Gathering Intel

[lightbrave]

What is the best way to gather intelligence? Do I send out cavalry units behind enemy lines and hope they don't get caught? What is the best way to gather it?

[DrPostman]

I use cavalry, quick in and out runs. But I also use RGDs for Partisans and Copperheads/Unionists
if they can be placed where needed. Balloons help as well.

[Gray Fox]

Gathering intelligence on the enemy is perhaps an overlooked part of the game. At the basic level, a single cavalry element set to Green/Green and Evade Combat can slip past enemy units that block larger friendly forces. Once behind enemy lines, the cav can get a view of what occupies the surrounding regions. Also, a Brig can prowl the coast to gain intel on enemy forces located there prior to an amphibious operation. The Brig can carry a cav element (or even a Balloon) to increase the amount of intel gained. In the RW, we call it "Know your Foe". You can simply get a feel for who is in a single stack right up to making a list of every enemy Division/Corps/Army you've contacted with it's commander and approximate power. This may seem extreme, but the enemy will thank you for not giving 100%.

On the flip side, a strong unit of your own cavalry can pursue enemy recon missions. Drag and drop your cav unit on the enemy unit and your force will try to hook up with them. Just be careful to not follow them back across their lines into an ambush. During the CW, cavalry units grew from squadrons to Divisions and even Corps as competition in the Info War progressed.

In addition to intel, small units can ruin RR tracks, block supply lines and late war cavalry, rangers and partisans can even take cities to blow up depots. The chance to destroy a RR line is equal to the power number of your unit as a percentage. I put four cavalry in a Division under a good General and that gives them more than enough power for a certain strike while keeping them stealthy enough to get in and then get away. Good luck!

[lightbrave]

How would you successfully hunt down a cavalry force. I can drag and drop my force on his but if he retreats back to his own army wont my cavalry pursue and be massacred. I guess what I'm asking is how can you "be careful"? If I evade combat they wont hunt down the other unit but if I leave evade off they will potentially get massacred. Can you drag and drop on a unit to only follow them so far or in certain directions?

Also the whole cavalry unit on a brig giving extra detection doesn't make sense to me but ok lol

[Captain_Orso]

Yes, you've fathomed the gist of the situation. Cavalry units carry enough supplies to go out behind enemy lines on the first turn of their scouting, and return to a supply source on the second turn. If they don't make it back on the second turn, they will start to starve, so don't expect that they will do that.

So how do you "be careful"? You don't target a cavalry stack by intercepting it (dragging your cavalry stack onto his), because you risk your cavalry stack following his right into his supply source, which is probably guarded by a stack strong enough to wreak havoc on your intercepting cavalry stack. Target the region or a region you think he will pass through and be happy if you hit him. That's the best you can do.

[Gray Fox]

If you use the terrain menu, you can carefully calculate your cavalry's ability to catch the enemy cav. In the lower left hand corner above the mini-map is a globe icon. Click this and it opens a more detailed group of icons. Click on the terrain icon. This will show thw number of days it takes your unit to enter the region where the enemy cavalry is. Judge if the enemy cav can exit to enemy regions before your cavalry can enter their current region, perhaps by using rail, and catch them. Units also suffer a random number of days until they move, so this factors into the calculation. If their cohesion is low and yours is high, this will slow them to your advantage. That's being careful.

Each unit has a detection number. A Brig alone does not reveal as much intel as a Brig with a cavalry unit and two Brigs with a Balloon reveal the most intel. I didn't make the game, I just play it well.

[lightbrave]

Ill have to figure out which Cavalry Units move faster and if they have a General with movement abilities. Is there are post that shows what special traits Union Commanders have as I have never played Union before?

[lightbrave]

Found the list of Generals, is there a list of units and their speed for each side?

[Captain_Orso]

The important thing is, will/could YOUR unit accidentally enter a region with an enemy force.

The actual cost of entering a region is dependent on so many factors, each having a larger or smaller affect on the actual movement, that it would be impossible to tally up into a simple table.

Besides, the only way to actually determine exactly which model unit you are looking in many cases is to interpret the .hst file, which is not easy.

Select the unit you are thinking about using to intercept and plot it to enter the region you don't actually want it to enter. If it would reach that region within 15 days, don't plot the intercept. If it can't reach the region within 15 days, you might risk it. But remember, the enemy might be moving units during turn execution too

[Gray Fox]

If you click on a stack of units you get a horizontal menu at the bottom of the page of the unit cards in that stack. To the far right is a vertical listing of the same elements with their NATO symbols. Click on one of these symbols and you get a large menu of that element's many stats and abilities. Under the "Mobility" heading, the element's speed is listed. These correspond to the listings you get with the terrain map mode.

[Gray Fox]

The important thing is, will/could YOUR unit accidentally enter a region with an enemy force.

The actual cost of entering a region is dependent on so many factors, each having a larger or smaller affect on the actual movement, that it would be impossible to tally up into a simple table.

Besides, the only way to actually determine exactly which model unit you are looking in many cases is to interpret the .hst file, which is not easy.

Select the unit you are thinking about using to intercept and plot it to enter the region you don't actually want it to enter. If it would reach that region within 15 days, don't plot the intercept. If it can't reach the region within 15 days, you might risk it. But remember, the enemy might be moving units during turn execution too

Well I certainly wouldn't want anyone to attempt the impossible. I guess one could practice moving units around so that you get the feel for getting them from A to B within a timely margin of error. That skill is needed not only to counter enemy patrols, but to get the jump on any enemy force anywhere. "Get there first with the most."

Genius is when you look at something everyone has looked at, and you see something no one else has seen. Good luck!

[Captain_Orso]

If you start with the movement-type of the element model, you then can factor in (right off the top of my head):
current cohesion (will change during the turn)
terrain being entered
weather (can change in the coming turn during execution)
leadership (abilities)
Command Points of stack
Command Points needed by stack
Loyalty in the region (can change during the turn)
MC in the region (can change turning the turn)
what exactly the effects of having elements with any of the above parameters differing from each other I can't even speculate

and the element model could change at the start of the turn too


The game will give you its best guess at how far your unit will be able to move for free, practically no effort involved

I'll go with that