What's Your Brigade Composition?

marnues said:

But then I only build a navy late game if I'm breaking infamy limit, otherwise the money is better spent elsewhere. Consuming the world's barrels is top priority in the 20th century!

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If there are any barrels at all.
I recently had a game where I unlocked barrels and armor alright, and soon enough ordered several tank units. They didn't get to start building by game end, since probably no one else in the world unlocked the tech, and my own capitalists didn't want to build a single barrel factory. And I had interventionist party voted to power every time, which allows me to do anything except build a factory on my own. So the tanks stood there for almost 20 years, trying to collect barrels when there weren't any manufactured in the world whatsoever.

My idea of the best army composition:
Before unlocking Guards: 6-9 inf, 1-2 cav, 6 arty. Note that I usually factor in infantry gain from mobilization, so I actually build 4-6 inf.
Soon after Guards: same as above, with 2-3 inf substituted by Guards.
1900-WW1 tech level: see on top. Because the 1900 techs give so much firepower to everything, the Guards' extra few points are not really worth the huge added cost anymore. Also rearrange 3 old armies to 2 new to keep up with growing enemies, if you have to (but for rebel fighting stick with the original size).
Interwar: Substitute 2-3 (or more if you can afford) inf with tanks, strip cavalry for planes.
Interwar heavy duty army: 1:1:2 tanks:infantry:artillery which exactly fills up deployment width. No cavalry (it can't flank, no recon need; no planes, no need for recon anymore; no engineers since this is a hunter-killer army)
Siege army: 1 or 2 infantry, throw in an engineer once you can. Only place where the enemy can't get it.

Also note how max combat width affects army size and composition: early on, there is a point in deploying a lot of cavalry as you can actually outflank the enemy. But especially in the late game, you'll almost always fill up combat width (adjust army size if you have to, to exactly fill it up) so no flanking. And then only the firepower you can bring to 1 width counts, and a tank and a gun is the best you can get for that.

I use my armies geared more towards fighting to engage and destroy enemy armies (often outnumbered, yet victorious) and I don't really mind if they take some attrition. Their only task is to kill anything that has an enemy flag, and to take the fight rather deep into the enemy homeland. Once there are no more enemy armies in a region, the siege teams swoop in and occupy a lot of provinces, fast.
If the number one role of your armies are to keep your people oppressed (e.g. hunt rebels) then I suggest you stick to the first design, that's close to the best rebel fighting army (factoring in cost).

marnues said:

But then I only build a navy late game if I'm breaking infamy limit, otherwise the money is better spent elsewhere. Consuming the world's barrels is top priority in the 20th century!

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I use to think the same as you also, marnues, since navy battle score is so screwed up. But after reading one fantastic navy analysis post by one fellow gamer (can't remember who), and after experiencing first hand how blockages increase my war exhaustion and thus, reduce the speed of jingoism generation, I had since found new respect for navy.

KingFred said:

I change that scheme up a bit when I turn west and deal with France. As soon as I conquer A-L, I build the biggest forts possible and man them with pure infantry/artillery stacks, and give them defensive generals if I can. Would there be any advantage to including a little cavalry in these? By that point in the game I usually have at least two "korps" each in Rheinland and Nordrhein, and build one in this defensive way, keeping the other in the original formula above.

Thanks for any advice - this is a part of the game I'm just starting to mess with.

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Hi KingFred,
In my opinion, yes. Normal cavalry unit initially and hussar later on.
Why? Because once you had beaten off the initial assault and the French start retreating, you can use your cavalry stacks to chase them to get the defensive bonus, your slower main stacks might or might not get the defensive bonus. Your faster cavalry stacks most like will.

Secret Master said:

Nah, it's not like HIO3 where screens and capital ships are different. I wish it had a mechanic like that, actually.

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Vicky 2 could really use some of the naval mechanisms from HOI3.

Namely
1) An incentive to mix screens and capital ships
2) A limit on the size of fleets (I think HOI3 calls it "hull-limit")

These mechanisms are extremely simple, and would vastly improve naval combat, and even though Vicky2 is "not a wargame", Naval combat could use a wee bit more love. as a player right now, you pretty much have an incentive to build a "Doom-fleet" similar to the doomstacks on land, that the attrition-mechanic thankfully prevents.

EDIT: And with a gaming-company like Paradox, who actually gave us Great Wars in a FREE patch, I'm actually hopeful that they may conduct small, but consequential changes to naval mechanics in a patch.

DrLulz said:

2) A limit on the size of fleets (I think HOI3 calls it "hull-limit")

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This, it is crazy to have fleets of about 500 ships.

I am thinking of 2 infantry and 1 artillery as the standard Brigade structure. I'm new to victoria 2 so i would like suggestions. Sorry to bump an old thread

As someone said earlier in this thread, the most efficient build is actually 1 artillery per infantry, so the entire 2nd row can shoot. Then put a few cav on each end to outflank. It also wouldn't hurt to have a few spare infantry because they will take losses and the arty won't.

So, as an example, for a 24 brigade force: 12 infantry, 8 arty, 4 cav. Switch in guards and dragoons when you can optionally.

Those are the types of armies I use to do the heavy lifting. Then I follow behind with cav and engineers to quickly subdue enemy turf.

Late game, I build units of 10 armor to roam free and help out the main armies where needed, because they're fast and can react. Aircraft are used in a similar way, and are also surprisingly effective at taking enemy territory quickly too.

Also, as a side note, I play Japan a lot, so it's important when you're playing as them to remember to make armies that will fit onto your existing transport fleets. If you're going to build that 24 brigade force I just showed you, it would behoove you to build your transport fleets with 24 transports in it. If you can't build that much of a fleet, then you need smaller forces too. I am one of those sick puppies that actually enjoy micromanagement, but even I bristle at the thought of splitting and re-assembling a force every time just to get it on the boat and then putting it back together after they land.

IronCrossHonour said:

I am thinking of 2 infantry and 1 artillery as the standard Brigade structure. I'm new to victoria 2 so i would like suggestions. Sorry to bump an old thread

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When playing against the AI, do what ever you fancy, it really does not matter. When playing multi-player max your frontage, and make sure your whole second row can shoot, and ruin your opponents day, but follow the house rules of course.

I use 2 infantry, and 1 artillery as a good ratio, as my base and then expand as necessary. in early game keep at least 2 cav in each brigade to cover your flanks. In real early game keep at least 4 cav in your brigade to hammer and out flank your enemy.

latter game the cav becomes less important and maxing the frontage becomes much more important so i go like 8 inf 6 art, and 2-4 airplanes.

Play around and have fun, find out what really works for you and your play stile.

A 6I-3C-1A arrangement, scaled up depending on Army size.

In the 20th century other GPs will often be able to build giant navies...one game Austria, which was ranked 4 or 5 but produced a lot of oil, had a fleet three-hundred strong stationed in Yemen.

Cruisers are definitely best for combat in the Pacific, where attrition can be a factor. As the USA, I had three battle fleets - an Atlantic fleet with 3D/2C; a Pacific fleet divided separately on the opposite ratio, and a large cruiser fleet stationed at Panama.

In the early game before ive delved in to the medicine tech very far i usually go with 5 Infantry 5 artillery and 2 cavalrys. later on i just multiply the composition by 2 and add 2 engineers for good measure. This composition is the one that has worked best for me thus far.

I play PDM so Guards are usually out of the question since im usually running with leizze faire partys and my capitalists NEVER builds automobile factories QQ .