The Foundation: A DAOC Guild

Confusion and boredom reign on the battlefield. Players must keep an eye on their surroundings, look out for targets, recognize threats, be able to type and fight at the same time, and above all watch their chat box as they may be receiving messages over /guild, /alliance, /chatgroup, /send, and general /tells. And most importantly, they must feel they are having fun doing all this or they will get bored and abandon the group or do something that endangers them.

To make sure your group fights as a team (not to mention multiple groups fighting together as a team) you must have a clear strategy for that moment and as far ahead as ten minutes from that moment so everyone knows what to expect.

Explain to your group in simple terms what you are going to do, such as "We will run to <insert location> and have scouts search for targets" or "We will come around and attack them from behind" or "We are going to threaten their rear by blocking their line of retreat." It is not necessary everyone know the official terms for these tactics, but they should know the concepts behind them and know how their class contributes to that plan of action so as to minimize doubt and straggling.

Envelopment avoids the enemy's front where his forces are more protected and his attacks more easily concentrated. Instead, while fixing the defender's attention forward by a strong enough group, the attacker maneuvers his main effort to strike at the enemy's flanks and rear. Put simply, a force swings around a vulnerable flank, or side, of an enemy's lines, causing them to divide their attention, possibly their forces, and instill in them the urge of self-preservation and panic.

Commonly called a rear-attack, this usually happens when a small group disengages and works its way around to the enemy's rear while the main force is keeping them in place, threatening the opposition's vulnerable healers and casters.

This tactic is unwise if it's clear every available character is needed to hold back an enemy, as by the time you get to the enemy's rear, your main force may already have been driven back by superior numbers and low moral.

Offensive Tactics: Double Envelopment

Use in Modern Warfare

One force maintains a diversionary attack in the enemy's front, while two other groups attack both flanks. A more effective maneuver, it requires considerable superiority in numbers. In history, Hannibal's favorite method (you all know who Hannibal is right?) of executing the double envelopment was to let the center of his lines give way under enemy attack--forcing his opposition to drive like a wedge into his semicircular lines. Then, the strong flanks of his semicircle would attack the weak and exposed flanks of the enemy's wedge.

Use in RVR Warfare

Although possible with large enough numbers, a double envelopment is a rare thing on the battlefield as groups rarely coordinate closely enough for a maneuver with this level of complexity. Basically your closest result using this tactic in small numbers is when you "surround" the enemy after a frontal assault. Rarely will people purposely retreat when an RP cow is standing right in front of them.

Offensive Tactics: Turning Movement

Use in Modern Warfare

The turning movement is a type of envelopment in which the attacker attempts to avoid the defense entirely. Instead, he tries to secure a position in the enemy's rear and along his lines of retreat. Faced with a major threat to his rear, the enemy is thus "turned" out of his defensive positions and forced to attack rearward.

For a turning movement to be successful, the unit trying to turn the enemy must attack something that the enemy will fight to save.

Use in RVR Warfare

This is basically a maneuver to force the enemy to abandon their current position and force them to a mobile posture, and all without firing a shot. An example of this is the enemy noticing a sizable threat passively taking up position to their rear. This forces the enemy to abandon his position and attack the rearward threat to protect his line of retreat. Should the main force see the enemy withdrawing, you can take the opportunity to call for a Pursuit or general advance to support the rearward force.

The trick though is making the enemy NOTICE you have a force back there so that they take the bait and move out. If, however, they haven't noticed and haven't moved, then by all means use that Turning force to attack the enemy's rear and grind the enemy into baby powder.

Offensive Tactics: Frontal Attack

Use in Modern Warfare

A frontal attack strikes the enemy across a wide front and over the most direct approaches. For deliberate attacks, it is the least desirable form of maneuver since it exposes the attacker to the concentrated fire of the defender while at the same time limiting the effectiveness of the attacker's own fires.

As the simplest form of maneuver, however, the frontal attack is useful for overwhelming weak positions, static patrols, or disorganized enemy forces. It is often the best form of maneuver for an attack or meeting engagement in which speed and simplicity are key.

Use in RVR Warfare

This tactic is affectionately known as The ChargeTM or Follow Me to Die!TM

Only advisable if you have superior forces and/or good control over your troops to prevent your attack turning into a disorganized zerg mob. This attack's organization can be difficult to control as it requires constant movement to close the distance between the two forces so as to limit exposure to enemy attack and it requires a degree of restraint on the part of the attackers.

Since casters must halt to fire their spells, constant movement becomes impossible in a Frontal Attack. An alternative is a staggered frontal assault where your tanks and melees move forward in quick jumps, supported by nukers and healers.

Most RvR ends up becoming this anyway, so get used to it.

Offensive Tactics: Penetration

Use in Modern Warfare

Penetration is used when enemy flanks are not assailable and when time does not permit some other form of maneuver. Its purpose is to rupture enemy defenses on a narrow front and thereby create both assailable flanks and access to the enemy's rear

Use in RVR Warfare

Technically speaking, penetration is possible at any time as there is no collision detection and you can run right through the enemy...unless you get mezzed-stunned-nuked-and toasted first. Penetration in RVR terms refers to a force breaking between groups of enemies, thus breaking line of sight between them. The attack then has the choice of fighting a perimeter defense within the enemy's lines, or attacking left or right, or both as an envelopment.

Should a penetration occur, it should immediately be followed up with frontal attacks to support the maneuver, fix reinforcements in place, and ultimately exploit the development till the enemy is annihilated or withdraws.

