Tips for posting/designing tactics

[ArchonFarseerGuy]

Well, since I can't really sleep, and I don't have the time do another AoD writeup, I'll try contribute something useful to the VW.

Upon reading these tactics (and those posted in previous VWs), the first thought that occurred to me is the long time they all inevitably take to read. In the past, I've simply said "tldr" (too long- didn't read), and voted based on lists, and I most likely will in the future rounds of this VW.

Therefore, my first pointer when making tactics is to keep them short. I don't want to waste 10 minutes of my life reading a thesis on why you will win a Pitched Battle. Keep them to a few short paragraphs.

My next pointer is to keep them sharp. The one thing worse than said 10 minute thesis is an extra 20 minutes on how brilliant Knights of the Realm are, and how the Damsel of the Lady looks great in the unit, followed by the spells you plan to cast. You can just say "The damsel will support the KotR, who should break unit XXX". Save prose writing for your RPGs. Personally, I process about a third of a person's tactics. Please don't make me read drivel.

Another important factor is to make sure that your tactics are simple. These, after all, are where you sell your list, where you make it look better than that of your opponent. Don't mention the Three-Point-Line Manoeuvre. Who will read that and actually understand what it is? Read your tactics, and make sure you know what you're trying to say without having to refer to the Sun-Tzu.

Communicate your ideas. This has kind of already been said, but I'm being more specific here. "It" is not a word to use when posting tactics. I do not know what "It" is. Be more specific. Again, read your tactics before sending them. Make sure they're understandable. If you have to take too long reading it, if you have to explain to yourself what something means, or if you have to translate your piece from "I just woke up and I need 10 minutes to clear my thoughts" language, you may want to go over them. Tactics that are all over the place will not convince me to vote for you.

Expanding on the previous point, clarity is important. The greatest tactics in the world are nothing if you can't explain them. Keep everything concise, and you will have your reader's attention that much more, which is what you want. If a voter says tldr, then you have a problem.

So, enough about communicating your ideas, onto the battle plan itself. Mike Walker beautifully said this is how to make a disastrous battleplan:
*Make sure you work out the plan several months in advance, or no sooner than the start of Turn 2
*Make sure it is complicated and requires several turns' worth of unit shuffling and manoeuvring to execute
*Be sure it relies on luck, or very specific actions from your opponent
*Make sure that you never commit your expensive warriors of barely-contained doom, and place them where they will be least useful. Shove them on a flank where they can be avoided or distracted. Or place them behind a slower or more useless unit so that a charge is next to impossible
*Make sure your artillery has to move at least three times before being able to actually shoot anything
*Sit there and be reactive. Wait for your enemy to walk to you, setting up optimal charges and controlling the battle. Even gunlines need to set up counterattack units, block marches etc

When formulating a plan, play to your strengths. A force of spiky Khornate doom, for example, will not be suited to a Bait-and-Flee type of plan. Make sure you take into account your enemy's weaknesses. If this Khorne force was facing a Greenskin horde, then they would be well off trying not to engage everything at once.

I like to try and guess where my opponent will deploy. A chariot, for example, will not be deployed in a ruins. On the same note, a Grudge Thrower will not be deployed behind a forest, unless your opponent is the type to make the tactics I was talking about a few paragraphs up. With this rough idea in your head, deploy to counter it. If I'm facing a go-get-em army and I see a choke-point, I'll stick my Helblaster there, to shoot anything that comes through it, hopefully causing massed panic.

Just remember to include flexibility. No plan survives contact with the enemy, and if your opponent does something unexpected, don't be caught off-guard.

More as I think of them.

-AFG//

[Rising Leviathan]

Well that covers it all, doesn't it!?

Great post that both made laugh and made me wiser when it comes down to explaining tactics.

*Initiates repping*

[kroxigor01]

Oh dear. My long and meandering tactical post for my first match seems to not fit any of your criteria!

[DavidWC09]

Originally Posted by ArchonFarseerGuy

Therefore, my first pointer when making tactics is to keep them short.

Were you attempting humorous irony, or did you achieve it accidentally?

My next pointer is to keep them sharp.

Forsooth, dull writing doth dull the wit.

Another important factor is to make sure that your tactics are simple.

Sound advice. Let lex parsimoniae rule.

Communicate your ideas. This has kind of already been said....

Avoid redundancy.

Expanding on the previous point, clarity is important.

Hence communication. Avoid redundancy.

The greatest tactics in the world are nothing if you can't explain them. Keep everything concise....

Were you attempting humorous irony, or did you achieve it accidentally?

*Sit there and be reactive. Wait for your enemy to walk to you, setting up optimal charges and controlling the battle. Even gunlines need to set up counterattack units, block marches etc

I like this tidbit best.

[ArchonFarseerGuy]

Originally Posted by davidvc04

were you attempting humorous irony, or did you achieve it accidentally?
that would be accidental.
avoid redundancy.
just remember who controls the fate of victor yates:p

-afg//

[Phoenix]

Originally Posted by ArchonFarseerGuy

Therefore, my first pointer when making tactics is to keep them short. I don't want to waste 10 minutes of my life reading a thesis on why you will win a Pitched Battle. Keep them to a few short paragraphs.

Very true. This is as far as a got

heh, kidding... maybe...

[kithre]

Oooh, ooh, can I pipe up - a Picture says a million words as far as deployment is concerned. I downloaded the picture, scaled it to an appropriate size, and then just used PPT with appropriate scaling of Base sizes to do my deployment map. Arrows then tell the general thrust of the attacks/defences, and a small amount of descriptive text can help make any peculiarities or special deployment would be.

[timk1111]

Good stuff there AFG, and I've asked this to be stickied.

The other thing worth noting, is, in regards to the whole long tactics thing, people need (well, should be anyway) voting for more than just one match, and hopefuly all 8. There's a few to get through, sop it helps to keep it to the point.

Tim

[Lore_Colten]

TLDR-.- (jk)

i like what kithre does, downloading the map and then using "insert program" to insert (=.=) little tibets of where his units are running off to and such, which is helpful