Medieval Strategy Game Battle Tactics: Holy Roman Empire vs. France in Burgundy
On Burgundy's rolling hills, roughly 900 soldiers prepare for a costly clash. Around 450 troops serve the Holy Roman Empire, while about 450 French soldiers follow Duke Hugh of House Valir.
This medieval strategy game battle tests more than troop numbers. The Holy Roman Empire relies on dense infantry, heavy armor, spears, and polearms. France brings elite noble cavalry, strong lances, mercenaries, and larger numbers of levies. The battle takes place in the game's first chapter, covering 1313 to 1348, so every weapon and armor set fits the early 14th century.
Build an Army Around Unit Status and Battlefield Roles
The game divides troops into household, mercenary, and levy units. Their social status affects their cost, gear, discipline, and battlefield role.
Household Troops Deliver Elite Power
Household soldiers come from noble families. They cost more, but they bring better gear and higher combat skill. The showcased army includes tier-five Eel Connect cavalry and a tier-seven Panzakin household infantry unit.
The Eel Connect riders carry shields, cavalry helms, bassinets, spears, and warhorses. Their spears identify them as shock cavalry. They should charge, cause heavy damage and morale loss, pull away, then charge again. Leaving them locked in a long melee wastes their main strength.
The Panzakin are the army's best infantry. They wear chain mail, bassinets, gauntlets, and protective boots. Their Bec de Corbin-style polearms make them dangerous against armored targets.
Mercenaries Add Skill Without Noble Cost
Mercenaries are professional fighters who serve for payment. The French Pitonam are tier-four sword-and-buckler infantry, built for close combat.
Their bucklers protect against some arrows, but they cover less of the body than heater or kite shields. Move these troops into melee quickly. If they stand in the open under sustained arrow fire, their smaller shields will not save them.
The Holy Roman Empire also fields English mercenary archers. They use short bows at this stage and still have several tiers to climb before reaching stronger longbows and war bows.
Levies provide numbers but lack the same training. The Helbart Meister carry two-handed halberds, while the Spisa carry large spears. Both can hurt cavalry and armored troops, but their loose spacing leaves them open to charges.
Use Shields and Cohesion to Shape the Front Line
Equipment and formation spacing affect survival in direct ways. A shield can block an arrow, while a tight formation can slow a charging horse.
Shield Size Determines Arrow Protection
Arrows use physical hit detection, so larger shields cover more of a soldier's body. Bucklers offer limited protection. Heater shields provide more cover, while large kite shields help front-line troops absorb missile fire.
The House Connects and Canappa are useful near the front because their larger shields help them endure incoming arrows. The French Auya also carry broad Italian-style shields. English archers should avoid wasting volleys on them and target exposed soldiers instead.
Place vulnerable elite units behind shield bearers until melee begins. Heavy troops still suffer under concentrated arrow fire, even when their armor is strong.
Cohesion Makes Dense Formations Harder to Break
Cohesion shows how well trained a unit is. Household and experienced mercenary troops stand close together. Levies spread out more because they lack the same drill.
That spacing matters against cavalry. A horse moving through a loose line can break past defenders with little resistance. A deep formation forces the horse to collide with more men, slowing it long enough for spearmen and polearms to strike.
Use spear wall or shield wall with high-cohesion troops. Keep levies behind stronger formations when possible, especially if the enemy still has fresh cavalry.
Medieval Strategy Game Battle Tactics Against French Cavalry
France's main advantage is its heavy noble cavalry. The Holy Roman Empire must avoid giving those riders an easy charge into a thin or scattered line.
Heavy Lances Make the Charge the Main Threat
Duke Hugh's Castillia unit is the strongest force on the field. It uses a powerful warhorse, heavy armor, and a long leaf-shaped lance. The horse carries much of the weight, allowing the rider to wear armor that would exhaust a foot soldier.
The lance also reaches infantry before their shorter spears can connect. A direct clash in open ground would favor the French. Force this cavalry toward deep ranks, prepared spear walls, or ground that limits its approach.
France also fields the Janster Arms, another high-tier household shock cavalry unit. Two elite cavalry groups create a serious threat to exposed archers and weak flanks.
