Part 4: Basic Tactics 1

With this limitation in mind, let’s take a look at the “string & stalemate” situation we discussed in part 2. As you recall, we have two long columns of troops spawning at opposing graveyards, and then running towards each other and fighting. There is probably a long drawn out stalemate on the battlefield with some people on your team yelling for everyone to “just push”. Of course, you now know why that is unlikely to work. As you get closer to the enemy objective, their reinforcements will arrive faster and it will get increasingly difficult to “break through” even if everyone is pressing forward.

Pin & Flank
Remember, the strategic objective is the flag at the enemy graveyard. Everything else is not directly relevant. You will need to deliver a decisively larger force to that graveyard flag in order to capture it, and not to get bogged down. One effective way to do this is to execute a pin and flank maneuver. Have 10-15 of your troops wait at your graveyard spawn point. This is a difficult command to give, and will require some coercion and yelling to accomplish. This group will be your flanking force. While this force, which will usually consist of your best players, rallies together, the battle point will start to shift back towards your own spawn point. This is what you want to happen. The enemy soldiers will try to push directly ahead towards your own graveyard flag, and will move away from their own. Further, fewer enemies will be killed in battle and there will be fewer enemies spawning near their graveyard flag.

Have your flanking force go around the enemy and hit the grave yard flag directly. You will quickly overrun the defenses there. This little maneuver works about 50% of the time. If it didn’t work, try it again. It beats an endless stalemate.

Fake Retreat
Occasionally, even after your flanking force has assembled, the battle will continue to rage around the enemy graveyard. In this case, you will need to do something else to move the fight away from the grave yard flag. If you order your main force to fall back, the fight will move away from the grave yard and the flanking force will be able to capture it. Strangely, this maneuver is a lot easier to pull off than you might think. “Run away” should be a difficult command, but for some reason people understand the maneuver and are willing to give it a try in practice.

Effective attacks in Alterac Valley consist of medium-sized clumps of troops delivered with speed and surprise to an important objective. It can be very difficult to get people to “gather up”, but it can be crucial in escaping from stalemate situations. Most foes don’t leave adequate defense at key strategic points until well after they are attacked. This further rewards sharp, decisive maneuvers - maneyvers which do not award the enemy time to compensate before their objective is taken.

Stay tuned for more basic tactics...

Go back to Part 3: More Basic Principles: Friction