in bottleneck situations. That will reduce the number of soldiers who actually fight and do damage, but their whole unit will still be fatigued. The reduced intensity also means that you can use guard mode (see above) without risking great casualties. Using guard mode further helps conserving the strength of your men. Defensive units are of course best for this kind of tactic. Stretch out their lines as far as you can without risking a breakthrough in order to make them “catch” as many enemies as possible. Using a circular or pointed formation is often good for this, because the ai seems to have trouble with spreading out units properly, thus letting them get in the way of each other.
Flanking the enemy is pretty much the same as with cavalry. The most notable differences are the weaker charge and slower speed of infantry. When you send infantry around an enemy flank, make sure they are formed up properly before striking the enemy side or rear. Infantry do not crash into other infantry like riders do, so they need a wide line in order to be effective and not have the majority of the soldiers forming deep but useless ranks. There are of course situations where a compact formation is desirable, like when you want to maintain mobility or in order to fend off cavalry. Because infantry cannot withdraw quickly, it is often best to send more than one flanking unit around. Then one unit can attack the enemy infantry and the other can cover its back against enemy reinforcements.
Penetrating the enemy line is a manoeuvre where infantry can really shine. This way of attacking is usually associated with cavalry who are also good at it. However, when the cavalry get stuck among enemy troops they are very ineffective, but infantry handles that rather well. In the game the armies are small and one unit can get from one flank to another or to the centre in no time, making it very hard to penetrate the line and avoid being caught up by enemy reinforcements. Therefore infantry is good since it doesn’t suffer from stopping. The force used for this kind of attack needs both good anti-infantry units and preferably something that can deal with cavalry rushing in to reinforce the enemy line and dispose of generals bodyguards (who are often the main target of the attack). In these cramped situations pikemen and halberdiers work great, but watch their vulnerable flanks in the disordered melee. Two-handed weapons may have difficulties in the tightly packed formations but being effective against both riders and foot soldiers is a great asset, especially since the mass of enemy infantry surrounding the penetrating force will stop cavalry charges from reaching them.
If you want to stand your ground but still use offensive infantry to great effect it is a good idea to have open areas in the line of spearmen or whoever is holding it. Both a lot of smaller gaps (like against cavalry, see section 2.3) or a few larger can be effective. Leaving a large gap allow you to lure enemy infantry into it and envelop it almost completely. The enveloped enemies will have much space around them, allowing your two-handers to be very effective.
Example: Enemy infantry (E) deploys in a usual thick line. Allied spearmen and swordsmen (S) form a line with a large hole where offensive infantry (O) wait to strike (1). Both lines engage and the enemy infantry pour into the hole which is large enough to let them pass. Friendly reinforcements form compact formations to be ready to defend the flanks of the friendly first line and to cut off the penetrating enemy unit. The offensive infantry spread out to attack effectively (2). Both sides suffer casualties in the first line where units are reduced to three in each. Allied reinforcing S move in between the two penetrating enemy units and cut off the first of them while the offensive infantry attack from two sides and almost envelop it. One enemy unit is completely enveloped and will have at least one two-hander striking at its back. The second enemy unit is prevented from exploiting its breakthrough by flanking your first line.
1)_EEEE_EEEE_EEEE_EEEE_______2)______________________________3) __EEEE_EEEE_EEEE_EEEE______EEEE______EEEE_EEEE___________EEEE_____EEEE_EEEE
_____________________________EEEE_EEEE_EEEE_EEEE___________EEE______EEE_EEE __SSSS_______SSSS_SSSS_____SSSS_EEEE_SSSS_SSSS____________SSS_EEEE_SSS_SSS
__SSSS_________SSSS___________SS______SS_____________________SSSS_E_SSSS
___OO_____OO_________________SS______SS_________________________OEEEO
____OO____OO_________________OOOO_OOOO_____________________OOOOOO
The principle here is to penetrate the enemy lines to cut off a smaller part of the enemy army and then use local numerical superiority to quickly destroy it while keeping the rest of the enemy occupied. This can be done in many more ways and both cavalry, infantry and missile troops can find a way to make themselves useful for it.