To intensify disorganization of defeated enemy troops and to prevent counterattack, highly mobile pursuit forces harass the retreating flanks. If a force can be placed in back of where the enemy retreat is expected, the opposition can be sandwiched and annihilated.

Frontal attacks tend to degenerate into a disorganized form of this attack, sometimes with the pursuers being ambushed and calling for help. If handled properly, if there are no guards that the enemy can run to, or if the enemy's moral is so low they're only thinking about self-preservation, then you can fairly easily catch-mez-nuke-melee the stragglers that don't get away and claim victory. Hooyah!

If you have set up a rear force to catch the enemy in retreat, then congratulations! You are an excellent general because you have thought ahead and handed the enemy a resounding and confusing defeat.

An historical example of both this pursuit and ambush force tactic is Col. Chamberlain's charge down Little Round Top at Gettysburg (although that was technically a defensive charge that evolved into general pursuit).

Infiltration is a means of reaching the enemy's rear without fighting through prepared defensive lines or patrols. The infiltrating unit avoids detection and engagement until called on to attack.

A small group of stealthers my infiltrate to conduct raids, ambushes, or other attacks. Infiltration may also be used for many other types of operations, such as stay-behind and reconnaissance.

Stealth-classes excel at this and should be called upon to scout ahead, behind, or anywhere else and simply report movements or set up ambushes. They are the eyes and ears of any force. They can also be used as an ambushing force to cause panic among a retreating enemy or stragglers, such as in a Pursuit. Stealthers tend to hunt alone however, which can be an advantage for forces who are prepared for back-stabbers. As a tactician you should try to use teams of 2 or more stealthers each.

The defending forces hold their position and repulse enemy attacks by concentrating on one single organized position with skirmishers positioned to the front.

This tactic is usually forced upon defenders when under siege within a keep, at a milegate, or when confined to a portal keep by superior numbers. Basically, you hold one place and defend it against rushes, frontal assaults, infiltration, scouting, etc. This should NEVER be done on open ground but only against choke points that allow few avenues of attack to avoid being flanked. If holding relatively open ground, keep moving, even if it's patrolling a designated area you choose to defend. Better yet, a point defense should be coordinated between more than one group, that way they can support each other and not be isolated and destroyed.

This defense consists of groups arrayed in depth to absorb the shock of a penetration. If the enemy gets passed one line of defense, they are stopped by the second and so on. This also allows rear attacks by the forward lines once the invading force is stopped by the rearward defenders. The strength, of this defense comes from its flexibility. This defense normally orients on the enemy force and not retaining terrain.

Typically the keeps and their roaming guards form a defense in Depth against an enemy going after the relics. Defending groups can either enhance this already established defense by manning the keeps, setting up patrol areas to defend, or by creating multiple mobile forces to head off attackers as they appear. This third option is called a Mobile Defense.

If the area being defended is larger than that which the defending army can cover, the defense must rely heavily on mountains, rivers, lakes and other natural defenses. Only locations where land forces can penetrate are guarded. Most of the troops compose a highly mobile force that intercepts enemy attacks wherever they occur.

Speed chants are essential in this type of defense. The defending force relies on scouts to pinpoint intruders and then rushes forward to set up a hasty defense at a choke point or immediately launch into an attack upon seeing the enemy. This forces the enemy to stop and fight, thus allowing reserves or reinforcements to be alerted and called up if you are unable to annihilate or deter them.

The force prepares a perimeter defense when there are no friendly units adjacent to it. A perimeter defense may be used in a reserve position, in an assembly area or patrol base, on a semi-independent operation, during healing/medding, or when the force is isolated.

This is a dangerous defense in RVR as you are forced to defend in 360 degrees and usually on whatever ground you happened to stop on. If your little group is alone out there and you feel you need to rest, please, for the love of God, have scouts keep lookout and find some trees or other form of terrain to hide behind. Otherwise you are fodder for roving bands and cocky stealthers.

A force breaks engagement with the enemy to preserve or regain its freedom of action.

Let's not fool ourselves. In RVR, if you're on the defensive side this is a retreat, plain and simple, and you're going to leave behind some corpses because the enemy will probably charge.

However, if you are on the offensive, you are probably pulling out of a hit and run, which is commendable. If your force is too small to make much of a difference, keep moving, keep striking, keep the enemy on their toes and nervously glancing over their shoulders.

The defending forces hold their position and repulse enemy attacks by Inviting an enemy attack, the defense gains time as the opposition prepares but never intends to fight, instead withdrawing just before the battle starts.

Notice the above says "withdrawing just BEFORE the battle starts." This rarely happens. When someone engages in a delaying action to facilitate the safe withdrawal of his friends, he's going to die. But what a worthy sacrifice, eh?

In most cases, because only a few paces separate the two opposing forces, the time for the opposition to prepare an attack, on what is perceived by them to be a withdrawing defending force, is roughly 2.5 seconds (give or take). Basically that is the speed it takes between some lone fool starting a charge and the others beginning to follow him in mob-like fashion.

The best way to use this is if you have the advantage of distance (that is, you are "out of range") and you MAKE SURE the enemy can see some of your force massed for a defense while the MAJORITY of your forces are withdrawing to better positions. During this time the enemy is waiting for all their forces to catch up and begin the zerg assault. Just before they begin their advance, however, your delaying force then also retreats to the positions prepared by your grateful and fully healed and buffed comrades.