400 Points and Fortifications

With the ability to use the whole maximum of a list some lists have 10 to 12 (Hussites 15!) stands of fortifications. A 6' table is about 80U wide which means a Lancastrian army, for instance, could place up to 60U of fortifications on the table top. The practical impact is that the whole deployment zone can be covered with fortifications. Was wondering how others are finding fortifications working with the new 400 point limit?

I don't see it as an issue - fortifications need someone behind them to be viable. I can see someone thinking it is a wizard wheeze on game 1 but opponents will react by flank marching or similar leaving the guy with the spade stuck behind his own fortifications facing teh wrong way - that can be very bad

Cyrus, have you seen players use the full option for fortification in your tournaments? If so, do you have a sense of how the games play out (from a fun point of view.)

No. I'm probably the main fortification user as I regularly used to dig my Hussites in, and also sometimes use them to protect artillery in my WOR army. I've never seen anyone lay a 15 element fortification.

As I said I'm not that worried about it - if a player decides to do that in a tournament then the opponent has a simple option - refuse to engage. Assuming the wall builder is actually interested in playing games he will pretty soon figure out that he needs to alter his cunning plan or face a series of stationary draws. Assuming of course his opponent does the maths.

Experience with the Hussites taught me exactly that - initially I would simply sit back and rely on my opponent to attack and die on my dug in wagons. It took one competition for both me and our tournament players to realise the best way to deal with this was to sit back and do nothing. The result was I have changed the composition of the list and now have a balanced force that can attack (albeit very slowly) which in turn encourages my opponents to engage

One thing I have found about tournaments is that common sense will prevail in the end. The temptation to ban particular parts of the game is very tempting but usually has unforeseen consequences and the players tend to resolve them in their own way anyway

Thanks. I appreciate your detailed response. When the fortifications were at 1/2 list there was always an exposed flank of some degree and flank marches could work. With the full list the open ends could get pretty tight.

Your solution is the obvious one in light of the current realities; don't advance against the fortifications if they are too overwhelming. A draw is better than near certain defeat. For a tournament that makes total sense. In our smaller biweekly tournament games its going to take some discipline to hold back.