Here are some strategies for People's General. I will add to the list whenever I get time or inspired to add more. If you have any strategies or tips that you would like to add, then please e-mail them to me. Any scenario specific notes address mostly the stock SSI Campaigns. The strategies should apply to all campaigns.

Narayan Sengupta
January 28, 2002
v.1.0

Artillery

Artillery is much weaker in People's General than it is in PG2. This is very disappointing to me since artillery is one of my favorite unit classes. Still, it does have some interesting features. Most important is counter-battery fire. In People's General, when you fire at a unit, if there is an enemy artillery piece in range with ammo that hasn't already done so, then it will fire back at your artillery. On the enemy's turn, it is vice-versa. The second feature is that only the artillery piece nearest to a unit (and that is in range and that has ammo) that gets attacked will defend it unless it has already fired. Then the next nearest artillery unit will defend, etc.

If you have the multiple fire support leader special, then your defending artillery will keep firing to defend one unit after the other until it runs out of ammo as long as it is the nearest artillery unit. One more feature is the automatic dismount of towed artillery. So at least they are always ready for action.

Recons

Recons have one fantastic new function in PEG. They help screen friendly units as long as they are close enough. One of your primary objectives should be to blind the enemy by killing his recon units.

Tanks

About the same as before, but still the King of the Battlefield. Do whatever you can to get Stealth tanks which appear around 2016 or so. You'll enjoy their range of three.

AD

Air defense units are very powerful in PEG. They can fire fast, frequently and far - up to 10 hexes with stock equipment files. This makes them THE weapon to destroy initially. And your air units will be all but ineffective until the enemy AD units are destroyed. There are two varieties of AD units: Anti-Helicopter and Anti-Aircraft (Fixed and Swept Wing). Each can usually go after one or the other. So you need to mix in both. I usually have a kill zone that is centered around my artillery, and that involves three Patriot batteries with the +3 to ammo combat support option. With them, I keep one or two Anti-Helicopter units and perhaps one or two other Anti-Helicopter units elsewhere on the battlefield. Just remember that enemy helicopters will stop where they are first fired upon. Try to present "bait" units that are covered by two Anti-Helicopter SAM units.

Anti-Tanks

About the same functions as before, but they seem to be quite ineffective in PEG. Delilah, did you cut their hair? For the most part, they are good as ancilliary units to cover weak or potentially weak or exposed flanks and cover cities that might be in for surprise attacks from light units.

Infantry

Keep them out of the open and in cities or areas with entrenchment bonuses. Unlike PG2, in People's General, infantry are actually quite effective against tanks, etc., when the infantry are located in cities, etc.

Air Combat

Air missions are very interesting, and give you the ability to use wild weasel anti-AA missions, bombing, recon, and air transport. Use your air points for recon and wild-weasel until you are reasonably certain that you can then use the other mission types without using too many points. I really miss air to air combat, which is why we have added many air units to the Helicopter class.

Naval Combat

SSI, in a fit of corporate myopia, did away with Naval Units as core units or even being purchasable in PG2. In People's General, they've gone one step further and omitted any maps that could be used for reasonable naval combat and naval units all together. Did Pacific General just not sell at all??? In any case, for a good naval fix, and I am a huge naval buff, I pull out Pacific General. We are, however, going to be adding naval units soon, I hope.

Reinforcements

Reinforcements are free, but they lower the average experience of a unit. I usually reinforce any auxilliary unit that drops below five, but almost never reinforce the core units unless I think that they are expendable (ATs, for instance) since they probably won't survive long enough to overstrength as a result of their newly found experience.

Other Features

Trigger hexes are cool and allow you to get bonuses such as experience or extra air missions.

Playing as the US/Allies

If you are the US, then do what you can to concentrate on armor. That is your strength. In the early years (2001), the Chinese have great advantages in artillery range. Remember that, and don't fire first too often until you know where his artillery is located. Or expend weaker disposable units (such as unneeded ATs) in provoking artillery fire. Remember that each of his artillery units (unless they have the multiple fire support special) can only fire once per turn.

Playing as the Chinese

If you are the Chinese, then do what you can to concentrate on the infantry. Your infantry units are extremely powerful and can do a great deal of destruction.

Also read...

Please read the PGIII Strategy Guide and my PG2 Strategy Guides as well. Many of the concepts apply to PG2 as well as People's General. But the best People's General Strategy Guide is Mark Kirby's. You'll find the link in PEG Downloads & Links section.