I've nearly completed the Dash for the Danube campaign. It's 1814 and I'm defending Paris with a depleted 14 stack facing Spain (25), Russia (25), Prussia (30) and Austria (25) stacks. I'm winning ALL my battles but loosing too many units, so I think my strategy must be a bit off. I did read the manual and watch the tutorial videos (twice) and a few you tube videos. I've tried both holding back and moving forward, and a combination, either way I loose artillery regularly. About one per battle, and I simply am unable to save or replace them. Obviously the AI focuses on it, but I'm not sure loosing so much Artillery is that historical. I also find the battle randomness a little too much to stomach at times. E.g. a level 5 imperial guard fails to disrupt a level 1 Prussian Landwehr - THREE times/turns? I'm fine with loosing but I think the battles are a bit too random. I'm not saying I should win, but there should be like a 1:10 chance of loosing that fight.
Should I hold my artillery back and screen it with other units? How do you guys protect your artillery? Any tips about battle set up and execution would be welcome (I need it!)
Also not had the Berthier card, which should not be a random card, it should be there at 1805 start.
I find I get the same card multiple times (Heavy Cav, Imperial Guard, Horse Arty) but NEVER got these cards:
Napoleon marries; Berthier; Corps d'Armee (OK 1 in 4); Code Napoleon; Danish Navy; Ottoman Declares War on Russia; Continental Sys; Concordat; US declares war; Louisiana Sale; Napoleon Calls Upon Early; Imperial Guard Artillery; and Mutiny in the Royal Navy.
Why are some of these cards random?
First Playthrough
RE: First Playthrough
In my current game I've got a "5" rated artillery unit that I refuse to move to the front. It's just too valuable so I use it to soften up the defense while I attack with 2 infantry and 2 cav. I'm losing support modifiers but no way am I losing that fiver [:-]
I think the allies might be getting too many troops (or the French too few) but I haven't played through enough campaigns yet.
I think the allies might be getting too many troops (or the French too few) but I haven't played through enough campaigns yet.
RE: First Playthrough
I finished my first 1805 campaign on General...'Epic' victory (don't have the exact score in front of me). I will post my own impressions in another thread shortly but I think the randomness from the cards really needs to be there. The game will definitely need the replayability.
The only units I really tried to 'protect' were the Imperial Guard, and only because I need to keep 1 back to make sure Nappy doesn't get smacked. Other than that, use 'em if you got 'em with the intention of winning as decisively as possible. Winning the battle isn't the goal, it's annihilation of the enemy forces and the stronger units can do that easier than the weaker ones. So I prefer to use my best troops to batter the enemy army into hamburger before it can retreat and get away (unless I'm in their capital but even there I want to kill as much as possible so it doesn't fester and return 6 turns later).
The only units I really tried to 'protect' were the Imperial Guard, and only because I need to keep 1 back to make sure Nappy doesn't get smacked. Other than that, use 'em if you got 'em with the intention of winning as decisively as possible. Winning the battle isn't the goal, it's annihilation of the enemy forces and the stronger units can do that easier than the weaker ones. So I prefer to use my best troops to batter the enemy army into hamburger before it can retreat and get away (unless I'm in their capital but even there I want to kill as much as possible so it doesn't fester and return 6 turns later).
RE: First Playthrough
The key to success in the strategic game is to defeat enemy nations and then use your political points to keep one nation out of the war for as long as possible. This will enable you to then defeat another major nation and redirect your focus on a third. By using this method, you should be able to prevent being swarmed.
In the 1805 scenario I usually focus on enemy nations with the Napoleon stack (and a back-up stack to feed in replacements after battles) in the following order:
Austria (defeated by end of 1805)
Prussia (defeated in mid 1806)
Russia (Invade in Spring 1807, defeated before Winter)
Austria
Spain
Prussia
Austria
After I defeat Russia, I like to spend most of my Political Points on them (and marry into their royal family if I get that card)
By keeping Russia out of things, I avoid facing multiple large armies.
If I get the Prussia Prostrate card, that's great. They are probably out for the duration, especially if I keep Russia quiet.
