Battles are a question of "Defensive Terrain," "Time," "Distance" and "Force Quantity." It also depends on if you are attacking or defending. The "Force Quantity" part of the equation comes into play here.
Important: Know the movement distances for all types of troops in the game. They all use the same movement ranges. Cavalry can charge 5 hexes in Clear/Open terrain and follow up 2 hexes after the initial contact for a total of 6 hexes. (that is for the 10 min. format PDT files - for 15 min. format PDT files the charge range is longer)
Defense Strategy: You are outnumbered and have to set up your units to stop an attacker.
Usually if you have an opponent approaching at say 15 hexes you are still safe. This is when you make a "Threat Assessment" and try and act on what is heading your way. Its when they get under 10 hexes away then you need to take action and refine your setup.
I remember from an old image in a miniatures rule book that showed how forming square with one battalion on each flank was a good idea. Place cavalry behind your line but with gaps so they can charge. Post batteries with clear lines of fire to the front. Keep an infantry reserve behind them. Keep your supply wagons 4 hexes behind your infantry line.
Do a survey of the terrain. Are there water barriers (streams, rivers, etc), woods, towns/villages, etc that can be used to block a cavalry threat or severely hinder a large infantry force? Do you have a road network behind your force to use to move forces rapidly in case you need to shift your units to other parts of you front?
If you have open flanks then you need to post cavalry on each side of your force. Usually 2-3 brigades is best for each flank if you have that luxury. One brigade would be sufficient if your opponent does not have a large force of cavalry. Keep your heavy brigades behind your infantry.
Begin ranged artillery fire as soon as you can in order to try and Disorder enemy units. Once your opponent gets within 10 hexes do the following:
Strong cavalry force + infantry:
Once your opponent is under 6 hexes away you need to think about pulling back your guns or moving your infantry forward. If you play with the Movement Threat Disorder optional rule this is especially important to do before Threat Zones start to come into play and possibly Disorder units.
If your opponent has a large group of artillery you are going to need to take cover. This would be anywhere from 10-20 batteries of guns. 6-10 is normal for a French corps (2 batteries per division and 2-3 in the corps reserve).
I always do my square attempts first. So if I move an infantry battalion into a hex with artillery and the enemy can project a Threat Zone into that hex and my unit Disorders I can then limber up the guns and pull them back. Many of us move the infantry forward into the artillery location before this happens and then form square to avoid the dreaded Threat Zone issues.
You really do not want to put your infantry into square because it will take more losses from fire combat and is at a disadvantage in infantry vs. infantry attacks. Most of us like to think "Maximum Artillery Output" but really its best to pull the guns back onto a hill or further back and give up ground if you can. You must have good defensive terrain to fall back to in order to make that work.
While those "up close and personal" type of artillery shots are ideal, in practice they are hard to perform. Your opponent is not going to keep his forces sitting in front of your guns at 3-4 hexes so you can pound them for many turns at a time. Expect 6-10 hexes to be where most of your artillery shooting happens. Its better to pull guns back than to lose them in melee as they are usually the most expensive units for Victory Points.
"Trading Space for Time" - an old adage whereby you fall back on your reinforcements or reserves. Unless its a short scenario you are playing and you must hold critical Victory Point locations, I much prefer to fall back on my reinforcements or reserves. Unless there is a good road leading to my front line, its always best to make the enemy travel the extra distance.
Example: Using this tactic of "Trading Space for Time" is the best way to play the Battle of Marengo as the French. They cannot hold the Marengo village line for long. Usually by 10 AM - 11 AM they need to pull back. Bonaparte is sending forward more forces. The Austrians have large amounts of guns and infantry. Use the terrain to your advantage. There are narrow gaps that the Austrians must use in order to advance to contact. The skirmishers are safe in the fields and vineyards and can help delay their advance.
Strong Defensive Line: there are many instances of this in our games. You might hold a hilltop position and there are Embankments along the front slope. This means that a cavalry attack on your guns is out of the question.
Know when to pull out: Squares can protect guns from cavalry but are not a good way to defend them from an infantry attack. If the infantry gets within 4 hexes its time to pull the guns back if they can move to reach your position in their turn. If you hold your position with a "Gun and Square" position then two infantry columns will probably win the combat. At the very least your guns will be Disordered. This means that they will fire at reduced effectiveness. So pull the guns back if you are faced with large numbers of infantry. Have a secondary defensive line picked out in advance if you can.
Once the enemy infantry make an attack they are ripe for your cavalry to attack. They will be Disordered and with fresh cavalry you can wreck havoc on their ranks. Just know that after the first attack the cavalry are Disordered and thus less effective. You can sometimes do a nice follow up attack with them but usually its best to not have them infiltrate deeply into the enemy lines if you are the defender.
These are general guidelines. I suggest you get with a trainer in your army and have them help you setup a good attack and defense formation so you can get familiar with how these games work. I know that they will be happy to show you some good defensive setups.
_________________
Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Prinz Peters von Dennewitz
3. Husaren-Regiment, Reserve-Kavallerie, Preußischen Armee-Korps
Honarary CO of Garde-Ulanen Regiment, Garde-Grenadier Kavallerie
NWC Founding Member
For Club Games: I prefer the Single Phase mode of play. I prefer to play with the following options
OFF:
MDF, VP4LC, NRO, MTD, CMR, PR, MIM, NDM, OMR (ver 4.07)
NWC
Login
FAQ