Part 3, Missile Troops
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
3. Missile troops
3.1 Overview
There are not that many variations of missile units in the game when it comes to weapons, but many modable factors influence their effectiveness. Therefore, it is possible to create a wide range of archers for example; some with good range, other with shorter range but better accuracy, some with good discipline and melee skills and so on. I will not go into detail about this since it differs so much between mods, just describe them based on the weapons.
Archers
The most common type of ranged unit, archers includes troops with the longest range apart from artillery as well as highest rate of fire. They can also have the ability to use flaming arrows. Archers typically deal low damage but fire fast, making them the best against lightly protected enemies. They can shoot decently above the heads of a friendly unit but need to stand a bit behind to be accurate. Sometimes archers are given the ability to lay stakes in front of them (see xxxxxx).
Javelineers
Javelins are often associated with cheap, light troops but in some mods very strong javelineers appear – typically with good melee skills as well. They have the highest damage and lowest amount of projectiles. They are also the best at shooting/throwing over a friendly unit. Javelins are generally very effective to weaken key enemy units like generals and elite melee units. Mounted javelineers are the bane of any careless general walking behind his army without enough protection. Short range and the relatively slow throwing animation make them ineffective against other missile troops.
Crossbowmen
Crossbowmen have nearly as long range as comparable archers, fire slowly and deal more damage. They shoot terribly badly above allies’ heads. These traits make crossbowmen have lot of potential but also make them hard to use effectively in large numbers. Crossbows are common among low and medium level troops. Low level crossbowmen tend to do much better damage than their archer colleagues, while few elite crossbowmen can match the elite archers. They have an edge over archers against heavy armour and pavise crossbow units generally have better defence.
Gunners
These (usually) late era fellows have much in common with crossbowmen. They have high damage, low rate of fire and trouble with shooting above allies. Gunners just have these abilities to an even higher extent. They can not shoot above allies at all (on flat ground) and deal huge damage and also frighten enemies. The first gunners, like the hand gunner, often have decent protection but later versions discard armour almost completely. Their fear effect compensate somewhat for the lack of damage when gunners need to use a compact formation – which means that only a few of them can shoot.
3.2 Countering other missile troops
Most battles have a skirmish “phase” where melee troops (at least ai ones) hold their position and let the missile units duel. This may well be the most important part of the battle since the loser will have to move or risk having his melee forces decimated by the victorious missile units – forcing him to attack uphill or in other bad positions. Sometimes the melee unit part of the army is so insignificant, either by being few or weak or slow, that the battle is practically a shooting duel. This context is important since it determines how much the missile troops can deploy for missile combat and how much they need to prepare to retreat when enemy melee units approach.
For example, formations do a lot to win archery duels. The wider the line, the more bows or whatever you have can be pointed directly at the foe and used with maximum efficiency. The enemy also has less chance to hit your archers. Such a formation have trouble moving anywhere except straight forward or backward though, making it hard to withdraw the archers in time to prevent them from being caught up in close combat.
Part 4, Skirmishing, terrain and marching
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
4.0 Approaching the enemy
If you find yourself lacking any sort of plan to defeat the enemy army it is usually sufficient to just study their army composition for a while. This sounds, and is, obvious enough but nevertheless worth mentioning. When starting to play a new mod or maybe a new faction it can be quite confusing to know what to do with the masses of seemingly overwhelming foes. The kind of troops involved will dictate what kind of tactics your army can use and will need to use. The kind of terrain dictates in what manner (and sometimes if) those tactics can be used.
4.1 Skirmishers and how to deal with them
To start with, nearly all mods feature skirmishing types of units for most factions. By that I refer to units that by range, speed or other attributes have the ability to attack enemy units and withdraw or relocate before the “main body” of the armies engages in melee or a shooting duel. Missile cavalry are of course the most obvious with both great speed and a ranged attack. Foot missile units can work well too, especially in cavalry-unfriendly environment. Even melee troops can skirmish if they are quick enough to withdraw, though melee is often considered technically not skirmishing. An army that faces such units, regardless of whether it has skirmishers of its own, will have to deal with it in some way or suffer the consequences. There are some general ways to defeat or deflect enemy skirmishers that are similar in most mods.
