0
Tactics & Tips
General Advice
1) RESERVES
In any of the scenarios I cannot emphasise enough the requirement to keep a
decent sized reserve available. In attack or defence fresh unfatigued units can
save or win the day. A reserve element should consist of ALL arms not just a
weak
Quality 2 rated infantry battalion! Keep them out of harms way until the
critical
moment as they will be of little use if the enemy are allowed to punish them
with
artillery fire or outflanking cavalry charges whilst they wait.for their moment
of glory. Also, rotate fatigued units out of the line whenever and wherever
possible as the adverse modifiers they attract can turn even the Imperial Guard
into a substandard melee unit. Note that when skirmishers are re-called to their
parent battalion they will immediately adopt the fatigue level of the latter,
therefore it is not so important to rest skirmish units - rather re-call them
every now and again. A unit rested for 3-4 game hours can often play a decisive
role later in the day rather than suffer the ignominy of constant routs.
VERSION 1.1 UPDATE: When skirmishers are re-called to their parent battalion
they
do not adopt the fatigue level of the latter. Rather, they increase the fatigue
level of the parent unit by one. This was a much-needed improvement..
2) OBSERVATION
The old saying of "Know thy enemy" is still as valid today as it ever was. You
should also know his dispositions including strengths and weaknesses at any
given
point in the line. This can be accomplished quite easily with minimal loss by
the
adept use of small skirmish formations or detached cavalry squadrons. Go
on...take a look over that next hill, you may lose 25 skirmishers but you may
also find that your next attack will surely fail when they get charged by the
3000 heavy cavalry that are hidden behind the reverse slopes. Observation
becomes
critical at dusk and at night as you can`t see beyond 4 hexes. Keep those
lookouts posted! I`ve heard a lot about PBEM players using replacement leaders
(ie Colonel Anonymous) as recon units, good idea but hardly in the spirit of the
game. Try to avoid the temptation to do this (and other little tricks) otherwise
you`ll end up with no PBEM opponents.
3) SKIRMISHERS
Whether in attack or defence always keep a strong skirmish line in front of your
main force. They can not only reduce casualties in your densely packed line
battalions but can also hinder enemy cavalry movement (when in enough numbers)
and force your enemy to use valuable artillery rounds to clear them away.
Remember to keep skirmishers on the flanks as well as in front as an enemy flank
attack/volley is even more devastating than a frontal one. Make good use of all
your light infantry battalions, I often find that detaching all but 100 can give
you a very strong skirmish line without stripping standard line battalions of
their light companies. Finally, pull the skirmish formations back to their
parent
units every now and again to reduce their fatigue levels but bear in mind that
every time you do this you will increase the fatigue level of the parent
battalion by one.
4) COMMAND & CONTROL
Observe Divisional & Brigade Command radius at all times. Endeavour to keep your
formations together and you will find that units quickly rally and reform. Keep
all the leader units busy - have them racing up and down the field, rallying
routed battalions one turn and then leading an assault the next.. The modifiers
they bestow are well worth the time spent taken in good leader placement. Army
and Corps Commanders are especially useful at rallying broken units due to their
excellent leadership ratings. However, beware of using replacement commanders in
critical situations as they are often nowhere near as good as the original
leaders. Finally, don`t stack 2 leaders in the same hex, this is just a waste of
good leadership.
5) TERRAIN
The field of battle is covered with defiles, hills, hedges, orchards, buildings
and sunken roads - make use of them! It can be tempting to form a pretty line
going straight across the map with your troops in nice neat formations, but you
will soon find that units in the open will suffer tremendous casualties as
opposed to ones behind cover. When in defence use every obstructed hex/hexside
to
your advantage. It hinders cavalry charges and massively reduces casualties from
enemy volleys and melees. Remember: place line battalions in villages and
skirmishers in buildings for maximum protection. Follow Wellington`s example of
using the reverse slopes to protect your densely packed formations with only
handfuls of skirmishers on the ridge tops for observation. On the attack, keep
checking line of sight using the "visible hexes" command, you will often find
safe areas where the enemy batteries can`t touch you while you manoeuvre your
units into position. One last thing, avoid obstructed hexes like the plague when
advancing as there is nothing worse than having to spend 2-3 more turns
reforming
disordered units when they are needed instantly.
-----------------------------------
Infantry
Infantry form the core of both armies and as such you can be tempted to throw
away battalions in risky ventures as after all you`ve got 30 more where that one
came from. Don`t do it! Stop and really analyse if the move/attack you are
making
is necessary. example: Why send a brigade to attack the enemy in an area that
isn`t tactically important? A simple manoeuvre like refusing the main attacks
flank may well do the job without you having to suffer casualties.
Be careful that you garrison strongpoints and critical areas of the line with
good quality troops that don`t often break. Prime examples of poor formations
are
any of the Dutch-Belgian Brigades in the Anglo-Allied Army. They may look
impressive with 4-5 battalions but if one of them routs and the others are close
by the whole brigade will soon disappear. Use them as a second line of defence
so
that when they do make contact at least the enemy are already fatigued and
perhaps even disordered.
Move infantry in column whenever possible, the line formation is just too
fragile
for extensive manoeuvering. Finally, only use the square formation when you find
your units under direct threat from enemy cavalry. It requires careful timing to
anticipate the best time to form square and the problem can be accentuated by
units becoming disordered due to enemy threat zones. Again, keep those lookouts
posted and you should avoid having to face this problem in the first place.
