Post by primuspilus on Feb 19, 2018 2:17:19 GMT
This is just a quick post to remind people that rivers are not anywhere as bad as they may seem, and add a tremendous amount of flavour to the game. I know some of you have said you don't use them, but I caution against blanket avoidance. DBA v3 is far more subtle now, and there are far fewer guaranteed terrain lockdowns than their used to be.
First off, they work great for keeping "flee-ish" elements honest. And on a 3-6, they can prevent LH and Ps subsequent moves, buying valuable time to ignore his Light troops for perhaps one or two more bounds before having to worry about him bagging your camp with them. And remember, anything fleeing into even a paltry river is dead meat. Also, artillery and a river can be a deadly combo against LH.
Now, on a 1 or 2, that is all the rivers will be good for: partially lassoing "flee-ish" elements. You try to act stunned and shocked that your careful river defence is now in tatters. Well, rivers still restrict movement paths across them, so even if paltry, he still has to cross in an orderly and disciplined way. So a slight benefit there. Plus, remember that now the river isn't a restriction on you either.
What if the river roll is a 3 or 4? Well, all that happens is you slow to a 1BW move rate, and any opposing troops get a +1 in close combat. So now you have to get a bit more creative, and use a bit more technique with crossing the river. You may need support shooting to recoil critical enemies, giving you some much needed overlaps against the defenders on the river bank. Maybe artillery are a great "persuader" to recalcitrant foes. Also, your "quick-killy" types retain their quick kill abilities against river bank defenders.
But do bear in mind: the movement rate restrictions apply to elements with their front edge in the river. That means even a 5 or 6 result won't slow your crossing much, if you manage to probe the enemy defences successfully for a crossing point. An army like Alex Mac usually will have a rough time spreading wide enough to cover all crossings. And nothing says you have to advance on the river at right angles. You can choose to deploy and advance along a river bank, giving the enemy a nice headache about which side to put which elements on.
Of course, as the defender, you may want a river because it is better than, say, another plough, or a wood or marsh. You want a liner defence, but a gully is not for you (maybe you are all Knights and Spears?). Enemy shooters cannot shoot while they are in the river. This can prove a critical advantage to exploit. How you spend your PIPs will have a big impact on working out a clever river crossing stratagem against even a thorough river defence.
I strongly believe rivers are more balanced than they have ever been in the system. Even when really bad (5-6), they are far from terrible, and if the enemy does not fully commit to defending them, can be easily crossed. And remember, you can add a road, for a nice crossing point conundrum for the enemy to mull over.
See Stevie's scenario from the Gallic Wars for a great example of how a river makes a battle all kinds of interesting.
First off, they work great for keeping "flee-ish" elements honest. And on a 3-6, they can prevent LH and Ps subsequent moves, buying valuable time to ignore his Light troops for perhaps one or two more bounds before having to worry about him bagging your camp with them. And remember, anything fleeing into even a paltry river is dead meat. Also, artillery and a river can be a deadly combo against LH.
Now, on a 1 or 2, that is all the rivers will be good for: partially lassoing "flee-ish" elements. You try to act stunned and shocked that your careful river defence is now in tatters. Well, rivers still restrict movement paths across them, so even if paltry, he still has to cross in an orderly and disciplined way. So a slight benefit there. Plus, remember that now the river isn't a restriction on you either.
What if the river roll is a 3 or 4? Well, all that happens is you slow to a 1BW move rate, and any opposing troops get a +1 in close combat. So now you have to get a bit more creative, and use a bit more technique with crossing the river. You may need support shooting to recoil critical enemies, giving you some much needed overlaps against the defenders on the river bank. Maybe artillery are a great "persuader" to recalcitrant foes. Also, your "quick-killy" types retain their quick kill abilities against river bank defenders.
But do bear in mind: the movement rate restrictions apply to elements with their front edge in the river. That means even a 5 or 6 result won't slow your crossing much, if you manage to probe the enemy defences successfully for a crossing point. An army like Alex Mac usually will have a rough time spreading wide enough to cover all crossings. And nothing says you have to advance on the river at right angles. You can choose to deploy and advance along a river bank, giving the enemy a nice headache about which side to put which elements on.
Of course, as the defender, you may want a river because it is better than, say, another plough, or a wood or marsh. You want a liner defence, but a gully is not for you (maybe you are all Knights and Spears?). Enemy shooters cannot shoot while they are in the river. This can prove a critical advantage to exploit. How you spend your PIPs will have a big impact on working out a clever river crossing stratagem against even a thorough river defence.
I strongly believe rivers are more balanced than they have ever been in the system. Even when really bad (5-6), they are far from terrible, and if the enemy does not fully commit to defending them, can be easily crossed. And remember, you can add a road, for a nice crossing point conundrum for the enemy to mull over.
See Stevie's scenario from the Gallic Wars for a great example of how a river makes a battle all kinds of interesting.