Title: Dego AAR — Active defense, artillery pressure, and a near reversal in a Napoleonic battle simulation

This is an AAR from European Warfare / HEW (though this later term is often less used), a Napoleonic RTS/wargame mod based on the old American Conquest engine. I thought people here might appreciate it because the battle produced a very Napoleonic command problem: how does a defender survive artillery pressure, enemy initiative, and a strong attack without simply sitting in place and being destroyed?

The battle was Dego, with me defending against Schooner. This was not a clean victory for me. It was a hard-fought loss, but one of the more instructive battles I have played recently.

The main action developed in the east, where Schooner made his primary advance. He had the initiative and dangerous artillery support, especially once canister became relevant. If I held passively, his guns and infantry pressure would eventually grind me down. So I tried to conduct an active defense: hold where necessary, counterattack exposed formations, shift reserves, and use terrain to break up his momentum.

For much of the battle, the eastern sector was under serious pressure. Schooner’s artillery made it difficult to launch clean counterstrokes, and I had to be careful not to waste reserves too early. Still, the defense did not collapse. I was able to spoil parts of his attack, hit exposed troops, and force him into a more awkward battle than he probably wanted.

The late stage shifted into the town itself, where the fighting became much more chaotic. This was where I came closest to reversing the battle. I managed to lure parts of his force into difficult town fighting and punish them badly. For a while, it looked like his attack might lose coherence entirely.

But the main lesson was simple:

Almost breaking the enemy is not the same as breaking him.

Looking back, I probably needed to concentrate harder at the decisive moment. I had created a real opportunity, but I did not put quite enough force into the blow that might have cracked his army. By the time I realized how close he was to breaking, my own reserves were worn down and his artillery was still too dangerous.

So Dego ended as a loss, but a useful one. It showed how much depth this kind of battle can have: defense is not just holding a line. A good defense has to breathe — shifting reserves, counterattacking, using towns and terrain, and knowing when to risk a decisive stroke. Compared to the historical battle, it went better than expected due to the large French numerical and artillery advantage, but I could have potentially committed an all or nothing assault, even if it risked losing the town, instead of my elastic defense strategy.

This tradeoff between elastic defense, counter attacking, and reorganization under fire is what made the battle feel genuinely Napoleonic to me. It was not just about numbers, but about tempo, artillery, morale, local counterattacks, and the question of when a commander should stop preserving his force and commit everything to the moment.

If anyone is curious about the mod or wants to see more battles like this, feel free to ask or DM me. I can point people toward install instructions, but I mostly wanted to share the AAR because the battle produced an interesting Napoleonic command problem.

I’ve been posting more about European Warfare / HEW (though this term is no longer used), the old American Conquest–based Napoleonic mod, and a few people have started DMing me asking how to install or get into matches. So I figured I’d share another AAR — this time not a clean victory, but one of the more instructive losses I’ve played recently.

This battle was Dego, with me defending against Schooner. The basic situation was that I was under heavy pressure from a stronger attacking force, including dangerous artillery. Schooner had a large horse artillery battery that made counterattacking very difficult, especially once canister came into play.

My goal was not to sit passively and wait to be destroyed. I tried to fight an active defense: absorb the main attack, punish overextensions, counterattack where possible, and use terrain and towns to break up the enemy’s momentum. The new troop movement mechanics helped me in this, as I was able to concentrate all of my forces before Schooner was able to strike.

Early on, Schooner pushed hard and forced me to give ground. The pressure was real, and there were moments where his artillery made it very hard to move reserves or launch a clean counterstroke. But my defense had enough depth to pull back against his probing attempts. I launched large counter attacks in the east, hoping to break Schooner's attacking arm, but his artillery and more numerous reserves forced me to pull back steadily.

The most interesting part came later, when I managed to lure parts of his army into the town and punish them badly. For a while, it looked like the entire battle might reverse. His advantage had been reduced, his attack was becoming disordered, and my local counterattacks were starting to hurt. I was able to force back his attacking hook, but the constant pressure along the front forced me to sacrifice sectors of the front to buy time.

In the end, my active defense was not enough to completely turn his numerical advantage, and I was slowly ground down by the end.

Looking back, I probably needed to concentrate harder against the decisive target when the window opened. I had created real problems for Schooner, but I did not quite put enough force into the one blow that might have turned the battle. By the time I recognized how close he was to cracking, my own reserves were too exhausted and his artillery, particularly his battery of 6lb horse guns, was still too dangerous.

So the final result was a loss — but a very useful one.

What Dego showed me is that in HEW, defense is not just about holding a line. A good defense has to breathe. It has to counterattack, shift reserves, punish movement, and make the attacker pay for every exposed formation. But it also showed the danger of being too cautious at the decisive moment. If the attacker gives you a chance to break his fighting power, you may have to commit harder than feels comfortable.

