Strategic recommendations

[Marshall Ellis]

Hey guys:

I would like some input as to good advice for each major power. I've seen the tips in the manual but I want YOUR advice that is based upon experience. If your advice seems sound and creative then maybe we'll use it in our strategic-tips section of the manual...

Thank you

[ardilla]

I really think this is a great article and then at the end of the original boardgame rules book there are very very nice tips for each nation, but I guess not many people had read them...[:D]

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=ah ... h20030801a

Regards

[pzgndr]

That is a great article! Thanks for the link. So, where's the game already?? [:'(]

[crenfrow]

For france you must fight to win the game. If you sit back and arent aggressive you will never win enough pol. points to take the game.

For turkey a great advantage is massing you cavalry and then have a crushing cavalry pursuit if you can win a battle but I think that is covered in the book. Also you could stress the inportance of maintaining and controlling the Dardenelles and possibly as a source of income.

Hope that gives you something to start on.[:)]

[jamo262]

Strategic deployment of armies dependds on which coalition of Allies is present. The combination of possible coalitions is quite large but in general england and france will always be at war.
If a strong France declares on Prussia and Austria is neutral or worse an ally of France Prussia should leave small garrisons in the west and retreat to the Marsh area near Konigsberg and Combine with the Russian armies. Then the problems for Prussia /Russia are 2. How to protect Konigsberg and How to protect Russian supply depots. The first is the major problem. First assume that victory is not guarenteed but odds must be maximised. this means hitting the french with the best Army possible taking into consideration the following factors. Can cavalry superiority be attained-What is the optimum number of corp the army can contain before a leadership penalty applies (note if napoleon has 6 corps then leadership can drop to 3 and same penalty applies as with a 4 leader)-how much cavalry with its 4 moral can we squeeze in-and inclusion of the best corp from both Russia and Prussia into the army.
This army sets up in the marsh.
Another army with a guard corp(prussian) and any extra cavalry sets up in konigsberg.This army can be supported by the one in Konigsberg if attacked and the inclusion of a guard corp and any cavalry is because the initial moral will last for the whole battle. So now the French have 3 choices.
Attack an optimun army in the marsh
Attack Konigsberg and risk the battle being reinforced,
or doing something else, like going around to the south.
Depot maintanance and protection is very important but remember Napoleons maxim that control of an enemies supply lines consists not of making raids upon them but really mastering them. If the French go around to the south they are really getting a long way from home especially if Poland has not been created.
With the corps on Konigsberg these are other considerations-an english corp could be present-and a diversionary attack could be made on the marsh such that the main body could be prevented from joining. It seems stupid that a 1sp corp could provide this diversion and you should make any attacks of 5 to 1 or more automatic overruns to put an end to such foolishness.

[jamo262]

with a classic 1805 and a Prussia that cannot declare war the ausrrians should garison their fortresses and seek to st up with the Russian armies North/East of Vienna in the mountains. Create an "Optimum Army" and protect your supply lines (by their initial deployment as much as anything). Now note the following. If the French move into Hungry by more than 2 areas an insurection corp can be brought out splitting the French Army in Half and exposing it to defeat by the main Austro-Prussian Army. The French have the double move But if the second area they move into is next to the main one place an insurrection crp there as well and attempt to reinforce the battle.

Therre are 2 ways the French can attack Austria in 1805 Via Italy or Bavaria. Italy is good if Prussian is an unknown factor as the German States can act as a sheild against a northern invasion of France- they must attack via Hannover, still dangerous but easier to contain-leave davout or Massena here with a small/medium army.Withdraw before overwhelming forces and deploy such that Napoleon can hit the attacking army with the double move. Even though its winter and money is limited the French can advance quite quickly to Vienna and the foraging values are good and they can look at clearing/screaning the north Italian fortesses and securing Venice. An Austrian set up in the Tyrol is open to an early attack by the weight of the entire French army if it stays put. In the old rules an UMP could be made inactive be battle losses so you nearly always want to mingle corp to "spread the losses" so to speak.

If Austria /Prussia and maybe Russia are going for it in 1805 against France, France might play defensively or try take the offensive and knock off either Austria/Prussia by making them in actve and then concentrating on the other. My brother reckons Austria first then Prussia.The Allies must in this situation ensure that depots are laid down so that the Russian can quickly advance and make joint armies. Furthermore the mountain areas north of Prague should be denied the French as they make an excellent concentration point for the French; allowing them to strike at one enemy then another-they are central and mountainous.

If France and Spain are allied in 1805 I go the Trafalgar/Invasion option.

[NeverMan]

Is this for the A.I. or simply for the manual?

The A.I. should have the ability to be "trained" by major power players. I know that's hard to do, so I won't expect a great A.I. ever, which is why I still think it's pointless to spend countless hours holding this game up for something that is never going to be any good.

[ktotwf]

This is another article about Strategy:

http://www.dlc.fi/~hurmavi/empires4.html

[jamo262]

it's pointless to spend countless hours holding this game up for something that is never going to be any good.

I agree, but would you go so far as to say dispence with the AI altogether for now?

I do.

[NeverMan]

Yes I would. The A.I. for this game is NEVER going to be any good, so why waste valuable man hours putting forth the effort to design and implement it?

I would MUCH rather see TCP/IP Play than an A.I., JMO.

[Pippin]

My brother reckons Austria first then Prussia.

