Lapallanch Family/Guide + Thoughts + Etc on the Military Aspect of the Game

Basics

Class

• Warrior - In Battlemaster, most nobles are considered warriors and have the ability to lead units of varying sizes and strengths.

Subclasses of Warrior
Hero - Has the capability to command basic units such as Infantry, Archer, and Mixed Infantry. Can acquire reinforcements without cost by enlisting volunteers (availability may vary). Can be killed in battle.
Cavalier - Specializes in leading Cavalry and Special forces units. Not able to loot. Earns at least one honor point per battle when fighting against non-peasant units.

• Courtier - Capable of commanding a small unit. Typically efficient in preventing losses from bandits or eliminating small rogue units.
• Priest - Unable to command any units.

Unit

• Type: The classification of your unit, including three primary types (Infantry, Archers, and Mixed Infantry) and two advanced types (Cavalry and Special Forces).
• Range: Mixed Infantry, Archers, and Special Forces possess at least one range, while melee units have none.
• Strength: The number of men in the unit, with wounded men indicated in parentheses.
• Training: The level of training of the unit, with better-trained units dealing more damage and panicking less on the battlefield.
• Weapons/Armor: The weapon used impacts the unit's hitting power, while armor affects the number of casualties caused by enemy hits.
• Damage: The damage to the unit's equipment. A higher value results in fewer casualties suffered.
• Morale: Affects the unit's Combat Strength (CS), with low morale potentially leading to desertion.
• Cohesion: Currently not well understood, but it increases the unit's CS to some degree.
• Combat Strength (CS): An indicator of the unit's strength, with Special Forces and Cavalry having a higher CS per man than basic unit types.
• Encounter Setting: The unit's behavior in diplomatic situations, with options including aggressive or murderous.
• Deployment Line: The row on which the unit is deployed on the battlefield.
• Deployment Formation: Different formations offer advantages and disadvantages, such as the Box formation being effective against melee but weak against ranged attacks.
• Designation: The unit's role, including Sentries (good for defending within your realm), Vanguard (reduces travel time), Police Force (helps maintain control of a region but not meant for combat), Mercenary Troops (reduces distance penalties), and Regular Army (default).
• Provisions: Necessary to prevent starvation.

Morale Checks

• The occurrence of panic among units.
• The scattering or retreat of units.
• Capture of the unit's commander.
• Police units suffer a significant decline in morale when they engage.
• Engaging in combat with Daimons (which can be negated by special items).
• Units experiencing a decline in morale proportionate to the number of units they are engaged with during close combat.
• Units suffering a loss of morale based on the number of hits sustained in combat.
• Units on the losing side experiencing an additional decline in morale at the end of combat.
• Prolonged battles can also result in a decrease in morale.

Basics for Marshal

Marshals are responsible for two main tasks: maintaining current orders and executing the plan of their general. Depending on the type of general, the role of a marshal may overlap with that of a general. However, a general who follows a recommended playstyle will delegate tactical responsibilities to their marshals while focusing on strategic objectives.

Upon being appointed as a marshal of an army, the first task is to familiarize oneself with the army members. This includes identifying responsive and unresponsive nobles, and tailoring one's approach to the needs of the army. For example, for less active armies, a marshal may need to encourage nobles to follow basic orders, while for highly active elite armies, a marshal may need to simplify complex orders to ensure that everyone is on the same page.

To accomplish this, it's recommended to:

• Send letters to each member to get to know them better,
• Move the army around to see who can keep up and who cannot.
• Be mindful of the real-life schedule of the players behind the nobles, and work around them instead of forcing them to conform to your orders.

To ensure the army is equipped and ready for battle:

• Make sure everyone has enough gold to pay their men for the duration of the campaign.
• Ensure that everyone carries enough scouts, healers, and banners for the size of the army.
• Familiarize oneself with the army composition and adjust unit settings accordingly.
• Learn about unit behaviors and settings, and use either custom settings or the marshal settings provided by the game.
• Read other guides offered by the Wiki to learn more about unit behaviors and strategies.

It is also important to keep in mind that Combat Strength (CS) is not the only factor in determining the effectiveness of a unit. Sometimes, having a larger number of men over CS is better as it allows for more damage to be absorbed in the initial clash.

Basics for General

As the head of the military, the primary role of a general is to set long-term goals that will lead to the realm's victory. It is not the general's responsibility to win individual battles; that is the job of the marshals. In a one-on-one war, the general's task is straightforward: set long-term goals that the marshals can achieve. However, when dealing with multiple armies, coordination becomes more complex and requires communication with allied generals to set common goals and guide marshals in achieving them.

