What's the best behind enemy lines partisan type units?

[tdy99]

One thing I like to to do in a war is send one or two small armies marauding behind enemy lines to cut resources/pillage/and basically just wreak havoc. It's a lot of fun to me for some reason.

Anyway, I've been experimenting with different mixes of units to use for these forces. I usually like a force of no more than 5 units, since it's not supposed to be a full fledged army and I don't want to siphon too many units away from the main army that will be going after cities.

Anyway, does anyone else do this? Which units do you use and how do you promote them? Is my way better than, say, just sending lone horsemen or cavalry behind the lines to do the same thing? Problem with a lone unit is that towns tend to be clustered around cities, so a single unit can't end the turn right beside an enemy city if it wants to survive. Cities in the rear usually only have a few defenders, so a small group of units can generally pillage the towns right beside cities without getting destroyed.

 

[Sian]

sending to small armies with the specific role of disrupting stuff is doable, but generally not done beyond cutting access to stategic resources ... and is usually either done with Spies (deep in enemy territory) or cheap fastmoving units if in the borderlands or lastly by targeting the city holding it with the army first

 

[oldskald]

One thing I like to to do in a war is send one or two small armies marauding behind enemy lines to cut resources/pillage/and basically just wreak havoc. It's a lot of fun to me for some reason.

Anyway, I've been experimenting with different mixes of units to use for these forces. I usually like a force of no more than 5 units, since it's not supposed to be a full fledged army and I don't want to siphon too many units away from the main army that will be going after cities.

Anyway, does anyone else do this? Which units do you use and how do you promote them? Is my way better than, say, just sending lone horsemen or cavalry behind the lines to do the same thing? Problem with a lone unit is that towns tend to be clustered around cities, so a single unit can't end the turn right beside an enemy city if it wants to survive. Cities in the rear usually only have a few defenders, so a small group of units can generally pillage the towns right beside cities without getting destroyed.

The options that you have for this are dependent on your tech level, civilization, and geography. Or spies which are far better for targeting resources (although you won't get pillage gold, you do have a good chance of denying the resource to your opponent. And you can act during peacetime).

1. Tech level - until the modern era you will generally want mounted units. Intelligence is key here - what does the enemy have, and how quickly can they move units to a threatened point. I understand that the object of the pillaging stack is to act in concert with a SoD. This is good as the AI response can often be paralysed by multiple threats - in effect, not knowing what to counter-attack it does nothing. However, you are right that a lone attacker probably shouldn't end turn next to a city. Indeed, I wouldn't recommend a lone attacker at all. In the late game your well-promoted mounted can usually be upgraded to Gunships. These are very fast moving (although the opponent will usually have railroads, so the defence can move quickly too), and can make pillaging attacks and move away from lines of communication making a defensive response difficult. If used in conjunction with an "air umbrella" of fighters/bombers the Gunship stack can be very difficult for the AI to counter.

2. Civilization - some have useful UUs for pillaging. Obviously mounted UUs are ideal (except Khmer. Yuk!!), but the French UU, the Musketeer, is actually ideally suited to pillaging in conjunction with mounted units. It has the same movement as mounted and is an ideal stack defender. A renaissance pillaging stack of knights/cuirassiers and French musketeers can be really tough to beat if the AI is concentrating on an SoD elsewhere.

3. Geography - not much to say here really, although it is vital. But ending turns away from roads/rails wherever possible is usually a really good idea. If the pillaging units have defensive bonuses then ending turns on ground that favours those is useful too. And if on a water heavy map, or pillaging a coastline, the late game Gunship is an excellent pillager as its high movement rate allows it to disembark, pillage and re-embark on a transport in one turn.

It's a good idea to include a medic in the pillaging stack, and a good target can be the road/rail system to prevent the AI concentrating defensive forces quickly. But if you are fighting a major war, pillaging with a small stack should only really be a sideshow to the main event (although denying e.g. iron or horses to the AI can be important).

 

[AJ11]

In early game, the Immortal makes for a good guerilla unit, as it has 2 moves, but most importantly, DOES receive defensive bonuses. In the later game, the Conquistador has the same defensive bonus advantage.

Any unit with the defensive bonus and more than 2 move will make for a good guerilla unit.

 

[TheMulattoMaker]

Haven't had coffee yet, so I won't try to comment coherently, but in Sisiutil's Stack o' DOOOOOOM guide, there's a whole section about pillage stacks that just tear up the enemy's stuff. Hope it helps.

 

[covok48]

Use mounted units and later gunships. Stack 2 or 3 together and go to town (no pun intended.)

 

[TheMeInTeam]

Behind-lines partisans are pretty impractical in SP.

Against other humans, that changes. Mounted units tend to be best because they can threaten multiple cities at once and unlike the AI, humans can't afford to have 5 units in every single city. However, mounted are not the only option:

Any terrain-mover ----> Gallics with guerrilla II, Jaguars with woodsman II very early before chops, and archer class units with guerilla II (especially longbows) can both be very very threatening to cities and incredibly difficult to dislodge off their terrain. A guerrilla 2 longbow on hills gets 2 moves while on them and defends at 12 strength; what do you WANT to use to attack that? However, a stack of 3-4 can easily threaten behind-line cities if the hill patterns allow for it (they can't hold them, but they can burn them and that's devastating), making it hard to shift forces and defend everything if the enemy wants to use its forces offensively. Significant hammer investment is now required to protect back-land cities and block longbows from pillaging lots of mines. They can also be used to functionally split cities away from worker improvement turns etc. Interestingly, EVERY civ can pull this off, so it's always an option and a threat.