That is one of the things I love about this mod. Even a loss can feel like a real command problem: terrain, artillery, morale, timing, reserves, and judgment all matter.

For anyone interested in trying the game/mod, feel free to DM me. There are still active players, and we are trying to make it easier for new people to get started.

If you are interested in these battles, I will leave the discords and install instructions here:

Hawks Discord : https://discord.gg/KW2fufWScG
European Warfare Series Discord: https://discord.gg/jgG5JGpjJt

Install and multiplayer setup instructions: How to Install European Warfare: Napoleonica (EW1 / HEW) and Play Internet Multiplayer : r/computerwargames

I’ve been posting more about European Warfare / HEW (though this term is no longer used), the old American Conquest–based Napoleonic mod, and a few people have started DMing me asking how to install or get into matches. So I figured I’d share another AAR — this time not a clean victory, but one of the more instructive losses I’ve played recently.

This battle was Dego, with me defending against Schooner. The basic situation was that I was under heavy pressure from a stronger attacking force, including dangerous artillery. Schooner had a large horse artillery battery that made counterattacking very difficult, especially once canister came into play.

My goal was not to sit passively and wait to be destroyed. I tried to fight an active defense: absorb the main attack, punish overextensions, counterattack where possible, and use terrain and towns to break up the enemy’s momentum. The new troop movement mechanics helped me in this, as I was able to concentrate all of my forces before Schooner was able to strike.

Early on, Schooner pushed hard and forced me to give ground. The pressure was real, and there were moments where his artillery made it very hard to move reserves or launch a clean counterstroke. But my defense had enough depth to pull back against his probing attempts. I launched large counter attacks in the east, hoping to break Schooner's attacking arm, but his artillery and more numerous reserves forced me to pull back steadily.

The most interesting part came later, when I managed to lure parts of his army into the town and punish them badly. For a while, it looked like the entire battle might reverse. His advantage had been reduced, his attack was becoming disordered, and my local counterattacks were starting to hurt. I was able to force back his attacking hook, but the constant pressure along the front forced me to sacrifice sectors of the front to buy time.

In the end, my active defense was not enough to completely turn his numerical advantage, and I was slowly ground down by the end.

Looking back, I probably needed to concentrate harder against the decisive target when the window opened. I had created real problems for Schooner, but I did not quite put enough force into the one blow that might have turned the battle. By the time I recognized how close he was to cracking, my own reserves were too exhausted and his artillery, particularly his battery of 6lb horse guns, was still too dangerous.

So the final result was a loss — but a very useful one.

What Dego showed me is that in HEW, defense is not just about holding a line. A good defense has to breathe. It has to counterattack, shift reserves, punish movement, and make the attacker pay for every exposed formation. But it also showed the danger of being too cautious at the decisive moment. If the attacker gives you a chance to break his fighting power, you may have to commit harder than feels comfortable.

That is one of the things I love about this mod. Even a loss can feel like a real command problem: terrain, artillery, morale, timing, reserves, and judgment all matter.

For anyone interested in trying the game/mod, feel free to DM me. There are still active players, and we are trying to make it easier for new people to get started.

If you are interested in these battles, I will leave the discords and install instructions here:

Hawks Discord : https://discord.gg/KW2fufWScG
European Warfare Series Discord: https://discord.gg/jgG5JGpjJt

Install and multiplayer setup instructions: How to Install European Warfare: Napoleonica (EW1 / HEW) and Play Internet Multiplayer : r/computerwargames

European Warfare: Napoleonica v1.26 has been released.

The new version focuses heavily on making battles feel more credible and improving the experience on large maps:

• Improved AI brigade tactics
• Better marching and road-movement mechanics
• Reduced stamina loss while moving along roads
• Improved pathfinding
• More realistic artillery behavior, with cannonballs relying on ricochet damage rather than exploding on impact
• Better building assaults
• Major scenario-editor fixes for very large custom maps
• Faster brigade placement for mapmakers
• A prototype village-based skirmish mode

One of the most important developments is that AI forces can now fight much more effectively on custom maps. That makes player-created historical scenarios more practical for single-player battles, testing, and future content.

The community is also working on new large-scale scenarios, including an unusually ambitious Battle of Leipzig map expected to feature more than 30,000 troops.

Download and full changelog:
European Warfare 1.26 patch released! news - ModDB

The mod is still being refined, so feedback is welcome. New players are also welcome to join the community for multiplayer matches or help testing custom scenarios.

European Warfare: Napoleonica v1.26 has now been released.

