Divisional Combat Basics

[born2see]

The Staff Adviser states:

As an infantry division commander, your role is to give direction to the brigade commanders but generally to let them fight their own parts of the battle.

So as a brand new Division Commander I tried this and was crushed. I'm surrounded by INCOMPETENCE! Sorry... 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. Except now there are more of them. Delegation is not the best option.

I throw this out as a neophyte's observation and as such I welcome your comments.

Thanks

[RebBugler]

With division play you learn the fine art of which brigade commander to TC and which to not...if you want to win. Who to leave on their own to fight it out, or who to direct. I've rarely been successful letting the division commander do his own thing, but it's an entertaining movie. :laugh:

[Marching Thru Georgia]

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.

[born2see]

Wow! Sounds like you're talking about a human being rather than the AI, MTG. I can see why this game stands head and shoulders above all the rest. Might be awhile before you see this rookie in the MP games. :S

Thanks guys. Off to lead some more poor souls to slaughter.

[Sharpe55]

If you're interested in mp, I would say that it is best to jump right in after you get a hang of the basics. You will find that you learn things very quickly and the guys that play mp are very helpful instructors.

[born2see]

Thanks S55, I think I'll do that. I figured they'd nickname my division "Easy Pickin's

[born2see]

I had another question. In the Division tutorial, and I assume in other Division level scenarios, when I select a subordinate commander like Hays and I try to move him to support a wavering regiment, I just get a Minor objective arrow. I don't know why that is. I don't remember reading about it. If I should have, I'm sure someone will remind me in a nice way.

[RebBugler]

I had another question. In the Division tutorial, and I assume in other Division level scenarios, when I select a subordinate commander like Hays and I try to move him to support a wavering regiment, I just get a Minor objective arrow. I don't know why that is. I don't remember reading about it. If I should have, I'm sure someone will remind me in a nice way.

That's a destination marker, not an objective. Helps you see your destination spot better. This was added as a feature, I like it, but it still mixes folks up, and every newbie, it seems, asks, so you're not special. ...or especially miffed. :huh:

[born2see]

This is the first time I've seen it. Is that because it's a Division level scenario?

Thanks for the enlightenment. A lot of brave souls lost their lives while I kept trying to get that damn general over there.