Use Defensive Depth Instead of a Wide Line
The Imperial army is infantry-heavy. It favors spears, poleaxes, halberds, and heavy foot soldiers. France has stronger noble cavalry, but its levies and some mercenaries lack the same quality.
That difference shaped the battle plan. The Imperial commander placed shield-bearing House Connects, Pitonam, and Canappa near the front. Spisa helped hold the forward line, while Panzakin and Helbart Meister waited behind it as reinforcements.
The archers moved farther back. This reduced the number of volleys they could fire before contact, but it protected them from an early cavalry strike. Depth mattered more than width because dense ranks made it harder for French horses to pass through.
Turn Battle Planning Into Flexible Command
The battle begins with time paused. This gives the commander space to reposition units, change formation depth, select standing orders, and set a plan before the lines move.
Use Initial Orders for Flanking Maneuvers
The Imperial cavalry received a route that sent them over a hill, through a valley, and toward the French archers. Initial orders combine movement and attack commands, allowing a unit to follow a planned path without constant control.
This route avoided a head-on fight with the French nobles. It also used terrain to hide the riders until they reached the enemy's rear. The enemy could still respond with spearmen or cavalry, so the maneuver required close attention once the battle began.
Match Standing Orders to the Situation
Defensive units hold their position after winning a clash. Aggressive units seek another target at once. Adaptive units make their own decisions based on nearby threats.
The main line benefited from defensive orders. Support troops could use adaptive orders when the battle became less predictable. Aggressive orders worked best for units with a clear breakthrough, not for fragile levies left near enemy cavalry.
Global commands include advance, hold, fall back, engage, and charge. Local commands give one selected unit a precise movement or attack order. Holding Alt opens the information view, Control slows time and opens command mode, and F selects an individual unit.
Win Through Timing, Momentum, and Target Selection
The French army advanced first, but the Imperial line held its ground. That delay gave the cavalry time to circle behind the enemy while the main forces prepared for contact.
Protect the Flank and Attack the Rear
The Imperial cavalry reached the French archers and began repeated charges. Removing those archers reduced French missile pressure and forced the enemy to fight without full support.
The Imperial right flank struggled when French mercenaries pushed forward. The commander sent in the Helbart Meister, moved House Connects toward the side, and tried to surround the threatened troops instead of feeding every reserve into the same melee.
The commander also joined the fighting on horseback. A Bec de Corbin-style polearm can use quick attacks, held attacks, and careful timing. At speed, the horse adds major force to each strike, creating powerful momentum attacks against exposed soldiers.
Turn Local Breaks Into a Mass Route
French peasant units began to break first. Imperial infantry then stabilized the melee while the cavalry finished off the archers. Once French missile support disappeared, more enemy units lost morale and started fleeing.
The House Habsburg side won, but it lost around 300 troops. That made the victory costly. Pursuing every fleeing soldier could bring more casualties, especially while enemy cavalry remained active.
Turn Victory Into Campaign Progress
A field battle affects the next campaign move. Surviving troops gain experience, the commander can improve skills, and the army collects loot from the battlefield.
Upgrade the Army's Strengths
Experience can improve unit tiers and unlock better formations. The commander may also raise polearm skill or riding ability. A force built around infantry should favor upgrades that improve formation strength and close combat.
Higher-tier units also gain access to abilities that fresh levies cannot use. Keep veteran troops alive when possible, since replacing their experience with new recruits can weaken the next battle.
Press Weakened Enemies Carefully
After the victory, the army returns to the exploration map. The defeated enemy is now weaker, creating chances to raid castles or take settlements near House Follower's position.
That opportunity still requires judgment. Check troop numbers, cavalry losses, and the strength of elite units before starting another fight. A costly win can open a campaign route, but only if the army has enough strength to keep moving.
Conclusion
This Burgundy battle shows why medieval strategy game battle tactics depend on roles, spacing, and timing. Use large shields to protect the front, dense formations to slow cavalry, and elite polearms where armor matters most.
Keep shock cavalry charging instead of grinding through melee. Protect archers, reinforce weak flanks early, and send mounted units around the enemy when terrain allows it. After the fight, turn experience and loot into upgrades before pressing toward weakened settlements.
Comments