To accomplish this, it is recommended to:

• Set objectives, with one main objective and several minor objectives that lead to its achievement.
• Secure resources for the armies to ensure their optimal functioning.
• Coordinate multiple armies if necessary.
• Only get involved in unit settings when marshals are unable to agree on them for a pitched battle.

In a defensive strategy, a general should:

• Be aware of the resources (gold, recruits, and paraphernalia) at their disposal and plan campaigns accordingly.
• Understand which regions can and cannot be held and prioritize their protection.
• Familiarize oneself with the geography of the realm and use chokepoints and militia units to their advantage.
• Be aggressive when able to hit enemies harder than they can hit the realm.
• Anticipate enemy plans and strike before they can.
• Focus on defending, but also gradually take the fight to the enemy to avoid prolonged recovery time for regions.
• Avoid large battles unless they are necessary for achieving major goals, instead focus on skirmishes to test the performance of troops.
• Use the "dig in" option with caution, as it may make the realm vulnerable to certain enemy army compositions.

It is important to remember that your role as general is to set the long-term goals and provide guidance to your marshals, who are responsible for achieving the objectives and winning battles. Effective communication, resource management and strategic thinking will be key for your successful as a general.

Battle Procedures(Updated 6/14/22)

The text provides a basic overview of the mechanics of how battlefields are controlled and how battles are conducted in a game. However, it could be improved by providing more detail and examples to help the reader better understand the concepts. Some suggestions for improvement include:

• Providing a clear definition of what is meant by "control of the battlefield" and the implications for the battle.
• Offering examples of situations where a unit may be considered "freshly arrived" or "stationary" to help the reader better understand the concept.
• Explaining the significance of being designated as the defender, attacker, or neutral role, and how it affects the units' behaviors and chances of winning the battle.
• Describing the different phases of the battle in more detail, including what happens during each phase, and how it affects the outcome of the battle.
• Offer some examples of different scenarios (like the weather effects, different unit combinations and different formation) to give the reader a better understanding of how the game mechanics play out in practice.
• Make sure to use more specific and professional terms when describing the game mechanics.
• Provide tips on how to best use the different phases of the battle to the player's advantage, such as when and how to use ranged and melee units.

Fortification (for both General and Marshal)

• It is important to plan your siege strategy in advance and gather enough resources, including siege engines, to ensure success. A general rule of thumb is to bring at least 10 siege engines per level of fortification you wish to breach. However, having double the amount can provide extra insurance against any complications that may arise.
• When defending a fortification, it is crucial to have a strong infantry presence on the walls to repel attackers and slow their progress. The longer the attackers are kept off the walls, the more damage they will take and the easier it will be to fend them off.
• It is important to note that if you are defending a fortification alongside allies, you cannot use the fortification's defenses unless there is at least one unit from the owning realm present in the region. Coordinating with your allies and ensuring that someone is always present to hold the fortification is key to successful defense.
• In addition to traditional military methods, it is worth considering non-military means to damage fortifications, such as using hammerfall scrolls. However, these items are rare and can be expensive, so it's important to weigh the cost and availability before committing to this approach.

• Lv5 Fortification provides 33.3% hit reduction.

Landing in a hostile region from a sea zone

• When landing in a hostile region from a sea zone, it is prudent to send a scout ahead before bringing the rest of your army ashore. A general recommendation is to have at least 10 times the strength of your enemy (whether based on combat strength or man count is unclear) to ensure an unopposed landing.
• If you have fewer forces, you risk facing higher casualties during the landing process. Such a scenario would result in the loss of men and inflict heavy penalties, including morale loss and equipment damage. Consequently, the subsequent battle following the harsh landing would become significantly more challenging, even if some of your troops remain to confront the defenders.

Hunting Enemies

• Hunting enemies can be a highly effective strategy to weaken your enemies and gain an advantage in battles. It is important to note, however, that it should be executed with careful planning and consideration of the potential risks and costs involved.
• It is important to select the appropriate unit for hunting enemies. Units that are heavily armored or equipped with high-quality weapons may be less effective in hunting, as they are typically more expensive to replace and may not be as expendable as other units. Instead, consider using cheaper, more disposable units such as light infantry or scouts.
• When hunting, it is important to keep in mind the type of unit you are targeting. Archers, for example, are not well suited for hunting as they are not particularly effective in close combat. Instead, consider targeting units that are weaker in battle such as support units or supply trains.
• When planning your hunting operations, consider the terrain and geography of the area where you will be hunting. Look for choke points, ambush locations and other areas that will give you an advantage over your enemies.
• Be prepared to retreat if the situation turns against you. Do not take unnecessary risks and always have an escape route planned.
• It is important to communicate with your allies and coordinate hunting efforts to maximize the chances of success.