-----------------------------------
Cavalry
Cavalry come in all shapes and sizes. Some are just made for breaking squares
and
counter charging enemy cavalry, others are of little use except for harrasing,
threatening and further routing already broken infantry units. Know the
difference.
The greatest asset cavalry have is their ability to threaten the charge, this in
itself can cause the enemy untold problems with manouevering, defences, assault
lines etc. Before you do commit a cavalry regiment or brigade to a full-blown
charge ensure that they won`t sacrifice themselves at the end of it. Consider
every eventuality and once you have decided to go ahead and charge stop and
think
it all through once again! This way you won`t give the enemy the opportunity to
decimate your splendid mounted regiments for the glory of perhaps taking out 1
artillery battery. Remember that the best charges are made from the enemy`s
flanks where you can sweep along an entire line of his troops routing unit after
unit - cavalry can attack up to 4 times in a single melee phase. Now thats a
charge! Make use of detached squadrons for observation and wider coverage. Above
all try to keep your enemy guessing as to your true intentions - use the
threat...
Cavalry are also very handy for protecting your infantry`s flanks when on the
move. This will hopefully negate the chance of an enemy cavalry charge
decimating
your units from the flank. Keep the cavalry out of obstructed terrain such as
orchards, forests and building hexes - they are of little use here and will
quickly succomb to enemy skirmishers as they mill about trying to move away and
reform. Finally, avoid placing your cavalry regts in a position where they can
be
quickly surrounded by enemy skirmishers. This can happen ever so easily after a
charge. It is really a game design fault more than anything else. Would 25
lightly armed men even consider placing themselves behind 500 Heavies - I don`t
think so! Do it to them before they do it to you - perhaps detach a few
squadrons
of supporting cavalry to ride right through any troublesome skirmishers before
the main attack goes in. This can be accomplished in the charge phase itself
using the "overrun" tactic.
VERSION 1.1 UPDATE: Cavalry now receive a +2 modifier for taking units in the
flank (as do infantry). This makes cavalry vs cavalry engagements much more
prolific as you can now take an enemy regiment from the flank and have a damn
good chance of driving them back!
-----------------------------------
Artillery
Properly handled artillery can prove absolutely devastating, poorly handled they
provide easy pickings for enemy skirmishers and cavalry. Keep the cannon well
back unless properly supported. They can be a source of much-needed victory
points to your opponent and rest assured they will be annihilated unless
positioned accurately and safely. Don`t squander valuable rounds on enemy
skirmishers, keep your stocks high for when you really need them. The French
Commander can afford to expend round after round on counter-battery fire, the
allies can`t. Remember this. Also, take note of the fact that when artillery
batteries are overrun if there is a friendly infantry unit in the adjacent hex
the crew will temporarily abandon the guns to take refuge. This is a great
feature which I`m sure Talonsoft are proud of, someone had their thinking hat on
with this one. Finally, artillery strengths are doubled within 2 hexes of enemy
units, if you can safely get your cannon this close then do it, its worth the
effort.
-----------------------------------
Summary
One last thing that has only been touched on in the above: Combined Arms. No one
unit type can accomplish much without the support of the others. In both defence
and attack keep a well-balanced force in all local areas and you shouldn`t go
far
wrong. Swarms of skirmishers, then columns/lines of infantry with cavalry on the
flanks and cannon tucked in behind - endeavour to use this formation every time.
It works.
Rules that I keep pinned on the wall next to the monitor:
1) Having more than 250 skirmishers in any one hex negates their -1 modifier
when
they suffer a ranged attack They also will not get the -75% modifier in
casualties.
2) Cavalry threat values are tripled within 2 hexes, doubled within 4
3) Disordered units attacks are reduced by 50%
4) Lancers strength is reduced by 25% when defending in a melee
5) Lancers & Heavies attacks are increased by 25%
6) Skirmishers gain a -2 modifier when defending in a building hex against
ranged
fire
7) The threat value exerted in any given hex can be accessed by right-clicking
on
the terrain info box
8) If a unit routs, all units in the same hex and those in adjacent hexes will
be
forced to make a morale check Update, version 1.1 now reduces the chances
of "multi-hex" routing. Therefore don`t count on routing whole brigades anymore!
9) VP comparsion:
25 Infantry = 1VP
1 Cannon = 4VP`s
3.125 Cavalry = 1VP
The Allied Army
Insights & Perspectives:
Known as Wellington`s most "infamous" Army, this hotch-potch command of variable
quality troops can be difficult to manage if you do not play to its strengths.
Firstly, and most importantly you *must* fight a predominantly defensive battle
if playing the Allies in the Waterloo scenarios. By this I mean make good use of
terrain (reverse slopes, hedges, buildings etc) and try to anchor your flanks on
easily defended locations. If necessary shorten your lines somewhat in order to
provide more depth to your defence. Pay particular attention to leader placement
so you can crack the C&C game in relation to Brigade/Divisional defence lines.
By
this I mean if you keep your Divisional Commander in the centre of his Division
and your Brigade Commanders likewise to their Brigades you can effectively
spread
your battalions out a lot wider and still maintain command control. This is so
important! You benefit from a lot of positive modifiers when your units are "in
command", take advantage of this. If you are facing an experienced French
commander you will have to be really on the ball to pull this battle "out of the
bag". Thats where the next section comes in:
Stategies for defence:
Infantry:
Your Army has some very weak links eg a lot of Quality 2 rated infantry
battalions. It can be difficult to use these troops effectively - do you push
them forward with the other troops? keep them as a weak reserve? probe at the
French flanks?
