SnuggleBunny's Pike and Shot, Field of Glory II, and Sengoku Jidai Channel

[SnuggleBunnies]

Greetings, I know it's quiet around here these days, but I wanted to let those who do frequent these forums know that I have started a YouTube channel for all of my MP games of Pike and Shot, Sengoku Jidai, and Field of Glory II.

There are just three videos posted so far, but rest assured there are plenty more on the way, easily 1 or 2 a week once my current set of games begin to wrap up. 36 games of the Field of Glory II Digital League will make up the bulk of my play in June, but I will always be playing some Pike and Shot as well, and when it is not tournament season I play all three more or less equally.

Rest assured also that I will post *all* of my games, including horrible and humiliating (educational?) defeats!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjUQy6 ... woGgjxixLg

[ahuyton]

Very good. I would quite like a game of Pike ad Shot and see your video comments afterwards. That would be very educational.

I have my doubts that you will get many horrible and humiliating defeats, however, and least of all from me.

[SnuggleBunnies]

Post a game or a mirrored pair with password and I am at your service!

[GentlemanRanker]

This is very welcome news Jack; I have long been a cheerleader for Richard Yorke’s sterling efforts to promote the multiplayer aspect of these excellent, underated games via YouTube.

I have found your insightful comments following my numerous losses to you to be most helpful; to have a player of your calibre offering full game commentary and tactical analysis will do a great deal to help many of us to improve.

Unlike brave Alan, I am not so sure that I am ready to have a forensic deconstruction of my many egregious playing errors exposed to public scrutiny … However, any game that you are actually in danger of losing is likely to be a real Premier League tussle, and well worth looking out for.

[SnuggleBunnies]

Thanks, Nick, but you'll be glad to know I suffered two crushing defeats in friendly matches (as Qing Green Banner vs Tibetan and Bull Run as the Union) recently. Unfortunately both matches were well underway when I began my channel.

Plenty of defeats should be on the way though, my Digital League record in my divisions is rather middling.

[ahuyton]

Jack, our game is posted

[Athos1660]

I watched the French vs Austrian 1649-1660 MP game in full length (and some extracts of the other videos before watching them in full). Very nice ! Go on posting.

Interesting to see how you, as French, base your attack exclusively on the power of a long and continuous line of Infantry with Impact foot, using your cavalry (and some rough terrain on the left-hand side) to contain the enemy cavalry on both wings, but without any other use of Dragoons, light guns or detached musketeers. A long line of troops that, if I am not wrong, quickly blocks the LOS of your only gun (which your cat seems to complain about at the start of the video). Maybe it could have been a little dangerous tactic if the enemy had more luck during the shooting phase of the infantry vs infantry fight and if he had used an additional light gun (instead of one of his units of hussars) and focused his artillery fire on either a couple of your cavalry units or infantry ones ? However, it was very successful tactic at the end, a way to "get to the essential" : the Impact foot.

It gave me the envy to give Imperial Austrain 1649-1674 a try.

Very nice videos !!!!

[SnuggleBunnies]

Thank you. I freely admit that I tend to do a pretty bad job with using artillery; I feel like you need more than one unit to get a lot out of them, but I hate having to assign even more troops to protect them.

[awesum4]

I rarely buy artillery but if its compulsory I find it really useful in conjunction with musketry. But I don't bother to protect them, they are small units which have little effect on the percentage of my army lost and any unit that is riding for miles to take out my guns is one less unit attacking my real troops. But I have lost badly to massed artillery and janissaries in the Ottoman army, or artillery and streltsi in the russians

[Athos1660]

You both certainly use artillery much better than me.

I play SP and I guess SP can’t be compared with MP, the AI being certainly more docile than a good player.

However, I for one really like artillery, often using a medium or a heavy one along with a movable light one among my infantry in checkerboard. At the start of a battle, the medium/heavy artillery might rout an enemy cavalry unit which is interesting when the enemy cavalry is superior in quality or numerically. Light artillery can soften the enemy infantry just before the impact. At the end, if still alive, artillery can get rid of a couple of disrupted/fragmented enemy P&S and snatch victory.

In fact, I really like it, when, during my P&S fights, my « small » and fragile units such as dragoons, detached musketeers or artillery manage to have a major impact on the final result.

Currently discovering the Italian wars with their mixing of guns, arquebus, crossbows, pikes, heavy and light lances, etc. Very nice, even if I must admit that the 17th century remains my favorite one in the FoG/P&S series.