Great general galley can be comical too, especially if the other side doesn't expect it. With a GG, a galley can take flank 1, nav 1, nav 2, and morale (17 experience of 20 given). This galley has 5 moves, and can easily threaten cities from out of opposition site. Amphibious attacks take a penalty, but an ill-defended city basically gets insta-razed.

 

[AJ11]

However, a stack of 3-4 can easily threaten behind-line cities if the hill patterns allow for it (they can't hold them, but they can burn them and that's devastating), making it hard to shift forces and defend everything if the enemy wants to use its forces offensively.

I think you'd find that that stack will rapidly become the target of every suicide cat within range

 

[oldskald]

I think you'd find that that stack will rapidly become the target of every suicide cat within range

Which is perfect if used in conjunction with a main invasion force - better that the pillaging stack gets splattered than the SoD takes damage.

 

[AJ11]

Which is perfect if used in conjunction with a main invasion force - better that the pillaging stack gets splattered than the SoD takes damage.

Maybe, maybe. Although if you are winning anyway, that pillaging stack is hardly needed. If you are evenly matched, then that stack might be better off helping out with holding territory and freeing up your main stack to do other things. There is narrow band where you are not strong enough to win outright, but not weak enough to miss the pillaging stack where this tactic would be useful. That band is pretty narrow, though, IME...

 

[strijder20]

Maybe, maybe. Although if you are winning anyway, that pillaging stack is hardly needed. If you are evenly matched, then that stack might be better off helping out with holding territory and freeing up your main stack to do other things. There is narrow band where you are not strong enough to win outright, but not weak enough to miss the pillaging stack where this tactic would be useful. That band is pretty narrow, though, IME...

Exactly. In single player, you shouldn't wage wars unless they are won before they started. If you have to rely on this kind of tactics to win a war, you'll probably spend a large part of the game fighting your opponent and get behind. So just take his cities, it's more effective

 

[Army of Scouts]

One thing I like to to do in a war is send one or two small armies marauding behind enemy lines to cut resources/pillage/and basically just wreak havoc. It's a lot of fun to me for some reason.

Anyway, I've been experimenting with different mixes of units to use for these forces. I usually like a force of no more than 5 units, since it's not supposed to be a full fledged army and I don't want to siphon too many units away from the main army that will be going after cities.

Anyway, does anyone else do this? Which units do you use and how do you promote them? Is my way better than, say, just sending lone horsemen or cavalry behind the lines to do the same thing? Problem with a lone unit is that towns tend to be clustered around cities, so a single unit can't end the turn right beside an enemy city if it wants to survive. Cities in the rear usually only have a few defenders, so a small group of units can generally pillage the towns right beside cities without getting destroyed.

Choppers are excellent pillagers. If your not that modern axeman and spearmen stacks with some woodsman 1 and 2 travel fast and get major defensive bonuses


In mideival era stack some pikes, maces and crossbows and take out their resources. Remember: Choose proper promotions.

 

[oldskald]

Exactly. In single player, you shouldn't wage wars until they are won before they started. If you have to rely on this kind of tactics to win a war, you'll probably spend a large part of the game fighting your opponent and get behind. So just take his cities, it's more effective

True. But ... As we know, the AI response can be, shall we say, "distracted", by the actions of a small stack. This small stack need not be restricted to pillaging should the opportunity arise to capture ill-defended cities. On the other hand, this small stack can contribute to the destruction of an AI economy by selective pillaging of resources which may or not be vital, but may also magnify the effect of war weariness. A pillaging stack can also slow down an AI response by destroying lines of communication.

Much may also depend on the war aims of the player. It may be that there is no desire to completely conquer an AI, but to gain a vassal or some other limited objective (e.g. seize a particular city, break a master/vassal relationship, force other concessions such as techs/religious changes, etc). In such situations, a pillaging stack may help to contribute to the maintenance costs of the war without the need to conquer, with the added advantage that the vassal/defeated AI needs to expend time on rebuilding the pillaged resource(s), rather than improving other infrastructure elements. And, of course, pillaged towns have a set time before they will re-grow and contribute their maximum to the opponent's economy.

There is also, of course, the element of fun. Which is what I get from a stack of Gunships rampaging through the heartland of an enemy AI

I don't disagree that the war should be won before it is begun, and I don't disagree that in a war of conquest a pillaging stack can be an irrelevance. But in some situations a pillaging stack can be a low hammer cost solution to a limited problem (e.g. if I am facing a two-front war - obviously usually not a situation of my own making).

 

[Skallagrimson]

I think you'd find that that stack will rapidly become the target of every suicide cat within range

In late game wars I like using guerilla paratroopers on "draw fire" missions--they airdrop onto hills adjacent to cities and the AIs think that's a main attack even with just 2 units, and expend all the siege they have on 'em. Hehe, I'd imagine that wouldn't work so hot in MP though lol.