Version 1.26 adds another substantial round of improvements:

• Improved AI brigade tactics
• New brigade marching and road-march mechanics
• Functional roads in built-in historical battles
• Better pathfinding and reduced stamina use while marching
• Major fixes for creating huge custom maps
• Faster brigade placement in the scenario editor
• Improved building assaults: brigades now send troops into buildings in controlled batches rather than automatically disbanding
• More realistic artillery: cannonballs now rely on ricochet damage rather than exploding at the end of their path
• Directional armor for larger ships
• A prototype village-based skirmish mode for single-player missions

The mod has been receiving steady updates again, and the long-term goal is to make large Napoleonic battles easier to play both in multiplayer and against the AI.

Download and full changelog:
European Warfare 1.26 patch released! news - ModDB

We also have an active community organizing matches and creating historical scenarios. Questions, feedback, and new players are welcome.

Fought a 1v1 match against Axle at Dennewitz. Unlike some of my more recent battles, this was not decided by a single concentrated assault. Axle attacked across several parts of the battlefield, forcing me to defend a broad front, commit reserves carefully, and look for the right moment to counterattack.

The first major turning point came on my right flank. Axle sent three cavalry formations through a village behind my lines, apparently hoping to disrupt my rear or create an opening for a wider attack. The move left the detachment exposed, however, and I was able to close around it and destroy the entire group.

It has been a while since I managed to pull off such a clean cavalry ambush. Eliminating those units early was important because it reduced the danger to my artillery and gave me much more freedom to move troops between sectors later in the battle.

Holding the Line

Axle continued to apply pressure elsewhere, including a serious attack against my left flank. I tried to avoid committing everything too early, keeping enough troops behind the front to respond when the main threat became clear.

That reserve timing proved decisive. I was able to reinforce the left before the attack became a breakthrough, blunt his momentum, and then begin counterattacking once his formations had become depleted and disorganized.

On the right, the destruction of his cavalry had already weakened his ability to exploit any gaps. I was able to push forward there as well, gradually breaking the flank while still maintaining enough strength to prevent a recovery elsewhere.

Adapting the Artillery

The match also required some adjustment to the new artillery mechanics.

Artillery now effectively fires at the ground rather than directly locking onto a selected formation. As a result, shots can land behind the intended target unless the angle and battery position are adjusted carefully.

I had to reposition several batteries and rethink the firing geometry, but once the angles were corrected, the guns still played an important role in weakening Axle’s attacks and supporting the counteroffensive.

Result

By the angles were corrected, the guns still played the later phase of the battle, Axle’s attacks had lost momentum across the front. His cavalry detachment had been destroyed, the left-flank push had been stopped, and my counterattacks were beginning to break his remaining positions.

I only realized after the match that Axle had buffs enabled, including roughly a 15% increase to shooting effectiveness and a melee bonus. That made the victory particularly satisfying, although the battle itself was enjoyable regardless.

This was a good example of a different style of EW1 match: broad-front defense, cavalry ambushes, artillery adaptation, reserve timing, and counterattacking only after the enemy’s momentum had begun to fade.

GG to Axle.

Game: European Warfare: Napoleonica
Map: Dennewitz
Result: Victory

Want to join our matches? I have recently given out an install and internet setup guide for EW1:

How to Install European Warfare: Napoleonica (EW1 / HEW) and Play Internet Multiplayer : r/computerwargames

Fought a 1v1 match against Axle at Dennewitz. Unlike some of my more recent battles, this was not decided by a single concentrated assault. Axle attacked across several parts of the battlefield, forcing me to defend a broad front, commit reserves carefully, and look for the right moment to counterattack.

The first major turning point came on my right flank. Axle sent three cavalry formations through a village behind my lines, apparently hoping to disrupt my rear or create an opening for a wider attack. The move left the detachment exposed, however, and I was able to close around it and destroy the entire group.

It has been a while since I managed to pull off such a clean cavalry ambush. Eliminating those units early was important because it reduced the danger to my artillery and gave me much more freedom to move troops between sectors later in the battle.

Holding the Line

Axle continued to apply pressure elsewhere, including a serious attack against my left flank. I tried to avoid committing everything too early, keeping enough troops behind the front to respond when the main threat became clear.

That reserve timing proved decisive. I was able to reinforce the left before the attack became a breakthrough, blunt his momentum, and then begin counterattacking once his formations had become depleted and disorganized.

On the right, the destruction of his cavalry had already weakened his ability to exploit any gaps. I was able to push forward there as well, gradually breaking the flank while still maintaining enough strength to prevent a recovery elsewhere.

Adapting the Artillery

The match also required some adjustment to the new artillery mechanics.

Artillery now effectively fires at the ground rather than directly locking onto a selected formation. As a result, shots can land behind the intended target unless the angle and battery position are adjusted carefully.

I had to reposition several batteries and rethink the firing geometry, but once the angles were corrected, the guns still played an important role in weakening Axle’s attacks and supporting the counteroffensive.

