FIX BAYONETS!

[[GG]TheAlmightyFork]

Ahoy! Any thoughts on NtW MP strategies?

Personally I like a good corps of heavy infantry and heavy cavalry. As the name implies, the bayonet is the best all round weapon around I find a good bayonet charge in the center with some guard to hold the enemy in the center, then wrap around the flanks with infantry and cav.

any thoughts? Other favorite strategies?

[[GG] Lord Ashram]

I often find it better to attack at an end of an enemy line... when I attack a center, I find I end up having to pay so much attention to the flanks that I have a tough time. Enemy light cav can play havoc with my forces!

How do you the rest of you react to massive frontal attack?

[[GG]AndrewKent]

We played a game today, 63rd, dury and I against Hitman and Blood.

The enemy took some high ground in a corner of the map and it was over before it began. There was no way to flank them. In such a circumstance, unless you have a significant numbers or valor advantage it is extremely difficult to charge up the hill and succeed.

My experience in these kinds of situations has been that having sufficient long range units and an advantage in arty is the best hope. And then you must have patience.

I remember a game in which Buxford and I had a great defensive position on a steep slope. We sat back and waited for the enemy (TRL and Flippy?) to destroy themselves in an assault. Instead they whittled away at us with their rifles (we had far fewer and couldn't match them) until we were greatly reduced in strength. THEN they charged the hill and our forces routed away.

AK

[KHD|HitmanM4]

Both games myself and Blood participated in against you were great fun last night.

As for hill positions they are beatable. As for last nights hill if you zoomed into ground level you will see it wasn't that steep. However it can't be very good for your allies morale if you admit defeat before the battle has even begun, AK?

[[GG]TheAlmightyFork]

I agree. It was fun, but your flanks the other night were protected by the map edge. We didn't have hardly enough rifles to whittle you down and no arty.

Frontal Assaults across a field of fire like are always suicide. But fun anyways.

[[GG] Lord Ashram]

Blech to no arty games!

Can you imagine if somehow they made a game where there were no map edges? If the maps were just endless? The game would be totally different! And a good deal of fun probably:)

Anyway, glad to hear your thoughts... AK, 63rd, how did you guys lead your assault? With what troops in what formation and against what percent of the enemy line?

Ash

[flippyxtrem]

NO ARTY!! and assualting a hill!!

I wouldve Dropped!!

that is suicide!!

CHEERS!! ;D

[[GG]AndrewKent]

KHD|HitmanM4 said:

Both games myself and Blood participated in against you were great fun last night.

As for hill positions they are beatable. As for last nights hill if you zoomed into ground level you will see it wasn't that steep. However it can't be very good for your allies morale if you admit defeat before the battle has even begun, AK?

Hitman,

Had the roles been reversed you would almost certainly have suffered the same fate, unless you had had the luck or forsight to bring a lot of rifles. It was not well-balanced. Once 63rd initiated the charge, it was clear we would be repulsed. We made the best of it we could and I fought to the end, as you may recall, having the last unrouted unit on the map for our side.

Now, if we had had more rifles and some arty, it might have been different.

So...speaking of balance. Unless you know a map very well, it is often hard to know how to fairly distribute the francs for a balanced game. On a flat map, it makes little difference. On a hilly map the defensive advantage can be huge. The map we played that game on wasn't all that hilly, but having a slope on the map edge, or worse yet, in a corner of the map, makes an attack very tricky. As I mentioned above, it is not necessarily a lost cause, but it takes some care, planning and coordination and adequate long-range units.

Now, I did say at one point that the situation was hopeless...as indeed, by then, it was. But this was after 63rd had chosen to charge the center of your very well-defended hill without coordinating with Dury or I. At that point, I joined the attack as quickly as I could on the left and fought as determinedly as I could, but it really was a lost cause.

AK

[[GG]AndrewKent]

This discussion has got me thinking about how much I enjoy the campaign format and how much more we could do with this.

The possibilities are so much more varied and interesting. There can be other goals and outcomes and carryover from battle to battle.

