Battlefield tactics
Back to the Tome of LARP
In my opinion the 4 main principles of LARP combat are objective, pre-communication, strong vs weak and flank support.
This applies from individual fighting all the way to leading hundreds or thousands of players in a battle.
Objective
Make sure you have a goal and work out how you are contributing to that. There is no use to just killing people if you lose what you are fighting over. If the goal is to survive then not fighting is completing the goal. If you don't know what the goal is you can't make decisions to support that, it's pretty simple really.
Tactical vs Strategic
There is also a difference between tactical and strategic objectives. I define strategic objectives as what you want done and tactical objectives as how to get it done. An example would be that the strategic objective is to capture the flag. The tactical objective for one group might be to hold a flank so that the other side can push up. On a lower scale the tactical objectives can come down to actions of individual players. It is also possible for some objectives to be both strategic and tactical.
Pre Communication
If you try to explain things while people are fighting you are doomed to fail. If you are a unit commander and are not currently fighting you should be either observing , communicating or moving. There are not really any other options. Any battle plan with multiple groups need to be explained quickly and concisely before the players are engaged. If they are currently fighting and need to be re-deployed elsewhere then take a bit of extra time to work out how to get them out of the fight.
Strong vs weak
It is important to understand when your or your opponents forces are strong or weak. This can be caused by a multitude of variables. The easiest to see is numbers. If you have 20 fighters and they have 40 then generally they will be stronger than you. However various things can change the apparent strength and weakness, experience, armour, terrain and position can all adjust this. If you are losing on one part of the battlefield it is important to know if it is because you are weak or your opponent is stronger.
If you can nullify your opponents strength then it is generally as good as sending in more fighters. While it is not quite rock, paper, scissors there is an interplay between archers, shields and long weapons.
Flank support
Due to the nature of many larp battles if fighters get around the flanks of units they can do far more damage than they normally would. It can often be a good idea to use experienced fighters to be on the end/edge of your unit. They can generally see more of what is going on and won't buckle as easily under stress. I often call these people anchors, especcially in line fighting units and they provide the unmoving ends of the line.
Reserve units
One of the best ways to protect your flanks is to keep a couple of people in reserve. In a spall scall battle this might be 1 or 2, however in larger battles it could be hundreds. In a small force I'd recommend the commander be a reserve even if no one else is. While a commander should maintain a view of the battlefield if it is a choice between you unit being surrounded or you fighting then fight.