Tactic of the Week: 8/8/2006

This weeks Tactic I call the Blitz maneuver.

The idea behind the blitz is to get one of your fast moving units into his backfield as quickly as possible. This works really well with cavalry, but if you can pull it off with fast cavalry it is even better.

What you need is a situation that prevents the enemy from fleeing your charge, setting up the usual flee and flank manuevers everyone has grown so fearful of. This manuever will force the action and makes the enemy do something it doesn't want to.

This can be performed on any enemy unit that may not flee a charge, if for example they are immune to psychology, frenzy or undead. It may also be done by having certain magic items like Bane of the Craven for the Cult of Ulric or the Lizarmen's Huanchi's blessed totem. Certain spells also can be used but are much riskier due to the opponents ability to dispel them.

I will use a simplified example to illustrate my point.



In this illustration cavalry c1 is facing off against a large ranked up infantry unit while c2 is facing against a skirmshed unit.
To perform the blitz move, c2 declares the charge on the skirmished unit who has not option but the stand. C1, continues to face off with the large infantry, but stays just out of the infantry charge range. After the charge we have this situation.



C2 should be able to easily crush the skirmishing unit and overrun 3d6 (avg 10") into the backfield of the enemy lines.
WARNING: Do not perform this and leave an easy flank shot for a cannon or bolt thrower.

After the overrun move the situation looks like this:



Now the infantry unit is in a terrible position. It is out of range to attack c1 and now has to deal with c2 as well that is in its flank/rear. And is not able to march either.

If he tries to press the situation on c1, c2 can manuever behind him for a crushing position.



While the infantry block moved up, c1 backed up and c2, turned around to face the flank/rear of the enemy unit. If the infantry block turns to face c2 in the backfield, c1 charges in, breaking ranks, avoiding any heroes and should win combat fairly easily.

Thanks for reading,

Ben