Empire Total War

As an opponent moves his units forward to within range of your lines, they do not instantly begin firing at your forces. This delay between movement and firing is an excellent time to maneuver out of your opponent’s range, making him unable to unleash a volley on your troops. This strategy works best when you have longer ranged light infantry units, who have a range of 125, against significantly lesser ranged units, such as line infantry. When executed properly, you can inflict devastating casualties while avoiding taking any of your own.

Set Up
Artillery is useful for attacking your enemy from afar, but solid shot does not inflict significant damage to enemy formations. However, in close proximity canister shot and puckles can be absolutely devastating to incoming forces. But, it can be quite dangerous to move your artillery too far forward, as they will be vulnerable to cavalry or infantry charges. It is best to set your artillery up farther away and lure your opponent into your cannon’s optimum range.

Lure
First, ensure your units have a longer range than your enemy’s troops. This technique can be done with any type of ranged infantry, but expect to take more casualties if you use infantry with an equal range. Second, lengthen your infantry into two lines, as shown by the blue lines in the figures below. Once your opponent comes into range of your line of units closest to him, they will fire a volley, which they cannot respond to. As soon as that volley is shot, move your first line behind your second line to reload and wait.

If this is done correctly, your opponent should still be moving up to his minimum firing range, unable to fire yet. With your opponent still running forward, they will reach your second line's range, taking another volley. Again, like the first line, you will want to move back behind the second line of troops you’ve created. This can be done multiple times.

These pictures help visualize this concept. Cavalry and other infantry sections are not shown, and the diagrams are not to scale.



The Ambush
After a while, your opponent should catch on and will commit to a charge to get into melee range. This is where your artillery and line infantry come into play. The plan with the lure was to get your opponent close enough to engage with canister shot. Once they arrive, with your line infantry supported by artillery rounds that are absolutely devastating at close range, your opponent’s weakened units will not have a chance of victory.

Defense
You will want to keep a sharp eye on your opponent’s cavalry troops. Keep your own cavalry close to the flanks of your artillery and your falling lines. If your opponent is smart, he will flank your lines or attempt to charge them, to halt your falling line. As soon as he makes his move, you have your cavalry ready to attack his advancing infantry line. In this case, the falling lines tactic has to be abandoned and you should move forward all forces in order to support your cavalry.

Important Considerations

• If your falling lines are both in range of advancing units, they will both fire volleys, causing friendly fire and unwanted casualties. To help prevent this, keep your lines separated by a wide enough distance so that your first line has time to retreat behind your second line.
• A large amount of micro in needed. So be sure you won’t need to make any other troop movement for a period of time. A good idea is to put your troops in defensive positions around your falling line so that your opponent will be unwilling to risk a flanking maneuver.
• Your light infantry can deploy spikes to help protect against a frontal cavalry charge. If you know where your lines will be falling back, set up some spikes beforehand.
• Make sure your artillery has a clear shot when your opponent is in range to avoid friendly fire. Leave space in between your line infantry sections for when your falling lines arrive.
• Your cavalry are free to move about the battlefield with this tactic, so always look for open flanks. If one appears, charge in to take advantage of it. Flanking by itself can win you the battle. If you manage to create an opening with your cavalry, advance with the rest of your army to take advantage of it, crushing your opponent’s army.
• Your opponent will eventually catch on and the falling line strategy will start to falter. Make sure your fall-back artillery and line infantry position are within a reasonable distance. Move them up so that you don’t need to retreat your light infantry too far if trouble occurs.

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