How to deal with cavalry (both for & against)

[SuitedQueens]

Ok, what I would recommend you to do is to change the entire mindset around cavalry. First figure out the role in the army they are intend to fill in.

1) Striking force in the force concetration point - requires support of the ranged units and throwaway units used for Zoning and Blocking Fallbacks. Furthermore need to have a nice targets like Mediums without Terrain or Average Quality or below Heavies with bad Impact protection against your Superior Cavalry. Dont dream about some wide flanking maneuveres since those are very easily prevented or ignored since take tons of time to execute. Prophylaxis means not reacting to opponent non-existing threat and then spend minimal resources to counter it swiftly.

2) Pinning unit in the delay concetration point - requires same type of support as number 1, but light horses even more important. As Zoners use throwaway units like cheap Medium Infantry. Skirmishers mainly to provoce charges and temporarily block cav fallbacks. They shoot only at the opponent cavalry and try to tie up opponent skirmishers. The idea is to win time for your striking force in the other place. With the modern ZoC rules cavalry can charge past Red ZoC to hit target opponent if you within his 45 degree facing arc, so this fact enables more options for delaying.

3) Kiting unit in the 2nd weakness concetration point. The main idea behind creating 2nd threat in another part of the opponent line is to pin him indirectly. He won't be able to move freely with constant flanking threats hanging. This usually achieved by splitting your army in 2 or more groups. As with accordance with 1) your cavalry exclusive subgroup wont pose much threat since can be essily delayed or zoned out, so have to support it at the very least via skirmishers and 1 light horse. If opponent pushes into you can always retreat + he likely cant due to his line being already overstreched.

4) Reserve concetrated in local or global points. Due to high cav mobility you can always threaten to throw them in any place along the line if they are not commited already i.e. still in the reserve. They are not the best units to gang up 2 v 1 on pushed back or pushed into your line troops. They certainly become superb 2 v 1 once such unit is Disrupted or Medium foot type that receives -1 CT on lost vs cavalry. Excel at presenting Enveloping threats when commited to one of the wings, but only if opponent doesnt have local reserves of his own. Not the best unit to fill out the gaps for extending your line since its the waste of points to keep them away from action without threatening something immidiate.

5) Best units beside Light Horses to take away ZOCs temporarily in order for your forces to advance into opponent flanking positions or in the rear or change his facing tactically. Always threaten charge throughs on Fragmented units to end up in their rear. Therefore they best used in combined forces with various skirmishers to beat opponent skirmishers and break defensive formation on the hills. Skirmishers + Cav + at least 1 light horse is the minimal threatening force that can't be ignored. Add Zoning units like cheaper Med or Heavy infantry to eliminate all their weaknesses.

Having more cavalry in the army = more flexibility for tactics and strategy. One of the major tactics that becomes available is splitting your army and hit&runs. Invaluable in taking on hill campers and decisevely beating opponent skirmishers. Without Cavalry your skirmishers will be bogged down against opponent skirmishers or can't even win decisevely, which gonna lead to trading too much ammo and time, and reduced damage due to battered Effective Unit sizes used for calculating damage.

[jogibbs12]

Those are all good points, suited. I don't think about strategy at that level of granularity yet. Although I've figured out a style that works for horse archers, I've gotten worse at infantry / mixed infantry-cav armies.

I'm now banging my head against the Arab Conquest campaigns, which seems surprisingly hard. I'm outnumbered all the time, my cav sucks, and my infantry is good but expensive (so outnumbered there too). I lack archery (skirmisher or horse) so delay is not to my advantage. While charging isn't either, because my opponents holds back their infantry (my advantage point), so charging just gets me over-extended.

I don't know how to split my army yet, like you say, since I don't know what's the minimum number of units I need to beat a small squad of opponents. If I split my army, I usually lose in multiple spots. My previous strategy is just to pile on in one spot and overwhelm them with numbers there, while trying to delay everywhere else, which often works but seems hard to pull off in the Arab Conquest campaign. I'm not sure yet if it's because I'm regressing or because it presents a different type of challenge.

[SuitedQueens]

I'm now banging my head against the Arab Conquest campaigns, which seems surprisingly hard. I'm outnumbered all the time, my cav sucks, and my infantry is good but expensive (so outnumbered there too). I lack archery (skirmisher or horse) so delay is not to my advantage. While charging isn't either, because my opponents holds back their infantry (my advantage point), so charging just gets me over-extended.