I have found that ideally these troops should be pulled back to a second line of
defence so that by the time they see any action the enemy that they face are
already fatigued, disordered, suffering command and control problems etc etc.
Even then only use them sparingly as i have repeatedly found that a
Dutch-Belgian
Brigade for example will repeatedly break and run if only one or two of its
battalions suffer morale checks and fail. Try to keep the light battalions and
quality 3 units at the front as they are less susceptible to routing, the
quality
2 units should be kept in the rear defending villages, forests and other areas
where they benefit from good modifiers. At the beginning of most of the Waterloo
battles the Dutch-Belgians that begin on the French left flank are very useful
for breaking up or distracting attacks on Hougoumont - break those 2 light
battalions down and get those skirmishers in!
Onto the "middle qualtity" troops - the 3, 4 and 5 rated units. These guys are
the heart of your Army so take good care of them. Watch your spacing between
defence lines - if you have a second infantry line (reserve) within 200-300
yards
of your first they will suffer disorganisation if and when units from the
frontline break and rout through them. This is also a valid point re cavalry
reserves, keep them well back as they are no good to you if a routed 25 man
skirmisher unit passes through your massed mounted ranks and disorders the whole
lot! I`ve had this happen to me and its a complete pain in the arse - your
vengeful smile disappears once you see your masterful counter-stroke is
completely buggered!
Update: The problem mentioned above has now been solved. In patch V1.07 cavalry
can now occupy the same hex as (250 or less) skirmishers with only the
skirmishers suffering disorder. Well done Talonsoft..
Okay...onto the higher quality infantry. The Guard Brigades and the light
battalions. The British Guard are your best infantry but they are poorly used if
you throw them into defending Hougoumont. Keep them behind the reverse slopes -
out of sight. Guard battalions in line are particularly good at routing French
regular infantry who come marching over the ridges. They are also good at
counter-
attacking (melees) as they often gain positive modifiers against French regulars
due to their higher quality. The light battalions should always be broken down
into their constituent parts, 6-7 skirmisher companies can cover 600-700 yards
of
terrain if you have a hole in your frontline (okay its a last resort but they
will hold the enemy up until you rally your broken battalions). They can also be
used to harass enemy artillery and cavalry, especially the longer-ranged
riflemen
units who can stand out of range of French skirmishers and blast away with
impunity. Skirmishers are also particularly adept at rushing forward and
outflanking the enemy. Its no great loss if 25 skirmishers get taken out in
return for taking out a Grade A French cannon! The next bit of advice is a
natural progression from the preceding sentence: Watch Your Flanks! A defensive
line should always have skirmishers or a cavalry squadron on its flanks - simply
to avoid the enemy wheeling a unit around your line to get that important +2
modifier himself! Even try refusing your flanks - place a unit at a 45 degree
angle to your frontline at each end and this helps to alleviate any potential
problems.
A final point - keep those supply wagons within 500 yds. If you don`t you`ll
soon
find that units will run low on ammo - therefore giving adverse modifiers with
regard to morale as well as obviously not being able to fire. Keep the wagons
protected as each time you lose one you also lose artillery ammunition. Damn.
Cavalry and Artillery:
I`ve placed these two unit types together as thats exactly how they should be
used - together! In the previous general tactics section I touched upon the
combined arms aspects of Napoleonic warfare, this is expanded upon here.
The Allied cavalry and artillery are quite numerous although not as much as the
French. Typical huh? A good strategy for cavalry use is to keep them out of the
way of the French grand batteries - in fact, keep them out of sight of all the
French forces if possible. In defiles, behind ridges etc. The threat of the
charge is the most important Allied ruse here...you have to decide whether to
actually go ahead and charge an advancing enemy force, hopefully taking them by
surprise or keep your cavalry in view but well back therefore threatening the
charge and forcing the enemy comander to keep forming square. This is where the
artillery comes in. Cannon devastate squares. Point made? Everyone has different
playing styles - we all understand that, so you will have to constantly analyse
your enemy`s moves and decide which way to use your offensive forces. Hide and
then charge like hell? or make a show of force to slow your opponent down?
Another important point re cavalry is their ability to be broken down into
squadrons. Just one squadron of cavalry is enough to ride right through a long
line of French skirmishers if you can charge from their flank....and you`ll
still
have the rest of the regt in reserve. See the new Cavalry tactics page for more
info. One thing to consider: if you do charge into an advancing enemy force its
highly likely that your mounted regts will be massacred in the following turns
as
they try to reform and return to their lines. Hopefully this is something that
will be remedied in future releases as its not at all realistic.
Expanding more on artillery - watch your ammunition. If you consistently fire
8-9
rounds per phase you will run out halfway through the battle and bang goes your
combined arms defence!! Its very hard to discipline yourself with artillery
shots - but as a rule of thumb try not to fire unless the range is within
500-600
yds or slightly further if you are using higher quality cannon. If you
consistently shoot at extreme range you are effectively wasting ammunition even
if you do kill 25 infantry in the process. Position an infantry battalion
adjacent to all threatened batteries as they will "save" your gunners if the
battery is charged by enemy cavalry. Also pay attention to the different quality
ratings of the various batteries and position your guns accordingly. Try not to
fire many shots with the annoying strength 2 battery that begins the battle
north
of Papelotte - I may not be right but I think its a waste of good ammunuition
for
all the damage it does! Remember if your batteries are in danger of being
charged
or assaulted then limber them up in the defensive fire phase as it gives any
survivors a chance to escape.