I'm so sorry that Ash's last campaign got put on hold and hope we can revive that or start a new one. However, the level of participation in NTW seems to be dropping alarmingly, so not sure what will be possible.

On a marginally related note...as soon as I find time, I plan to start a thread describing what I think would make a great Napoleonic era game. You know, the technology is there, it could be so fantastic!

AK

[flippyxtrem]

Kent we can always play TOY SOLDIERS like we did last night!! ;D

man i never knew you were so bloodthirsty!!

CHEEERS!!

[[GG]AndrewKent]

[quote author=[GG]FlippyXtrem link=board=Glory&thread=1111269250&start=9#0 date=1111352295]Kent we can always play TOY SOLDIERS like we did last night!! ;D

man i never knew you were so bloodthirsty!!

CHEEERS!! [/quote]

Bloodthirsty! My God, man, we showed you every courtesy. You know our generals' duel could have ended with your bleeding corpse laid out on that snowy field.

That was fun... ;D

[[GG]AndrewKent]

In reading my posts above I think they may sound too critical of 63rd. Not meant that way. I enjoyed playing with him, and he plays well. He's got enthusiasm and he is quick.

It is more that communicating via the MP text messenger, it is often hard to work things out in detail.

Thanks 63rd for the games and I look forward to many more.

AK

[[GG]TheAlmightyFork]

At the outset I did kinda tell you guys my plan was to try and break their center with a charge. And when I charged I told before hand "Im gonna charge" But, meh... didnt work and its in the past.

How I arrayed my line for the assault was to arrange my line infantry in assault column in front. Behind them Swiss Legion in assault column. Behind Them Old Guard in assault column. The whole plan... line take the casualties on the attack, then Swiss Legion and Guard to take it to the enemy.

[flippyxtrem]

Bloodthirsty! My God, man, we showed you every courtesy. You know our generals' duel could have ended with your bleeding corpse laid out on that snowy field.

That was fun...

SEE? YOU ARE BLOODTHIRSTY!! ;D

CHEERS

[[GG] Lord Ashram]

Assaulting is a tough decision to make, and is especially tough when the map edge has created artificially protected flanks. Add a hill? VERY tough.

I always find it is best to pick a corner rather than the center, and try to overload that corner while using lights and cav to keep the far enemy flank at bay long enough to punch through. When you assault the center, you leave yourself with two of your own flanks to protect, which is two too many for my skill level to protect!

I guess if I have to assault a center position I would use rifles as long as i could to cut down the enemy numbers, especially on a single flank. I would then assault using my line in thick lines and my guard stacked, particularly heavy on the opposite side my rifles had been picking on. I would then assault, and try to use my cavalry on the side that the rifles had weakened and continuously (sp?) try to turn that flank and cause a rout, leaving my heavy infantry on the far side to deal with the enemy on that tough flank.

Nice to hear some thoughts tho! As for the campaign, we can do it, and it will resume, but it might be another month yet, and might take a new form of sorts. Don't worry, we learn constantly!



Keep up the conversation gents, it is making us all more thoughtful commanders in the field.

S!

[GG]Ashram

P.S. I too had a good time in that game. It was a 60 vs 30 defender, AK and myself attacking Flip. Rather than make it a fair fight, we outnumbered Flip completely, but we gave him great defensive position and he simply tried to hold as long as he could using more realistically Napoleonic tactics... lots of lights, skirmishing, a few charges of cheap troops to break up the defender... and then wave after wave of carefully coordinated attackers... but through it all, done more to LOOK good and have a fun time "playing with our toy soldiers" than to simply win.

And it was great fun! In the end Flips defending General withdrew his men to a small village having suffered massive casualties, where a brash Polish officer died in a duel with a Russian commander. However, that finally slaked the thirst the bloodthirsty god of war and the Russians allowed the Poles to withdraw in honor.

Played all during winter, it was a lot of fun to play with no pressure to win, but instead with pressure to make it as much fun for your OPPONENT as you could.

Great stuff.