Then I can crush Spain and any interfering British armies more easily and with less risk in the East.
Austria usually needs to be beaten 3 times in the game, so keep a strong army led by a good General (Davout) in Bavaria or Northern Italy for that.
The flow of cards changes the flow of the game somewhat every time you play, but this type of strategy should help you avoid getting swamped.
In the 1805 scenario I usually focus on enemy nations with the Napoleon stack (and a back-up stack to feed in replacements after battles) in the following order:
Austria (defeated by end of 1805)
Prussia (defeated in mid 1806)
Russia (Invade in Spring 1807, defeated before Winter)
Austria
Spain
Prussia
Austria
After I defeat Russia, I like to spend most of my Political Points on them (and marry into their royal family if I get that card)
By keeping Russia out of things, I avoid facing multiple large armies.
If I get the Prussia Prostrate card, that's great. They are probably out for the duration, especially if I keep Russia quiet.
Then I can crush Spain and any interfering British armies more easily and with less risk in the East.
Austria usually needs to be beaten 3 times in the game, so keep a strong army led by a good General (Davout) in Bavaria or Northern Italy for that.
The flow of cards changes the flow of the game somewhat every time you play, but this type of strategy should help you avoid getting swamped.
GMoney
RE: First Playthrough
Tactically, you will take losses.
Sending forward your weaker units first and only committing your premium units after the battle 'has ripened' should allow you to avoid taking painful losses.
Remember, when you attack with a '4' rated unit against a '1' rated unit, it's not just a clash between those two units. It's a fight between those units, and supported by all units in their respective battle areas. If the enemy has a strong combined arms group, they can fend off attacks more easily...even from Guard units (The Guard attack at Waterloo failed for this reason).
The best way to undermine the enemy's tactical strength is to chop away at their ability to form combined arms groups. This means attacking the unit type that they cannot easily replace. Often this means artillery first, but depending on their reserves, it may be that you just keep attacking infantry units until they run out in their reserve.
Once their reserves are depleted, and their front line troops are disrupted, send in the guards and heavy cavalry for maximum impact and low chance of becoming casualties.
After the battle, replace your 'cannon fodder' (German and Italian troops) from an adjacent army.
This tactical approach may not result in as many brilliant break-through victories as the enemy may well retreat before you weaken them enough to break their line, but it will save your better units for when you really need them.
Sending forward your weaker units first and only committing your premium units after the battle 'has ripened' should allow you to avoid taking painful losses.
Remember, when you attack with a '4' rated unit against a '1' rated unit, it's not just a clash between those two units. It's a fight between those units, and supported by all units in their respective battle areas. If the enemy has a strong combined arms group, they can fend off attacks more easily...even from Guard units (The Guard attack at Waterloo failed for this reason).
The best way to undermine the enemy's tactical strength is to chop away at their ability to form combined arms groups. This means attacking the unit type that they cannot easily replace. Often this means artillery first, but depending on their reserves, it may be that you just keep attacking infantry units until they run out in their reserve.
Once their reserves are depleted, and their front line troops are disrupted, send in the guards and heavy cavalry for maximum impact and low chance of becoming casualties.
After the battle, replace your 'cannon fodder' (German and Italian troops) from an adjacent army.
This tactical approach may not result in as many brilliant break-through victories as the enemy may well retreat before you weaken them enough to break their line, but it will save your better units for when you really need them.
GMoney
RE: First Playthrough
Just finished my second play through. I had originally thought I'd have a go at Russia, but that never really happened.
I actually let Austria live a while in '05, so that I could fight more major battles (VP) and kill more Russians. I finally killed Austria when there seemed no further point in prolonging things, and Prussia was looking ready to DOW. Again I slightly delayed killing Prussia to get an extra battle or two and give the Russian chances to get over and get killed. Then took out Prussia and advanced with Napoleon to Warsaw where I couldn't play Duchy of Warsaw card which I had, but the convert minor nation seemed to do it anyway - I was able to use the build Polish troops cards.
Napoleon was looking a bit far out by this point, so I decided that plowing on to Russia seemed a bit pointless, and turned back to Saxony.