To summarise all of the above; try to keep your head when playing the Allies as
I
admit it can be very daunting when a particularly aggressive French commander
comes at you with all he`s got! Above all watch your flanks and keep the thin
red
line constant - no gaps! Don`t worry too much about fatigued troops as you don`t
have enough men to constantly rotate battalions in and out of the line - just
don`t let the buggers break through otherwise you`ll lose a lot of men in a
hurry. Remember that the Prussians will eventually arrive on the left flank and
that the French commander will then have to start shuffling men all around the
battlefield. I haven`t seen a French player yet who has kept a full Corps in
reserve to stave off the Prussians....and that is exactly what they need to do.
Throwing in the Young Guard will only delay the inevitable. If as the Allied
player you can "mix it" with the majority of the Grande Armee and survive you
are
halfway there!
Le Grande Armee - A Strategy For Offence
A "Grand" Strategy
Right, you`ve just started one of the Battle Of Waterloo scenarios, you`ve got
over 70,000 eager men under arms and ready to do your bidding. Now what do you
do? Here`s suggestion number one: really, and I mean really think about your
overall strategy. Its so easy to just start detaching skirmishers here and there
and following the same old tactics of taking the Hougoumont orchard, the sunken
lane to the left of it, isolating Papelotte, moving I & II Corps forward...need
I
go on? We`ve all done it. (Apologies for the few of you out there who haven`t!)
What you`ve got to decide upon is a good working plan that actually has an
objective at the end of it ie not just "Lets take Papelotte and Hougoumont and
then see what happens". Firstly, analyse the strengths and weaknesses of your
forces and be aware of them at all times. eg do not use the Guard quality 9
cavalry regiments for charging down skirmishers and incurring needless
fatigue..use them for counter-charging the British Household Cavalry...they`re
good at that! Another example would be don`t commit standard (Quality 4) line
battalions against the British Guard brigades - its suicide...they always end up
asking directions back to Paris.
An example of a "Grand strategy" would be as follows;
1) II Corps
The 6th Division from II Corps will manoeuvre to the far left of Hougoumont.
They
will pin the Dutch-Belgians on the Allied far right flank with 2 battalions of
skirmishers and then make an attack on the ridge NW of Hougoumont. Pire`s 2nd
Cav
Division will support them. The 9th Division from II Corps will feint against
Hougoumont by sending out a small screen of skirmishers and moving forward some
artillery into good offensive positions. The masse of the Division will slowly
work their way around to the left and support the 6th Division`s attack on the
ridge. 5th Division will remain in reserve in the valley to the SE of Hougoumont
but will openly demonstrate in full view of the Allied forces so as to deceive
Wellington as to where the main attack will fall.
2) I Corps
The 1st, 2nd and 3rd Divisions will demonstrate as if preparing for an assault
on
the Allied centre. Of course they will do no such thing. The 4th Division will
infiltrate around papelotte with as many skirmishers as possible and generally
create havoc. The line battalions of 4th Div will isolate Papelotte if and when
the Allied garrison are worn down...they will then take it when conditions are
right (ie the garrison are reduced in numbers and fatigued) and anchor our right
flank on the village to the right as a fire base to meet the first of the
Prussian hordes. When this is accomplished the 3rd Division will move to
reinforce the 4th providing fresh troops to meet a potential Allied counter-
attack (unlikely) or to help hold the Prussians (likely). The Cavalry Division
will be held under cover to meet any potential Allied cavalry charge on the 1st
and 2nd Divisions.
3) VI Corps
The entire Corps will move to their right using terrain-masking and will take up
positions on the far right flank. The 19th Div will hold the area around
Frichermont, the 20th Div will be to their right. Both Divisions will send
skirmishers forward to occupy all bridges, fords, crossroads and finally the
forested area on the far right. (To slow the Prussian advance) Both the 3rd and
5th Cav Divisions will provide support - as the Prussians have very numerous
mounted forces. The VI Corps will under no circumstances be drawn into the
battle
for Papelotte. They will be held back as fresh troops to meet Blucher.
4) The Guard (!)
The Grenadiers and Chasseurs of the Guard will advance to a position next to the
5th Division SE of Hougoumont. When the 6th and 9th Divs from II Corps are
attacking the Allied right flank they will launch themselves like a thunderbolt
against the ridge between Hougoumont and Le Haye Sainte. They will be supported
by all the Guard artillery and the Guard cavalry. The Young Guard will be held
as
a reserve to reinforce any breach in the Allied lines. When the forces from II
Corps and Guard Corps converge they will orient east and march against the ridge
west of Mont St Jean. The 5th Division from II Corps will keep the garrisons of
Hougoumont and Le Haye Sainte busy whilst the main assault goes in.
There - sorry to go on a bit! What I am trying to say with all the above is have
a plan and stick to it. In the above case Napoleon will try to smash the Allied
right flank as early as possible (which is more difficult to reinforce than the
the centre, and it is the opposite side of the battlefield from where the
Prussian reinforcements arrive). The Allied player will hopefully fall for some
of the ruses put into place - ie I Corps fainting against the centre, VI Corps
looking like making a move on the Allied left etc. If all goes well the French
will have pushed the Allies back against Mont St Jean whilst keeping 3 Divisions
(the 5th/II Corps and the 1st and 2nd/ICorps) in reserve. The French right flank
will have a good anchor on Papelotte and will be defended by 2 Divisions from I
Corps and the whole of VI Corps.
It sounds like a plan...