Opinions on Unit Types

Infantry

Infantry units are a solid choice for any army as they are not affected by weather conditions, unlike archers, and are not affected by complicated unit behaviors like mixed infantry. They are also relatively cost-effective compared to other unit types.

When forming an army, one of the simplest and easiest ways is to mass infantry units. They are reliable and do not require much thought when it comes to formation. When recruiting infantry units, prioritize armor to ensure they can withstand more damage. While they may not hit as hard as archers or other unit types, their main purpose is to swarm the enemy and break through their lines, as they have the ability to soak up a lot of damage before scattering and retreating.

When setting the casualty rate for infantry, aim to maximize it to keep them on the field longer. A good option for formation is either a box or line formation.

When building an infantry unit through a Recruitment Center, consider the following:

• Shock Trooper: If you want to use infantry to dish out damage, focus on high training, weapons, and armor stats.
• Anti-Cavalry: To soak up as much damage as possible, prioritize high armor (preferably above 80%).

It's worth noting that due to past bug fixes and updates, the effectiveness of infantry units may have changed. In 2016, a bug fix for archers made it difficult for infantry to reach them as archers would shred them before they got close. Currently, since archers no longer target the closest unit, infantry units have a better chance of reaching the enemy archer line if enough of them are brought and set to skirmish.

Archer

• Archer units are highly dependent on weather conditions, which can greatly affect their performance on the battlefield. In ideal conditions, archers can be incredibly effective at decimating enemy units, but in poor weather, their effectiveness may be greatly reduced.
• Archers are fragile units, and are easily panicked in melee combat. It's crucial to keep them away from the enemy's infantry line as much as possible in order to maximize their effectiveness.
• Archers are typically placed at the back of the battlefield, which allows them to suffer fewer losses. However, this also means that they are often the most well-trained and cohesive units on the field.
• When using archers, it's important to set the casualty rate to minimum to minimize losses, unless the battle is expected to be close and winning is crucial.
• Archers are best used in either the box or skirmish formation. Box formation (low melee damage/high melee defense) allows archers to take fewer melee hits, while skirmish formation (low melee defense/high ranged defense) allows them to soak up more ranged attacks.
• Archers' damage is inversely proportional to the distance between them and their target, meaning that the closer the target, the more damage they will do.
• When building archer units, prioritize high training and weapons to maximize damage output. Armour is less important since other unit types will soak up damage for them.
• Recent updates to the game have made archers more powerful, and they are now considered to be one of the most cost-efficient and widely used unit types.

*They do not prioritize units that are already engaged in melee. They will look for a unit that is not first. If they do not find one, they may move forward or hold their ground.

Cavalry

• Cavalry units are a powerful and versatile unit type that can be used in both offensive and defensive operations. However, they are also one of the most expensive unit types to recruit and maintain.
• Cavalry units excel in open field battles and are particularly effective against infantry units due to their powerful charge attack. However, they are not well suited for siege battles and should be avoided in these types of engagements.
• When defending, it is important to utilize the mobility of cavalry units to quickly respond to breaches in the walls. They are able to quickly move and engage enemy units that have broken through, preventing them from causing too much damage.
• Cavaliers, who specialize in recruiting and training cavalry units, can be an invaluable asset in building a strong cavalry force. With their ability to gain honor quickly, they can help field a large cavalry unit in a short amount of time.
• The Wedge formation is the most effective formation for cavalry units as it allows them to maximize the damage dealt during their charge attack.
• Cavalry units can be countered by isolating them, using meatshield units to absorb the damage of their charge, or by using your own cavalry units to engage them. It is important to predict where the enemy's cavalry units will charge from and position your units accordingly.
• Cavalry charges can be unpredictable, as they rely on the movement of both the cavalry unit and their target. It is important to time the charge correctly to ensure maximum effectiveness.
• When building cavalry units, consider the role you want them to play in battle. Shock Troopers should focus on high training and weapon stats, while Softeners should prioritize recruiting and training as many cavalry units as possible.
• It is recommended that you put at least 1 cavalry unit before the main line of cavalry units. This is to prevent enemy units from moving forward since they will be forced to engage the lone cavalry unit that is charging before the main group connects with the enemies.

Mixed Infantry

• Mixed Infantry units, also known as hybrid units, are versatile units that can adapt to different situations on the battlefield. They possess a balance of ranged and melee capabilities, making them useful in both ranged and melee engagements. However, they are not as specialized as archers or infantry units, and may not perform as well in specific roles.
• One of the key strengths of Mixed Infantry units is their versatility. They can be used in a variety of formations and tactics, and can be deployed in different areas of the battlefield to adapt to changing conditions. They can be placed in the front line to absorb damage and hold the line, or positioned behind archers to support them and protect them from melee engagements.
• When recruiting Mixed Infantry units, it is important to consider a balance of ranged and melee capabilities. A higher ranged stat will allow them to perform well in ranged engagements, while a higher melee stat will make them more effective in melee combat. Additionally, a higher armor stat will make them more durable in battle.
• It's important to note that Since the maximum range for Mixed Infantry units is 3, it's best to place them close to the front line. This allows them to engage in melee combat and support infantry units while still being able to contribute to ranged engagements.
• In terms of countering rogue units and monsters, Mixed Infantry units can be very effective when used in conjunction with archers and ranged special force units. They can also be very useful in small scale battles, where they can minimize losses while training them over time.