4.1.1 Missile superiority
Foot missile troops with matching range are generally effective against skirmishers since they can spread out more and often have a more powerful attack than contemporary missile cavalry. Supported by cavalry and infantry they can annihilate the enemy vanguard rather effectively. A good counter if you have missile superiority (more powerful ranged units on the whole than your foe) and want to clear the field to let your melee troops manoeuvre without being disturbed. Obviously less useful if the enemy has artillery and bombards your army as they are shooting, or if the enemy army is advancing and you need to quickly form lines and start attacking.
4.1.2 Chasing with cavalry
At first glance it is the ideal counter-unit. What could be better than to catch up with the antagonists and force them to an honourable melee? Cavalry is often a key component when dealing with powerful skirmish forces. Against foot archers there is hardly anything more effective than trampling them with some quick riders and then be off. Every battle ai I have seen is notoriously poor at protecting foot archers in a skirmish situation. As useful as cavalry is, they are not always a recommended counter. First, they may not be able to catch light missile cavalry. Secondly, they may get stuck among enemy infantry and suffer unacceptable casualties. Third, and potentially most important, charging enemy skirmishers prevents you from charging more important enemy melee troops until your riders have regrouped. Therefore lighter cavalry is best because they can return and regroup quickly and are not as important in the following melee.
4.1.3 Defensive actions
Regardless of what kind of unit you counter with, it is beneficial to be able to choose what unit the enemy skirmishers use their array of pointy ends on. Javelin cavalry hurling at spear militia with their shields turned against them are not nearly as dangerous as when throwing at a marching general’s bodyguard. Position expendable defensive units where they can block the path to more valuable ones. The principle is exactly the same as in melee; let the enemy focus on one defensive unit and then counterattack with a more offensive one.
There are situations when it is best to close in as fast as possible and get the skirmish phase over with. Once you have engaged the main body of the enemy and maybe killed their general the skirmishers are usually easily disposed of or caught. Unless you play Third Age TW and are chasing snagas with dwarf infantry. In any case, enemy skirmishers can pose a serious threat during the advance. Desert cavalry can seriously disrupt a company of mailed knights, for example. In this situation, just throw something at them to keep them away. Infantry, cavalry, missile troops, anything really. The point is not to deal any damage, just to force the enemy skirmishers to retreat so that your melee troops can advance without interference. Mercenary light cavalry are often useful in this role. An archetypical situation is a heavy crusading army from central Europe who face an Egyptian force rich in both archers and cavalry. The formers hired turkopoles can not hope to defeat the mamluk archers, but they can keep them away for a while and buy the knights some time to charge effectively.
If you can do neither of this, perhaps you can find some trees, cliffs or even buildings to cover your advance. Have the companies at the front and flanks march in a spread out formation to minimize casualties. These things will make your force less ready for the melee – which is essentially the effect skirmishers are supposed to have – but perhaps you possess an advantage in melee strength that compensates for that.
Part 5, Melee tactics
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
5.0 Melee tactics
5.1 Local superiority
When facing strong armies, the enemy will have an overall numerical and maybe qualitative superiority. If all units clash at once there would theoretically be no hope for your side. So, all tactics must offer a way to avoid that kind of situation. The first step is to find a way to split up the enemy strength. The foe does that by itself by deploying in a wide line – always a good start. The line can be divided into smaller parts, like cavalry flank – infantry centre – archers ahead of centre – cavalry flank. One part can be attacked for a small time without being able to receive help from the other parts. During that time and in that section of the battlefield your forces may be able to appear with superior strength. Cavalry is easiest for this kind of attack since they have great speed and charging ability.
Just as each army can be divided into different parts, each battle with more than one unit on each side is made up of several smaller battles. It does not matter how gravely your side loses every other battle as long as it wins the one(s) that counts. That is usually the battle against the enemy general. Slay him and all lesser elements of the foe will rout, turning their local victories into nothing. This is often especially notable when defending against a superior army. The enemy will crush you within some time. During that time your forces must manage to kill the general or they will be drowned by the sea of enemy soldiers.
