Whether you believe war is good or bad, one thing is for certain: war is inevitable. As you progress up the technology tree and through the Ages, other civilizations will be quick to make demands or aggressions against your blossoming empire. When the punches start flying, what's the best way to gain a military advantage over your rivals? In this section we'll examine a few tricks of the trade such as forming strong unit stacks and using game elements like terrain and movement points.

Generating a Mixed, Stacked Force

After your civilization has matured, and you can generate a healthy amount of resources, it's time to begin constructing an offensive and defensive force. Creating effective (and sometimes creative) unit stacks can be the key to winning most engagements. A stack is a collective force that moves together much like an army. Placing a combination of ranged (archers, mounted archers, and so on) and melee (knights, samurai, and so on) units together creates a powerful force, particularly against melee-only armies.

While the melee units engage each other from the front line, the ranged units sit safely in the rear and fire their weapons without worry of immediate retaliation. Ranged units are much weaker than melee units. Don't form a ranged-heavy stack and expect it to perform miracles; if you happen upon a melee-heavy stack, you should begin preparing the funeral. Another fine addition to your unit stack is bombardment units, such as artillery or cannons. These units can be placed outside the stack and fire on the enemy force from a safe distance, working down your opponent before the melee and ranged unit take their shots.

Don't Underestimate Defense

Don't think all the units you construct should be sent on offense. Without an adequate defense, a lowly barbarian could waltz in and dismantle your once proud, but defenseless, town. Keep several units inside each city, especially early in the game. A solid early-game defender is the phalanx, with a defense rating of 2. When you've set the unit inside the city, set the unit to fortify, which adds an extra 50 percent to its defensive rating and makes it almost impossible for roaming barbarians to take a city out early in the game.

Protecting your cities with units isn't the key to effective defense, though. Scouting and keeping an eye on your enemies' plans can be equally important. Position a few scouts around the perimeter of your civilization; if an attack does indeed come, this early warning system could save you from tough, losing battles. Mobilizing your forces by knowing where the enemy is coming from can be the most important factor in adequately defending your cities.

Next: Terrain and movement