Basic combat question - what am I doing wrong?

[nizzie]

I'm new to EU III, and I just can't wrap my head around the combat. I outnumber these pesky rebels 2:1, we got similar generals, morale and unit maintenance maxed, still I either get destroyed, or they take minimal losses and rape my troops before retreating. I play CK2, so I know about terrain boni. Even if I'm the defending side, they're of little use. If I'm the attacker, it's only getting worse. Help, what do?

 

[camppa]

Not that your wrong to play a new world tribe, but what your doing wrong is playing a new world tribe. Your rebels are holding out secret technologies that improve their morale and abilities. If you let them take over, they'll promptly forget them though.

 

[nizzie]

Not that your wrong to play a new world tribe, but what your doing wrong is playing a new world tribe. Your rebels are holding out secret technologies that improve their morale and abilities. If you let them take over, they'll promptly forget them though.

Didn't even think of that. Thank you very much!

 

[midget_roxx]

Most likely defensive bonuses. Since most of inca is mountains that's a -5 to the dice roll, a massive difference.
Also playing as the Incas is a really really bad idea as a starter game. You are a isolated nation that is gurenteed to get annexed by around the 1600s. Only the most advanced players will attempt to play as a new world tribe because the europeans will absolutely trash you.
Try castille or austria instead

 

[unmerged(80402)]

All rebels have land tech 3, meaning they get only half damage you get - because of combined arms bonus from tactics. This bonus is dependant on tech, and early on, it is halving damage you do.

 

[Icendoan]

One thing to note (and it is useful for Inca who are drowning in money) is that if you have a 10:1 ratio of troops, the smaller stack is automatically annihilated. If you have a standing army of around 30-40k, rebels become easier to tame.

 

[unmerged(80402)]

One thing to note (and it is useful for Inca who are drowning in money) is that if you have a 10:1 ratio of troops, the smaller stack is automatically annihilated. If you have a standing army of around 30-40k, rebels become easier to tame.

It is not true, it only happens if unit will lose whole it morale, when you have 10 times or more troops. If for example it will somehow win, or run before morale runs out, it will survive.

 

[Icendoan]

It is not true, it only happens if unit will lose whole it morale, when you have 10 times or more troops. If for example it will somehow win, or run before morale runs out, it will survive.

I think the game is inconsistent. If I have 10k running around my enemies provinces, I can immediately defeat each and all of the little 1k siege stacks they've been leaving, even if they're at full morale. I have noticed I can't do this as a horde, and it only seems to be the case with ratios of units, not the actual number of men. It generally holds, but I'm not sure of the exact criteria.

 

[cacra]

I think the game is inconsistent. If I have 10k running around my enemies provinces, I can immediately defeat each and all of the little 1k siege stacks they've been leaving, even if they're at full morale. I have noticed I can't do this as a horde, and it only seems to be the case with ratios of units, not the actual number of men. It generally holds, but I'm not sure of the exact criteria.

it doesnt matter, as long as you have 10:1 troops arriving at the same time to a battle they will wipe the force

 

[imperium3]

On this note, I'm also seeing a similar effect in that whenever I fight battles (be it rebels or other nations) even if I win, even if I'm the defender, I seem to be losing many more troops than the enemy. But I'm not playing as the Incas, I'm Portugal! Is there anything else at play ere that I may not have considered? For example, is it worthwhile to give every unit a general, or keep those for the grand armies/expeditionary forces?

 

[Pewt]

On this note, I'm also seeing a similar effect in that whenever I fight battles (be it rebels or other nations) even if I win, even if I'm the defender, I seem to be losing many more troops than the enemy. But I'm not playing as the Incas, I'm Portugal! Is there anything else at play ere that I may not have considered? For example, is it worthwhile to give every unit a general, or keep those for the grand armies/expeditionary forces?

Tech, discipline, or generals.

 

[cacra]

On this note, I'm also seeing a similar effect in that whenever I fight battles (be it rebels or other nations) even if I win, even if I'm the defender, I seem to be losing many more troops than the enemy. But I'm not playing as the Incas, I'm Portugal! Is there anything else at play ere that I may not have considered? For example, is it worthwhile to give every unit a general, or keep those for the grand armies/expeditionary forces?

ideally every fighting unit will have a general yes, what is your tech like?

 

[Setsuna]

Don't forget unit types.

 

[unmerged(465279)]

To illustrate the importance of a good general, here's a pic involving my army getting absolutely destroyed by an equal tech level Ottomans because his 4 pip shock general combined with his cavalry army made my infantry implode. I was defending here, and they just finished sieging. I actually lost the war because of this battle, damn you 5.2 manpower changes!