Result

By the angles were corrected, the guns still played the later phase of the battle, Axle’s attacks had lost momentum across the front. His cavalry detachment had been destroyed, the left-flank push had been stopped, and my counterattacks were beginning to break his remaining positions.

I only realized after the match that Axle had buffs enabled, including roughly a 15% increase to shooting effectiveness and a melee bonus. That made the victory particularly satisfying, although the battle itself was enjoyable regardless.

This was a good example of a different style of EW1 match: broad-front defense, cavalry ambushes, artillery adaptation, reserve timing, and counterattacking only after the enemy’s momentum had begun to fade.

GG to Axle.

Game: European Warfare: Napoleonica
Map: Dennewitz
Result: Victory

Want to join our matches? I have recently given out an install and internet setup guide for EW1:

How to Install European Warfare: Napoleonica (EW1 / HEW) and Play Internet Multiplayer : r/computerwargames

I recently fought a 2v2 match at Salamanca alongside Sul, who was playing under the name MARMOT, against a French force commanded by HWK UK and HWK Turenne.

I took command of the western, or left-hand, sector of the battlefield. At the opening of the match, I noticed that HWK UK was attempting to retreat and reposition his troops. Rather than allowing him time to establish a stable line, I attacked immediately.

This worked extremely well. The French western wing was caught largely flat-footed, and within the opening minutes I had gained a clear local advantage in both infantry and cavalry. UK attempted to slow the pursuit by committing cavalry against my advance, but I was already close enough to keep pressure on his withdrawing formations.

UK managed to reconsolidate temporarily near his flag position, but by that stage I was able to attack him from several directions.

I sent cavalry around the southern flank to threaten his retreat route while my infantry continued to press from the front. The intention was to prevent the French western wing from disengaging cleanly and to turn a retreat into a partial encirclement.

The maneuvers nearly worked without interruption. One massed infantry charge backfired, however, causing a chain rout among part of my attacking force. This briefly stalled the encirclement and gave the French a little breathing room. I was able to reform my routed units quickly and went back on the attack before they could reconsolidate.

Sul, despite being occupied against Turenne in the northern sector, sent a contingent to help seal the escape route. With that support in place, the western French wing was effectively destroyed.

After eliminating most of UK’s force, I had two possible courses of action.

The first was to attack the central French hill, which was heavily defended and stacked with artillery. The second was to move north and support Sul, whose position was under growing pressure from Turenne’s attack.

I chose the latter.

Rather than assault the artillery hill prematurely, I marched north in column and helped Sul crush the French attack at the decisive moment. Once that threat had been contained, we turned back toward the remaining French stronghold and completed the battle by encircling the central hill.

Result

The French western wing was destroyed, Turenne’s northern attack was defeated, and the final artillery position was isolated and surrounded.

This was one of the more satisfying matches I have played recently because the battle rewarded mobility and timing. Columns allowed troops to move quickly between sectors, cavalry helped turn a retreat into an encirclement, and the most important decision was not the opening attack itself, but the choice to delay the assault on the French hill and reinforce the active crisis in the north.

A very enjoyable match all around.

Game: European Warfare: Napoleonica
Map: Salamanca
Result: British victory

Want to join our matches? I have recently given out an install and internet setup guide for EW1:

How to Install European Warfare: Napoleonica (EW1 / HEW) and Play Internet Multiplayer : r/computerwargames

I recently fought a 2v2 match at Salamanca alongside Sul, who was playing under the name MARMOT, against a French force commanded by HWK UK and HWK Turenne.

I took command of the western, or left-hand, sector of the battlefield. At the opening of the match, I noticed that HWK UK was attempting to retreat and reposition his troops. Rather than allowing him time to establish a stable line, I attacked immediately.

This worked extremely well. The French western wing was caught largely flat-footed, and within the opening minutes I had gained a clear local advantage in both infantry and cavalry. UK attempted to slow the pursuit by committing cavalry against my advance, but I was already close enough to keep pressure on his withdrawing formations.

UK managed to reconsolidate temporarily near his flag position, but by that stage I was able to attack him from several directions.

I sent cavalry around the southern flank to threaten his retreat route while my infantry continued to press from the front. The intention was to prevent the French western wing from disengaging cleanly and to turn a retreat into a partial encirclement.

The maneuvers nearly worked without interruption. One massed infantry charge backfired, however, causing a chain rout among part of my attacking force. This briefly stalled the encirclement and gave the French a little breathing room. I was able to reform my routed units quickly and went back on the attack before they could reconsolidate.

Sul, despite being occupied against Turenne in the northern sector, sent a contingent to help seal the escape route. With that support in place, the western French wing was effectively destroyed.

After eliminating most of UK’s force, I had two possible courses of action.

The first was to attack the central French hill, which was heavily defended and stacked with artillery. The second was to move north and support Sul, whose position was under growing pressure from Turenne’s attack.