*They do not prioritize units that are already engaged in melee. They will look for a unit that is not first. If they do not find one, they may move forward or hold their ground.

• When building mixed infantry, you have the choice of building them as a "Backbone" unit or "Fodder" unit. "Backbone" units will have high training, weapon and armor stats while "Fodder" units will have low training and weapon but high armor. This will make them more efficient in taking damage and staying longer on the field, but less efficient in dealing damage.
• In summary, Mixed Infantry units are a versatile and adaptable unit type that can be used in a variety of roles on the battlefield. They possess a balance of ranged and melee capabilities, and can be deployed in different areas of the battlefield to adapt to changing conditions. They are useful in countering rogue units and monsters, and are particularly effective when used in conjunction with archers and ranged special force units.

Special Force

• Special Forces (SF) units are elite soldiers that are highly trained and equipped with advanced weaponry and armor. They are incredibly powerful, capable of dealing heavy damage and taking a lot of punishment. However, due to their cost and rarity, it is rare to see armies with a significant number of SF units.

• These units are best used as a heavy hitting force, capable of breaking through enemy lines and causing chaos in the enemy ranks. They can be used in a variety of roles, including as shock troops, siege breakers, and anti-cavalry units.

• It is important to note that SF units come in both melee and ranged variations. Ranged SF units are particularly powerful as they can engage the enemy from a distance, and can be effective in any weather condition.

• Due to their high cost, it is crucial to use SF units wisely. They should be placed in strategic positions on the battlefield and protected from enemy fire as much as possible.

• It is also important to note that these units are best commanded by experienced and capable leaders with high honour and wealth, as they can afford to recruit and maintain a larger force of SF units.

• The Cavalier class is the most efficient in recruiting SF units as they have the most access to them, but other classes can also recruit them.

• In summary, SF units are powerful and versatile, but also rare and expensive. They should be used with caution and strategic planning to make the most out of their capabilities.

*They do not prioritize units that are already engaged in melee. They will look for a unit that is not first. If they do not find one, they may move forward or hold their ground.

• RC building guide for Special Force:
  • Artillery: Range(5) + High weapon and armour, training can be on the lower side but preferably high. They are the best of the best. They only lack in melee against cavalry and melee SF. They will devastate most unit types before they even get near them.
  • Shock Troop: Range(0) + High everything. You can replace cavalry with melee SFs and they will perform excellently. Unlike cavalry units who do one big hit, melee SFs will do high hits every turn.
  • Cheap Hit Squad #1: Range(5) + low training, high weapon but low armour: You focus on the damage only. Cost efficiently way to run ranged SF.
  • Cheap Hit Squad #2: Melee + high training, low weapon and high armour: SF hit hard naturally. You don't need high weapon. But you want to last as long as possible to push your melee line forward.
• Updates and Changes
  • (2016) Ranged SFs are worth getting. Melee ones are not.

What not to do

• 1) Chasing enemies in BM is a strategy that should be avoided as it is often a futile effort. The game's turn-based nature means that characters can only move one region per turn, making it impossible to catch up to a fleeing enemy. Additionally, constantly swapping locations with your enemies is a sign that your strategy needs to be reevaluated. The attacker is always at a disadvantage in BM, as it is easier for the defender to fortify and hold a single location.

• 2) Failing to bring siege engines to a siege battle is a common mistake that can lead to a costly defeat. Siege engines are essential for breaking through fortified regions, even if you have a larger army. Without them, you will need to bring at least twice as many troops as your enemy, and three times as many infantry to have a chance of victory. Additionally, besiegements are a major investment, and should not be undertaken lightly. If you are heavily reliant on cavalry or archers, it may be best to avoid attacking well-defended fortifications altogether.

• 3) Sending orders out too late can lead to confusion and disorganization among your troops. To avoid this, it's important to communicate with your allies and plan ahead for different scenarios. Additionally, it's important to set clear expectations for when orders should be carried out, and to remind people of the current scenario.

• 4) Abandoning choke points, or strategically important regions, can make your war effort much harder. These regions are key to controlling the battlefield, and should be held at all costs.

