02-03-2022, 01:36 PM
(This post was last modified: 02-03-2022, 01:46 PM by GrimFinger.)
MOSTELLER'S BATTLE TACTIC # 1
Basic, fundamental tactics and strategies of real combat can serve the Hyborian War player well, if adapted to the game environment and game rules.
One of my favorite tactics is to utilize a "divide-and-conquer" tactic. If executed properly, it can effectively alter the existing balance-of-power for a given kingdom, compared to that of its enemy.
The shortest distance between two points is a straight line, but the best path to conquering your enemy's provinces is not necessarily a straight line at all.
The "divide-and-conquer" tactic is an extremely valuable tool to include in your tactics arsenal. You do not have to be a master tactician in order to understand how to employ this tactic against your enemies.
Why "divide-and-conquer?" Consider the following:
(1) You can use this tactic to effectively disrupt and impede your enemy's supply lines. If you succeed in severing your enemy's "line-of-reinforcement," by cutting his nation into two or more distinct groups of provinces (geographically speaking), you are able to then deal with the enemy on terms far more reasonable than otherwise would be the case.
(2) If used to encircle or cut-off the enemy's capital, the effect can be particularly devastating. Only your enemy's armies in provinces adjacent to, or which have an unfettered line of reinforcement from, his capital can be reinforced, once your armies succeed in cutting the enemy in two.
(3) If "divide-and-conquer" is employed successfully to encircle the enemy capital completely, then a side benefit is that your enemy's treasury will begin to see a sharp increase in troop encampment costs, which will result if new troops raised have no place to go for assignment but to the enemy's capital. If the enemy's capital is not completely cut-off from his outer-lying provinces, the ability to damage your enemy's treasury via "forced encampment costs" will correspond directly to how few additional provinces your enemy has which border or are connected by alliance or additional conquests to his capital.
(4) If the "divide-and-conquer" tactic is used in conjunction with timely placed peace treaties, the end effect will be that you will limit and impede your enemy's ability to expand at his leisure, by effectively disrupting his ability to expand. Sever his supply lines (lines of reinforcement), and then slap him in a peace treaty, to effectively consolidate your position.
(5)Successful implementation of the "divide-and-conquer" tactic forces your enemy to alter his existing strategy, by compelling him to now endure a forced change of plans. Barring your enemy being willing to effectively "cede" a given portion of his still-owned outer-lying territory to you, a situation where no hope of future reinforcement of outer-lying armies is possible swiftly becomes an untenable situation to any player who finally ultimately realizes his fate. Empty imperial armies do not invade additional provinces, nor do empty provincial armies. Even full (30 troop strength level) provincial armies in outer-lying provinces will cease to be of use in an offensive capacity, if an outer-lying imperial army needed to initiate an invasion, whereby those full provincial armies can be "added to" the imperial army in question, has less than 8 troops in it. In effect, if successfully carried out in a timely manner, the "divide-and-conquer" tactic can result in your using your enemy's own military strength against himself.
(6) Once outer-lying provincial armies are cut-off from reinforcements from your enemy's capital province, the option of "raiding empty" your enemy's provincial armies can then be implemented (depending upon circumstances, troop types, and troop ability disparities) at your leisure and convenience. In effect, a "war of attrition" tactic directed against enemy outer-lying provincial forces can be useful to whittle enemy forces down over an extended period of time, effectively making your enemy's outer-lying provinces just ripe for the picking.
(7) If employed in a timely manner, and you succeed in cutting-off multiple enemy imperial armies from reinforcement, particularly during the turn they are fighting battles which deplete them of existing troops, you may very well find yourself in a situation where your kingdom can effectively rip the fangs out of your enemy, even if his kingdom is bigger and militarily stronger.
(8) If you miscalculate, and simply assume that your enemy's outer-lying imperial armies do not have 8 or more troops in them, following successfully cutting your enemy's kingdom into two or more distinct parts, your miscalculation may be your own undoing. A timely and accurate military spy report at just the right moment can remove the "element of doubt," where this matter is concerned. Also, even if you succeed in cutting off some of your enemy's imperial armies from reinforcement, always be very aware of the disposition and strength of any of his remaining imperial armies which are not cut-off from additional reinforcement from his capital. If your enemy has imperial armies of strength available to him following your cutting his kingdom into two or more distinct parts, then those very same enemy armies can then be resorted to by your enemy to "re-establish the line-of-reinforcement." In this case, what you don't know very well can hurt you. Indeed, your ignorance can cost you dearly. Again, I stress the value of timely and accurate military spy information on the current location and strength of his imperial armies.