I believe given the choice, most French players want to target Austria first, as she appears to have a weaker army (and other problems to watch out for). The problem with this, is by your time she is finished off (if not quick), Prussia becomes loaded up with Cav factors, and then France has another issue on her hands. I've seen Prussia fully loaded basicaly crush France single handedly, and not all was due to just lucky die rolls & chit picks. I will never under-estimate the power of fully loaded Prussian corps. If you spy Britain handing her extra $$$ early, be VERY cautious.

Why so many people bid so low for Prussia, has me puzzled.

[pfnognoff]

They bid low for Prussia just because some people know that France is much better off going after Prussia first while Brunswick/Hochenloche are in charge, and because Prussia has a small home nation that if France insists can be reduced to almost nothing in two wars. I'm not saying it is good play on part of France to kick Prussia out I just say it is possible.

[NeverMan]

Yes, I generally attempt to remove Prussia from the coalition first, then move on to Austria, which isn't too hard once Prussia is gone. If spain is part of the coalition it can wait, unless I am in desperate need of PPs.

[pooroldflick]

My two favorite countries to play is Prussia and Great Britain (been playing against crenfrow for years)...

With Great Britain, the key is to use your wealth to your advantage. The more you can do through diplomacy, the better. Also, control the seas with your fleets. Early on in the game if you find yourself at war with a country, destroy their navy. Build up your army and aim to conquer the minor countries that have decent land forces, such as Naples and Sweden.

Prussia has become my favorite country to manage. I've found that if you invest in garisons in all of your cities, Prussia looks much bigger than it is. It's key to gain control of some of the countries in the Rhine, but don't get sucked into an early war with France. Allow Austria to fall before that happens. It's also advantageous to work with Great Britain early in the game even if it's unofficial.

[NeverMan]

I am not sure how Prussian can defeat France without Austria, but OK, whatever. Also, in the beginning, I have seen a Prussia/Au/GB coalition against France start the game at war with France, because in the beginning Au/Pr have a good advantage. I know that combined they can out produce Fr with GB monetary support and I am not keen on this strategy, but I have seen it work and work well.

If you beat France with Prussia and did it without Au, did you have GB and Ru helping you? How did that work?

[Titi]

ORIGINAL: NeverMan

Also, in the beginning, I have seen a Prussia/Au/GB coalition against France start the game at war with France, because in the beginning Au/Pr have a good advantage. I know that combined they can out produce Fr with GB monetary support and I am not keen on this strategy, but I have seen it work and work well.

I disagree with this one for having already tried this. It was more Russian support than GB, but basically it was the same result. During the first three months of 1805, it's mainly winter when forage is harmful, depot maintenance cost a lot, armies are not combined and in place, money is low and gift aren't allowed before the first economic phase. So the result is a free access and CONQUEST for the french to the german and even italian minors and leaving him the initiative...that's he may use than diplomatically.

[NeverMan]

When a MP declares war an a Minor, the person at war (either auto or with a great advan., can't remember) gets control of the minor. All you have to do then is keep him out for a month and it's yours (Au or Pr). Why would you start the game at war with France then declare war on Minors? It's to your advantage NOT to do this. France will HAVE to just to keep up with production prices.

[pooroldflick]

ORIGINAL: NeverMan

I am not sure how Prussian can defeat France without Austria, but OK, whatever. Also, in the beginning, I have seen a Prussia/Au/GB coalition against France start the game at war with France, because in the beginning Au/Pr have a good advantage. I know that combined they can out produce Fr with GB monetary support and I am not keen on this strategy, but I have seen it work and work well.

If you beat France with Prussia and did it without Au, did you have GB and Ru helping you? How did that work?

We didn't complete the game, but it sure made me a believer in Prussia. Typically at the beginning there is a land grab for the Rhine (if you're playing with the original rules). I've found that if you're not careful you can loose out if you're pulled into a war with France too quickly. A strong alliance with Austria will either ensure this with the land grabbing or prevent it. It's a must that you talk things out clearly with Austria on which countries you'll go for and what will be done if you're bullied by France.

Go to the extremes to prevent a war with France before 1806 so Prussia can build up garison in major cities and storing up the manpower. When a war with France ensues, work out a deal with Great Britain to loan the finances to dig into the manpower reserve and boost the army quickly and defences.

[Titi]

ORIGINAL: NeverMan

When a MP declares war an a Minor, the person at war (either auto or with a great advan., can't remember) gets control of the minor. All you have to do then is keep him out for a month and it's yours (Au or Pr). Why would you start the game at war with France then declare war on Minors? It's to your advantage NOT to do this. France will HAVE to just to keep up with production prices.

Sorry, i probably wasn't clear.

I will restart. An alliance of prussia and austria doesn't have the ability to combine and move in strength before april and the first economic phase for a lack of fund. So it give a three months and even more time for the french to freely declare war and conquer the minors he wants or even grabs the prussian and austrian controlled ones. The french player take the initiative and can select if he want to come in sight of Berlin or Vienna.

[NeverMan]

ORIGINAL: Titi

Sorry, i probably wasn't clear.

I will restart. An alliance of prussia and austria doesn't have the ability to combine and move in strength before april and the first economic phase for a lack of fund. So it give a three months and even more time for the french to freely declare war and conquer the minors he wants or even grabs the prussian and austrian controlled ones. The french player take the initiative and can select if he want to come in sight of Berlin or Vienna.

I disagree, You can begin manuevering <sp> and mixing corps right away. We can debate this strategy back and forth till we are both blue in the face, but hopefully we will be able to take it a step further and implement it in an CEiA game with each other one day.