Heroic Buccaneers

[fossaman]

I had an interesting experience with some very heroic buccaneers yesterday. I decided to go take out Monty's hideout with only 120 men. I had four units, and there were 10+ of indians. I managed to get rid of about six of them, and lost three of my units in the process, and had one unit of buccaneers left. I stuck them on a hill and started shooting at the indians. They managed to fight off, hand to hand 2 units of archers and 2 sets of scouts. I was amazed. I didn't know they had it in them.
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Like my fossa? He's a pirate!

[Wolfwood]

Sounds like a hardy bunch of buccaneers! You'd better double, or even triple, their grog portions for a week or two!

I trust you have already sold the book and movie rights?
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It is much better to be armed with a sword that has two edges than with an estoc [...], which is nothing more than a stick with a point. (Rapier Master G. Morsicato Pallavicini, La Scherma Illustrata, p. 14.)

[Bakas]

what ye should do is capture one of thpse Limey history book writers and make him put your crew into the book because what ye did is amazing
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May you be forever touched by his Noodly Appendage!

WWAPD?
WWFSMD?

[Cussler]

Wow!

Great defensive stands like that always fascinate me.

I agree with Wolfwood. Those lads deserve a double ration of rum, pay, and women.

[fossaman]

Nah, they're tired enough all they want to do is go back to the ship and clean the indians off of their bayonettes.
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Like my fossa? He's a pirate!

[Vulture]

That is a truly heroic stand. Bucs are notoriously bad at close combat. You must have shot them to shreds as they approached. Good job indeed. Give all of them a medal and a promotion.
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32 brightly polished cannons, a bottle o'rum, ahh..... a pirates life for me!

[fossaman]

The funny thing is, I only got one shot in on each unit, really. But it was enough, because they were on a +2 hill. I was shocked that I won.
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Like my fossa? He's a pirate!

[TenYardxLetdown]

Interesting. I have no luck when I need to press a melee attack and all I have is Buccaneers.

[CGM3]

Attacking in melee with buccaneers is suicidal, but I've seen them win on the defensive several times, provided the following conditions hold:

1 - the attackers are Indian scouts -- a relatively weak unit as well -- who usually utilize their woods movement bonus to reach the buccaneers.

2 - the buccaneers have the advantage of height (adds 1 or 2 to their defensive factor).

3 - the buccaneers have a morale advantage (another 1 or to 2 to their defense), usually 'cause they just fired a volley at the scouts

4 - the scouts don't attack the buccaneers' flank, which would double their strength
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I only do what the voices in my head tell me to do.

[smartidiot]

They can defend alright when they have cover or the high ground. But you are right, when they try to press the attack by attacking things normally don't do so well for the good guys.

[fossaman]

Well, if they have a morale, height and flank advantage they can sometimes win, but not very often, on the offensive.
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Like my fossa? He's a pirate!

[TenYardxLetdown]

I think I've only had to use them in close combat offensively once. Other than that they've only seen melee combat in a defensive position and no matter what their moral or advantage of height they haven't done very well.

[Kashiva]

Buccaneers are the blessing to all pirates! players man.

I mean, considering those pesky militia can shoot at your damn pirates, bucs really prove useful to ambush and pick those idiots off one by one. Also, personally I always use my officers as a backstabbing tool. With their 5 attack and flank x2, they practically murder units. I usually use my bucs to weaken all the guards but one unit, then my officers take them out without losing a single casualty. Of course I only do this late-battle when my officers won't die in 1 round.

[Airsaw]

Yah know, Monty's army is notoriously lame. I've taken an officer unit and waded into them. The unit I used had about sixty guys. They went through Monty's men like crap through a goose.

Not to say they're impotent. If you leave a unit out for multiple flank attacks, they WILL run them off the field. You have to be careful, but they are nowhere near as strong as the normal port garrisons you usually face. They are also very bad at disposition and deployment. It's easy to get around behind them. They'll pursue the closest unit attacking them and don't react to a run to the gate until it's too late.

When I'm undermanned, and I think a good estimate of Monty's force is around 300, I'll use my main force to stick and move, drawing his army into the corner farthest from the gate. Invariably, they'll follow my decoys across the board, and I can end run them to the gate with little problem. (caveat: be sure you choose a deployment that works well).

Subject at hand, bucs: Try selecting a start point with a lot of open ground the enemy must cover to reach your position. The place should have at least three, preferably four, jungle squares. Put your infantry in these. Put your bucs along one side of that cover in a good field of fire position covering the open approach to your position.

A shot from each of three buc units is generally enough to take-out an enemy unit. The units with the most movement will kickout in front of their slower units. This strings them out. Cavalry is especially bad at this, getting caught a square short for an attack, and becoming sitting ducks for your ranged units (bucs).

When the enemy's infantry begins to catch up, then you have to be careful. You can move a buc one square, then shoot. SO, you can move a square away from the closest unit, the one you're firing upon, and keep two squares between your bucs and the second closest unit, (stick and move.) Of course, as they approach, they're getting closer to your infantry, under cover. So, it's an easy matter to get flanking attacks at all the approaching units with a little maneuver. (Don't forget the native troops have more mobility, they require three open squares between them and you.) Also, Monty's army tends to attack the infantry under cover. Garrisons at ports are more selective, but tend to attack the unit closest to them.

These days, I can usually take-out the entire garrison of a port using only my bucs. I don't even move my infantry after they're under cover. If one of your buc units is routed, you can still shoot an opponent twice, sharply reducing their numbers, then do a solid flank attack with a full-strength infantry. When you put your infantry under cover, be sure to make them face the direction in which they will be fired upon, which they will. This reduces the casualty rate. (Bucs firing on an enemy in jungle will take two rounds of firing to rout them.)

This reduces your casualties considerably, and allows for a healthy string of attacks on ports without having to do a major recruitment to rebuild strength. If you CAN, try not to recruit in a port before you attack it. Recruit after you sack it. This keeps your force at almost the same strength port after port after port. I figure you can take-out five ports before you need a major recruitment.

"You don't win a war by dying for your country. You win a war by making the other poor, dumb bastard die for his country." G.S. Patton
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[TheDon]

excellent tactics. I've tried all and then some. One problem with using a large force... I had 500 men and they were split into just 4 large groups... only one squad of bucs. Didn't matter too much for this particular battle. The 120 officers did most of the fighting with no problem. Once even got to take out two squads back-to-back in the same turn. That was sweet.
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TheDon
Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake. - Napoleon Bonaparte