(9) If you are successful at employing the "divide-and-conquer" tactic, and if you follow your success up by using peace treaties to stabilize the status quo, be on guard against enemy taunts designed to irritate and anger you to the point where you will invade him again, thereby breaking the peace treaty you have against him.
(10) Few things are more satisfying than to humble an enemy in Hyborian War to the point where he cannot invade either yourself or anyone else. Even if your enemy's outer-lying imperial armies still possess sufficient strength (8 or more troops) to invade his other neighbors, though you succeed in slapping a peace treaty on him, the more battles he fights thereafter, even against kingdoms other than your own, benefit your kingdom, by virtue of the fact that, once your enemy's outer-lying imperial armies start losing troops in other battles, once they fall below 8 troops in strength, those imperial armies effectively cease to exist as a force to be reckoned with. At that point, your enemy could use those outer-lying imperial armies to raid you with, but again, do not allow a raid (a form of taunting) to goad you into doing something stupid, such as invading the outer-lying provinces where his imperial armies are stranded. Even a loss for your enemy, in this case, is to his advantage and to your kingdom's disadvantage, because if his defeated imperial army retreats to his capital, he will then be able to reinforce it, and by extension, use it against you again.
(11) Be especially aware as to what other kingdoms (player and non-player) which your enemy is allied with. Remember - an alliance your enemy has with another kingdom or kingdoms can be used as a path to reinforce his outer-lying armies. Mistakes on your part, in this regard, can prove fatal to your kingdom.
This tactic has served me very, very well over the years I have been playing Hyborian War, ever since my first game in Hyborian War game # 85. I trust and hope that you - my fellow Hyborian War player - will find this piece of game advice to be of use to you in your future conquests and wars. This is probably the single most effective tactic I have ever used to do well in the various games I have played. The first kingdom I ever used it on was Aquilonia, and it worked like a charm. Let me know if it works for you.
- Charles -
Basic, fundamental tactics and strategies of real combat can serve the Hyborian War player well, if adapted to the game environment and game rules.
One of my favorite tactics is to utilize a "divide-and-conquer" tactic. If executed properly, it can effectively alter the existing balance-of-power for a given kingdom, compared to that of its enemy.
The shortest distance between two points is a straight line, but the best path to conquering your enemy's provinces is not necessarily a straight line at all.
The "divide-and-conquer" tactic is an extremely valuable tool to include in your tactics arsenal. You do not have to be a master tactician in order to understand how to employ this tactic against your enemies.
Why "divide-and-conquer?" Consider the following:
(1) You can use this tactic to effectively disrupt and impede your enemy's supply lines. If you succeed in severing your enemy's "line-of-reinforcement," by cutting his nation into two or more distinct groups of provinces (geographically speaking), you are able to then deal with the enemy on terms far more reasonable than otherwise would be the case.
(2) If used to encircle or cut-off the enemy's capital, the effect can be particularly devastating. Only your enemy's armies in provinces adjacent to, or which have an unfettered line of reinforcement from, his capital can be reinforced, once your armies succeed in cutting the enemy in two.
(3) If "divide-and-conquer" is employed successfully to encircle the enemy capital completely, then a side benefit is that your enemy's treasury will begin to see a sharp increase in troop encampment costs, which will result if new troops raised have no place to go for assignment but to the enemy's capital. If the enemy's capital is not completely cut-off from his outer-lying provinces, the ability to damage your enemy's treasury via "forced encampment costs" will correspond directly to how few additional provinces your enemy has which border or are connected by alliance or additional conquests to his capital.
(4) If the "divide-and-conquer" tactic is used in conjunction with timely placed peace treaties, the end effect will be that you will limit and impede your enemy's ability to expand at his leisure, by effectively disrupting his ability to expand. Sever his supply lines (lines of reinforcement), and then slap him in a peace treaty, to effectively consolidate your position.
