Proper use of light troops in skirmish role?

[Temple]

Although I've played over a dozen hours on FoG2, I'm still just now grasping some of the tactical niceties. One aspect I'm still fuzzy on is how to best use those light troops (javelin men, slingers) that are deployed in front of the main line. I know that they can't cause enough causalities to significantly damage an enemy line unit so I tend to move them off to the flanks and use them to take cheap shots at the flanks or rears of enemy units. I understand that I can use them to harass enemy units approaching my line then withdraw the light units through my line, but that tends to make them not of much use when the main battle starts. Are there better ways to employ those light troops?

[Hendricus]

Although I've played over a dozen hours on FoG2, I'm still just now grasping some of the tactical niceties. One aspect I'm still fuzzy on is how to best use those light troops (javelin men, slingers) that are deployed in front of the main line. I know that they can't cause enough causalities to significantly damage an enemy line unit so I tend to move them off to the flanks and use them to take cheap shots at the flanks or rears of enemy units. I understand that I can use them to harass enemy units approaching my line then withdraw the light units through my line, but that tends to make them not of much use when the main battle starts. Are there better ways to employ those light troops?

The casualties you inflict before the main fight starts are already a plus, If your new car is keyed ( a tiny scratch in the door ) and the idiot that did that claims your car is not damaged so you can't claim anything, how about that ?. That's what those light troops do, taunt and irritate. During the charge/evade phase the speed of the units involved has some randomness, this can undress enemy lines as some move 3 and others only 1 square forward. If the angle is not straight ahead during this catch me as you can action, you can imagine the chaos that a line can become. If your enemy has unmaneuvrable masses of dumb looking big guys especially, after such a charge he has a lot of work to do to reform into a proper line. If he did catch one of those tiny runners and doesn't destroy it, he is now in contact and hitting one of it's flanks with your heavies gives a disruption already. Moving them towards a side for free pot shots is great, but keeping a few behind your mainline to exploit gaps makes sense too. they can motivate routed enemies to keep going by pursuing them, their higher speed makes them perfect for that job.

[Spectre195]

Although I've played over a dozen hours on FoG2, I'm still just now grasping some of the tactical niceties. One aspect I'm still fuzzy on is how to best use those light troops (javelin men, slingers) that are deployed in front of the main line. I know that they can't cause enough causalities to significantly damage an enemy line unit so I tend to move them off to the flanks and use them to take cheap shots at the flanks or rears of enemy units. I understand that I can use them to harass enemy units approaching my line then withdraw the light units through my line, but that tends to make them not of much use when the main battle starts. Are there better ways to employ those light troops?

I concur with Hendricus. Using skirmishers as charge blockers to make some of the enemy units not reach your line for a turn is a massive help. Lets you get in some 2 on 1s that can turn the tide.

Also another situational use of them is if your enemy is taking the high ground. He is probably not wanting to leave the high ground himself so you can send in skirmishers to harass the troops on the slope and either ping them turn after turn and let the damage build or force them to send a couple units down the hills to run off your skirmishes thus opening holes in the line or leaving a unit in the open for you to pick off. Can be good to force battle.

[roguedjack]

I concur with Hendricus and Spectre195. Harass and disorganize your opponent by forcing him to react.

I would also add that when you have your skirmishers in front of your main line you should try to quickly achieve "skirmishers superiority" by sending your skirmishers to clear your opponent opposing skirmishers. Focus fire on single targets to quickly eliminate them. Getting rid of opposing skirmishers will give you more options.

[Temple]

Thank all of you for the replies! I'll start giving these tactics a try.

[Archaeologist1970]

Another great use is go aggressively after your enemies horse and elephants with them, especially mounted leader units. The key is to mass up the attacks though, like at least three to one. Another option is to leave them in the front and after they fall back, let them flow to a flank and try to get into the enemies backfield and chase routing units. Make sure your foot skirmishers have a single line of troops to fall back through and never leave mounted skirmishers in the middle when the units get into charge range. Good luck, strength and honor!!

[Spectre195]

To expand on my charge blocking note. They are very useful to charge block if the battle deteriorates into a mess of units scattered opposed to line vs line, which you know can happen especially later on in the battle. They can plug holes, especially with the ability to jump through your units, to fill in gaps temporarily and stop the enemy from exploiting the hole how they want to. I have used skirmishers several times to get in between an enemy unit and one of my own to prevent flank charges for a turn forcing the unit to first clear out the skirmishers. Can buy time for the unit originally intending to get charge to clear up their fight and turn to face the approaching enemy unit. There are lots of creative ways to use your skirmishers.

[Temple]

To expand on my charge blocking note. They are very useful to charge block if the battle deteriorates into a mess of units scattered opposed to line vs line, which you know can happen especially later on in the battle. They can plug holes, especially with the ability to jump through your units, to fill in gaps temporarily and stop the enemy from exploiting the hole how they want to. I have used skirmishers several times to get in between an enemy unit and one of my own to prevent flank charges for a turn forcing the unit to first clear out the skirmishers. Can buy time for the unit originally intending to get charge to clear up their fight and turn to face the approaching enemy unit. There are lots of creative ways to use your skirmishers.

Those are some very good ideas. That also gives me a process to follow with the light troops throughout the battle. Thanks!

[hjc]

Here's one way I look at the advantage of skirmishers: how many times in a regular infantry melee do you see a result like: 12 enemy killed, 12 yours killed. Or, similar numbers.

When your skirmishers deal a damage like 12 (and it's not unusual to get higher numbers) it's like you've won a melee round at no cost. If you do this for 5 turns, which is how long their ammunition lasts before the casualties are much lower, you've won the equivalent of 5 rounds of melee. So when your infantry finally engage the enemy they are that much closer to an auto-break.

