Bridge battles on the attacking side

[Silent Assassin]

how do you handle these? they're pretty easy if your defender, but attacking across a bridge is hard, has anyone come up with a strategy other than outnumbering or attacking both sides?

I want to know whats your tactics when in the attacking position

[Lysimachus]

I think some long range artillery would help. It sure helped me in RTW.

[Silent Assassin]

I think some long range artillery would help. It sure helped me in RTW.

I agree with you but in M2TW there is no artillery or archers that can reach the other side

[Alxaro]

I agree with you but in M2TW there is no artillery or archers that can reach the other side

Longbows and cannons?

[NobleNick]

...but in M2TW there is no artillery or archers that can reach the other side

You must mean in your particular battle. I have played out many battles in M2TW, where the enemy crossbows were skewering my men from the opposite bank, while my longbows were skewering the crossbows. I am not a big artillery / siege engine player; but I do know that artillery can go farther. For instance, here are representative ranges of some common units:

Range    Unit
-----   -------
 120    most Archers, cheap Crossbows and virtually all mounted archers
 150    Ribault /Monster Ribault
 160    Longbowmen / quality Crossbows <--- (proven to shoot across rivers)
 180    Ballista
 200    Catapault
 285    Trebuchet
 300    Mortar
 325    Bombard
 375    Grand Bombard
 380    Cannon
 425    Culverin
 450    Basilisk / Monster Bombard 

(Info taken from brandybarrel's M2TW FAUST) 

To the OP ---> bridge battles with human on offense can be a bear. I try to avoid them at all costs. Tricks I have used for the few I have fought:

1.) Use Longbows / Crossbows / artillery / siege equipment to duke it out with anything dumb enough to get near the bridge. Bring lots of quality ranged warriors.

2.) Bring lots of heavy infantry. At start of battle, rush across bridge and slug it out.

3.) Bring lots of heavy cav. At start of battle, rush across bridge and try to break out into the enemy's side.

4.) Make a ruse, by crossing bridge slowly and baiting enemy units to come out to meet you. Retreat. Use your ranged weapons against the hapless enemy unit on the bridge. Repeat.

[Silent Assassin]

You must mean in your particular battle. I have played out many battles in M2TW, where the enemy crossbows were skewering my men from the opposite bank, while my longbows were skewering the crossbows. I am not a big artillery / siege engine player; but I do know that artillery can go farther. For instance, here are representative ranges of some common units:

Range    Unit
-----   -------
 120    most Archers, cheap Crossbows and virtually all mounted archers
 150    Ribault /Monster Ribault
 160    Longbowmen / quality Crossbows <--- (proven to shoot across rivers)
 180    Ballista
 200    Catapault
 285    Trebuchet
 300    Mortar
 325    Bombard
 375    Grand Bombard
 380    Cannon
 425    Culverin
 450    Basilisk / Monster Bombard 
 
(Info taken from brandybarrel's M2TW FAUST) 

Hey friend thanks for thoses stats

yes I understand what you are saying and yes it's a battle just like that not a custom battle, what would you do if that was the case

[NobleNick]

...and yes it's a battle just like that not a custom battle, what would you do if that was the case

Not quite sure I understand your question...

[Dead Sun]

Ive got an idea
Long Range Archers if there are spearmen blocking your path, but dont forget to block your side with spears also, just incase the enemy get PO'd and send some cavalry across. If there are no spears, then send in cavalry in loose, tighten as they are about to impact and clear the bridgeside, send trropps across and fight to the death. A bit messy, but comment if thats good or not

[Grimmy]

1. Fight it out. Win or lose, you're gonna eat mucho casualties though.
2. Find a way around that particular choke point by another land route.
3. If no land route, buy a boat. Move to the nearest coast. Load up in the boat. Sail to where you need to be to get on the other side of that bridge.

Tactics? as you outlined, with only spear and archers.. no tactics are gonna help you. If you have a variety of forces to choose from, your only real tactic would be to pick your forces for your stack that will have some chance at chopping a hole through the enemy.

Bridge fights on the offensive are straight up hi-diddle-diddle. No where to go up right up the middle.

