Fusiliers and army composition

Hi all, I just got NTW and have been playing around with it for a few hours. Really fun so far. I'm not really sure yet what a good army setup for a (singeplayer) full stack would be. In ETW I usually used a bit of cavalry, a bit of artillery, 4 riflemen units and filled the rest up with Line and Guards. I pretty much skipped the Light Infantry entirely.

Now in NTW the Light Infantry is called Fusiliers and they got quite a buff. It seems they are meant to be used mixed into your normal Line Infantry. I can't really figure out how to use them effectively though. What's a good ratio Line:Fusiliers? Do you guys use them at all? What does a 20 unit stack look like in your games? And how would the Fusiliers have been used historically? Thanks in advance for all answers! Cheers.

Fusiliers are essentially just (historically speaking) line infantry.

The Fusil was a type of musket, which is where they get their name from, but by this time period they probably wouldn't have been too different in training or equipment from a normal line infantry.

In DarthMod AUM for ETW, the Fusiliers were better at shooting/poorer at melee than line infantry. (they had better accuracy and reload time and worse melee skill)

As is, I used them on my flanks, next to light troops and cavalry, while my line infantry forms the center.

I thought they were just fancier line infantry? I use them as my main force. They're the same as line inf. except 30 gold more expensive and with better accuracy/reload times. Right?

Originally Posted by Gunodd

I thought they were just fancier line infantry? I use them as my main force. They're the same as line inf. except 30 gold more expensive and with better accuracy/reload times. Right?

My bad, I should have clarified. I mainly played Prussia so far and for them the Fusiliers are a 120 man/100 range unit, as opposed to the 160 man/80 range Line Infantry. After reading your post I realized that for other factions they are almost the same as Line. The unit I'm referring to are in fact the Chausseurs (France) or Grenzers (Austria), like JLea said. Basically whatever they call their Light Infantry now.

Question still stands though.

you're thinking of Chasseurs

Use uhm to stop people sniping you art, thats what I do...

Ahhh those sneaky devils! They gave similar names to vastly different units!! The blaggards!

As Prussia, I use Musketeers as my main line infantry and Fusiliers as my support/other line infantry. I don't have a basic composition for any army, thought I'm starting to notice my armies are more and more similar.

Six to eight artillery in the centre, sprinkle some line infantry on either side. Two units of stake-capable light infantry, both for killing and for deploying stakes in front of the artillery.

One or two units of good stamina cavalry to take out enemy artillery and clean up the routers after the battle. One spiffy general, sitting in his saddle behind a rock or a slope.

Simple, fun and quite capable of splitting the stack in half if needed.

i use light infantry as line infantry (packed up, not in line infantry formation). they are awesomeness better, and they all fire (the line infantry only fires one rank).

I too didn't use light infantry much in ETW, mostly because they never faced the right direction when I put them in Light Inf mode. Now you're right, I find them much more useful. I would have them at perhaps 1:2 or 1:3 ratio with my line inf. I've some battles where the lights are killing 200+ enemy and taking very little in the way of casualties themselves. Having them in skirmish mode + light inf mode in front of my main force or on the flanks seems really effective now. When they fire together, even the strongest cavalry will melt in front of them. Dig it.

i us the the 1:3 ratio 1 light ing to every 3 line or grenadiers of the line

You get a lot more light infantry than in E:TW as well. Now you get 90 as opposed to 60 if your line infantry is 120. So 2/3 the strength instead of half. About light infantry firing by rank, I had no idea. I have noticed that my line infantry only fires from the front line, which sucks pretty hard. We had platoon firing and fire by rank in E:TW which started at 1700. Now in 1805 all of Europe decided to revert to the mysterious Old Ways of needless dying. I'll be using a lot more light infantry from now on. Better range and accuracy. Little melee capabilities, but a few grenadiers can take care of that as well as offering even more utility thanks to grenades. Something like 6 light inf. regiments (will be like 4 line inf. in size) 2 grenadier or guard regiments, 4 (2 light, 2 heavy) cavalry units, 4 artillery units. Should work well. I want to try this with Prussia or Austria since their light infantry is very good. My Russian Jägers couldn't hit the broad side of a barn from two feet away...

I didn't use them much until my Austia game...and i must say jaegers (sp?) are amazing. 125 range, good accuracy, etc. It used to be that line infantry would tear them up in volley exchange, but not that isn't the case. Due to the lack of fire by rank - still not sure why CA did away with this one - not all line infantry fire. Light infantry can use their LI tactics - so they are not only more difficult to hit, but they all fire as well.

They are still terrible in melee and the AI calvary *love* to charge them so they aren't an end all unit. Excluding calvary charges/line charges they seem to out-perform line infantry.

Tried it today and defeated two Swedish full stacks with one tattered full stack. Had a good general, 4 cav, 4 line, 1 grenadier, 4 arty, 6 light. Setup was like this...

^^_ _ _ - - x x _ x x - - _ _ _^^

AI was attracted to the arty which it thought it could easily destroy... I brought up the light inf. on both sides to flank while I switched arty to cannister, used cav to take out their cav and arty. 5-10 minutes into the game, the Swedish were surrounded and routing faster than I've ever seen, on both occasions.

Do you guys even realise its Napoleon TW and no longer a 18.century linear tactic game? You dont need to place your units in one line, it was exactly a formation Napoleon make obsolete with his maneuvers. even in field, open formations, and unit concentration in decesive point was a key to success...

most used field tactics was using few companies in line, and rest of them on flanks in columns. That way unit was able to face enemy with firepower, and still was able to react to any flanking maneuvers with reserve companies in columns. In attack it was similar - some units kept firing, where others in columns maneuvered into flanks of enemy formation.

Just forget about linear warfare of lines....

Unfortunately, the game doesn't really work that well if you try to get all historical on the AI. It would be nice to actually replicate the tactics of the Napoleonic era, but I don't think the engine will allow it.

you can use French assault tactics - just place 2-3 units in line in front, then 2 line units in columns at both flanks and rest units in the rear again in columns. In attack, front line will stop and fire at defenders, where flank columns will try to outflank the enemy. rear units in reserve if front unit is too depleted...

Another thing commonly used was usage of super-batteries - just place all arty into one big battery and concentrate your fire at one target at time. Several battles were won by arty alone, in one battle (cant remember the name) French guard arty advanced against defenders, fired few salvos and moved again until it was 100-150m in front of them, when it switched to grapes and completly destroyed enemy center... of course, its very good idea to cover your arty with cavalry or screen of light infantry...