Warrior Ancient and Medieval Rules

[joncleaves]

There has been some great discussion on what armies to play and what troop
types 'do well' etc. lately.

I thought I'd throw in my $0.02.

First, I'll give the same advice I always give after 30 years of gaming -
play to your style. Now matter what you think is the hot new sexy army that
will
crush all comers in the next tourney season, time after time I see players
trying to fit into an army that simply is not their style. for example, if you
just can't stand not having 5-7 charges a bound, a regular foot army isn't for
you, no matter who won the NICT last year with it.

Second, and even more important, no piece or group of pieces of lead or
pewter ever won anything. Players win tourneys, not their armies. It is true,
that due to the somewhat unpredictable nature of the various opponent's forces,
especially in an open environment, that one-dimensional armies tend to severly
restrict a player's options. A force of all LMI JLS does not typically
provide the right tools to win consistently over time against a variety of
opponents. However, I'd be much more concerned about a top player with Sea
Peoples
than I ever would about a middle-packer with the hot new 'killer' army.

Third, way too often I see guys playing what they think is the 'winning' army
without a notion of what their plan is. You should be able to answer some
basic questions going into any game...
-how am I going to deal with elephants? chariots? knights? missile fire?
fortifications? bad terrain? big foot units?
-am I using the flanks or protecting them?
-how am I going to cause the first waver test before he does? how am I going
to cause at least 5-6 wavers before the end of bound three? how am I going
to cause at least three for every one he causes? what types of test are the
best for me to cause given my style/army?
-how am I going to keep from being uneasy? how am I going to keep him uneasy?
-what are my orders likely to be? will I need to change them?
-where do my units fit in my plan? what are some likely deployment schemes?
what are some likely command structures?

Fourth, for those of you (us!) who have an average amount of money and/or
less than infinite time, you will be living with this army for a while. It
probably should be something you'll enjoy painting/collecting/owning no matter
what
its 'reputation' is.

Just some thoughts.
Jon


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