The Art of War   Site Map Personal   © Thomas Harlan 1996 The LOTE game system models ( but does not simulate ) large scale warfare in a variety of periods from the Bronze Age to the Late Renaissance. In designing the current battle system, the following main concerns were addressed: Command leadership National Troop quality Individual army troop quality Terrain in area of operation Supply / local levels of support In addition, the conscious decision was made to use the 'critical battle' as the working metaphor of a given campaign. This, in part, is why battle results in the newsfax are usually related as a single engagement. In some cases, several engagements may be reported, but the system is oriented towards providing a critical or decisive result. Note that, as the time-frame progresses, the entire campaign model needs to drift to a frontage-based result as contiguous lines of battle across entire countries ( or continents ) become supported by the sizes of the armies in conflict, and their logistical needs. With these things in mind, here are the main points to consider when planning a war against your neighbors, or the successful conclusion of a war that has been thrust upon you. Concentration Of Forces Because the system tends to the decisive, there is little to be gained for scattering your armies about in smaller groups - unless you are sure of pinning the primary enemy army in a siege or by some other means. An attacking army moves more slowly through hostile country than the defender. It is quite possible for a single, large, defending army ( particularly if it has good terrain for maneuver or roads ) to be able to engage multiple smaller attacking armies individually and to destroy them in sequence. LOTE provinces are still quite large, so fighting in echelon ( Napoleonics style ) does not work well. A better approach is to attack with one large force, while retaining another force in reserve to defend your frontage. This helps prevent 'spillage' from smaller enemy armies avoiding battle with your attacking force and trying to cut behind your line of advance.     Once battle is met, your casualties are in rough proportion to the size of the enemy army. If you outnumber your enemy by 2 to 1 and all other factors are equal, you should be able to swamp him with numbers. Depth Of Leadership If at all possible, do not send an army into battle without at least two leaders in command. Full army combat in the Middle Ages can be hell on commanders. Nothing will bring you defeat quicker than losing your only general. Un-led troops, in most campaigns, have a combat leadership of zero. A difference of three or four leadership points between opposing commanders can be the harbinger of victory. Even a 3 Combat Leadership leader could save your bacon. Mixture Of Forces Particularly in campaigns where Elite / Regular / Inexperienced or Heavy / Medium / Light troop types are in use you must strike a balance in the composition of your armies. All Heavy Elite armies are very impressive and pretty, but they cost you too much when you have to take losses or detach garrisons. A rough proportion is 1/4 elite, 1/2 regular, 1/4 inexperienced. As losses are taken, the poorest troops die first, so after a round or two of battle, your positive modifiers for better troop quality will actually improve as the inexperienced units die off protecting your better troops. The key point is that the damage projection and absorption of elite / regular / inexperienced is equal. Elite units give you a better chance of improving your level of damage projection, but do not deal out more damage within a given level. Heavy / medium / light units, however, do project and absorb different levels of damage. This means that if you are going into a stand-up fight, you want more heavy units ( if you can afford them ). Now note that we're talking about two different levels of battle ( or campaign ) here. One is a the maneuver level ( where you're looking for the best combat bonus ), and one where you actually have to cause and sustain damage. As the supreme generalissimo, you want to try and balance the two. An army entirely of light elite troops is good for a variety of things, but getting into a stand-up fight ( or a siege ) with heavy troops is not one of them. Of course, you can always try and swamp your enemy with sheer numbers. Fixed Positions Though it generally does not happen, the proper use of fixed fortified positions can be decisive in a campaign. In particular, convincing an enemy army to assail a defended position is an excellent way to cause a very high level of casualties in the attacker. In particular, note that in the siege or assault resolution sequence, that the attacking force suffers damage from the defender BEFORE the defender takes any losses. It is possible, therefore, for an attacking force to be completely hashed up before they even get a chance to come to grips with the defenders. On the other hand, the way the modifiers work it is also possible for an attacker to have such an advantage in terms of bonus points ( particularly when there is a high disparity in terms of the Siege QR of each side ) that they shrug off the damage roll of the defender and then root them out of their hole like a badger on a pole. Sieges are bloody, nasty work and should be avoided by an attacker at any reasonable cost. If bonus points and troop sizes are equal, the defender will win a siege ( on average ) every time. More than one campaign has foundered when the attacking force ( having a numerical superiority ) chases a defending army into a city, besieges it, loses a lot of troops, and then the defenders sortie and clean them up. The key here is an awareness of whether you have an advantage in Siege QR or not. If you do, you can work it to your advantage quite easily -- if you do not, then you want to avoid being trapped in sieges ( on either side ). Intel There is no more critical advantage in warfare than knowing the dispositions and intent of your enemy, while keeping your own secret. If at all possible, you should know at least the following before undertaking a campaign against a neighbor: How many troops he has and where they are. Where his generals are. Which cities are fortified, and preferably how strongly. Which of his QR's are higher or lower than your own. If you have a fair idea of these things, your planning becomes vastly easier. Once you are campaigning, then the Battle Assistance intel op comes into play - it gives you a moderate bonus if successful. Don't pass up any opportunities to gain an extra bonus. You can also attempt assassinations of enemy commanders in an attempt to pin an enemy army ( by wounding or killing its commander ). In some games, a killed leader is immediately replaced by a new commander, in which case you're hoping for a wound result.   © Thomas Harlan 1997 Home  Map   Top