Trouble getting started as England

[SlickWilhelm]

Hey guys, I'm having trouble figuring out what to do to get started. Should I first decide on a land strategy, or just keep sweeping the sea clear of French and Spanish fleets?

The hardest part of any game for me seems to be in getting through the first few turns.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

Edit: forgot to mention that this is starting the 1805 "Grand Scenario".

[lenin]

Slick,

I'd concentrate and maintain my fleets, attacking the Spanish / French as and when you can get numerical superiority. Perhaps consider port attacks if you have good odds and the enemy port doesn't have too many guns (remember each one acts like an additional SOL in instant / quick combat). Make sure that nobody unfriendly to you gets hold of the Danish Fleet - attack Denmark and sink it if you really, really have to. If you have enough ships, blockade Flanders, Normandy, Brittany and Marseilles to cut potential French trade routes and halve the cash income in those provinces. Whatever you do, don't let your fleets get isolated and destroyed in detail.

The British army isn't really designed to conquer anywhere. It is designed for short aggressive punches in short term campaigns. Be very careful before you commit it anywhere on mainland Europe, particularly in range of large French formations. Get allies to fight for you on land and subsidise them heavilly. Retool your economy to maximise cash income to be able to do this easilly. Pay attention to your levels of luxuries / wines / spices to help boost morale / glory. For sure, look to gradually increase the size of your army, but I'd get the best troops available. Your mobilisation limit is so small you must concentrate on elite troops.

Thats what I would do, anyway.

[Russian Guard]

SW, yes get the seas under control immediately. It's a long game (assuming you play the full 10 years and set the Glory Victory Conditions to a high number or "Highest Glory"), and you'll have plenty of time to deal with conquests later.

I have actually seen the France AI attempt a land invasion of England, so it is possible. You have to make every effort to destroy the French and Spanish Navies ASAP. Not to mention, you are gaining Victory points while doing so (assuming you win the battles, which you should).

[Mus]

My only game as Prussia I quit a few months in because Nappy pulled off a cross channel invasion with Both Grands and knocked England and its fleet out of the war in about six months.


What kind of infantry do you build as England?  Is Light Infantry worth developing? Or do you just build a Rifle division and stick with normal infantry other than that? Doesnt seem like you would be able to build enough Guards to be worthwhile, and you start the game with a guard already. Do you expand your Cavalry Corps and get a horse artillery? Build additional normal or heavy artillery?

You must disband your feudal levy to make room for better troops right?

[Russian Guard]

ORIGINAL: Mus

My only game as Prussia I quit a few months in because Nappy pulled off a cross channel invasion with Both Grands and knocked England and its fleet out of the war in about six months.


What kind of infantry do you build as England?  Is Light Infantry worth developing? Or do you just build a Rifle division and stick with normal infantry other than that? Doesnt seem like you would be able to build enough Guards to be worthwhile, and you start the game with a guard already. Do you expand your Cavalry Corps and get a horse artillery? Build additional normal or heavy artillery?

You must disband your feudal levy to make room for better troops right?

Opinions will vary of course - I like Jagers and Lt Infantry, and will always have my maximum of them over time. Their advantages in operating in Skirmish Order is nice, and I usually give them the Woodsman Special Ability and then operate them out of forested areas wherever possible.

[dude]

I always just built regular Infantry and a couple of Rifle Inf (there up keep can be expensive) for England.  When I read in the rules that a new Guard unit lowers the moral of existing units I decided against building more of them.
 
I also usually send a force to North Africa, starting with Morocco.  As long as I control the seas, no one else is getting there except for Turkey.  By the time I've gotten to Egypt's border I've reinforce the force with enough extra troops to defeat the much lower moral Turks that might show up.  After that... go for some of the Islands.
 
 

[SlickWilhelm]

Thanks for the replies and advice, guys. I've only played through turn one, but it seemed to go fairly well.

I combined the two fleets in the North Atlantic to make one larger 18 ship fleet. This fleet ended up winning a very bloody quick battle with the French.

I sent Cornwallis' Fleet down to the West coast of Spain, where it crushed a much larger Spanish fleet in another quick battle.

Lord Nelson's fleet pummeled Villeneuve's fleet off the SW coast of Spain. This too was using the quick battle.

The quick naval battles were thrilling to watch and listen to!

At the end of the turn, I'm leading with 60 glory points. I have a number of ships in need of repair, so I assume I should detach them and send them back to London for repair?

I'm not real sure on how to use my frigates and privateers, so I think I have some reading to do. I've been scanning the manuals, but haven't read them from cover to cover yet.

There's a lot to learn in this game. I'm having fun so far!

[Mus]

England is actually able to Repair underway fairly well.  Unless they are really clobbered or you have other fleets in the area that might immediately attack you may be better off leaving them at sea.

[dude]

Also be careful in leaving too few frigates with your fleets.  Right now, if your frigates that are part of a fleet lose a battle to a couple of merchants or privateers, the whole fleet is retreated.  I'm hoping this will be fixed in a patch. 

"Enemy merchants on the horizon... get me my brown pants...."  [:D]


(I've taken to leaving at least 4 frigates with a fleet. You can leave 0 and that won't cause a problem but 1 or 2 and you can oddly run the risk of losing to a group of merchants or privateers.)

[SlickWilhelm]

ORIGINAL: dude

Also be careful in leaving too few frigates with your fleets.  Right now, if your frigates that are part of a fleet lose a battle to a couple of merchants or privateers, the whole fleet is retreated.  I'm hoping this will be fixed in a patch. 

"Enemy merchants on the horizon... get me my brown pants...."  [:D]


(I've taken to leaving at least 4 frigates with a fleet. You can leave 0 and that won't cause a problem but 1 or 2 and you can oddly run the risk of losing to a group of merchants or privateers.)

Wouldn't the solution to this be to not have any frigates with a battle fleet, and only have the frigates escort merchants?

[Anthropoid]

Other than sending a Frigate from one box to the next at the same time as a Merchant there is not really any way to 'escourt' them as far as i can tell.

[dude]

ORIGINAL: Slick Wilhelm

ORIGINAL: dude

Also be careful in leaving too few frigates with your fleets.  Right now, if your frigates that are part of a fleet lose a battle to a couple of merchants or privateers, the whole fleet is retreated.  I'm hoping this will be fixed in a patch. 

"Enemy merchants on the horizon... get me my brown pants...."  [:D]


(I've taken to leaving at least 4 frigates with a fleet. You can leave 0 and that won't cause a problem but 1 or 2 and you can oddly run the risk of losing to a group of merchants or privateers.)

Wouldn't the solution to this be to not have any frigates with a battle fleet, and only have the frigates escort merchants?

Yes, except that you need frigates with your fleets if you want any pursuit damage if I recall. (Don’t have the rules handy to check.)

[Anthropoid]

Yes, except that you need frigates with your fleets if you want any pursuit damage if I recall. (Don’t have the rules handy to check.)

No, I don't think that is true. I routinely get massacres during pursuit and keep only 1 frigate per fleet.

[Mus]

ORIGINAL: Anthropoid

No, I don't think that is true. I routinely get massacres during pursuit and keep only 1 frigate per fleet.

I think Frigates just increase your pursuit roll, like cavalry in a land battle. You can still have a pursuit without them, you just get better results with than without.