(5)Successful implementation of the "divide-and-conquer" tactic forces your enemy to alter his existing strategy, by compelling him to now endure a forced change of plans. Barring your enemy being willing to effectively "cede" a given portion of his still-owned outer-lying territory to you, a situation where no hope of future reinforcement of outer-lying armies is possible swiftly becomes an untenable situation to any player who finally ultimately realizes his fate. Empty imperial armies do not invade additional provinces, nor do empty provincial armies. Even full (30 troop strength level) provincial armies in outer-lying provinces will cease to be of use in an offensive capacity, if an outer-lying imperial army needed to initiate an invasion, whereby those full provincial armies can be "added to" the imperial army in question, has less than 8 troops in it. In effect, if successfully carried out in a timely manner, the "divide-and-conquer" tactic can result in your using your enemy's own military strength against himself.
(6) Once outer-lying provincial armies are cut-off from reinforcements from your enemy's capital province, the option of "raiding empty" your enemy's provincial armies can then be implemented (depending upon circumstances, troop types, and troop ability disparities) at your leisure and convenience. In effect, a "war of attrition" tactic directed against enemy outer-lying provincial forces can be useful to whittle enemy forces down over an extended period of time, effectively making your enemy's outer-lying provinces just ripe for the picking.
(7) If employed in a timely manner, and you succeed in cutting-off multiple enemy imperial armies from reinforcement, particularly during the turn they are fighting battles which deplete them of existing troops, you may very well find yourself in a situation where your kingdom can effectively rip the fangs out of your enemy, even if his kingdom is bigger and militarily stronger.
(8) If you miscalculate, and simply assume that your enemy's outer-lying imperial armies do not have 8 or more troops in them, following successfully cutting your enemy's kingdom into two or more distinct parts, your miscalculation may be your own undoing. A timely and accurate military spy report at just the right moment can remove the "element of doubt," where this matter is concerned. Also, even if you succeed in cutting off some of your enemy's imperial armies from reinforcement, always be very aware of the disposition and strength of any of his remaining imperial armies which are not cut-off from additional reinforcement from his capital. If your enemy has imperial armies of strength available to him following your cutting his kingdom into two or more distinct parts, then those very same enemy armies can then be resorted to by your enemy to "re-establish the line-of-reinforcement." In this case, what you don't know very well can hurt you. Indeed, your ignorance can cost you dearly. Again, I stress the value of timely and accurate military spy information on the current location and strength of his imperial armies.
(9) If you are successful at employing the "divide-and-conquer" tactic, and if you follow your success up by using peace treaties to stabilize the status quo, be on guard against enemy taunts designed to irritate and anger you to the point where you will invade him again, thereby breaking the peace treaty you have against him.
(10) Few things are more satisfying than to humble an enemy in Hyborian War to the point where he cannot invade either yourself or anyone else. Even if your enemy's outer-lying imperial armies still possess sufficient strength (8 or more troops) to invade his other neighbors, though you succeed in slapping a peace treaty on him, the more battles he fights thereafter, even against kingdoms other than your own, benefit your kingdom, by virtue of the fact that, once your enemy's outer-lying imperial armies start losing troops in other battles, once they fall below 8 troops in strength, those imperial armies effectively cease to exist as a force to be reckoned with. At that point, your enemy could use those outer-lying imperial armies to raid you with, but again, do not allow a raid (a form of taunting) to goad you into doing something stupid, such as invading the outer-lying provinces where his imperial armies are stranded. Even a loss for your enemy, in this case, is to his advantage and to your kingdom's disadvantage, because if his defeated imperial army retreats to his capital, he will then be able to reinforce it, and by extension, use it against you again.
(11) Be especially aware as to what other kingdoms (player and non-player) which your enemy is allied with. Remember - an alliance your enemy has with another kingdom or kingdoms can be used as a path to reinforce his outer-lying armies. Mistakes on your part, in this regard, can prove fatal to your kingdom.
This tactic has served me very, very well over the years I have been playing Hyborian War, ever since my first game in Hyborian War game # 85. I trust and hope that you - my fellow Hyborian War player - will find this piece of game advice to be of use to you in your future conquests and wars. This is probably the single most effective tactic I have ever used to do well in the various games I have played. The first kingdom I ever used it on was Aquilonia, and it worked like a charm. Let me know if it works for you.
- Charles -