• 5) Using the same settings for every battle is a common mistake that can lead to the loss of valuable units. Different situations call for different tactics, and it's important to adapt your settings accordingly.

• 6) Rather than blaming others for mistakes, it's important to take responsibility for your own actions and to work together to find solutions. By discussing and learning from mistakes, you can prevent them from happening again in the future.

• 7) Changing orders too frequently can lead to confusion and disorganization among your troops. It's important to have a clear and consistent plan, and to make decisions with care. Additionally, it's important to remember that people can't always adapt to new plans as quickly as you might expect.

• 8) When fielding a large number of units in one region, it's important to stagger their movement to avoid overcrowding the roads and losing too many troops. It's more effective to divide your forces into smaller groups and attack multiple regions at once.

• 9) Encouraging your troops is a more effective way to lead than pointing fingers and criticizing mistakes. By fostering a positive and collaborative environment, you can help your troops to perform at their best.

Other Guides and helpful pages

Note: Some of them are somewhat outdated but not by much. The general ideas are pretty much the same.

• Military Studies of Dwilight University
• Military Studies of Aristoi Atamarism (Somewhat outdated but VERY good. Should definitely READ!)
• Formation (Must READ!)
• Unit_Orders (Recommended)
• Regarding Military Hierarchy (Recommended)

Other factors that may change the outcome of a battle

Overcrowding - One of the biggest challenges in a turn-based strategy game like BM is managing the movement and positioning of your units effectively. Overcrowding occurs when you have too many units in one location, preventing them from maneuvering and engaging the enemy effectively. This can result in a number of issues, including reduced damage output, increased vulnerability to enemy attacks, and difficulty in keeping your units organized and controlled. To avoid overcrowding, it is important to carefully plan your movements and positioning, and to be mindful of the number of units you have in any given location. This may mean splitting your units into smaller groups, or using different formations to maximize their effectiveness.

Overkill - Another common issue in BM is overkill, which occurs when a large unit attacks a smaller unit. This can result in a significant loss of damage output, as the excess troops in the larger unit are not able to engage the enemy. To avoid overkill, it is important to carefully match your units against the enemy, and to make sure that you are using the right unit type for the situation. This may mean using smaller units to take

Contributors

• Penchant - Penchant Family
• Ta|i - Bluelake Family
• Myself 🤣

<note> Still under construction. If you want me to add something here, do mention under the discussion or on the page directly - that will get my attention faster!.

I will go over some battle reports. Also will try to explain custom unit settings vs marshal settings.

Battle Report Analysis

• Note: For more details, you may want to actually ask Anaris or Tom since as a player, my understanding is limited to my experience. I will mainly be using reports I myself have stored for my personal storage purpose.

First

Let's start with smaller battles. The first battle we will look is Battle of Bruck. It was a battle between Westmoor and Sirion in a rural region. 'Rural Battles(RBs for short)' or 'Open Field Battles(OFBs for short)' are battles where cavalries thrive. Most of your battles will be RBs or OFBs. As you can see from most maps in the game, rural is the most numerous region type in the game. This region type lacks fortifications meaning unit compositions of armies can vary unlike siege battles where infantry units are considered the best while other types are considered less effective or useless. Enough talk, let's get into the real thing.

• note: It is harder to calculate exact values for this battle since this battle had a peasant unit which is nothing more than a meat-shield.

The first thing I'd do is to calculate hits for each round. Here is the suffered hit/casualty progression for the battle. This will give us a brief idea on how much damage each army suffered throughout the rounds.

Westmoor:

Hits suffered: [1] 1824(Ranged) - [2] 9921(Ranged:1338/Close Combat:8583) - [3] 9742(752/8990) - [4] 5314(0/5314) - [5] 4747(881/3866) - [6] 3960(1167/2793)

Casualties: [1] 49 - [2] 274 - [3] 198 - [4] 143 - [5] 149 - [6] 266

Hits taken per man(hits suffered / casualties): [1] 37.22 - [2] 36.2 - [3] 49.2 - [4] 37.1 - [5] 31.86 - [6] 14.89

Sirion

Hits suffered: [1] 1818(Ranged) - [2] 6284(Ranged:1434/Close Combat:4850) - [3] 5109(0/5109) - [4] 3380(0/3380) - [5] 1697(0/1697) - [6] 145(0/145)

Casualties: [1] 40 - [2] 153 - [3] 125 - [4] 86 - [5] 42 - [6] 3

Hits taken per man(hits suffered / casualties): [1] 45.45 - [2] 41.07 - [3] 40.87 - [4] 39.30 - [5] 40.40 - [6] 48.33

Hits taken per man = This will tell you how much damage each of your men took before going down. This gives you an idea how long your men lasted on the field.

Let's compare the two realms.

Round [1], they fired arrows at each other doing about the same damage.