I don't know how to split my army yet, like you say, since I don't know what's the minimum number of units I need to beat a small squad of opponents. If I split my army, I usually lose in multiple spots. My previous strategy is just to pile on in one spot and overwhelm them with numbers there, while trying to delay everywhere else, which often works but seems hard to pull off in the Arab Conquest campaign. I'm not sure yet if it's because I'm regressing or because it presents a different type of challenge.

So, the strategies I described work for the mostly equal forces found in the Multiplayer games. For the AI and specific scenarios you have to adjust. When you play against superior numbers (higher difficulties) and/or superior Quality (Deity or some match ups) you can't fight in the open. Usually weak squares that cause you to lose fights are 45 degree 2-for-1 squares and 90 degree flanking squares. In the above situation the squares directly in front of you is weak as well i.e. you can't fight 1v1 on the equal terms.

The idea to beat those armies is to exploit the AI strategical weakness. But before that we have to figure out how to cover tactical ones first. You HAVE to cover weak squares via terrain or sit in the terrain. If you can't afford spare sacrificial units for delaying which is likely your case you simply turn around and retreat. If there is no terrain (Steppes maybe) you have to grab the map edge to cover thise squares in cheezy way like that. Not that you should you use the best Quality and esp. limited armoured units for spots where you will have 2 weak squares (front and 1 45 degree square).

Most of the time extreme strategical delaying achieved by splitting your army in many small groups and occuppying forests and rough terrain on the top of the hills. AI wont be able to counter you by splitting his armies and will likely pile up on one of the groups with reduced frontage which in turn creates traffic jams. Your mobile (cav + skirmishers) and other split groups will create huge numerical advantage and encelopment threats.

[SuitedQueens]

Those are all good points, suited. I don't think about strategy at that level of granularity yet. Although I've figured out a style that works for horse archers, I've gotten worse at infantry / mixed infantry-cav armies.

https://youtu.be/KigWY7vRnCw?si=xVJK02VPJGKZepNU

Here's the vid where the wrong approach is taken. I dont know this list accessibility to light horses and light infantry, but lets assume thats all they have. But one might think that French should have more infantry than this for sure.

That vid is the perfect illustration on why cavalry is no threat without support. If opp would play smart he supposed to win against such unbalanced force. Now to the points on what could've been improved given the force composition at hand:

1) Reoraganize to use infantry as meatshields on the attacking flank. On denied flank and part of the centre use peasants, 1 low quality spear, 2 knights and 2 light infantry as delaying sacrificial force with the goal to drive the wedge into opponent line. That would win time for the main attack and restrict heavily their shifting/wheeling which wants to meet our concetrated attack on the other flank.

2) On the attacking flank dont waste infantry/lights on the extreme flanks envelopment slots like in the vid. Their goal is meatshielding i.e. absorbing ranged fire, zoning lights and cavalry, removing opponent ZoCs by pinning their valuable infantry. Knights attack 2 lines deep behind meatshields instead of widening out and being shot up to pieces. Individual units from the Local Reserve 2nd line can be shifted to try envelopment, reinforce delaying flank for the extra time and restriction, but most of them try to join 2 vs 1 scenarios or pursuit [or replace pursuiting knights] high quality opponent units to prevent rally while getting in the rear that way.

Lights better at screening and blocking fallbacks since light horses are not available. Using local reserve knights to do that is a waste since you most likely gonna need multiple turns Fallback blocking unless its a temporary ZoC remove tactic. Maybe 1 knight that gonna be thrown on denied wing later can be used in that role as well.

[Jorgito78]

1. Foot lights - I assume their role is to shoot down opposing horse & foot lights early on, and to block movement later on when out of arrows. The problem is that later on, they're an easy source of points for the opponents to target/rout when they're just standing around blocking stuff.

Even at low ammo they are a threat to enemy cavalry - not cavalry on the move necessarily, but thanks to the stationary shooting bonus you can't necessarily just ignore them. They are only an easy source of points in the open, and even then you can try to position them so that charging and killing them wastes the time of a much more valuable unit.

Also, when an opponent cav unit is about to break one of your units and there is a risk they will follow up with a flank charge to other units, positioning expendable lights in a way that the cavalry pursuits them after breaking the other unit and deviates from the otherwhise more dangerous path (for your units). Of course, this is more effective with steady lights since non steady lights may break due to proxy CT.