Of course it varies - sometimes you only kill 6, sometimes you kill 18, etc. And warbands laugh at losing such small numbers.

javelin equipped skirmishers also upset elephants. You can rout elephants with only javelin skirmishers. So, skirmishers can also be deployed in front of your elephants to stop the same being done to you.

[MikeC_81]

I am pretty sure the usage of light troops is one of the big things that will separate an ok/decent player like myself from true experts like the guys who finished well in the various tournaments so far. I am also pretty sure that causing casualties rank very low on the list of consideration.....

Now if we could only get the Alexanders and the Julius Caesers in this game like StockwellPete, hidde, ianiow, or GrayMouser to grace us with their instruction manuals....

[vakarr]

What you do with the skirmishers also depends on whether you have skirmisher superiority or can achieve that on one flank. Against a Roman army it's usually easy to get this superiority so you keep back your centre while beating up the flanks; by the time your centre has been hit you should be able to start doing something to support it from the rear or the sides, while already having some enemy troops routed at the cost of none of your own. Incidentally one of the strengths of the checkerboard formation is it allows you to concentrate fire from skirmishers, who can fire through the gaps without fear of being charged if they have bows or slings. If you can get three units shooting on one enemy unit that unit won't last long even if it's a heavy unit.

[Temple]

I used your suggestions and it worked out pretty well for me in my next battle

I just played a Custom Battle, Atropatene 320-125BC vs Seleucid, difficulty III. I had a bunch of Javelinman units which weren't going to stand up all that well against those better armed and armored guys. And they had an elephant unit. So I deployed my light troops (2 archer, 2 javelin) forward and at the start maneuvered them up towards the Seleucid line. I used the javelin men to keep my archers safe and the archers, who were on a hill, kept shooting at the elephant unit, killing six of the nineteen. I lost one archer and one javelin but pulled the other two back to get healthy again.

Meantime the enemy started advancing on my line, but piecemeal because of the actions of my light troops and also using my two cavalry units to distract them on the other flank. The elephant finally moved closer to my line, having lost a couple more elephants to my mounted archer unit. Then I used my javelin light troop on a flank attack and the elephant unit broke and ran, having never gotten to my main line .

It was a close battle after that as the individual Seleucid units were better than mine, but I kept sticking a light troop unit in whenever I could to prevent them ganging up on any particular unit. And I had the good sense to keep my guys upslope from their pike units. Their cataphracts punched a hole in my line and I ended up losing all three generals, but I squeaked out a win when two of their pike units broke trying to charge uphill again me.

And thanks for all the suggestions. Victory is ours!

[Temple]

I've now played several more battles and your suggestions on the use of light troops have really helped. I'm using them to wear down infantry units of the enemy on the main line, preferably the one with the general. When the main clash occurs I try to move the light troops behind the enemy main line to be an annoyance and to pull reserves to them. If I can't get them behind the enemy line I keep them behind my line, ready to shove into any hole that opens up. I also use them to block any flanking cavalry units if possible. I'm now finding myself purchasing the max allowed in a custom battle just because I find them so useful!

[bodkin]

Also don't forget to put your skirmishers in a rough ground tile if available, this makes them very troublesome to defeat by heavy foot/cav.

[KiwiWarlord]

I am new to FoG 2 and never played FoG 1, I have found Light Infantry to be the 'Super Troop' of the game.
They seem much more powerful than I would have thought from my knowledge of history and 40 years playing tabletop wargames.
Here is a good example from a recent game, 200 Sarmation Light Foot with Jav/LtSpear v 900 Macedonian Pikemen and 450 Macedonian Cavalry which included a General.
Using Macedonians I charged a unit of 200 Sarmation Light Foot, Jav/Lt Spear, in the open with Superior Cavalry lead by a General, the Light Foot held.
I then charged the Light Foot with 900 Pikemen getting full factors for the pikemen, the Light Foot held again.
Getting quite peeved about this I then charged another unit of Cavalry down hill into the Light Foot, they held again....

I suggested to my opponent that he rush out and buy a Lotto ticket.

[jomni]

What’s the terrain?

[KiwiWarlord]

What’s the terrain?

All units were in good going.

[MikeC_81]

That doesn't make any sense at all. The light foot would have evaded 99 times out of 100. Unless they were in enclosures or fortifications.

[Hendricus]

I am new to FoG 2 and never played FoG 1, I have found Light Infantry to be the 'Super Troop' of the game.
They seem much more powerful than I would have thought from my knowledge of history and 40 years playing tabletop wargames.
Here is a good example from a recent game, 200 Sarmation Light Foot with Jav/LtSpear v 900 Macedonian Pikemen and 450 Macedonian Cavalry which included a General.
Using Macedonians I charged a unit of 200 Sarmation Light Foot, Jav/Lt Spear, in the open with Superior Cavalry lead by a General, the Light Foot held.
I then charged the Light Foot with 900 Pikemen getting full factors for the pikemen, the Light Foot held again.
Getting quite peeved about this I then charged another unit of Cavalry down hill into the Light Foot, they held again....

I suggested to my opponent that he rush out and buy a Lotto ticket.

Light troops run more often if charged by infantry, if engaged they receive the next charges. Holding three tests is great and a lottery ticket not that expensive, don't count on winning anything tough.
Numbers mean nothing during the charge, that's during the following melee an important factor. Some units become heroes on the battlefield, it's an above average performance of those light troops.

[stockwellpete]

Light troops won't run away if they think that there is a high chance of being run down and rear-charged. If there is rough ground, or a stream perhaps, behind them then they might decide to stand their ground.