Battleground Checklist

The following is a list of the kind of questions I ask myself before and during turn phases. It is imperative to appreciate that your movement does not take place in a vacuum and that an opponent's behaviour is going to be responsive to what you did last turn. This is especially important to remember when you are on the offensive as it is easy to assume that your enemy has become inert and is incapable of taking any initiative. This is actually something that Allied players need to take advantage of as even experienced French commanders are guilty of leaving opportunities where a shrewd defender can make successful local counter-attacks.

Movement phases

• Bearing in mind my units may be disordered at the end of my offensive phase, have I left units in adjacent hexes that could be targeted by enemy cavalry?
• Again, bearing in mind where my units may be at the end of my melee phase, have I left my opponent the opportunity of zoc attacks?
• Have I ensured that charge paths to my guns are blocked?
• Have I appreciated the potential effect that routers will have on friendly units? Squares and lines can be maximum stacked with skirmishers and a leader to reduce the chance of disorder; cavalry can be broken down into squadrons and maximum stacked with a leader.
• Is command and control intact? Will Uxbridge be within command range of cavalry at the end of their charge?
• Have I uneccessarily left any units' flanks exposed? If possible stack a skirmisher in the hex which will change facing when it fires in the defensive phase, so avoiding the flanking penalty.
• Have I blocked potential counter-charge paths with skirmishers or zocs?

Offensive phases

• Are my cavalry charges really worthwhile? Remember the cost of 8 points for every 25 troopers.
• Are there any possibilities for zoc attacks and have I maximised my attack modifiers? One skirmisher attacking from the flank and/or from a hill will give a modifier to the entire stack. Have I stacked a leader, preferably a colonel, in one of the attacking stacks (and remember leaders can melee more than once a turn)?

Defensive phases

• Remember to fire my skirmishers stacked with a flanked unit in the direction of the attacking units. Alternatively changing to square will reduce the modifier from +3 to +2.
• When I change formation, have I considered the potential effect of routers. A disordered square might be immobile for a few turns before it regains good order.
• Remember that stacked artillery and wagons negate the modifier achieved by changing to square. But my opponent might not know this...

[Written by Peter Robinson.]