Round [2], both realms collided with each other. Both realms took about the same ranged damage but Westmoor took twice as much damage from Sirion's close combat units. This was mainly due to some of Sirion's cavalry units landing their charge attacks on Westmoor's infantry units.

Round [3], Sirion's biggest cavalry unit lands its charge attack on Westmoor's only cavalry unit which couldn't even engage due to having too many men in front of it. The attack wiped the unit out completely before it could land its charge. Also, due to all of Westmoorian archers being engaged in a close combat, they couldn't shoot arrows. Archers were pretty much used to soak up what little damage they could soak up.

Turn No. 1

5 (30-C)

2 (45-I) 4 (52-I) 6 (50-I) 7 (908-P) 9 (70-I) 10 (30-S) 11 (37-I) 13 (70-I) 14 (49-I) 15 (75-I) 18 (40-I) 19 (61-I) 20 (52-I)

1 (38-A) 3 (34-A) 8 (69-A) 12 (40-A) 16 (43-A) 17 (49-A)

21 (79-S) 22 (37-I) 24 (57-I) 25 (45-I) 26 (22-I) 27 (32-I) 28 (40-A) 29 (44-A) 32 (52-I) 33 (45-S) 35 (38-A) 36 (80-I) 37 (52-I) 38 (30-A) 39 (113-I) 40 (69-I)

23 (40-C) 31 (55-C) 34 (34-C)

30 (45-C)

Let's go through the battle turn by turn. When a battle starts, you will see the formations of both sides. You can check different formations from my recommended pages. Formations are very important when two armies similar in size clash. Each formation emphasizes a certain type of unit type in your army. For example, Wesmtoor in this case is using 'Archer Opening' putting ARCHERS in the FRONT, INFANTRIES in the MIDDLE, and CAVALRIES in the REARGUARD. It is important to understand the purpose of each formation(They are all briefly explained in the formation page so do check it out).

The advantage of this formation is that when enemies put their infantry in the front, on turn 2, your archers will attack twice. They will shoot first - because enemies are still within the range.

Note: Range units will always act first. Melee units move when it is their turn to move. They move after the range phase and once they are in the same column as their enemies, they start to attack.

Turn No. 2

5 (30-C)

1 (38-A) 2 (45-I) 3 (34-A) 4 (52-I) 6 (50-I) 7 (908-P) 8 (58-A) 9 (70-I) 10 (30-S) 11 (37-I) 12 (30-A) 13 (70-I) 14 (49-I) 15 (75-I) 16 (27-A) 17 (37-A) 18 (40-I) 19 (61-I) 20 (52-I)

21 (69-S) 22 (37-I) 24 (57-I) 25 (45-I) 26 (22-I) 27 (32-I) 32 (52-I) 33 (39-S) 36 (70-I) 37 (45-I) 39 (106-I) 40 (69-I)

23 (40-C) 28 (40-A) 29 (44-A) 34 (34-C) 35 (38-A) 38 (30-A)

30 (45-C)

31 (55-C)

After the ranged attacks ended, Sirion's infantry advanced to engage Westmoor's archers. Westmoor's infantry also advanced from C4(Column 4) to C5 to fight their enemy. Westmoor's archers are forced to enter melee combat. If you check the hit exchange, Westmoor's archers barely did anything to Sirion's infantry. Their only job here was pretty much absorbing hits for their infantry. Sirion's archers continued their range attack in the following turn.

Some Useful Settings

Siege

Infantry(Rear) || Cavalry(Back) || Empty || Archer(Front) ||

Archer: Front/Skirmish or Line
Infantry: Rear/Box or Line
Cavalry: Back/Line or Back/Box - You do not want Wedge as they won't be able to charge that well. But if you want to risk it you can go for Wedge as well. (Must put it in either Front or Back. Cavalries checks 2 columns ahead excluding the column they are in to see if they can charge or not. If they there is a fort 2 columns away, they will stop and wait for the fort to be breached in the front column. In this setting they will stay with the archers until the infantry units breach the fort. If you put cavalries in the back, they will go with infantry units but they won't do anything but absorb archer fires which is a bad way to waste expensive cavalry units.)

This setting allows you to deal as much damage as possible to the defenders before your infantry units can scale the wall. If your army has a high number of archers, this is a viable tactic to use. Softening enemies before hitting them hard with siege engines.

Siege - Variation

Infantry(Rear) || Cavalry(Back) || Archer(Front) || Empty ||

If your enemies know you will use the settings above, you will need to adapt accordingly to prevent your archers front getting slaughtered.