Finally...on the strategy front..please please remember to keep a LOT of fresh
troops to defend against the Prussian attack as there are millions of the
buggers....:-)
Mark Trowbridge
General Advice
1) RESERVES
In any of the scenarios I cannot emphasise enough the requirement to keep a
decent sized reserve available. In attack or defence fresh unfatigued units can
save or win the day. A reserve element should consist of ALL arms not just a
weak
Quality 2 rated infantry battalion! Keep them out of harms way until the
critical
moment as they will be of little use if the enemy are allowed to punish them
with
artillery fire or outflanking cavalry charges whilst they wait.for their moment
of glory. Also, rotate fatigued units out of the line whenever and wherever
possible as the adverse modifiers they attract can turn even the Imperial Guard
into a substandard melee unit. Note that when skirmishers are re-called to their
parent battalion they will immediately adopt the fatigue level of the latter,
therefore it is not so important to rest skirmish units - rather re-call them
every now and again. A unit rested for 3-4 game hours can often play a decisive
role later in the day rather than suffer the ignominy of constant routs.
VERSION 1.1 UPDATE: When skirmishers are re-called to their parent battalion
they
do not adopt the fatigue level of the latter. Rather, they increase the fatigue
level of the parent unit by one. This was a much-needed improvement..
2) OBSERVATION
The old saying of "Know thy enemy" is still as valid today as it ever was. You
should also know his dispositions including strengths and weaknesses at any
given
point in the line. This can be accomplished quite easily with minimal loss by
the
adept use of small skirmish formations or detached cavalry squadrons. Go
on...take a look over that next hill, you may lose 25 skirmishers but you may
also find that your next attack will surely fail when they get charged by the
3000 heavy cavalry that are hidden behind the reverse slopes. Observation
becomes
critical at dusk and at night as you can`t see beyond 4 hexes. Keep those
lookouts posted! I`ve heard a lot about PBEM players using replacement leaders
(ie Colonel Anonymous) as recon units, good idea but hardly in the spirit of the
game. Try to avoid the temptation to do this (and other little tricks) otherwise
you`ll end up with no PBEM opponents.
3) SKIRMISHERS
Whether in attack or defence always keep a strong skirmish line in front of your
main force. They can not only reduce casualties in your densely packed line
battalions but can also hinder enemy cavalry movement (when in enough numbers)
and force your enemy to use valuable artillery rounds to clear them away.
Remember to keep skirmishers on the flanks as well as in front as an enemy flank
attack/volley is even more devastating than a frontal one. Make good use of all
your light infantry battalions, I often find that detaching all but 100 can give
you a very strong skirmish line without stripping standard line battalions of
their light companies. Finally, pull the skirmish formations back to their
parent
units every now and again to reduce their fatigue levels but bear in mind that
every time you do this you will increase the fatigue level of the parent
battalion by one.
4) COMMAND & CONTROL
Observe Divisional & Brigade Command radius at all times. Endeavour to keep your
formations together and you will find that units quickly rally and reform. Keep
all the leader units busy - have them racing up and down the field, rallying
routed battalions one turn and then leading an assault the next.. The modifiers
they bestow are well worth the time spent taken in good leader placement. Army
and Corps Commanders are especially useful at rallying broken units due to their
excellent leadership ratings. However, beware of using replacement commanders in
critical situations as they are often nowhere near as good as the original
leaders. Finally, don`t stack 2 leaders in the same hex, this is just a waste of
good leadership.
5) TERRAIN
The field of battle is covered with defiles, hills, hedges, orchards, buildings
and sunken roads - make use of them! It can be tempting to form a pretty line
going straight across the map with your troops in nice neat formations, but you
will soon find that units in the open will suffer tremendous casualties as
opposed to ones behind cover. When in defence use every obstructed hex/hexside
to
your advantage. It hinders cavalry charges and massively reduces casualties from
enemy volleys and melees. Remember: place line battalions in villages and
skirmishers in buildings for maximum protection. Follow Wellington`s example of
using the reverse slopes to protect your densely packed formations with only
handfuls of skirmishers on the ridge tops for observation. On the attack, keep
checking line of sight using the "visible hexes" command, you will often find
safe areas where the enemy batteries can`t touch you while you manoeuvre your
units into position. One last thing, avoid obstructed hexes like the plague when
advancing as there is nothing worse than having to spend 2-3 more turns
reforming
disordered units when they are needed instantly.
-----------------------------------
Infantry
Infantry form the core of both armies and as such you can be tempted to throw
away battalions in risky ventures as after all you`ve got 30 more where that one
came from. Don`t do it! Stop and really analyse if the move/attack you are
making
is necessary. example: Why send a brigade to attack the enemy in an area that
isn`t tactically important? A simple manoeuvre like refusing the main attacks
flank may well do the job without you having to suffer casualties.
Be careful that you garrison strongpoints and critical areas of the line with
good quality troops that don`t often break. Prime examples of poor formations
are
any of the Dutch-Belgian Brigades in the Anglo-Allied Army. They may look
impressive with 4-5 battalions but if one of them routs and the others are close
by the whole brigade will soon disappear. Use them as a second line of defence
so
that when they do make contact at least the enemy are already fatigued and
perhaps even disordered.
Move infantry in column whenever possible, the line formation is just too
fragile
for extensive manoeuvering. Finally, only use the square formation when you find
your units under direct threat from enemy cavalry. It requires careful timing to
anticipate the best time to form square and the problem can be accentuated by
units becoming disordered due to enemy threat zones. Again, keep those lookouts
posted and you should avoid having to face this problem in the first place.
