Fighting a Battle

The Conflict Phase

The conflict phase is the period after deployment when the actual fighting of the battle occurs. At this point it is possible to select your units or ships and give them orders, either by clicking on the appropriate unit card on the battle review panel or the unit or ship itself.

Basic Controls

On the battlefield you can use the W, A, S and D keys to move the camera and left-click on units or their unit cards to select them. Move a selected unit by right-clicking on a location. Right-clicking on an enemy unit issues an attack order, whereas double-clicking will cause your unit to run or charge. To get an overview of the entire battlefield use the tab key or press the Tactical Map button.

It is possible to increase or decrease the length of a unit’s rank and file by holding down the right mouse button and dragging it until the desired width and depth has been achieved. Alternatively, hold down the Ctrl key and use the up or down cursor keys to get the same result. The entire unit can then be moved about the battlefield without changing its shape by left-clicking and dragging it to the desired location once the cursor has changed to a movement cross. This can also be done with the cursor keys. It is also possible to rotate a unit or group of units around their central axis by holding down the left mouse button until the cursor changes, pressing the Ctrl key, and moving the mouse or using the left and right cursor keys until the ideal orientation is found.

Ambushes

An army positioned in a forest can sometimes launch an ambush against a passing enemy. If you decide not to launch an ambush, the army will pass without being alerted to your presence. If you choose to attack, your forces can be split between each side of the road and the enemy force will be deployed in marching, rather than battle, order. The enemy army will not have the opportunity to move their units in any way until the battle starts, so deploy carefully to cause maximum confusion and disorder. NB - If you are playing battles on hard or very hard difficulty and are ambushed it will not be possible to issue orders when the battle is paused.