Playing Empire Total War earlier today. As Prussia. We sat and waited, building up massive armies and money before we launched our all out assault on the rest of Europe. Funny enough, Prussia starts with two provinces, disconnected and isolated. A tiny pair of little swathes of land in a massive hellhole of nations that hate them.
As a US Marine General once said, "We're surrounded? Those poor bastards."
Austria declares war on us, and attacks my town, Berlin. I had 8 regiments of Line Infantry, 4 12-lb cannon units, two Regimental Cavalry units, and the General. Austria sieges, and waits outside my town with an almost perfectly equivalent force. One small caveat. My force has Ring Bayonets, Canister Shot, and actual mobile cannons.
It wasn't a battle. It was a SLAUGHTER. Then I took Prague, Moravia and Bohemia from them (Note: There are two provinces BETWEEN BERLIN AND PRAGUE. I WALKED PAST TWO OF THEIR TOWNS BLITHELY, LIKE, "What? Do you even lift bro?" AND STOMPED A BIGGER TOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF THEIR EMPIRE, RIGHT NEXT TO THEIR CAPITAL.) I sieged it, and waited. Three turns. They finally attacked me with a reinforcing army of about 400+ line infantry (Read: Three or four regiments) and the town's garrison which was an equal sized army to mine. They came at me on two sides, with superior numbers.
At no point in the battle was it ever unclear who was going to win. Prussia marches, and nations crumble.
Empire Total War