-----------------------------------
Cavalry
Cavalry come in all shapes and sizes. Some are just made for breaking squares
and
counter charging enemy cavalry, others are of little use except for harrasing,
threatening and further routing already broken infantry units. Know the
difference.
The greatest asset cavalry have is their ability to threaten the charge, this in
itself can cause the enemy untold problems with manouevering, defences, assault
lines etc. Before you do commit a cavalry regiment or brigade to a full-blown
charge ensure that they won`t sacrifice themselves at the end of it. Consider
every eventuality and once you have decided to go ahead and charge stop and
think
it all through once again! This way you won`t give the enemy the opportunity to
decimate your splendid mounted regiments for the glory of perhaps taking out 1
artillery battery. Remember that the best charges are made from the enemy`s
flanks where you can sweep along an entire line of his troops routing unit after
unit - cavalry can attack up to 4 times in a single melee phase. Now thats a
charge! Make use of detached squadrons for observation and wider coverage. Above
all try to keep your enemy guessing as to your true intentions - use the
threat...
Cavalry are also very handy for protecting your infantry`s flanks when on the
move. This will hopefully negate the chance of an enemy cavalry charge
decimating
your units from the flank. Keep the cavalry out of obstructed terrain such as
orchards, forests and building hexes - they are of little use here and will
quickly succomb to enemy skirmishers as they mill about trying to move away and
reform. Finally, avoid placing your cavalry regts in a position where they can
be
quickly surrounded by enemy skirmishers. This can happen ever so easily after a
charge. It is really a game design fault more than anything else. Would 25
lightly armed men even consider placing themselves behind 500 Heavies - I don`t
think so! Do it to them before they do it to you - perhaps detach a few
squadrons
of supporting cavalry to ride right through any troublesome skirmishers before
the main attack goes in. This can be accomplished in the charge phase itself
using the "overrun" tactic.
VERSION 1.1 UPDATE: Cavalry now receive a +2 modifier for taking units in the
flank (as do infantry). This makes cavalry vs cavalry engagements much more
prolific as you can now take an enemy regiment from the flank and have a damn
good chance of driving them back!
-----------------------------------
Artillery
Properly handled artillery can prove absolutely devastating, poorly handled they
provide easy pickings for enemy skirmishers and cavalry. Keep the cannon well
back unless properly supported. They can be a source of much-needed victory
points to your opponent and rest assured they will be annihilated unless
positioned accurately and safely. Don`t squander valuable rounds on enemy
skirmishers, keep your stocks high for when you really need them. The French
Commander can afford to expend round after round on counter-battery fire, the
allies can`t. Remember this. Also, take note of the fact that when artillery
batteries are overrun if there is a friendly infantry unit in the adjacent hex
the crew will temporarily abandon the guns to take refuge. This is a great
feature which I`m sure Talonsoft are proud of, someone had their thinking hat on
with this one. Finally, artillery strengths are doubled within 2 hexes of enemy
units, if you can safely get your cannon this close then do it, its worth the
effort.
-----------------------------------
Summary
One last thing that has only been touched on in the above: Combined Arms. No one
unit type can accomplish much without the support of the others. In both defence
and attack keep a well-balanced force in all local areas and you shouldn`t go
far
wrong. Swarms of skirmishers, then columns/lines of infantry with cavalry on the
flanks and cannon tucked in behind - endeavour to use this formation every time.
It works.
Rules that I keep pinned on the wall next to the monitor:
1) Having more than 250 skirmishers in any one hex negates their -1 modifier
when
they suffer a ranged attack They also will not get the -75% modifier in
casualties.
2) Cavalry threat values are tripled within 2 hexes, doubled within 4
3) Disordered units attacks are reduced by 50%
4) Lancers strength is reduced by 25% when defending in a melee
5) Lancers & Heavies attacks are increased by 25%
6) Skirmishers gain a -2 modifier when defending in a building hex against
ranged
fire
7) The threat value exerted in any given hex can be accessed by right-clicking
on
the terrain info box
8) If a unit routs, all units in the same hex and those in adjacent hexes will
be
forced to make a morale check Update, version 1.1 now reduces the chances
of "multi-hex" routing. Therefore don`t count on routing whole brigades anymore!
9) VP comparsion:
25 Infantry = 1VP
1 Cannon = 4VP`s
3.125 Cavalry = 1VP
The Allied Army
Insights & Perspectives:
Known as Wellington`s most "infamous" Army, this hotch-potch command of variable
quality troops can be difficult to manage if you do not play to its strengths.
Firstly, and most importantly you *must* fight a predominantly defensive battle
if playing the Allies in the Waterloo scenarios. By this I mean make good use of
terrain (reverse slopes, hedges, buildings etc) and try to anchor your flanks on
easily defended locations. If necessary shorten your lines somewhat in order to
provide more depth to your defence. Pay particular attention to leader placement
so you can crack the C&C game in relation to Brigade/Divisional defence lines.
By
this I mean if you keep your Divisional Commander in the centre of his Division
and your Brigade Commanders likewise to their Brigades you can effectively
spread
your battalions out a lot wider and still maintain command control. This is so
important! You benefit from a lot of positive modifiers when your units are "in
command", take advantage of this. If you are facing an experienced French
commander you will have to be really on the ball to pull this battle "out of the
bag". Thats where the next section comes in:
Stategies for defence:
Infantry:
Your Army has some very weak links eg a lot of Quality 2 rated infantry
battalions. It can be difficult to use these troops effectively - do you push
them forward with the other troops? keep them as a weak reserve? probe at the
French flanks?
