Defeat is a Certainty...
Only a military genius could win this battle!
Here I lay the groundwork for a different kind of battle discussion. While playing the demo, certainly many of us have faced losing battles. However, have you ever turned it around? Just how close to defeat were you before you managed to carve out a victory at the last moment? Yes, yes, we know all about how you got your 'Heroic' or 'Clear' victories. Honestly, nearly everyone has. Many have also faced utter defeat. Both outcomes are common enough to be deemed 'rather boring.'
Here, we discuss your battles where - against all odds - you managed to attain a win by the slightest of margins in the most outrageous of situations. Sit down and let me begin...
Agincourt:
I know all about that hill behind the starting spot. I just never use it and prefer to stand my ground to see if I can hold off the French - especially in the Gold demo. In the last demo release, I could literally start the battle and not touch a button; I would defeat the French without issuing so much as a 'Halt!' or 'Charge!' In the gold version, the boost to French morale really makes this battle interesting. I lost the first time without realising just what happened. Next few times I won easy enough after putting effort into it, but one battle stands out...
I survived three successive French assaults and my foot knights were worse-for-wear. I saved Henry, a unit of footknights, and a billmen unit for the cavalry in the rear while three footknigts held the center against amassed Frenchmen. A Heavy Billmen unit on my right flank had to move up as a lone foot knight unit charged my yeomen. Thanks to my archers, that unit was laid waste, but only after my billmen suffered heavy losses. Truley, after that whole assault routed and the French cavalry dealt with, I was down to 30% infantry fighting strength. I had two footknight units left numbering less than 40 total and King Henry with only 38 bodyguards. 6 yeomen archers were still standing but had some losses thanks to French crossbow fire and some stray knights. Only 5 billmen were still with me when the largest - and last - French line charged. Somehow, when my knights were down to just 18 total and only one billman along with King Henry at the forefront, my line held firm. It took about 3 minutes of constant fighting against at least 150 dismounted knights and their general unit to bring them down. Both knight units and the billmen went down fighting - God rest their souls. King Henry, with only 20 guards, held the center alone and surrounded by at least 90 knights and 20 general bodyguards. Luckily, my archers were still alive, and while one unit became a buffer shield for the overflowing French line, the others fired continuosly into their flanks.
Fearing the death of Henry any second, I watched for what seemed forever as he killed some 15 odd knights with the help of one bodyguard unit (the rest were busy down the line with their own survival). He seemed invincible, until I spotted the last enemy general moving up! With a single strike, he downed Henry's only protection and quickly moved on to the king himself! What ensued was an epic swordfight with both men falling over and quickly gaining their feet again. This dance continued for another minute until providence shone; the archers had won and the knights were routing! At that same moment, I saw Henry sweep the king to the muddy ground and deliver the death blow, sending the French lord to his grave and his bodyguards packing.
End of battle, I scored some 1300 kills but 600 dead on my side. Only 6 archer units and King Henry with 8 bodyguards were left standing.
With all that shouting about St. George, he must have finally listened that time!
Otumba:
This was an interesting battle. I've lost the first time I played it, then won the next two times with only 50% casualty rates. The fourth time was epic.
This time around, I didn't rearrange my lines. I began the battle with the opening layout and watched it unfold. I did however take two conquistador units over to my right flank and beyond to widely flank the Aztec king waiting there. With a single charge, the king died, but my cavalry was bogged down with fighting the bodyguards and other elites while I was busy micromanaging my musket fire. Before I could pull them out, I suffered heavy losses to my cavalry - after which they no longer played any role in the battle.
I survived the initial assault on my lines easily. My crossbowmen - God bless them! - were hard at work cutting down the Aztec lines while my musketfire taught any peasant rushes the error of their ways. Cortés himself was called on to rush down arrow warriors and other skirmishing units that harrassed my sword and buckler brothers and their native allies.
All-in-all, save for the loss of my cavalry, the battle was progressing well. However, the Aztec reinforcements arrived along with my own. Eager to flank the Aztecs with my new forces, I concentrated heavily on the right flank of the battle while leaving my left flank to hold their ground. I spent far too much time however. When I looked back, the Aztec reinforcements - Eagle warriors and warrior priests - were nearly on top of Cortés! I suffered a few losses, but managed to wretch Cortés from that danger. He circled around and allowed the new men to charge towards the rear of my infantry lines before countercharging their own rears. Upon impact, their general died. Before I could pull him out of danger, however, my sword and buckler men slew another general (now only one remained)! Although good, it disoriented me and stole some valuable time. I lost many more of Cortés' cavalry during that period and by the time I wrestled him away again, he only had 10 bodyguards left!
Knowing how dangerous the situation was, I elected to send Cortés around to the high cliff behind me to overlook the rest of the battle - which had taken an ill turn. My rifles, although performing well, had finally been reached by Aztec warriors and flanked by peasants. So too was the fate of my other riflemen squad as Coyote priests swarmed through an opening left by routing units on my right flank (my conquistador reinforcements were down to 15 and my sword and buckler men only numbered 14). To protect themselves, I had my Pavise crossbows set on skirmish mode. When I found them again, they were half way in the Aztec capital being chased by arrow warriors. I decided to stop them and have them fight back, fearing the worst. Back to the main action, all my indian allies had routed, and only four swordsmen were still fighting in vain; they were completely surrounded with no way out. They died fighting without routing - God bless them.
My muskets were barely holding off the onslaught, but soon were found routing to the nearest forest. Only my Pavise Crossbows were left standing their gound. Having fought off their archer counterparts, they numbered 30 strong and proceeded to fire into the backs of the Aztec line with my blessings and luck. They must have killed a hundred at least while the Aztecs were too busy slaying the routers.
By the time all my routing units had left or died, only Cortés with 10 guards and my crossbowmen were left in my roster. Sadly, the rest of the army turned on my crossbows first. I tried my best to circle around and make for the hills, but Coyote priests made contact and a rout ensued as peasants piled into the fray. My last help was seen running West just under the cliff where Cortés watched in gloom.
I decided then to go down in glory rather than keel over and die. As the rout pursuers passed under Cortés' cliffside vantage, I spotted the last remaining general. In a last ditch effort, I charged on him to see a fitting end for this battle. The battle meter showed no red - no chance of victory. 'Only a military genius could win this battle'... Yet I charged down a hillside much too steep to believe and straight into the flanks of their last warlord. Watching Cortés closely, I saw the lord deliver the deathblow himself to the last Aztec king! His knights plowed through the bodyguards with lances with Cortés at the forefront, and he found his way to the enemy general without pause. With a single stroke, he not only slew the warlord but sent the entire unit and Aztec army into a full rout! I watched in amazement as hundreds of Aztecs take flight from Cortés and only 7 remaining knights. It was an amazing sight...
End of the battle, I had suffered heavy losses. Only 210 men were still alive (most of those routed or healed) and over 1400 Aztecs were dead. I won the battle with only Cortés and his small retinue. I achieved an insane victory against insane odds with an insane and suicidal last charge. And it worked. Much more fulfilling than a simple clear victory... even if scripted.
So what impossible victories have you won, my friends?
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I don't have the gold demo myself so please ppl keep posting stories such as these, personally I find em very entertaining.
Literally, Cortés lauched himself down a slope that looked like it was angled as much as the one Gandalf and the Rohhirrim charged down in the Two Towers movie. Then he plowed right into the Aztec lines and went deep into their ranks to kill the general. In a few seconds, the entire Aztec army was in flight. I could see at least 10 or 15 different banners all flashing white with a lone Spanish banner in the middle. A few more seconds passed and you could see just 8 horses that thousands of Aztecs were fleeing from. ;D