I chose the latter.

Rather than assault the artillery hill prematurely, I marched north in column and helped Sul crush the French attack at the decisive moment. Once that threat had been contained, we turned back toward the remaining French stronghold and completed the battle by encircling the central hill.

Result

The French western wing was destroyed, Turenne’s northern attack was defeated, and the final artillery position was isolated and surrounded.

This was one of the more satisfying matches I have played recently because the battle rewarded mobility and timing. Columns allowed troops to move quickly between sectors, cavalry helped turn a retreat into an encirclement, and the most important decision was not the opening attack itself, but the choice to delay the assault on the French hill and reinforce the active crisis in the north.

A very enjoyable match all around.

Game: European Warfare: Napoleonica
Map: Salamanca
Result: British victory

Want to join our matches? I have recently given out an install and internet setup guide for EW1:

How to Install European Warfare: Napoleonica (EW1 / HEW) and Play Internet Multiplayer : r/computerwargames

Fought a 2v2 battle at Bladensburg in European Warfare: Napoleonica, the Napoleonic-era total conversion for American Conquest: Fight Back. I commanded one wing alongside Sul, playing under the name MARMOT, against Schooner and HWK Turenne.

We entered the battle with a substantial numerical advantage, although much of our strength lay in mass rather than superior troop quality. The important question was whether we could turn that advantage into a decisive concentration before the enemy stabilized its line.

The opposing army adopted a relatively cautious deployment. Schooner held the northern sector, while Turenne operated in the south. Their troops arrived gradually from the rear and were committed in successive waves. They also had Congreve rocket artillery, which created a memorable opening spectacle and briefly raised the possibility that we were about to be subjected to some form of Yang Wen-li-tier contrivance.

The rockets were disruptive, with multiple militia formations being routed, but they could not compensate for the central weakness of the enemy plan: their forces entered the battle too slowly and too separately.

The northern breach

Sul received the larger share of our army and formed the main striking force in the north. He brought his infantry forward rapidly, built up a broad firing line, and pressed Schooner before the enemy could complete a coherent defense.

Schooner’s position began to deteriorate under the weight of the assault. The northern fighting became extremely dense around the village and wooded ground. Once Sul’s formations gained momentum, the enemy line started to fold inward. The screenshots show the result clearly: large red formations were compressed into crowded defensive positions while blue infantry continued to arrive in depth.

The enemy had reserves, but they were not introduced quickly enough to restore the situation. By the time additional columns came forward, they were entering an existing collapse rather than forming a fresh defensive line.

The southern battle

My role was to hold and steadily grind down Turenne in the south.

Turenne performed reasonably well. He rotated units, brought up additional formations, and maintained pressure rather than collapsing immediately. The southern sector was therefore less dramatic at first than Sul’s northern breakthrough. It became a sustained contest of frontage, reinforcement speed, and attrition.

I kept enough troops committed to deny Turenne any opportunity to break through or turn northward against Sul’s flank. As the battle developed, I continued feeding infantry into the line and applied pressure across a wide front. The objective was not an immediate theatrical breach. It was to keep Turenne fixed in place while the northern attack matured.

Once Sul had shattered Schooner’s position, we synchronized the final pressure. I launched a heavier infantry push in the south while Sul’s victorious formations pressed onward from the north, combined with a devastating cavalry charge. Turenne’s sector could no longer function as an independent defensive front as Schooner was being crushed. The enemy army began to disintegrate across the entire battlefield.

Why the defense failed

The battle was not lost because the defenders lacked troops. Their principal error was piecemeal commitment.

They had rear columns, cavalry, artillery, and rocket units available behind the bridge. Yet these assets arrived gradually, negating their chance to break out of their semi-encirclement. The best option for the British would have been to rush out of the bridgehead and engage the first line of American infantry and crush them, before falling back to defensible positions to defeat the rest of the army via attrition. This however is not what happened.

The final casualty graph shows how severe the result was. Our army also suffered heavily, but the enemy force was ground almost entirely away.

Result

Victory for Nappy and MARMOT/Sul.

Bladensburg became a straightforward lesson in concentration: numerical superiority only matters when it is converted into battlefield mass at the decisive moment. The defenders possessed enough troops to make the battle costly, and the Congreve rockets added considerable atmosphere, but gradual reinforcement could not withstand a faster and more coordinated commitment of force.

This is from European Warfare: Napoleonica, a Napoleonic-era multiplayer mod for American Conquest: Fight Back. The community is small, but recently it has been reviving with new players, Discord matches, ModDB activity, and regular AARs.

This match was fought on Borodino, with me defending as the Russians against two attackers, Koyla and Thiago. Both are newer but dangerous players, and they coordinated pressure across multiple sectors instead of simply charging one point.