Austria and Prussia have both DOW'd and died again only to easily. The main interest came from a British army that landed in the South if France and advanced on Paris, but I had forces to take it out. A larger British army then landed in Belgium and was beaten time and again as it retreated all over the place - that took quite a ludicrous chase across central Europe. By the time I'd beaten those 2 forces and another one in Denmark that was largely the end of Britain doing much. Russia must have been so badly beaten by my early strategy that I never really saw much of them again after the first wars with Prussia/Austria. Which meant I never got to Tilsit them either.
Prussia was beaten a 3rd time I think just at end of '12, so was Friendly Neutral when Liberation hit, so I didn't have to deal with them, Russia was doing nothing except horde a 30-40 unit army in Moscow. Spain advanced on Paris whilst Napoleon dealt with Austria again. The French in Paris beat off the 30 pt Spanish army and then chased it all the way home, wiping out every Spanish unit. They surrendered and then I played Kingdom of Spain in late 1814 or early 1815, not sure now.
Declared War on Prussia and killed them with Napoleon again, for the extra VP in mid '15.
This time got Berthier, coincidentally the same turn the Allies got 25 pt armies.
I've yet to lose a major battle, sure I take losses, and they can annoyingly be the best units (skirmishers and horse art) but nothing that is going to really nobble me.
So game ends with Russia and Uk at war, but Russia hasn't really been seen since about '07 or '08 after they lost most of their stuff. The UK after an annoying series of landings stayed largely out of it after they were all wiped out. Spain is mine.
Final score 420 vs 208.
My hand was full of cards I couldn't use by the end (due to Russia at war etc), I was struggling to clear out places for new cards. Is there a way of getting rid of cards you don't want? Interestingly I never had a single Strategic move card all game, though I did get a few Force marches. I was hardly using the force marches, in the early game I was wanting the wars to drag a bit to get the Russians over so didn't go force marching to Vienna. Later on you are usually right outside the next capital so don't really need them.
I actually let Austria live a while in '05, so that I could fight more major battles (VP) and kill more Russians. I finally killed Austria when there seemed no further point in prolonging things, and Prussia was looking ready to DOW. Again I slightly delayed killing Prussia to get an extra battle or two and give the Russian chances to get over and get killed. Then took out Prussia and advanced with Napoleon to Warsaw where I couldn't play Duchy of Warsaw card which I had, but the convert minor nation seemed to do it anyway - I was able to use the build Polish troops cards.
Napoleon was looking a bit far out by this point, so I decided that plowing on to Russia seemed a bit pointless, and turned back to Saxony.
Austria and Prussia have both DOW'd and died again only to easily. The main interest came from a British army that landed in the South if France and advanced on Paris, but I had forces to take it out. A larger British army then landed in Belgium and was beaten time and again as it retreated all over the place - that took quite a ludicrous chase across central Europe. By the time I'd beaten those 2 forces and another one in Denmark that was largely the end of Britain doing much. Russia must have been so badly beaten by my early strategy that I never really saw much of them again after the first wars with Prussia/Austria. Which meant I never got to Tilsit them either.
Prussia was beaten a 3rd time I think just at end of '12, so was Friendly Neutral when Liberation hit, so I didn't have to deal with them, Russia was doing nothing except horde a 30-40 unit army in Moscow. Spain advanced on Paris whilst Napoleon dealt with Austria again. The French in Paris beat off the 30 pt Spanish army and then chased it all the way home, wiping out every Spanish unit. They surrendered and then I played Kingdom of Spain in late 1814 or early 1815, not sure now.
Declared War on Prussia and killed them with Napoleon again, for the extra VP in mid '15.
This time got Berthier, coincidentally the same turn the Allies got 25 pt armies.
I've yet to lose a major battle, sure I take losses, and they can annoyingly be the best units (skirmishers and horse art) but nothing that is going to really nobble me.
So game ends with Russia and Uk at war, but Russia hasn't really been seen since about '07 or '08 after they lost most of their stuff. The UK after an annoying series of landings stayed largely out of it after they were all wiped out. Spain is mine.
