This is one of those ongoing-list-thingys that anyone can chime in on. I'll just get the ball rolling...
With the new Restricted ID mod, half the fun is trying to guess who's facing you across the way by how they handle their troops. Even if you can't tell for sure who it is, the points below could indicate if you're likely up for a big challenge against a good player -- or you can look forward to kicking the rear of someone just filling out a uniform. To be clear, 'Vet' and 'Noob' relate more to state of mind than length of play. There are a good many long-standing players who remain noobs in my book. And there are a few newer players who have real veteran awareness.
How many of these do you do?
On the march...
A\ Noob: Leads with officer. Not only is this cheating in a blind game, but it's dumb. When viewed by an enemy it screams, "Here I am! Get ready! There are some boys behind me who might hurt you -- but probably not since, luckily for you, there is now plenty of time to set up before they get here!"
B\ Noob: Leads with guns. These unwieldy paperweights love to get themselves shot up at blind intersections and otherwise force their commander to use his critical first dozen after-contact clicks in a feverish attempt to get them out of harm's way. Oh, and they also make a screaming noise similar to 'A' above;
C\ Noob: Road marches with officers. Slows down your march especially at times when a teammate is whining at you to get your sorry arse to the front pronto. Mental note: Don't let Rogers catch you doing this while on his team;
:whistle:
D\ Noob: Slavishly road marches all the way to first contact. Enjoys being the first to call out, "Uh, I've got (insert Rebs/Yanks here) on the road between X and Y." Seems oblivious to the concept that if he can see them, they can also see him.
1\ Vet: Leads with infantry. This increases the opportunity to catch a careless enemy with a branch of service that can actually inflict immediate pain;
2\ Vet: When contact is possible or likely, moves off-road through woods (or remains behind a ridge). While this will slow you down a tad, it carries 3 important benefits. 1) your units remain concealed longer; 2) allows a better opportunity to bring your regiments abreast before that all important first engagement; 3) Gives you the jump in getting regiments to a flank.
Attitude toward the big guns...
A\ Noob: Thinks any gun worth its salt must be 201 yards away from its target to do any good, and any deployment further away is somehow cowardly;
B\ Noob: Uses guns to scout. Mortality among these poor SOB's runs at a rate comparable to the inmates at Auschwitz;
C\ Noob: Forgets he has them. How sad to be left behind when the action's moved away!;
D\ Noob: Loves to rush enemy guns from 800 yards away while under fire the entire time. This is typically done without regard for possible presence of enemy infantry. Regards it as a moral victory if he ultimately shoots off two gunners while suffering 153 casualties before being forced back.
1\ Vet: Considers the terrain for elevation, blocking woods and distance cushion from possible concealed enemy reg's before placing guns;
2\ Vet: Looks for deployments that will allow his guns to work effectively for long periods with little attention required (He's got better things to do than micro-manage guns through the battle);
3\ Vet: Realizes the only reasons to 'charge the guns' are a) when it is vital to drive them away from a critical area or b) he has confidence of getting to them with minimal loss and without interference from enemy regiments;
4\ Vet: Realizes guns (except howitzers) are nearly as effective from long range as they are from up close;
5\ Vet: Will use a battery to bait a known or suspected noob into charging his guns;
6\ Vet: Seldom loses a gun
:ohmy:
Deploying regiments...
A\ Noob: Brings them up one at a time;
B\ Noob: Moves to engagement rather than let the enemy march to him;
C\ Noob: Double-times his regiments over significant distances as he attempts to make up for lack of foresight in initial placement;
D\ Noob: Still hasn't figured out when to use battle columns, road columns, and battle lines when moving;
E\ Noob: Continues moving regiments after they're engaged;
F\ Noob: Tends to employ 1 regiment vs 1 regiment in firefights;
G\ Noob: Fights his regiments right up to the rout line, before sadly announcing with surprise that he's "lost another one."
H\ Noob: Is more concerned about how many troops his rank entitles him to bring than whether he can effectively handle them.
1\ Vet: Takes care to move his regiments together for mutual support;
2\ Vet: In evenly matched situations, almost always lets the enemy advance into his rifles;
3\ Vet: Restricts double-time movements to when his boys are actually under fire;
4\ Vet: Regularly uses road column movement when 300+ yards from an enemy and battle column <300 yards. Line/skirmish are used only for making minor adjustments and occasionally when approaching unlimbered enemy batteries;
5\ Vet: Keeps his regiments 'still as death' while shooting the crappola out of an enemy line;
B)
6\ Vet: Constantly looks for opportunities for 2v1, 3v1, or even greater advantage when positioning his regiments in battle line. Doesn't believe in giving a sucker an even break;
7\ Vet: Continually monitors his regiments for morale levels (in FoW games) and gets them out ASAP when the situation begins to deteriorate;
8\ Vet: Seldom loses a regiment to rout because he's always aware how close each regiment is to breaking/routing;
9\ Vet: Understands how many troops he can effectively handle, and brings no more. The number he brings closely correlates to how effective he is with items 1 - 8 above;
10\ Vet: Lowers his expectation of victory when noob teammate brings 10 regiments and/or 4,000 troops.
Anyway, this is a start. I'm sure there are many, many more!