The key decision was that I did not defend directly on the obvious historical redoubts and forward positions. Instead, I used those positions as bait. I pulled some artillery back from exposed starting locations, preserved my heavier guns, and set up several batteries behind the first line. The idea was to let the attackers advance past the visible strongpoints, become congested, and then hit them with concentrated artillery fire.

Koyla pushed hard into the central-south area around the historical flèches and also tried to pressure the far south. His southern attack nearly became dangerous, but I was able to swing troops from the corner onto his flank while my artillery punished the front. Thiago attacked through the centre and north with cavalry, skirmishers, and line infantry, trying to break the Russian position by pressure rather than waiting passively.

Several times they came close to forcing a breakthrough. The problem for them was that every deep push carried them into prepared killing ground. Their units began bunching up under 12-pounder fire, and each attempted breakthrough became more expensive than the last.

The battle eventually turned into a Russian victory after the attackers exhausted themselves against the second defensive line. The redoubts were not really the final defensive position; they were the lure that pulled the attackers into the guns.

GG to both Koyla and Thiago. Very good match, and a nice example of how this old RTS/mod can still produce proper battlefield decision-making: artillery preservation, reverse-slope defense, flank counterattacks, and refusing to defend the “obvious” ground just because it looks important.

Battle of Borodino: Russian Victory — Kill Zones Behind the Redoubts

Fought a Borodino match as the Russians against Koyla and Thiago, one of the newer strong additions to the playerbase. Both attacked well, coordinated their pressure, and came very close several times to forcing a breakthrough. This was not a passive stand on the historical redoubts, but a deliberate attempt to draw the attackers beyond the obvious defensive line and into prepared artillery killing ground.

My basic plan was to defend behind the first visible Russian positions rather than directly on them. I had three main artillery batteries, including several 12-pounder guns, and used them to punish any attempt to push through the centre. I also withdrew some guns from their exposed starting locations early, since leaving them forward would have risked losing them to enemy skirmishers or counter-battery fire before they could do serious work.

Koyla struck hard at my central-south position around the historical flèche area. His attack had weight behind it, but he was brought under heavy fire by my first and second batteries as he tried to force his way through. He also attempted to pressure the far south, but that attack stalled when my troops swung from the southern corner onto his flank while he tried to break through my artillery position.

Meanwhile, Thiago attacked the centre and north with cavalry, skirmishers, and line infantry, attempting to rupture the defensive system rather than merely grind against it. At several points both attackers were close to breaking through, but the more they advanced past the redoubts, the more they entered pre-planned kill zones. Their assaults repeatedly became congested under artillery fire, and each time they were forced back with severe losses.

The key decision was refusing to treat the famous defensive points as sacred ground. Instead of simply dying on the redoubts, I used them as bait and terrain markers, letting the attackers commit forward before hitting them with concentrated artillery and counterattacks. By the later phase, both enemy attacks had spent themselves, and the Russian line was still intact enough to finish the battle.

GG to both Koyla and Thiago. They fought aggressively, coordinated pressure across multiple sectors, and made the defense genuinely dangerous. A hard-fought Borodino, and one of the better examples of why sometimes the best defensive position is not the obvious one, but the ground just behind it.

Battle of Borodino: Russian Victory — Kill Zones Behind the Redoubts

Fought a Borodino match as the Russians against Koyla and Thiago, one of the newer strong additions to the playerbase. Both attacked well, coordinated their pressure, and came very close several times to forcing a breakthrough. This was not a passive stand on the historical redoubts, but a deliberate attempt to draw the attackers beyond the obvious defensive line and into prepared artillery killing ground.

My basic plan was to defend behind the first visible Russian positions rather than directly on them. I had three main artillery batteries, including several 12-pounder guns, and used them to punish any attempt to push through the centre. I also withdrew some guns from their exposed starting locations early, since leaving them forward would have risked losing them to enemy skirmishers or counter-battery fire before they could do serious work.

Koyla struck hard at my central-south position around the historical flèche area. His attack had weight behind it, but he was brought under heavy fire by my first and second batteries as he tried to force his way through. He also attempted to pressure the far south, but that attack stalled when my troops swung from the southern corner onto his flank while he tried to break through my artillery position.

Meanwhile, Thiago attacked the centre and north with cavalry, skirmishers, and line infantry, attempting to rupture the defensive system rather than merely grind against it. At several points both attackers were close to breaking through, but the more they advanced past the redoubts, the more they entered pre-planned kill zones. Their assaults repeatedly became congested under artillery fire, and each time they were forced back with severe losses.

The key decision was refusing to treat the famous defensive points as sacred ground. Instead of simply dying on the redoubts, I used them as bait and terrain markers, letting the attackers commit forward before hitting them with concentrated artillery and counterattacks. By the later phase, both enemy attacks had spent themselves, and the Russian line was still intact enough to finish the battle.