[SuitedQueens]

Also, when an opponent cav unit is about to break one of your units and there is a risk they will follow up with a flank charge to other units, positioning expendable lights in a way that the cavalry pursuits them after breaking the other unit and deviates from the otherwhise more dangerous path (for your units). Of course, this is more effective with steady lights since non steady lights may break due to proxy CT.

I dont get this one. Cavalry or infantry will always choose to change their target to the fragmented unit as long as they fall within 45 degree of their path. Some units with bad PoA on charge can ignore even Disrupted higher quality units, but thats never happens for Fragged units. Putting lights in this scenario helps if they, pursuing units or both rolls 25% for losing AP or lights decide not to run thinking they gonna get caught which is super rare against cavalry.

Since unlike FoG 1 you dont have Anarchy charges you have to use lights for bait differently. Strategically they become powerful if you crushed opposing lights, which requires mixed mobile forces cuz otherwise you end up trading. Tactically their delaying effective again only with mixed forces unless opponent exposed their lights for charge which creates natural barriers for delaying. Lights charge baiting effective when you shift your more maneuverable line bqck and forth. Otherwise you will be only helping your opponent Unmaneuvrable units. Ofc there is more advanced 2 lights baits that force proper facing by opponent units for the instant free flanking attack, but those happen before the contact.

[Jorgito78]

Also, when an opponent cav unit is about to break one of your units and there is a risk they will follow up with a flank charge to other units, positioning expendable lights in a way that the cavalry pursuits them after breaking the other unit and deviates from the otherwhise more dangerous path (for your units). Of course, this is more effective with steady lights since non steady lights may break due to proxy CT.

I dont get this one. Cavalry or infantry will always choose to change their target to the fragmented unit as long as they fall within 45 degree of their path. Some units with bad PoA on charge can ignore even Disrupted higher quality units, but thats never happens for Fragged units. Putting lights in this scenario helps if they, pursuing units or both rolls 25% for losing AP or lights decide not to run thinking they gonna get caught which is super rare against cavalry.

Since unlike FoG 1 you dont have Anarchy charges you have to use lights for bait differently. Strategically they become powerful if you crushed opposing lights, which requires mixed mobile forces cuz otherwise you end up trading. Tactically their delaying effective again only with mixed forces unless opponent exposed their lights for charge which creates natural barriers for delaying. Lights charge baiting effective when you shift your more maneuverable line bqck and forth. Otherwise you will be only helping your opponent Unmaneuvrable units. Ofc there is more advanced 2 lights baits that force proper facing by opponent units for the instant free flanking attack, but those happen before the contact.

Ok. Let me show you this. Here is a screenshot of a recent match of mine against Rosedelio.

Capturar.JPG (147.56 KiB) Viewed 441 times

He is playing as the yellow (Andalusian). As you can see, I have two non-light cavalry units positioned for a charge and a flank charge but if his cavalary unit breaks my light horse, it will take the path shown on the arrow and will flank charge one of my units (who will most probably evade) risking getting caught or not but destroying my plan.
So, what do I do?
As I have marked in blue in the previous screenshot, I have a free unit of LH. So, I will move it at an angle adjacent to my other LH that is about to break (see screenshot)

Capturar2.JPG (126.75 KiB) Viewed 441 times

So, my unit breaks and Andalusian cav immediately pursuits the LH that I put there, leaving my two non light cavs untouched (because they were one square away, of course).
See screenshots

Capturar5.JPG (263.22 KiB) Viewed 441 times

You can see the exact moment of the video here (timestamped) https://youtu.be/E2tA5HEAQAk?t=1387

[SuitedQueens]

Also, when an opponent cav unit is about to break one of your units and there is a risk they will follow up with a flank charge to other units, positioning expendable lights in a way that the cavalry pursuits them after breaking the other unit and deviates from the otherwhise more dangerous path (for your units). Of course, this is more effective with steady lights since non steady lights may break due to proxy CT.

You can see the exact moment of the video here (timestamped) https://youtu.be/E2tA5HEAQAk?t=1387

Yeah, I described broad range of these common scenarios in this sentence: "Ofc there is more advanced 2 lights baits that force proper facing by opponent units for the instant free flanking attack, but those happen before the contact."

But you gotta admit that your case is pretty rare. I would be hard pressed to find any game in the random 100 chosen that would showcase a similar scenario.