I have found that ideally these troops should be pulled back to a second line of
defence so that by the time they see any action the enemy that they face are
already fatigued, disordered, suffering command and control problems etc etc.
Even then only use them sparingly as i have repeatedly found that a
Dutch-Belgian
Brigade for example will repeatedly break and run if only one or two of its
battalions suffer morale checks and fail. Try to keep the light battalions and
quality 3 units at the front as they are less susceptible to routing, the
quality
2 units should be kept in the rear defending villages, forests and other areas
where they benefit from good modifiers. At the beginning of most of the Waterloo
battles the Dutch-Belgians that begin on the French left flank are very useful
for breaking up or distracting attacks on Hougoumont - break those 2 light
battalions down and get those skirmishers in!
Onto the "middle qualtity" troops - the 3, 4 and 5 rated units. These guys are
the heart of your Army so take good care of them. Watch your spacing between
defence lines - if you have a second infantry line (reserve) within 200-300
yards
of your first they will suffer disorganisation if and when units from the
frontline break and rout through them. This is also a valid point re cavalry
reserves, keep them well back as they are no good to you if a routed 25 man
skirmisher unit passes through your massed mounted ranks and disorders the whole
lot! I`ve had this happen to me and its a complete pain in the arse - your
vengeful smile disappears once you see your masterful counter-stroke is
completely buggered!
Update: The problem mentioned above has now been solved. In patch V1.07 cavalry
can now occupy the same hex as (250 or less) skirmishers with only the
skirmishers suffering disorder. Well done Talonsoft..
Okay...onto the higher quality infantry. The Guard Brigades and the light
battalions. The British Guard are your best infantry but they are poorly used if
you throw them into defending Hougoumont. Keep them behind the reverse slopes -
out of sight. Guard battalions in line are particularly good at routing French
regular infantry who come marching over the ridges. They are also good at
counter-
attacking (melees) as they often gain positive modifiers against French regulars
due to their higher quality. The light battalions should always be broken down
into their constituent parts, 6-7 skirmisher companies can cover 600-700 yards
of
terrain if you have a hole in your frontline (okay its a last resort but they
will hold the enemy up until you rally your broken battalions). They can also be
used to harass enemy artillery and cavalry, especially the longer-ranged
riflemen
units who can stand out of range of French skirmishers and blast away with
impunity. Skirmishers are also particularly adept at rushing forward and
outflanking the enemy. Its no great loss if 25 skirmishers get taken out in
return for taking out a Grade A French cannon! The next bit of advice is a
natural progression from the preceding sentence: Watch Your Flanks! A defensive
line should always have skirmishers or a cavalry squadron on its flanks - simply
to avoid the enemy wheeling a unit around your line to get that important +2
modifier himself! Even try refusing your flanks - place a unit at a 45 degree
angle to your frontline at each end and this helps to alleviate any potential
problems.
A final point - keep those supply wagons within 500 yds. If you don`t you`ll
soon
find that units will run low on ammo - therefore giving adverse modifiers with
regard to morale as well as obviously not being able to fire. Keep the wagons
protected as each time you lose one you also lose artillery ammunition. Damn.
Cavalry and Artillery:
I`ve placed these two unit types together as thats exactly how they should be
used - together! In the previous general tactics section I touched upon the
combined arms aspects of Napoleonic warfare, this is expanded upon here.
The Allied cavalry and artillery are quite numerous although not as much as the
French. Typical huh? A good strategy for cavalry use is to keep them out of the
way of the French grand batteries - in fact, keep them out of sight of all the
French forces if possible. In defiles, behind ridges etc. The threat of the
charge is the most important Allied ruse here...you have to decide whether to
actually go ahead and charge an advancing enemy force, hopefully taking them by
surprise or keep your cavalry in view but well back therefore threatening the
charge and forcing the enemy comander to keep forming square. This is where the
artillery comes in. Cannon devastate squares. Point made? Everyone has different
playing styles - we all understand that, so you will have to constantly analyse
your enemy`s moves and decide which way to use your offensive forces. Hide and
then charge like hell? or make a show of force to slow your opponent down?
Another important point re cavalry is their ability to be broken down into
squadrons. Just one squadron of cavalry is enough to ride right through a long
line of French skirmishers if you can charge from their flank....and you`ll
still
have the rest of the regt in reserve. See the new Cavalry tactics page for more
info. One thing to consider: if you do charge into an advancing enemy force its
highly likely that your mounted regts will be massacred in the following turns
as
they try to reform and return to their lines. Hopefully this is something that
will be remedied in future releases as its not at all realistic.
Expanding more on artillery - watch your ammunition. If you consistently fire
8-9
rounds per phase you will run out halfway through the battle and bang goes your
combined arms defence!! Its very hard to discipline yourself with artillery
shots - but as a rule of thumb try not to fire unless the range is within
500-600
yds or slightly further if you are using higher quality cannon. If you
consistently shoot at extreme range you are effectively wasting ammunition even
if you do kill 25 infantry in the process. Position an infantry battalion
adjacent to all threatened batteries as they will "save" your gunners if the
battery is charged by enemy cavalry. Also pay attention to the different quality
ratings of the various batteries and position your guns accordingly. Try not to
fire many shots with the annoying strength 2 battery that begins the battle
north
of Papelotte - I may not be right but I think its a waste of good ammunuition
for
all the damage it does! Remember if your batteries are in danger of being
charged
or assaulted then limber them up in the defensive fire phase as it gives any
survivors a chance to escape.
