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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Zephyrus" data-source="post: 1633262" data-attributes="member: 8728">EDIT - Sorry.. a whole bunch of posts were posted before I finished mine so sorry if some of it has been debunked. However, I still think that covered war-wagons and war-barges are good tools. Mini-Siege towers placed every so often as 'look out' towers and marker points. Place the towers so that they have a 50-100ft wide 'pathway' to the next tower and that the tower beyond is also visiable (in other words dont snake the pathway too much. Build them in a 'grid' if nessisary so that you have wide pathways between each 'patch' of woods. Start off small but expand. Make some of the early towers mobile while later making larger perminent watch towers. As you secure more territory move your supplies and troops via large wheeled bunkers (easier than everyone walking in a shield formation).To minimize the liklyhood of trenchs being dug at night to slow or damage these supply trains have one or two outside the bunker leading the way by 10-20ft so if a covered pit occures, they fall in first and the wagon can stop before it crashes. In addition, make the wagon be able to lay small wheel-ramps so that they can quickly lay quick bridges over such impasses. If you manage to capture anyone make them walk out front instead. their less likly to be shot in an ambush. In general. have the orcs become a warmachine. burn or clearcut wide pathways through the woods to move troops and supplies through.A dozen orcs can push  30ft long by 15-20ft wide covered war-wagon would reasonable ease (their orcs. their strong stupid and if they dont keep pushing they'll get trappled by the guy behind him!). The Wagon will have a tower thats maybe 10ft-15ft tall with another size to a dozen orcs with Crossbows keeping watch for ambush. the tower becomes a bunker in the event of a ambush. If the elves start trying to set fire to them. wet em down so the wood doesnt catch fire. Use these towers as bunker-outposts to keep over-watch on loging operations.Frequently use Alchemy or other 'fire' arrows at extream ranges to set fire to the woods at a distance. If the elves drop a tree down in front of your pathways have your Crossbow archers throw down/shoot smoke sticks into the woods while a wood cutting team quickly advances. cuts the log and clears a path. When Archer-ambushes are expected make liberal use of smoke. its harder to hit what you cant see. Obsurment and Cover is your friend. Have your Tree-clearing crew's also have blind fighting so that if the elves charge into melee you've got a chance to over come the miss chance the concealment gives the both of you. Engines of war is the theme. For the Elves it'll be like fighting APC's and Tanks (Larger bunkers with Ballista and Catapults built into them) with infantry. Anti-Tank (Fire ball spells and other things that could do alot of damage like their own catapults) weapons cant be THAT common among hte elves so move your forces simaltainiously so if one unit gets hit the others get through, that or their resources are spread very thin. Have other units in the woods hanging back just a bit following from a short distance ready to counter-ambush with a focus on targeting spellcasters and/or have mobile catapults with burning oil ready to fire upon the woods flanking a caravan. Have fake 'supply' caravans which have no supplies and instead has an Infernal Machine (?, the form o siege weapon that used a 'slap' arm to propel clusters of arrows in massive vollies) or have hte inside of the war-wagons rigged with crossbows in fixed positions so that multiple bows could be fired simaltainiously. Have the look outs be wary of potential dead-falls that might be used to land ON the war-wagons. If the elves start using this tactic have Tower-Shield equipped Orcs walk along and just in the wood line a little ahead to look out for such things. Ambushes might be sprung early this way as the elves attempt the lookouts from spotting hte dead falls. Alternatly they may let them through and the lookouts spot the deadfalls thus springing a potential ambush early as well.Keep doing things differently. Dont let the elves adapt but dont show all your tricks at once. Work things in combonation. mix and match. If something is going particularly well be extra causious as you do them as they might come up with a way around it. Start laying ambushes for the enemy.Deny Deny Deny... remove their advantages...If the pathways are making things hard on you to nagivate. Dont take paths.. Make Roads! Elves are subtle. Orc's arnt. make your own landmarks  that cant be easily confused thus having perminent watchtowers that cant be missed on a 50ft foot and wheel packed roads.hit and run tactics, expecially ones that rely on archery sniping require the ability to see the enemy and to have a target to shoot at. Thus make liberal use of cover and concealment. the elves use the forest to give them cover and concealment. Make your own! War-Wagons with arrow and watch slits that provide 3/4 and 9/10ths cover makes it very hard to hit a target. skirts on the wagons provide protection to the feet of the wagon drivers. Fire and Smoke cause concealment granting concealment which provided a target knows a targets location still gives the target up to a 50% miss chance. Likewise change the terrain by destroying the forest in wide swathes steals the familiarity away from the enemy, at least. At best its starts giving you terrain familiarity. They've got magical support. Fine. make your own in the form of alchemy or other work-arounds. better yet, if your able to capture enemy spellcasters, torture them into working for you. It can be risky but the rewards can be great. They'll either comply or they will suffer. Manical them hand and ankle to a orc or goblin to make escape difficult. Cause psychological disorders by branding them occationally and causing similar pain that will heal but cause physical and emotional scars that can be used to make them compliant.Take every setback, missing whatever, late patrol seriously but not so much that you tire your troops out. Hope these ideas help.. am interested in hearing what some people thing of some of them.</blockquote>

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