5.2.1 The oblique order
This is a historical tactic which in European history is credited to the ancient Greek general Epaminondas of Thebes. In the countless wars between the Greek city-states the battles were clashes between hoplite infantry in close order. Pitch some armoured sergeants against each other and you get the picture. The preferred battlefield was some place with protection for the flanks, such as a river or cliffs. Forces were more or less equally distributed across the line. Epaminondas invention was to pull soldiers into one of his wings, strengthening it on the expense of the rest of the line. When advancing with his strong wing, he kept the weak one back and defensive – hoping to win where his line was strong before he lost where it was weak. Combined with the Theban new longer spears the oblique order was a great success. It was adapted and refined by the infantry of Macedon who made good use of it in combination with missile troops and cavalry.
Because the ai almost always distribute cavalry evenly between both wings, this tactic can be very useful in almost every mod. Gathering most offensive troops at one spot may allow you to create a functional attacking force that can match half the enemy army and defeat it before the other half arrives.
Some ways to strengthen an offensive wing:
- Concentrating all melee cavalry on that flank
- Adding infantry that follow in the trail of the cavalry to keep the enemy centre from helping out and to attack engaged enemy cavalry
- Adding missile troops to weaken the foe. Easiest if you fight mostly infantry. Crossbowmen and gunners are usually the best. Archers and javelineers are good too but shoot so well over troops that they might as well stay behind the main infantry.
Some ways to strengthen a defensive wing:
- Concentrate defensive troops that can last long on that wing.
- Use schiltrom and phalanx formation to preserve morale and keep enemies away as much as possible.
- Turn the wing toward your centre to make it harder to outflank
- Deploy stakes to keep riders away
- Roll out some siege weapons and abandon them to stop infantry. Deploy your infantry a bit behind and watch the enemy being prevented from bringing all his infantry to bear.
- Position the army so that the defending wing is protected by trees or other natural obstacles
Here is a simple schematic of infantry (I) with cavalry (C) focused on one wing. The enemy deploy infantry (E) it the centre and cavalry (EC) evenly divided between the wings.
___________EEEE_EEEE_EEEE_EEEE_EEEE_EEEE
_____ECEC_EEEE_EEEE_EEEE_EEEE_EEEE_EEEE_ECEC
ECEC_ECEC___________________________________ECEC_ECEC
______________________________________________CCCC_CCCC
______________________________________________CCCC_CCCC
_______________________________________IIIIIII
____________________________IIIIIII_IIIIIII
_______________________IIIIII
___IIIII_IIIIIII_IIIIIII_IIIIIII
___II
The enemy has many more companies (18 vs 12) and more cavalry (the only offensive unit in this example). Our side has concentrated all its cavalry on the right wing. On that wing, and only there, we outnumber the enemy despite being grossly outnumbered on the whole. The right wing is also the first place where the armies will clash, while the left wings will be the last. The enemy right wing is unopposed by cavalry, but have a long way to go before it can outflank our infantry. Hopefully long enough to give our right wing time to reach and kill the general and then charge the back of the engaged enemy centre to rout them.
Changelog:
4/1 Added small section about countering skirmishers (chapter 4). Added the changelog.
19/2 Added beginning of melee section (chapter 5)
6/4 Added spoilers to make the guests contributions post more readable
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ASA the cavalry engage your spearmen charge them with your own cavalry in the back or bring more infantry from second ranks. Peasants and other light infantry are also excenllent in using this tactic. The main strength of this tactic lies in reserve troops and their maneuverability. When you face such HC, and you would fail to kill most of them before they charge head-on, it is best to use cheap troops as a screen. This screen will absorb charges, arrows, flaming missiles or explosive barrels. 
That way you can protect your main army from such shock attacks.
Formerly Iberia Auxilia
. Could you point out the part that gives the impression that I recommend disengaging quickly? I'll try to change it into something clearer.
Originally Posted by Maltacus
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