Siege - Variation 2 (Complex)

Against heavily fortified region - High infantry / Low archers

• To effectively siege a heavily fortified region, it is crucial to have a balanced composition of units. A high number of infantry units, along with a low number of archers, is often the best strategy for this type of situation.
• By placing your archers in the front, you maximize your damage against the enemy's infantry units, who will typically move forward to engage your archers on the second turn. Meanwhile, your infantry should be placed in the rear to delay their advance as much as possible. This allows you to hit the enemy's infantry while only taking archer fire, which can greatly reduce their numbers before your infantrymen attack the walls.
• Keep in mind that the level of fortification plays a crucial role in this strategy. Lower level fortifications tend to allow enemy cavalry units to charge out, so it's important to consider this when positioning your archers. Additionally, the use of siege engines can greatly aid in the siege effort and should be considered as well.
• Example) First Siege of Taselak City, Second Siege of Taselak City

Against heavily defended region - Low infantry / High archers

Against heavily defended regions, a strategy that utilizes a high number of archers and a low number of infantry can be effective. The idea is to take advantage of the long range of archers to weaken the enemy's defenses before committing your infantry units to the fight.

One way to accomplish this is by placing your archers in the middle of your formation. This allows them to target enemies in the front and rear rows, while minimizing the amount of damage they take from enemy archers.

Additionally, select a small number of infantry units (around 3) and position them in the front, middle, and back rows. This allows them to absorb some of the enemy's initial fire and gives your archers more time to weaken the enemy's defenses. The rest of your infantry should be positioned in the rear, ready to move forward and finish off the enemy once their defenses have been sufficiently weakened.

Keep in mind that this tactic is not guaranteed to work, as archers will still prefer to attack the closest enemies, but it can be an effective way to weaken the enemy's defenses before committing your main force to the fight.

Against many archers and infantry

Against a heavily defended city like Oligarch, utilizing a combination of archers and expendable infantry can be an effective strategy for breaking through the city's defenses.

One tactic to consider is to focus on taking out the city's infantry militias first. This can be done by attacking the city with a large number of archers, along with a small number of expendable infantry units. Position the archers in the rear, with the infantry unit in the front. This allows the archers to target the city's infantry units without taking any damage in return. As the battle progresses, the city's infantry will be forced to leave the walls and engage your units, allowing your archers to continue targeting them while minimizing losses on your side.

Once the city's infantry militias have been largely eliminated, you can then focus on storming the walls with your remaining forces. This can be done by positioning all of your units in the front, or by using archers in the front to take out as many of the city's archers as possible before your other units engage.

It's also worth considering using certain scrolls such as pain and suffering scrolls or accident scrolls to take out the city's leader, Garas, to prevent him from replenishing the city's militias.

It's important to keep in mind that this type of tactic is highly dependent on the specific setup of the city and its defense, and may not be effective against all types of defenses.

Open Field

High Risk High Return

Requirements: 1~2 units of cavalry || Lots of ranged units with at least range of 3 Settings:

• Cavalry: Back or Front / Wedge
• Ranged: Front / Skirmish
• If you have infantry: Middle

Putting them in the front will allow them to engage with enemies ASAP. If enemies are using front archer, this will surprise enemies greatly, damaging their archers off the start. If their infantry was in the front, your cavalries will keep enemies' infantry in check. Your middle infantry can then follow up.

Putting 1 infantry in each row can prevent enemy's archers from doing too much damage to your archers.

How to mix with low Range RCs (or prevent your range from falling)

Let's say you have a 50 R1 archer unit. As you know well, R1 archers are useless. You need to increase the range. You want to get to R4. From here, you only need to recruit 50 R4 archers to reach R3. From there, you need to recruit 100 more archers to reach R4. The game takes the average of your range to determine your final range so if you mix well, you can turn your R1 into R4.

You can use this to prevent your range from falling from R4 as well. If the RC center you are trying to recruit from has only the difference of 1 range, you can simply recruit 1 less man than what you currently have to maintain it. So if you want to double your unit size, you can recruit 49 R3 archers to your 50 R4 archers to maintain your R4. However, if you want to recruit from R1, you can only recruit 20% of what you have. So if you have 100 R4 archers, you can only recruit 20 R1 archers to maintain your R4. If you recruit anymore than that, you will end up with R3. As for R2, you can only recruit 33% of your current unit size to avoid losing your R4.

Mixing R5 SF with other SFs

Start with 50 SF if you want to recruit R0 and R1 since you can't recruit less than 5.

• R0 - Melee SF = 10%
• R1 = 14%
• R2 = 20%
• R3 = 33% = Not exactly. 33% of your current # of men subtract 1 to be safe.
• R4 = 100%

• • Tip: Try to make sure the average between your existing unit and your recruits stay close to the range you wish for your updated unit to have. If you want your unit to keep R5, you need the average range should be higher than 4.5.

