Alan Saunders writes:
This is a pretty broad subject in some respects, and is not really open to any hard and fast tips and tricks, as deployment depends on the nature of your army, that of the enemy and the terrain. In the case of the defender it also depends on how the attaker has deployed.

As a rule of thumb go for slow troops in the centre, fast on the flanks. Unless, of course, it is expedient not to do so.

Quite often I find that your main mounted force will be faced with the dilemma of setting up in bad going with clear ground in front of them, or setting up in clear ground with bad going ahead. Opt for the former; although you may have to spend your first couple of turns getting out of a wood, it is better than spending the vital mid-game blundering about in trees in close proximity to the enemy.

Jeff Bolton writes:
The first consideration in deployment is: Can I do something effective on a PIP roll of 1? This is an important consideration throughout the game - from start to finish. Always ask yourself: What will I do if my PIP roll is a 1? If an answer of "Just sit here" is acceptable, fine (and this can be tactically acceptable). But if you want to keep forcing your opponent to react to you, you must keep this in mind. And it's hard when you army includes Magicians and/or Aerials.

My major rule of deployment is to work my army in "Groups of Three" or GoT. This group is three elements that I try to keep grouped in line or column. I try to maintain these groups throughout the game. I like GoTs because they are the perfect formation for exploiting exposed flanks and providing mutual support. For Woods and Bad Going, I like to have 3 Shooters working together. In Good Going, my favored GoT is a Hero or Paladin with 2 accompanying Riders. I have also been known to field a GoT of an Airboat or Aerial Hero with 2 accompanying Flyers. To me, the GoT is THE perfect sub-division for my armies.

For deployment, I always consider the nature of my army. The two most important aspects of the nature of my army are its MOBILITY and MIX.

I view armies in three Mobility types:
1) High Mobility (HM) - based on troops with a Good Going movement of 500p or more.
2) Medium Mobility (MM) - with around half of the army total AP with a Good Going movement of 300p or less.
3) Low Mobility (LM) - with 75-80 percent or more of the army total AP based on troops with a Good Going movement rate of 300p or less.

I view armies in three Mixes: 1) Aerial (A) - nothing but elements in the air.
2) Combined (C) - a balanced AP mix of Foot and Mounted troops. Can include some Aerial elements.
3) Type-specific (Ts) - The army is based on one of the main types (Aerial, Foot, or Mounted) with very few AP spent on elements from the other type.

Those who know me and who are my usual opponents know that my favorite armies are HMTs. I like this type because it gives me the greatest flexibility for initial deployment and for developing the game using my Groups of Three (GoT). My favorite HMTs army is built around Heroes (sometimes a Paladin, too) and Riders - including a Rider General. For initial deployment, this army can start the game in either a line (with or without a reserve) or a 3x3 block. Because of the intrinsic speed of the elements, they can move to the side and exploit exposed flanks or, if worse comes to worse, pile into the enemy line and hope the Hero wins, providing overlaps for the Riders to either side. The 3x3 block of elements allows me to move the entire army to one side or the other of the game area. This dislocates my opponent's deployment and psychology. (I like to force my opponent to react to my moves and threats and minimize their ability to move and threaten.)

The other type of army that I favor is a MMC. This army is probably a lower risk army than my more common HMTs, but it is slower. Within this army, I like to form one potential GoT of Shooters which I place to move through Woods and other Bad Going or as anti-Aerial defense.

I would say that knowing the nature of your own army and your own method of play is far more important for deployment than the nature of your enemy or the terrain. Remember, in the normal course of things, you determine the nature of your army BEFORE you see your opponent's army or the terrain is laid out (whether by you or your opponent).

Another note on deployment in HOTT: The narrower the frontage of a group, the more flexible it is for movement and the more fragile it is in combat. So, if your goal is to march straight ahead and slam into the foe, then line up your army across the board and roll. But if you want something more flexible, go to a formation like the 3x3 block and trust to your luck with the PIP dice.

Chow Li writes:
One of the aspect I use that often tends to be overlooked by other players, it seems, is reserves. A good reserve lets you have a tone of flexibility. I keep a quarter to a third of my points in reserve, usually close to the line. Sometimes so close you couldn't tell that they were reserves. I also on occasion deploy them on line but don't move them up with the rest. Use a deep reserve when facing a high movement army. Keep a close reserve when concerned about the enemy pushing an overlap on one end or the other of your line. Depending on the army the Hero(s) usually makes the best reserve. They are quick and srong. Some times shooters. The range is good for covering the rear. But then other times the slow and/or poor troops like Artillery or Spear just because they can't always keep up anyway. There is no secret or special time to deploy the reserve. Save to say when they are needed call them up. Sometimes that is right away. Other times they may never be used. It is important to keep your reserve in support range. A reserve that can't get to the fight is no good.

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