Battle plans

No battle plan survives contact with the enemy
-Helmuth von Moltke

This maxim is one of the one well known of any strategy enthusiast. It’s taught in every military school around the world and even if von Moltke was the first to write it, the principle has been around for millenia. So of course I’m going to resolve the whole issue in this blog! Seriously, I want to talk about a few ways to help your plan survive and make sure the enemy plan doesn’t survive your contact.

1- Have a plan!
Sounds like common sense but you have no idea how many people start a game/build an army without any idea of how it will operate on the battlefield. When I was working at a gaming store I gave ‘’Strategy Saturdays’’, wich basically where introductions to the game for younger players along with a painting session to teach basics. The first thing I would always ask is ‘’How do you win with your army ?’’. You have no idea of the number of blank stares I got or answers like ‘’well.. my knights will kill them...’’. This simply does not work. When your building your army try to envision how it will operate on the battlefield and how it will win… you’ll be surprised at how much this helps having a cohesive army.

2-Make a flexible plan
Make your plan a general one without going in specifics. This way you will be able to adapt it to the enemy/scenario you are facing.

3- Tailor the plan and stick to it.
Making plans is no use if you don’t use it when your on the battlefield. Don’t get afraid of the enemy and what you think he will do to you. Adapt the plan to the scenario/enemy and then execute it. Also, don’t give up the second something goes wrong, hang in there. If you idea is a sound one you’ll pull through most of the time.

4-Break the opponent plan before he breaks yours.
Just like the maxim says your plan won’t survive contact and neither will your opponent plan. Who wins is often determined by wich plan breaks first. If you stick to your idea you will be able to enforce your game on the enemy.

Of course this is all easier said than done. But at least aiming for this will help you improve a lot over games. A final tip, being able to enforce a plan often comes down to army composition supporting your plan. Choose units who are the best at executing your plan and more often than not you’ll be the one dictating the pace of the game.