Born2see wrote:
Anyway, my initial thoughts are you have to treat your brigades like you did in the Brigade scenarios and move the regiments where you want them.
Well... it depends. If I am playing the stock scenarios, then I do not TC everything, just the units at a critical position, but I keep a very close eye on what all the regiments are doing. If they stray from my intentions, I TC the reprobate and put him back in line. Any other time, I play via courier, and never TC anything.
The trick is to know your brigade commanders. This is where setting the stance is critical. How do they react when the enemy comes into view. Do they immediately advance to meet him or do they ride out and assess the situation first before committing their troops. If they are aggressive and I want to defend on good ground, I will order them to hold. Defend is not strong enough, they'll interpret that to mean. don't advance more than 1 mile. :ohmy: But if I want a timid commander to probe the position in front of him, I need to tell him to attack. Otherwise, he'll just sit there for 30 minutes while he thinks things over. The different personalities that each commander has is IMO the best feature of the game.
Once you get to know your subordinates, you need to master the tempo of the battle. Strategy becomes more important than tactics. Your brigade commanders know tactics. When is it time to throw in the reserves to either shore up a weak point or counterattack. Where is the enemy planning to attack in strength and can I counter that by attacking first. At the division and corps level, the AI is extremely crafty. He will fix you in place and then stretch you out by extending his flanks. Then he will build his strength on one part of the field and when he is ready, he takes his time and prepares, he'll deliver the coup de gras. Even as your line dissolves into chaos, it's inspiring to behold. Good luck.
I can make this march and I will make Georgia howl.