• • If you want to keep R5 = (# of existing unit)x(range) + (# of recruits)x(recruit RC range) / ((# of existing unit)+(# of recruits)) ⪰ 4.5

Designing your army

• You cannot order someone to get a specific unit type. However, you can tell your realm that you need more of x type and you need volunteers to fill the types you need.
• Or you can seek help from your dukes and other rich nobles to reform your RCs to limit people's selections in the first place.

Infantry Heavy: Used to be good. Melee units can hit multiple units at once so your damage is less likely to be wasted

Archer Heavy: The current favourite. You can mow down enemies before they even get to you. Doesn't work that well when your enemies bring a lot more units (Not necessarily more men).

Mixed Infantry Heavy: Flexible. They are archers without the melee penalty.

Cavalry Heavy: If used well, you can dismantle your enemies quickly and crush their archers. Archers do not do as much damage to cavalry as infantry so they are good at soaking arrows as well. Their main problem is people's inability to recruit enough of them as they are not as numerous as other unit types.

Special Force: Big guns. Expensive and rare, but powerful. You don't really see SF heavy armies often. But when you do, you better have enough men to soak up their damage.

Questions and Requests

If you have questions or want me to add something, do leave a comment under here.(I am unsure when I will answer them but if I notice it, I will answer)

(Question from momom2, a new player starting in SI :)

How does digging in change the capabilities of a unit ? In particular, is digging in useful with infantry against armies comprising mostly archers ? Will it prompt the troops to stay put behind ? Will it prevent some units from moving forward ?

• 🗨Answer: Digging will grant you a temporary fortification. Think of it as 0.5 level fortification. If you need your infantry units to defend your ranged units, you may want to put them before your archers. And yes, since they behave like as if they are behind walls, they won't advance forward until the same conditions are met -- no melee units on the other side.

I read on the wiki that fortifications helped particularly against enemy infantry. Is it true of digging in too ?

• 🗨Answer: Yes but it is not as effective as actual fortifications. When you are digging in, your primary goal is to prevent your units from advancing forward. The beauty of digging in is, being able to choose which unit to send in first vs being forced to be behind walls until it is either breached or enemies lose all the melee units.

In general, I have rarely seen entrenched units, though it takes relatively little time. Should I conclude that digging in is seldom useful ?

• 🗨Answer: Only defenders can dig in. Maybe that is why you don't see it often. Also, it is not used as often due to the fact it is nigh impossible to make everyone to dig in at the same time. Those who forget to do so will behave differently and that can cause some unpredictable issues.

(Request for clarification regarding "How to mix with low Range RCs" :)

• 🗨Answer: The example is for ranged 5 SF units. If you are commanding a R5 SF unit and have more than 50 men, you can grab men from SF RCs with R0~R4. But the ratio has to be different. If you want to add men from a melee SF RC, you can only grab 10% of your current unit size at a time(remember the example is for 50 men or more. So in this case, you can only grab 5 men until you hit 60 men. Then you can add 6 men at a time until you hit 70 and so on.) If I can guess why this is happening, it is probably due to how the game rounds the range. If you grab more than 10% from a melee SF RC, your average range will fall below 4.5 which after rounding to the closest full number will be lowered to 4 or lower depending on how many you grab. Let me know if you need this to be explained further.

Does the system keep track of the times you successfully mixed your unit with lesser range recruits ?

• 🗨Answer: No. The game only averages your unit stats. Every time you recruit, the game will take the average between the existing men and the new recruits.

An example of what I am thinking of in particular :
Imagine you have a unit of 50 R4 archers, which you mix with 49 R3 archers to prevent your range from going down. How many R3 archers can you then add without decreasing the range, 98 or 0 ?

• 🗨Answer: Let's calculate. 50x4 is 200. 49x3 is 147. Add both together and you get 347. Divide that by 99 and you should get your range which is 3.505 so you should have R4. Now on the left side you have (99x4 + yx3)/(99+y). As long as (396+3y)/(99+y) is equal or higher than 3.5, you should get R4. So in this case, y can be 99 or less.

(Commentary on "Other factors that may change the outcome of a battle" :)

I have recently participated in a battle where my 18 cavaliers could not enter the melee because it was overcrowded. There were at most 353 infantrymen on our side, and at most 225 for the enemy (didn't bother to calculate the number of wounded at the moment).
More than 100 enemy soldiers were incapacitated in this round, and my cavalry could charge at the next one.

• 🗨Answer: Overcrowded is not well known especially in this time and age when most people use ranged over melee. Think of it this way, when too many of your melee units are trying to hit fewer enemies, they will run into each other. To prevent this from happening, you will have to split your men into different rows when there are too few enemies. Sometimes your men can run past them but the exact mechanics behind that is not very well known either.