Those pesky Aztecs making trouble again

Started by mmcv, 18 April 2021, 02:05:33 PM

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mmcv

The Aztecs and Tarascans meet again! Will the agressive Aztecs be able to withstand the endless arrows of their Tarascan foe? Will the Tarascans be able to recover from a night of hard drink and partying to repulse these invaders from their land? Will their mercenary allies bother to join the fight?

Find out below:

https://mmcvhistory.home.blog/2021/04/18/battle-report-down-mexico-way/






Lord Kermit of Birkenhead

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Duke Speedy of Leighton

Good report.
Maybe if archers voluntarily fall back, they can reload?
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mmcv

Thanks all!

Quote from: Lord Speedy of Leighton on 18 April 2021, 07:14:30 PM
Good report.
Maybe if archers voluntarily fall back, they can reload?

That might be an option, including a replenish with a movement. That would allow for the maneuver and shooting I'd like.

Another possibility I've since recalled from an discussion on the TtS forum is rather than tracking ammo, just test after each shot to see if the unit has run out of ammo. Those with more base ammo are less likely to fail. That way they get an out of ammo status and use the replenish to remove it. Tempted by this idea as I like anything that reduces tracking.

I should probably play more though to see if better tactical decisions help. Maybe the Tarascans should prioritise running away so they have space to replenish. But that's difficult with just infantry, works better with horse archers.

Duke Speedy of Leighton

Not so much a run away as a withdrawal to meet the slaves carrying bundles if arrows?
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mmcv

Quote from: Lord Speedy of Leighton on 28 April 2021, 03:03:10 PM
Not so much a run away as a withdrawal to meet the slaves carrying bundles if arrows?

Feigned retreats and traps were a common enough tactic in the period. The lack of cavalry meant there was less fear of having looser formations, though of course archers and infantry could still be used to turn a flank.

There's a memorable account of the Aztecs hiding some of their best fighters in a ditch covered with reed mats. Their allies fell back drawing the enemy in and up popped these insanely scary warriors in their midst hacking off limbs and heads everywhere.

Moving around and keeping out of close combat range will likely give more opportunity to replenish stock, with the friction coming from the judgement of whether to risk another shot or to move out of the way.

Another option would be to make heavier use of light infantry archers who get less ammo and have less of a rate of fire but can fire and move in the same activation.

Big Insect

I like the reported tactic of hiding in covered pits and then your Otomi leaping out to confront enemy in the flanks or rears.
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mmcv

Yeah, certainly "sneaky" tactics seemed to be the order of the day. Given the rough terrain, troops would often have to split up then meet at the battlefield on the designated day, which the Tlaxcalans used to great effect against their much larger Aztec enemies by ambushing their columns before they could all form up, or forcing them to the fight before everyone had arrived. Feigned retreats and tactical withdrawals to set up ambushes were common. Then of course there are the potcheca merchants who would appear with all these amazing trade goods only to report the enemy dispositions back to their allies who would then invade.

Historically though these didn't fare so well against the Tarascans, who were suspicious of these foreign merchants and when it came to battle tended to fight defensively by just unleashing a withering hail of archery on their enemies to severely thin them out before combat, whereas the Aztecs and their neighbours tended to just exchange missiles between their skirmish lines at the start then get stuck in to close combat.

So that's where I need to find a way to create more space for the Tarascans to bring their superior archery to bear on the battlefield.