[Magno]

Best way is to not end up fighting offensively in a bridge battle

[kosmosje1]

A tactic I found usefull is stacking the bridge with archers and taking out theirs ASAP. A good focussed range offensive on their archers can take out the majority of their archers in 3-4 volleys (giving out a 5% casualty rate in your archers ranks). Then slug it out with their infantry for a while, softening them up. Then pull back and have your heavy infantry put on an offensive. Once they start to open gaps, send in the cavalery and make sure routing units don't come back.

Generally you can shock your way through enemy forces with catapults by using your heavy infantry.

[Drox]

Generally you can shock your way through enemy forces with catapults by using your heavy infantry.

Not if one of those catapults hits your heavy infantry on the way across. Also I have seen spear militia hold a bridge even when they are attacked by enemy heavy infantry. There must be some massive moral reduction to the side that is attacking because many times even if you hit them with heavy infantry and they sustain more casualties defending the attacker seems to rout way before the defender even though they have lost far less men than the defender.

[Silent Assassin]

Not if one of those catapults hits your heavy infantry on the way across. Also I have seen spear militia hold a bridge even when they are attacked by enemy heavy infantry. There must be some massive moral reduction to the side that is attacking because many times even if you hit them with heavy infantry and they sustain more casualties defending the attacker seems to rout way before the defender even though they have lost far less men than the defender.

You're probably right on this one Drox

[Toorima]

Your chances to win really depend on how your Army and your enemy's is composed.

If the enemy is weak on longe-range units, bring your archers and artillery into the middle of the bridge, covered by heavy infantry or spearmen and soften up his defense.

If this option isn't given, attack with all your heavy cavalry and infantry the first of his units to guard the bridge and press against it as hard as you can. Hopefully his units right and left off the bridge will enter fighting too late.

If you don't have any real good units or tactical advance, don't attack.

[Kratos]

Avoid them.

Or do what NobleNick and others have said.

[Renco]

I find a good way to avoid bridge battles against in the enemy is to have armies on the bridges in the first place. Just sit on the bridges untill you're ready to invade with a decent force. That way, they either stay off the bridge, or take major casualities taking it.

However, if they're blocking you, as they have for me on occasion, then send in an inferior force. Next turn it's likely, if not certain, that they'll attack your weaker army and you'll have a field battle.

[HighLord z0b]

You could try a feigned retreat, send a spear unit across with some archers behind them. Get the archers to fire at the general and send the spears to their doom. After a few seconds of fighting tell them to rout, or halt and run back across the bridge and get the archers to run away as well. Hopefully some units will follow to the other side and then you can massacre them. If not then sometimes the AI will decide to charge with their general if you manage to kill a couple of guards.

[Tantive]

Having long ranged units(archers/siege) is very helpfull in this case. If you can force the enemy to go into loose formation, they at the very least will be busy moving in and out of loose while your army can get across. If you catch em in loose, your units have the advantage, which is a big plus.

But most importantly, if you force the enemy ranged units into loose, theres a small time where they will not be shooting, and you can get across.

Best send the fastest and best for cannon fodder in first

Sometimes, they will choose to back off from the bridge if they get too many ranged casualties, and you have a clear path to get across.

[Samir]

I love those massacres at bridges!

what I do if I attack however is to split my attacking army into a main force, placed near the bridge so that they come as reinforcements and attacking only with a small one or two unit army.

this way the enemy usually tries to charge the bridge and take it before the reinforcements arrive with which I usually completly crush the enemy as they are in a moving formation and have no time to regroup...

its a little bit more like an open field battle, but it serves its purpose most of the time and takes away the big casualties you usually get from attacking over the bridge

this is of course if you do not have at least half a stack of peasant/militia cannon fodder with you, which is my most favorite tactic. you just have to love those battlefields with hundreds and hundreds of dead infidels

after all its a game isnt it?!

[Silent Assassin]

What I also like about bridge battles is when defending and you have like 2 or more units of catapultes attacking with fire balls. BOOM this is great and thoses great damage as the enemy is stucked in a small area