Snaga Skirmisher Spam

[Warhammster]

First to show that I am not ungrateful: Awesome mod! Way better than the vanilla!

Now for the peculiarity I discovered... This is the first campaign I've been playing with this mod, I am playing on VH/VH with High Elves, I'm at turn 35. In this campaign I am at war with Isengard and the Orcs of the Misty Mountians, the wierd thing is that both these factions makes armies of almost exclusively Snaga Skirmishers!

At one time one of my recently conquered cities were under attack by Isengard and the force besieging me consisted of 15 Snaga Skirmishers (!), 3 Snaga Archers and 1 unit of Uruk-Hai Reavers. Becuase of the Snaga Spam I was easily able to destroy this army with just 4 Elven Light Archers, 2 Elven Light Swordsmen and 1 unit of generals cavalry and got an overwhelming victory. So I just found it bit odd that Saruman sends me an army of useless units when he got all those Uruk-Hai to chose from...

Another time I was sieging Goblin Town (the capital of OotMM) and it was a full unit stack where at least 10 of the units where Snaga Skirmishers. They sallied out and got annihilated by just 6 Light Elven Archers and 1 unit of generals bodyguards...

Then all the small stacks I encounter are also almost exclusively made up off Snaga Skirmishers.

Is this working as intended? Is it just a warm up and the Orcs will bring something dangerous later in the game?

[jản]

///

yes, this is intended, because that every faction has its own personal unique style.
and - yes - both faction will get very nasty in the later game especially when the
creepy orcs begin to field trolls and heavy goblins. and you should be aware of the
uruk-hai and berserkers from isengard which are really a pain in the ass.

if you want to keep it intersting and surprising you should not follow this link to see
what will await you in your further time (which is not much for the elves ) you stay
in middle-earth

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Hongas Royal Military Academy for Third Age Total War

///

[Warhammster]

///

yes, this is intended, because that every faction has its own personal unique style.
and - yes - both faction will get very nasty in the later game especially when the
creepy orcs begin to field trolls and heavy goblins. and you should be aware of the
uruk-hai and berserkers from isengard which are really a pain in the ass.

if you want to keep it intersting and surprising you should not follow this link to see
what will await you in your further time (which is not much for the elves ) you stay
in middle-earth

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Hongas Royal Military Academy for Third Age Total War

///

Thanks guys! I was afraid I would be dissapointed

[MDT]

Its this way:
Early orc-faction units are paper.
Units of good guys are scissors.
Endgame orc-faction units like olog-hai are burning meteorite rock that would destroy paper too!

[Point Blank]

Thanks guys! I was afraid I would be dissapointed

You will never be disappointed with this mod

[Maverock]

Yes,

Later in the game you would pray for Snaga's too return instead of trolls and heavy armoured goblins

[Pietrak]

Olog-hai can be dealt with easily - artillery or AP units is all you need.

[MDT]

Olog-hai can be dealt with easily - artillery or AP units is all you need.

Great idea especially as HE have so many AP unit and artillery gets so fast from Imladris to Mordor

[caralampio]

Olog-hai can be dealt with easily - artillery or AP units is all you need.

Easily... Not even cave trolls are 'easy'! They can be dealt with, sure enough, but you will pay. You will definitively pay...

[Pietrak]

Great idea especially as HE have so many AP unit and artillery gets so fast from Imladris to Mordor

That's the trick that Elves don't get AP units - which should be changed (for the High Elves at least, Silvans get Beorning mercs). Anyway, as Elves you simply make your fodder unit soak up the first attack of the Trolls, then you surround them and charge with your cavalry.
Also, the culture requirements for training Ballistas are so high that I really have to ferry them all the way from Elven homelands

Easily... Not even cave trolls are 'easy'! They can be dealt with, sure enough, but you will pay. You will definitively pay...

Of course I will pay. Imagine that after completing 3 campaigns (High Elves, Rohan, Rhun, now playing as Silvans - first one was vanilla TATW, all the rest is RR/RC) I know the costs and methods of bringing down Trolls.

[MDT]

That's the trick that Elves don't get AP units - which should be changed (for the High Elves at least, Silvans get Beorning mercs). Anyway, as Elves you simply make your fodder unit soak up the first attack of the Trolls, then you surround them and charge with your cavalry.
Also, the culture requirements for training Ballistas are so high that I really have to ferry them all the way from Elven homelands

Well that doensn't sound that easy anymore besides if you don't like conquering rohan, you still won't have any settlements near mordor, even if culture requirements are low

[Pietrak]

Usually, Rohan has been already conquered by someone else, so I only retake it

[MDT]

Usually, Rohan has been already conquered by someone else, so I only retake it

And I usually won't let that happen
In my last SE campaign for example I conquered 4 settlements back for them as gifts.
Also as SE you supply lines to mordor aren't that long.

[Pietrak]

Now in my campaign as SE Rohan is down to one settlement: Limlight Fort. As it is near my borders, I took Tirith Anduin from Mordor and gave it to the Rohirrim - I intend on keeping them as a buffer between me and Mordor - I don't want an all out war with them just now, not until I decimate the Gobilns of the Misty Mountains. I admit it adds fun to the game - I think I will also help out Dale, because now they own only Dale, Esgaroth and Rhovanion - the rest taken by Rhun.

[EmberFlame]

Evil units suck at start-I have been able to kill close to 4000 with one fourth that number (lots of archers, decent infantry holding them back). However late game evil units are incredible, and when combined with some early game fodder (well, the AI doesent do this all the time, but still) they can shield the trolls and superior infantry.

Thats basically snagas purpose after all, the game even admits it. Grab the enemy archers attention by being to much of a threat to ignore (once took 50% casualties from one volley of snaga at 100% unit strength) while the trolls get into position to make you cry.

And if you really want to assure yourself that the orcs are stronger then you think, try actually invading moria. I'm currently fighting the enemy with aragorn, but they manage to cause enough losses that I cannot make any actual headway, and once the Balrogs show up i'm not gonna get anyway at all.

[PSYCHO V]

Yes... just wait until later!!

Loving my campaign as High Elves. OOTMM and Isengard have been conquered. I finished Isengard with a force of new Eldar archers and spears along with two units of ENTS.. love those guys!! Now trying to save Dale and Gondor from Mordor, Harad and Rhun.

Wow, just when you think you've got things mastered, the mod throws you a few curve balls. I'm enjoying the challange of facing the mulitple units of artillery operated by trolls and heavily armoured assault trolls fielded by Mordor... and those dam Mumakils from Harad!! How do you kill these things? Had one unit of Mumakils defending a bridge. That one unit held off a full stack of my High Elves without a casualty.

[Mikail Mengsk]

With Dwarves, i'd prefere to fight Trolls and Heavy Goblins instead of fullstacks of Snagas. Those damned things just run away and i have to chase them all around the battle map for half an hour...

[Æsir]

Becuase of the Snaga Spam I was easily able to destroy this army with just 4 Elven Light Archers, 2 Elven Light Swordsmen and 1 unit of generals cavalry and got an overwhelming victory.

With "just" 4 Elven Light Archers, 2 Elven Light Swordsmen and 1 unit of generals cavalry you can pretty easily destroy every evil army (well, except one led by Nazgul or containing trolls). All you must to do is to take high ground, line up all infantry units, archers put to "hold the ground" and "shoot at will", and after melee starts flank the enemy with your cavalry.