GG to both Koyla and Thiago. They fought aggressively, coordinated pressure across multiple sectors, and made the defense genuinely dangerous. A hard-fought Borodino, and one of the better examples of why sometimes the best defensive position is not the obvious one, but the ground just behind it.

Battle of Austerlitz, Allied Victory

Fought Turenne on the Austerlitz map, with Schooner as my ally. This one had a bit of history behind it, since Turenne had narrowly beaten me and Schooner on Alexandria earlier, and had also beaten me and Mental as the Allies on Austerlitz some days before. In that earlier fight, I had managed to hold the north and buy time, but our main assault failed and the battle slipped away.

This time, I wanted to avoid being divided and beaten in detail. I had Schooner concentrate his forces into a more compact position, making it harder for Turenne to isolate and destroy him quickly. With that secured, I began pressing the northern sector to test Turenne’s response and force him to show where his main effort would be.

The northern attack made good progress, but the decisive moment came when Turenne committed heavily toward the hill, trying to break through and cut Schooner’s throat. Rather than continue pushing north for its own sake, I decided to pull out immediately and hit the flank of Turenne's assault before he could slit Schooner's throat. I effectively counter attacked the French counterattack and did not have to worry about the northern flank for a while due to the damage sustained on the French.

That shift decided the battle. Turenne’s main striking force was caught while committed, and once that segment was destroyed, the rest of the front became much easier to grind down. From there, Schooner and I were able to keep pressure across the line, reduce the remaining enemy positions, Turenne tried one last assault on my north flank, but it did not have enough staying power and was thwarted, giving us the field.

It was a satisfying win, not only because Turenne is a dangerous and aggressive opponent, but because it corrected mistakes from earlier fights. The key was not allowing him to split us apart. Once Schooner was concentrated and my northern attack forced Turenne to commit, we were able to turn his own main assault into the point of collapse.

GG to Turenne and Schooner.

The game played in the AAR is the European Warfare, Napoleonica mod, for American Conquest, Fight Back. The mod link can be found here:

Articles - European Warfare : Napoleonica mod for American Conquest - ModDB

Battle of Austerlitz, Allied Victory

Fought Turenne on the Austerlitz map, with Schooner as my ally. This one had a bit of history behind it, since Turenne had narrowly beaten me and Schooner on Alexandria earlier, and had also beaten me and Mental as the Allies on Austerlitz some days before. In that earlier fight, I had managed to hold the north and buy time, but our main assault failed and the battle slipped away.

This time, I wanted to avoid being divided and beaten in detail. I had Schooner concentrate his forces into a more compact position, making it harder for Turenne to isolate and destroy him quickly. With that secured, I began pressing the northern sector to test Turenne’s response and force him to show where his main effort would be.

The northern attack made good progress, but the decisive moment came when Turenne committed heavily toward the hill, trying to break through and cut Schooner’s throat. Rather than continue pushing north for its own sake, I decided to pull out immediately and hit the flank of Turenne's assault before he could slit Schooner's throat. I effectively counter attacked the French counterattack and did not have to worry about the northern flank for a while due to the damage sustained on the French.

That shift decided the battle. Turenne’s main striking force was caught while committed, and once that segment was destroyed, the rest of the front became much easier to grind down. From there, Schooner and I were able to keep pressure across the line, reduce the remaining enemy positions, Turenne tried one last assault on my north flank, but it did not have enough staying power and was thwarted, giving us the field.

It was a satisfying win, not only because Turenne is a dangerous and aggressive opponent, but because it corrected mistakes from earlier fights. The key was not allowing him to split us apart. Once Schooner was concentrated and my northern attack forced Turenne to commit, we were able to turn his own main assault into the point of collapse.

GG to Turenne and Schooner.

The game played in the AAR is the European Warfare, Napoleonica mod, for American Conquest, Fight Back. The mod link can be found here:

Articles - European Warfare : Napoleonica mod for American Conquest - ModDB

Battle of Austerlitz, Allied Victory

Fought Turenne on the Austerlitz map, with Schooner as my ally. This one had a bit of history behind it, since Turenne had narrowly beaten me and Schooner on Alexandria earlier, and had also beaten me and Mental as the Allies on Austerlitz some days before. In that earlier fight, I had managed to hold the north and buy time, but our main assault failed and the battle slipped away.

This time, I wanted to avoid being divided and beaten in detail. I had Schooner concentrate his forces into a more compact position, making it harder for Turenne to isolate and destroy him quickly. With that secured, I began pressing the northern sector to test Turenne’s response and force him to show where his main effort would be.

