Fog:Emp multiplayer 2 -- BARBARIANS ARISE (game 2 running)

[MetalDog]

12 is typical for Ambactes inf in Celtic culture

[JasonPratt]

I definitely pick up heavy when I can get it; here in the desert they don't stumble around. ;)

[Huw the Poo]

Hold my mead - I'm going in!

This time it's a forest and most of my units are woodsmen, so hopefully I'll kick their scrawny Pict arses this time!

[JasonPratt]

Ooh, got to play two turns in a row this morning!

Yes, the Arabian army would be super-dangerous, except:

1.) A lot of their units are orange or red. Or were.

2.) They had moved this exhausted task force out away from their capital which now can't help with mutual defense. Thus before they manpowered back up again, I attacked with my smaller but more well-rested army, while their greater unit numbers wouldn't be much help, and while their garrison can't sally to help either.

3.) They divided half their force to go conquer an independent region away from my line of advance! -- so I defeated their holding force in detail, away from their garrison. Only my camel unit got exhausted, no losses on my side, so I'm sending my camels back to recoup.

4.) With their only mobile force (so far as I know, and considering its exhaustion probably their only force) away from the capital and unable to get back in time (except by going through an area I just conquered so they'll have to eat turmoil for a while which won't help their exhaustion), I'm sending my task force (minus the red camels) to hit the capital. Which fortunately is also one of my assigned goals, so if I take it (and I should, barring them spawning in any emergency levies) I won't get hit for more decadence.

5.) My other region in this line of advance will be getting reinforcements and a pallisade in the next few turns, so I should be protected from opportunity ripostes. The only downsides are...

6.) I'm out of manpower, so I'm having to use the new mercenary camp recently set up to buy holding troops for a while. Fortunately I've got good gold income, but this is going to tank me for a while.

7.) Provincial units always spawn at my capital now, away from the front lines. There are exceptions for units that can only be built in certain areas, like elephants at my southwestern ancient port area, and I'm hoping the merc camp on my front lines will be a similar exception. But otherwise they'll be delayed 4 turns getting into defensive position.

(No I don't have any elephant troops. Yet. In this game.  >:D )

[Huw the Poo]

Jason, I really appreciate posts like these.  They're a big help for me to understand this silly game. O0

[Blucher]

My army got wiped out again :(

[Huw the Poo]

OK I'm laying siege to an enemy province.  I have overwhelming numbers.  What do I do?  Just wait, or....?

[JasonPratt]

Hrm. I don't think there's anything you can do directly to help, other than to provide them with units capable of siegeing. That's primarily normal and heavy infantry (not for example horse cavalry, or skirmishers, though they're good with standard infantry at defending a siege.)

If you don't have those, the siege could go on for several years, which is going to eat your troops up with attrition in a region they don't really control yet.

[JasonPratt]

My army got wiped out again :(

Do you need some cash for hiring mercs?

I'm surprised the indies are giving you this much trouble. If you go in with twice their combat power, you should clean up handily -- just be careful to also account for any garrisons they have (though I'd be surprised any of them have much garrisoning, even by this point). The garrison will be added to the expected inherent combat power for the region.

Sometimes a local indie will bootstrap up into being their own mini-faction -- I had that happen in our first Groghead mp game! I remember seeing some kind of force with cavalry actually sitting in the indy territory next to you for some turns, which couldn't be a faction invasion because the region was still neutral gray. That suggests someone over north of you on the coast bootstrapped up and can now field actual stacks!

So far my experience suggests that in this area, a 2:1 mix of skirms and regular infantry is potent, with light cavalry filling in for the skirm slots where you can afford it, ditto heavy infantry for regulars.

[Tuna]

OK I'm laying siege to an enemy province.  I have overwhelming numbers.  What do I do?  Just wait, or....?

You hold your mouse over the fort, it will tell you if you have any breached walls or not. Once you have 0 walls left, click on your army and click the 'assault' tab. Next turn the Army will assault the settlement. If it is a coastal settlement, it's a good idea if you have them to put a navy in the water space next to it. That will do a blockade and speed up the siege process.

I think you can attempt an Assault as soon as you want, but I think it could cause you to take heavy losses and maybe fail. So I always wait.

[Huw the Poo]

Splendid, thanks Tuna!

[MetalDog]

Huw, you can find out what troops are good in what terrains if you have your mouse pointer over a unit and hold CTRL.  I believe you can do that on the screen you buy them, but I definitely know you can do it when your army is onscreen, grouped by type.  Just hold it over a unit tile and press CTRL.  Another text box will come up telling you a good deal of information.

[MetalDog]

My army got wiped out again :(

You are the Gothones, yes?  Is there anything me and tuna can do?  I am Belgae and Tuna is Arvernii.  As allies, I believe we can send you gold at the very least. 

[JasonPratt]

No, that's Speedy. Blucher is my ally, the Qats.

[JasonPratt]

Not that I would complain if you sent them gold!  O:-)

I was thinking of doing that myself, until I decided I needed to press the war with Arabia beyond my manpower unit and so needed some temporary mercenary punch myself.  >:D