Final score 420 vs 208.
My hand was full of cards I couldn't use by the end (due to Russia at war etc), I was struggling to clear out places for new cards. Is there a way of getting rid of cards you don't want? Interestingly I never had a single Strategic move card all game, though I did get a few Force marches. I was hardly using the force marches, in the early game I was wanting the wars to drag a bit to get the Russians over so didn't go force marching to Vienna. Later on you are usually right outside the next capital so don't really need them.
RE: First Playthrough
I still think a few tweaks are needed. Whilst one could go to harder difficulty, I'm never keen on giving the AI bonuses to cope with such stuff. I think this could be made a better game at normal difficulty with a few tweaks before going to higher difficulty.
At the moment it is far too easy to win battles. There is really some AI tweaking that is needed there. In particular when you attack the AI it will never launch any assault on you in any sector. The AI should be taught to look at what it faces and react accordingly. At the moment I can load one flank with skirmishers, good cav, bring up mass artillery on turn 2 and crush one flank. Mean while the other sectors are left alone and not threatened.
Equally it might be better if on the attack it tried to focus on one flank. At the moment it never seems to have more than 4 units per sector and spreads out. On the attack it could probably put more pressure on if it shuffled in extra troops behind the first wave so they can then get straight in as the first wave are killed. Spreading out and attacking allover can be good, but spicing things up with some variability and focus would make planning defense a bit harder. IN particular for example, if I have 2 skirmish units, a horse art and good cav on one flank any advance on that is going to suffer. So instead attack the other flanks and just sit back on the flank I loaded up with good stuff, effectively taking them out the battle.
Strategy wise. It is currently too easy to win without even worrying about attacking Spain/Russia. Prussia/Austria will go to war often enough, and are handily beaten. At least one battle to take a capital and another to repulse the counter attack is 2 major victories or 10 VP. plus the 10VP for defeating the nation. That is 20+Vp each time you defeat them. They seem to go to war 3 times per game, maybe 4. You can always DOW them yourself. That is a lot of VP. Playing Consolidate each Winter, and the odd other turn is another 40+VP. You don't want to have permanent peace with them, so playing the Prussia Prostrated or fiddling Political points to keep them at peace seems a bad strategy.
I'd advocate that the British AI should stop spending 2 political points per turn on Prussia/Austria as currently happens, and instead use 1 point on each, and leave using 2 only when one is more pro French. That would slow down the rate at which they go to war (and VP given up), and potentially drop them both down to being able to DOW at the same time when no longer Friendly Neutral. If there is less focus on one nation it may mean that there will be times Napoleon will be less able to be waiting outside the right capital to attack.
The French Declare war card would probably need some hindrance, maybe an immediate drop in political points on all other nations (I didn't notice it had any side effect, making it just a free way to get to war and easy VP).
Russia giving 2 VP per turn whilst at war would act a bit like Portugal and provide some incentive to want to go east. The extra 120 VP would make it harder to gain Epic victories without beating Spain (to get to portugal) or Russia.
However, I'd still argue that something should be done regarding the movement rates. It still doesn't feel that Napoleonic. I accept it isn't a serious simulation (part of the reason I bought it - I have other monster games when needed). But I think the feel should still be there. I can see several ways of that - always allow a double move in friendly territory, which would have the side effect of making gaining minors more useful for the friendly regions. Always have a strategic movement card in hand. Always allow Napoleon to force march, or just more movement cards in the deck. IF the game is harder to win via VP and encourages the Russia/Spain attacks, whilst the battles are a bit tougher due to AI improvements then the ability to move limited resources is more crucial, and becomes more interesting. Else it seems pointless going for Spain/Russia when you can win so easy without any of that.
At the moment it is far too easy to win battles. There is really some AI tweaking that is needed there. In particular when you attack the AI it will never launch any assault on you in any sector. The AI should be taught to look at what it faces and react accordingly. At the moment I can load one flank with skirmishers, good cav, bring up mass artillery on turn 2 and crush one flank. Mean while the other sectors are left alone and not threatened.
