posted 01-16-10 04:18 AM EDT (US)
Generals never had the luxury of deciding how their army was deployed before battles during the 18th century. Mixed reports from scouts often confused the command staff of what they were up against, therefore, they either made stupid deployment decisions, or dicey/risky decisions that saw them the victory they wanted.
Part 1:First task, surveying the battlefield
Every battle is different. Regardless if you're using the same army every time, your opponents and the landscapes changes. Not to mention, the account for weather. The most common mistake people make when deploying is rushing themselves to finish deploying.
A rookie mistake I must say. I take my time. I survey the battlefield, thoroughly. I group my units based on a number of things:
Regimental Size
Number of regiments per unit type
Army size
Type of strategy I'm using
It is very important, and vital to the success of the battle, that you plan out every move. Not in extensive detail, but you should have the general scheme of things pre-planned in your head. Remember, the victory lays in the details. Therefore, let the details work themselves out, just go along with your general plan and you will see soon that the details will make you the victory.
Part 2: Planning the flanks & formation
Flanks should be almost as equal in strength as your center. Cavalry should never be to one side of your army unless you are planning to charge in late game. Your flank should never be over extended, meaning, your first line shouldn't stretch half way across the map. Generally speaking, the main army setup should consist of skirmishers (light infantry) in loose formation in advance of your main. Cavalry behind and on the flanks, artillery on the flanks or far in the back, heavy infantry in the center, and lighter line infantry on the flanks.
Reserves are a very important concept that I will speak highly of. I almost always have at LEAST 3 lines of reserves. My setups usually run deep and thick, harder for charges by both cavalry & infantry to penetrate. It requires a very heavy & hard amount of penetration to achieve success. And that sounded very sexual, I apologize. It's better to not over extend yourself, and to focus on firepower and manpower to a specific area. Overextending your flanks makes it very easy for your opponent to over run you.
Part 3: Retaining formation consistency
Formations must look grand, they have to look intimidating, and deadly. You can only do this in one way. Having your formations be neat, organized and practical. Your rows of infantry should run parallel to each other, unless your formations contain cascading lines. Artillery batteries should be spaced apart, but should also run in a line next to one another.
Having a sense of trickery in game will do wonders. Making your army appear stronger or weaker in some parts can be used to your advantage. Such as, hiding units in a forest, leaving only a few exposed, this will look "easy" for your opponent, but for you it is a simple trap. Tactics like these, should be put into place during the deployment phase.
Part 4: Using cover.
A simple point I'd like to make about cover. Used in a number of different ways, a most common use for cover is keeping your movement relatively concealed. Your opponent will see flags moving, but while you are moving troops behind a hill, they wont know if you're moving reserves over or if you're moving artillery.
Cover can be mans best friend on the battlefield if used properly. Hills, rocks, rivers, buildings, all can be played to your advantage. Most notably forests can be used to conceal light infantry, or to hide cavalry behind. People usually neglect these simple obstacles, and lose battles. I exploit these obstacles, and win battles.
Part 5: How your deployment effects your strategy
Your strategy should be based off of your deployment. Say you want to play a defensive battle, because you are out numbered. If you have battery emplacements on top of a hill, it's best to deploy troops around these emplacements. Using everything at your disposal, your idea is to lower the numbers of your opponents army before you engage.
Simple strategies such as these should be planned out in your deployment phase. If you are playing an offensive and aggressive strategy, having your artillery limbered and ready to go, cavalry on the flanks, and infantry in thin lines would be the right idea for a proper deployment setup. Having your deployment flawlessly planned out to the detail allows for you to focus more on your strategy, and hopefully gives you the advantage.
This is guide#4 written by yours truly. I hope you enjoyed the read.
-Daelon
Every battle is different. Regardless if you're using the same army every time, your opponents and the landscapes changes. Not to mention, the account for weather. The most common mistake people make when deploying is rushing themselves to finish deploying.
A rookie mistake I must say. I take my time. I survey the battlefield, thoroughly. I group my units based on a number of things:
Regimental Size
Number of regiments per unit type
Army size
Type of strategy I'm using
It is very important, and vital to the success of the battle, that you plan out every move. Not in extensive detail, but you should have the general scheme of things pre-planned in your head. Remember, the victory lays in the details. Therefore, let the details work themselves out, just go along with your general plan and you will see soon that the details will make you the victory.
Flanks should be almost as equal in strength as your center. Cavalry should never be to one side of your army unless you are planning to charge in late game. Your flank should never be over extended, meaning, your first line shouldn't stretch half way across the map. Generally speaking, the main army setup should consist of skirmishers (light infantry) in loose formation in advance of your main. Cavalry behind and on the flanks, artillery on the flanks or far in the back, heavy infantry in the center, and lighter line infantry on the flanks.
Reserves are a very important concept that I will speak highly of. I almost always have at LEAST 3 lines of reserves. My setups usually run deep and thick, harder for charges by both cavalry & infantry to penetrate. It requires a very heavy & hard amount of penetration to achieve success. And that sounded very sexual, I apologize. It's better to not over extend yourself, and to focus on firepower and manpower to a specific area. Overextending your flanks makes it very easy for your opponent to over run you.
Formations must look grand, they have to look intimidating, and deadly. You can only do this in one way. Having your formations be neat, organized and practical. Your rows of infantry should run parallel to each other, unless your formations contain cascading lines. Artillery batteries should be spaced apart, but should also run in a line next to one another.
Having a sense of trickery in game will do wonders. Making your army appear stronger or weaker in some parts can be used to your advantage. Such as, hiding units in a forest, leaving only a few exposed, this will look "easy" for your opponent, but for you it is a simple trap. Tactics like these, should be put into place during the deployment phase.
A simple point I'd like to make about cover. Used in a number of different ways, a most common use for cover is keeping your movement relatively concealed. Your opponent will see flags moving, but while you are moving troops behind a hill, they wont know if you're moving reserves over or if you're moving artillery.
Cover can be mans best friend on the battlefield if used properly. Hills, rocks, rivers, buildings, all can be played to your advantage. Most notably forests can be used to conceal light infantry, or to hide cavalry behind. People usually neglect these simple obstacles, and lose battles. I exploit these obstacles, and win battles.
Your strategy should be based off of your deployment. Say you want to play a defensive battle, because you are out numbered. If you have battery emplacements on top of a hill, it's best to deploy troops around these emplacements. Using everything at your disposal, your idea is to lower the numbers of your opponents army before you engage.
Simple strategies such as these should be planned out in your deployment phase. If you are playing an offensive and aggressive strategy, having your artillery limbered and ready to go, cavalry on the flanks, and infantry in thin lines would be the right idea for a proper deployment setup. Having your deployment flawlessly planned out to the detail allows for you to focus more on your strategy, and hopefully gives you the advantage.
This is guide
-Daelon
[This message has been edited by Daelon (edited 01-21-2010 @ 02:46 AM).]
