Anaris Family/Anton's Tome/Basic Tactics

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Basic Combat Tactics & Strategy

For most of you, all the tactics you'll need to understand is the most basic levels. If you plan on advancing higher in the military ranks, I'll be happy to give you more advanced lessons, but this is what every troopleader should know. This is mostly going to be in the form of quick tips.

  • There are some standard line settings that are very commonly used, because they tend to work well. Archers are usually in the middle, in a line, and defensive. Infantry are usually in the front, and normal (formation dependent on the situation, but box is good). Cavalry are usually in the back, in a wedge, and aggressive.
  • If you are commanding archers, you generally don't want to go one-on-one against someone with infantry--archers are trained to work best with infantry cover. However, you might be able to win if you start at the limit of your range, and can fire arrows into the enemy every turn. Learn your range, and start at the appropriate line. If your men are range 3, you'll want to start on the middle line, for instance.
  • If you are commanding cavalry, your best chance of defeating someone comes in the first round of melee combat--when you charge into the enemy. Others are more expert in the use of cavalry than I, but I believe they will not charge unless the enemy is between 2 and 5 lines away from them on the battlefield, so you should be positioned accordingly.
  • You need to watch out for overkill. This is what happens when many people gang up on a few people, and represents the problems with people getting in each other's way. You can only have so many units attack at once and still increase the amount of damage you do at the same rate. Similarly, only so many units can move forward at a time, as the lines will get too crowded.
  • Rule Number One of strategy: you can't plan without knowing the lay of the land. Scout everything.
  • Sometimes, it's a better idea not to fight at all--especially if you can lead your enemy into an ambush, or move deeper into his lands and loot them (though you should only do this if you are specifically authorized to loot).
  • Don't be afraid to use your imagination. Just because no one's ever tried something doesn't mean it won't work. In fact, just because no one's ever successfully done something, even though they have tried, doesn't mean it won't work--it might just mean it needs tweaking a little more.
  • And, finally, never, ever be afraid to ask the Council questions. This goes for tactics, strategy, and everything else. If the Council of whatever realm you're in won't answer a coherent question within a reasonable time, you should probably consider finding a different Council--whether by moving, or by voting them out of office.