Equally it might be better if on the attack it tried to focus on one flank. At the moment it never seems to have more than 4 units per sector and spreads out. On the attack it could probably put more pressure on if it shuffled in extra troops behind the first wave so they can then get straight in as the first wave are killed. Spreading out and attacking allover can be good, but spicing things up with some variability and focus would make planning defense a bit harder. IN particular for example, if I have 2 skirmish units, a horse art and good cav on one flank any advance on that is going to suffer. So instead attack the other flanks and just sit back on the flank I loaded up with good stuff, effectively taking them out the battle.
Strategy wise. It is currently too easy to win without even worrying about attacking Spain/Russia. Prussia/Austria will go to war often enough, and are handily beaten. At least one battle to take a capital and another to repulse the counter attack is 2 major victories or 10 VP. plus the 10VP for defeating the nation. That is 20+Vp each time you defeat them. They seem to go to war 3 times per game, maybe 4. You can always DOW them yourself. That is a lot of VP. Playing Consolidate each Winter, and the odd other turn is another 40+VP. You don't want to have permanent peace with them, so playing the Prussia Prostrated or fiddling Political points to keep them at peace seems a bad strategy.
I'd advocate that the British AI should stop spending 2 political points per turn on Prussia/Austria as currently happens, and instead use 1 point on each, and leave using 2 only when one is more pro French. That would slow down the rate at which they go to war (and VP given up), and potentially drop them both down to being able to DOW at the same time when no longer Friendly Neutral. If there is less focus on one nation it may mean that there will be times Napoleon will be less able to be waiting outside the right capital to attack.
The French Declare war card would probably need some hindrance, maybe an immediate drop in political points on all other nations (I didn't notice it had any side effect, making it just a free way to get to war and easy VP).
Russia giving 2 VP per turn whilst at war would act a bit like Portugal and provide some incentive to want to go east. The extra 120 VP would make it harder to gain Epic victories without beating Spain (to get to portugal) or Russia.
However, I'd still argue that something should be done regarding the movement rates. It still doesn't feel that Napoleonic. I accept it isn't a serious simulation (part of the reason I bought it - I have other monster games when needed). But I think the feel should still be there. I can see several ways of that - always allow a double move in friendly territory, which would have the side effect of making gaining minors more useful for the friendly regions. Always have a strategic movement card in hand. Always allow Napoleon to force march, or just more movement cards in the deck. IF the game is harder to win via VP and encourages the Russia/Spain attacks, whilst the battles are a bit tougher due to AI improvements then the ability to move limited resources is more crucial, and becomes more interesting. Else it seems pointless going for Spain/Russia when you can win so easy without any of that.
RE: First Playthrough
Good feedback and it largely matches my own...it's too easy to just roll around Central Europe and keep punching out Austria/Prussia. Although in my game I did go force Russia to surrender just for kicks and then went back and crushed Spain as well. Then I did as you did and sat and played whack-a-mole with Austria and Brit invasions.
Question: Do you find yourself always recruiting the 'best' units every year they are available? I found that I always had plenty of arty/cav because I could just pick that out of the pool. My suggestion is to force the yearly recruitment to take 1/2 in standard infantry and the remaining to be whatever you want. That should make it harder to keep the 'super armies' supplied with specialty units and in turn might make the game harder in general.
And yes, I definitely agree with your AI feedback for battles. 'Defending' should not mean 'sit and take it in the shorts for 8-turns'... If it can get a local superiority, it should move across and attack, not sit and be bombarded while losing critical troops.
Question: Do you find yourself always recruiting the 'best' units every year they are available? I found that I always had plenty of arty/cav because I could just pick that out of the pool. My suggestion is to force the yearly recruitment to take 1/2 in standard infantry and the remaining to be whatever you want. That should make it harder to keep the 'super armies' supplied with specialty units and in turn might make the game harder in general.
And yes, I definitely agree with your AI feedback for battles. 'Defending' should not mean 'sit and take it in the shorts for 8-turns'... If it can get a local superiority, it should move across and attack, not sit and be bombarded while losing critical troops.