To summarise all of the above; try to keep your head when playing the Allies as
I
admit it can be very daunting when a particularly aggressive French commander
comes at you with all he`s got! Above all watch your flanks and keep the thin
red
line constant - no gaps! Don`t worry too much about fatigued troops as you don`t
have enough men to constantly rotate battalions in and out of the line - just
don`t let the buggers break through otherwise you`ll lose a lot of men in a
hurry. Remember that the Prussians will eventually arrive on the left flank and
that the French commander will then have to start shuffling men all around the
battlefield. I haven`t seen a French player yet who has kept a full Corps in
reserve to stave off the Prussians....and that is exactly what they need to do.
Throwing in the Young Guard will only delay the inevitable. If as the Allied
player you can "mix it" with the majority of the Grande Armee and survive you
are
halfway there!
Le Grande Armee - A Strategy For Offence
A "Grand" Strategy
Right, you`ve just started one of the Battle Of Waterloo scenarios, you`ve got
over 70,000 eager men under arms and ready to do your bidding. Now what do you
do? Here`s suggestion number one: really, and I mean really think about your
overall strategy. Its so easy to just start detaching skirmishers here and there
and following the same old tactics of taking the Hougoumont orchard, the sunken
lane to the left of it, isolating Papelotte, moving I & II Corps forward...need
I
go on? We`ve all done it. (Apologies for the few of you out there who haven`t!)
What you`ve got to decide upon is a good working plan that actually has an
objective at the end of it ie not just "Lets take Papelotte and Hougoumont and
then see what happens". Firstly, analyse the strengths and weaknesses of your
forces and be aware of them at all times. eg do not use the Guard quality 9
cavalry regiments for charging down skirmishers and incurring needless
fatigue..use them for counter-charging the British Household Cavalry...they`re
good at that! Another example would be don`t commit standard (Quality 4) line
battalions against the British Guard brigades - its suicide...they always end up
asking directions back to Paris.
An example of a "Grand strategy" would be as follows;
1) II Corps
The 6th Division from II Corps will manoeuvre to the far left of Hougoumont.
They
will pin the Dutch-Belgians on the Allied far right flank with 2 battalions of
skirmishers and then make an attack on the ridge NW of Hougoumont. Pire`s 2nd
Cav
Division will support them. The 9th Division from II Corps will feint against
Hougoumont by sending out a small screen of skirmishers and moving forward some
artillery into good offensive positions. The masse of the Division will slowly
work their way around to the left and support the 6th Division`s attack on the
ridge. 5th Division will remain in reserve in the valley to the SE of Hougoumont
but will openly demonstrate in full view of the Allied forces so as to deceive
Wellington as to where the main attack will fall.
2) I Corps
The 1st, 2nd and 3rd Divisions will demonstrate as if preparing for an assault
on
the Allied centre. Of course they will do no such thing. The 4th Division will
infiltrate around papelotte with as many skirmishers as possible and generally
create havoc. The line battalions of 4th Div will isolate Papelotte if and when
the Allied garrison are worn down...they will then take it when conditions are
right (ie the garrison are reduced in numbers and fatigued) and anchor our right
flank on the village to the right as a fire base to meet the first of the
Prussian hordes. When this is accomplished the 3rd Division will move to
reinforce the 4th providing fresh troops to meet a potential Allied counter-
attack (unlikely) or to help hold the Prussians (likely). The Cavalry Division
will be held under cover to meet any potential Allied cavalry charge on the 1st
and 2nd Divisions.
3) VI Corps
The entire Corps will move to their right using terrain-masking and will take up
positions on the far right flank. The 19th Div will hold the area around
Frichermont, the 20th Div will be to their right. Both Divisions will send
skirmishers forward to occupy all bridges, fords, crossroads and finally the
forested area on the far right. (To slow the Prussian advance) Both the 3rd and
5th Cav Divisions will provide support - as the Prussians have very numerous
mounted forces. The VI Corps will under no circumstances be drawn into the
battle
for Papelotte. They will be held back as fresh troops to meet Blucher.
4) The Guard (!)
The Grenadiers and Chasseurs of the Guard will advance to a position next to the
5th Division SE of Hougoumont. When the 6th and 9th Divs from II Corps are
attacking the Allied right flank they will launch themselves like a thunderbolt
against the ridge between Hougoumont and Le Haye Sainte. They will be supported
by all the Guard artillery and the Guard cavalry. The Young Guard will be held
as
a reserve to reinforce any breach in the Allied lines. When the forces from II
Corps and Guard Corps converge they will orient east and march against the ridge
west of Mont St Jean. The 5th Division from II Corps will keep the garrisons of
Hougoumont and Le Haye Sainte busy whilst the main assault goes in.
There - sorry to go on a bit! What I am trying to say with all the above is have
a plan and stick to it. In the above case Napoleon will try to smash the Allied
right flank as early as possible (which is more difficult to reinforce than the
the centre, and it is the opposite side of the battlefield from where the
Prussian reinforcements arrive). The Allied player will hopefully fall for some
of the ruses put into place - ie I Corps fainting against the centre, VI Corps
looking like making a move on the Allied left etc. If all goes well the French
will have pushed the Allies back against Mont St Jean whilst keeping 3 Divisions
(the 5th/II Corps and the 1st and 2nd/ICorps) in reserve. The French right flank
will have a good anchor on Papelotte and will be defended by 2 Divisions from I
Corps and the whole of VI Corps.
It sounds like a plan...
Finally...on the strategy front..please please remember to keep a LOT of fresh
troops to defend against the Prussian attack as there are millions of the
buggers....:-)
Mark Trowbridge