The northern attack made good progress, but the decisive moment came when Turenne committed heavily toward the hill, trying to break through and cut Schooner’s throat. Rather than continue pushing north for its own sake, I decided to pull out immediately and hit the flank of Turenne's assault before he could slit Schooner's throat. I effectively counter attacked the French counterattack and did not have to worry about the northern flank for a while due to the damage sustained on the French.

That shift decided the battle. Turenne’s main striking force was caught while committed, and once that segment was destroyed, the rest of the front became much easier to grind down. From there, Schooner and I were able to keep pressure across the line, reduce the remaining enemy positions, Turenne tried one last assault on my north flank, but it did not have enough staying power and was thwarted, giving us the field.

It was a satisfying win, not only because Turenne is a dangerous and aggressive opponent, but because it corrected mistakes from earlier fights. The key was not allowing him to split us apart. Once Schooner was concentrated and my northern attack forced Turenne to commit, we were able to turn his own main assault into the point of collapse.

GG to Turenne and Schooner.

The game played in the AAR above is the European Warfare Napoleonica mod for AC:FB, the mod db can be found here:

Articles - European Warfare : Napoleonica mod for American Conquest - ModDB

Battle of Heliopolis — French Victory

I fought HWK Turenne on his own Heliopolis map for the first time. The scenario gave me a strict timetable: after 30 minutes, Turenne’s Ottoman reinforcements would be released. My own automatic victory condition was to take the ruins of Heliopolis at the rear of the map before that happened.

With that in mind, I could not afford a slow, cautious advance. I moved quickly against his first defensive line and managed to break it, though some squared infantry made the opening assault harder to finish cleanly.

After the first line fell, Turenne attempted a counterattack through the marshes with heavy cavalry and pikemen. It could have become dangerous if it had hit my force while disordered, but musket fire broke up the melee before it truly developed. My cavalry then moved in to pick off the stragglers and keep the attack moving.

Time was still the main enemy. I had to press forward toward the final defensive position before Turenne’s reinforcements could appear.

The advance to the ruins was difficult. Ottoman skirmishers harassed me from several directions, and my leftward force on the far side of the river was eventually routed by Turenne’s counterattack. Even so, the main French attack retained enough strength to reach the final defenses with time still on the clock.

The final fight for the ruins was brutal. I used my last cavalry reserve to help force the breach while artillery fired into the enemy units holding the position. Several of my infantry lines routed while trying to pour into the flag area, and Turenne launched one final counterattack against my right flank.

Fortunately, I was able to beat back the counterattack and keep enough pressure on the objective to take the flag with roughly two minutes to spare.

This was a strong layered defense by Turenne, especially considering that he made the map and knew the terrain, firing lines, and reserve timing. The Ottoman force was difficult to crack under the time constraints, and if the reinforcements had appeared before I secured the ruins, the battle would probably have become much less certain. I still had four infantry units in the rear that had not moved since the beginning of the battle, but after the 30-minute mark the match likely would have become closer to a 50/50 proposition.

In the end, the French took Heliopolis just in time. A hard-fought and very satisfying victory.

Battle of Heliopolis — French Victory

I fought HWK Turenne on his own Heliopolis map for the first time. The scenario gave me a strict timetable: after 30 minutes, Turenne’s Ottoman reinforcements would be released. My own automatic victory condition was to take the ruins of Heliopolis at the rear of the map before that happened.

With that in mind, I could not afford a slow, cautious advance. I moved quickly against his first defensive line and managed to break it, though some squared infantry made the opening assault harder to finish cleanly.

After the first line fell, Turenne attempted a counterattack through the marshes with heavy cavalry and pikemen. It could have become dangerous if it had hit my force while disordered, but musket fire broke up the melee before it truly developed. My cavalry then moved in to pick off the stragglers and keep the attack moving.

Time was still the main enemy. I had to press forward toward the final defensive position before Turenne’s reinforcements could appear.

The advance to the ruins was difficult. Ottoman skirmishers harassed me from several directions, and my leftward force on the far side of the river was eventually routed by Turenne’s counterattack. Even so, the main French attack retained enough strength to reach the final defenses with time still on the clock.

The final fight for the ruins was brutal. I used my last cavalry reserve to help force the breach while artillery fired into the enemy units holding the position. Several of my infantry lines routed while trying to pour into the flag area, and Turenne launched one final counterattack against my right flank.

Fortunately, I was able to beat back the counterattack and keep enough pressure on the objective to take the flag with roughly two minutes to spare.

This was a strong layered defense by Turenne, especially considering that he made the map and knew the terrain, firing lines, and reserve timing. The Ottoman force was difficult to crack under the time constraints, and if the reinforcements had appeared before I secured the ruins, the battle would probably have become much less certain. I still had four infantry units in the rear that had not moved since the beginning of the battle, but after the 30-minute mark the match likely would have become closer to a 50/50 proposition.

In the end, the French took Heliopolis just in time. A hard-fought and very satisfying victory.