Thoughts on Maneuver

[nyczar]

I have fought almost 200 battles now and I have started to wonder about what might be the community of us FOGers views on maneuver, significant maneuver of a sub general's large division or even an entire army. For me, it is becoming an increasing part of my play when the terrain allows for it. While my greatest success with maneuver has come from employing, not surprisingly, chariot and cavalry based armies, I have also found victory by long maneuvers with lists made up mostly of armored heavy infantry as well. Don't get me wrong, a good scrum is fun, and terrain sometimes demands it, but more often than not a move diagonal or even perpendicular to an opponent's battle line may yield flanks, gaps, and opportunities to attack with superior numbers at a key point because your opponent has many troops out of the fight rushing to realign for a counter attack. I find that generals, including myself, find it hard to maintain lines on the march. The challenge of maneuver, and why I have gotten plenty of good drubbings, is that it is very uncertain; I cant know if i will have a favorable tactical match up when battle is joined or if I will open a gap or find a flank. I find that when I decide to maneuver, it is much more about "rational Intuition" than caulucation. I have no doctrines or guidelines to share; just these thoughts on my experience. I hope i might hear from some on you on your thoughts and experience as well.

[klayeckles]

to me that is the big distinguishing test...maneuver generates chaos, and chaos generates opportunity...which general can make sense of the chaos and finds the opportunity separates the great generals from the dead generals. not necessarily even about getting flank attacks...but getting proper matchups is important as well. And retrograde or retiring maneuvers are very under used. One of our distinguished players once said, "if both armies are marching forward, someone is probably misplaying their army."

[Ludendorf]

The other thing about manoeuvring is it forces your opponent to alter or sometimes even throw out their original battle plan entirely. They are now reacting to what you are doing, and that means they aren't following their own script for winning the fight. I am currently trying to fend off a string of defeats, and every time it seems like it is because my opponent has done something that has forced me away from my battle plan to do something my army hasn't been set up to do.

[Morbio]

The other thing about manoeuvring is it forces your opponent to alter or sometimes even throw out their original battle plan entirely. They are now reacting to what you are doing, and that means they aren't following their own script for winning the fight. I am currently trying to fend off a string of defeats, and every time it seems like it is because my opponent has done something that has forced me away from my battle plan to do something my army hasn't been set up to do.

What? You mean you lose sometimes! How come I never see that?... Actually, don't answer that!