(Sorry for the off topic but it’s nice to speak of P&S gameplay)

Nice to have such a youtube channel to watch great MP games with pros.

[SnuggleBunnies]

I sometimes do bring along dragoons and the like, but it depends on the terrain. I rarely bring commanded shot - why bother when I can put those 24 points into upgrading one of my Horse units to Veteran Horse? Their firepower is negligible, too. I do tend to bring along Detached Musketeers/Arquebusiers when they are available, as they have 250 men to fire. I also think Light Artillery is a good buy, thanks to their increased mobility. Sure, they can't force a cavalry column to move from long range, but they can still break a stalemate by posting up 6 tiles away.

And fear not, I play every period offered by the game. there will probably be a lull soon in Pike and Shot videos, as I have started my many (many) Digital League games, but when that's done perhaps I'll launch some games with more unusual lists, like Tudor English or early Polish.

[Athos1660]

If I understand it correctly, Commanded shot is an interesting (but complex to use) defensive tool to hinder/delay an oversized enemy cavalry to attack your too few cavalry units all at once, especially from the flank. I dream of a guide to fully understand/master it.


In this case, "only" 2 out of 4 cuirassiers will be able to attack the single cavalry unit during this turn (and the one flanking can't) :



In this case, the Cuirassier on the right-hand side can't flank-charge the cav. :



Fun!

[SnuggleBunnies]

I just hesitate to invest points in a unit that will at best tie up a more expensive enemy unit before breaking; but perhaps I haven't given them a fair shot. I'll try using them in numbers in a future game.

[Athos1660]

(...) perhaps I haven't given them a fair shot.

I know I for one didn't as I haven't fully understood how they work. Will try again.

I'll try using them in numbers in a future game.

French Huguenot (15xx) with up to 8 Commanded Arquebusiers is an interesting option btw.

[w_michael]

I enjoyed the P&S replay. Please keep them coming.

[SnuggleBunnies]

I will. Right now it will be all Field of Glory II Digital League matches, but I will resume Pike and Shot and Sengoku Jidai in July.

[ahuyton]

Interesting remarks on commanded shor. I had not realised, Athos, that they asserted a zone of control against enemy cavalry (if I understand well your diagrams).

I will use them very differently now.

Do you not wish to try some MP games? There is a very nice group of players, experts like Snuggles, Awesum2 and Kiwiwarlord and then moderate players and newer ones to the scene and I would be happy to put you in touch. I learn a lot about the game when playing the good players especially as we use the in game chat to exchange remarks and ideas.

[Athos1660]

Interesting remarks on commanded shor. I had not realised, Athos, that they asserted a zone of control against enemy cavalry (if I understand well your diagrams).

I will use them very differently now.

That's it.

If I am not mistaken, there's only one brief mention of it in the manual, p. 25 : "Non-light troops ignore the ZOC of light troops (except commanded shot currently “Protected” by adjacent mounted troops)"

Taking care of keeping the CS protected while orientating its ZOC to hinder the movement of enemy cavalry seem to be the rule of thumb in mastering CS... which is not easy but interesting (imho).

Do you not wish to try some MP games? There is a very nice group of players, experts like Snuggles, Awesum2 and Kiwiwarlord and then moderate players and newer ones to the scene and I would be happy to put you in touch. I learn a lot about the game when playing the good players especially as we use the in game chat to exchange remarks and ideas.

Maybe some day
Sounds promising.

[SnuggleBunnies]

Just a heads up, with the League starting to wind down (ie, me losing a bunch of matches in rapid succession) I have resumed posting Pike and Shot videos.

[GentlemanRanker]

To help me improve at Pike & Shot and Sengoku Jidai, find that I have enrolled at OUS (Online University of SnuggleBunny). Watching a match on YouTube, then setting up a hot seat game using the same forces, is a good way to get to grips with some of the more elusive aspects of the gameplay.

I suspect that these STUB engine games, with their reactive mechanics, are more difficult to master than FoGII, as players have much less direct control of their forces. It would be interesting to discover how a top FOGII player, such as Ludendorf or Nosy_Rat, would approach these games.

I have found useful pointers to aid my understanding of the interaction between ZOC and the priority charge target rules, dealing with unfavourable POA matchups, and the importance of using terrain to control the battle. I still have a great deal to learn, so please keep up the good work!

[And a big thank you to awesum4 in his role as principle teaching assistant.]