Keeping a Corps Cmdr's Division Combined (exploit?)

[Major Tom]

I'm sure the experienced players know about this, but as a neophyte, it's kind of fun to discover an "exploit" I haven't seen covered in the Forum.

Normally, if you want to turn a Division Cmdr. into a Corps Cmdr., you first have to unmerge his Division. Then, after you make him a Corps Cmdr., you cannot re-merge his old Division elements into him. You need another general to take the Division.

But there's an odd way around that rule. If you combine a Corps commander into a stack with a higher ranking or higher seniority general (i.e., with a lower seniority score), the Corps command will automatically switch to the higher ranked general. This is usually a bad thing, if you like your current Corps commander. It's apparently one of the ways the game imposes the seniority system and makes it harder to give Corps command to generals with bad seniority.

Here's where the "exploit" comes in. If the higher ranked general that moves into a Corps stack is already in command of a Division, his Division elements will not be unmerged when the Corps command is automatically passed to him. Instead, his entire division will remain intact under his command, yet he'll at the same time be a fully functional Corps Cmdr.

At first this struck me as little more than an odd quirk. That was until I found myself short of generals when I wanted to create a new Corps. I had 4 Divisions I wanted to form a Corps, with one of the Division Commanders as the new Corps commander. But I did not have a spare unassigned general in the area to give the new Corps Commander's old Division elements to.

I had another Corps in the region, with a lower ranked commander, and was able to use that to create my new Corps Commander with, keeping all elements in place, and without needing a new General.

This exploit will let you get by with one less general in a Corps, but it has its drawbacks. First, it's a little complicated to pull off, and not always possible (not that hard, really - you don't need a real 2nd Corps around, just keep around an unassigned 2* general with a terrible seniority score, and make him a temporary Corps Cmdr. as needed - just long enough to "pass on" the Corps command to the guy you really want.

Second drawback -- if you ever need to rebalance the elements in your Divisions within a Corps, you can't unmerge the Corps Commander's "division" or you won't be able to merge it back again without removing his Coirps command, re-packing his Division, and finding a nearby lower-ranking Corps Commander stack he can move onto, and then back onto his own Corps stack. In other words, you're stuck with the "division" as it is.

Oh, and you can't get away from the CP cost with this trick. The hidden divsion still costs 4 CP.

[Rafiki]

Another drawback; the division doesn't get a benefit from the unit commander's ratings, since that commander also is the stack commander.

[Major Tom]

Another drawback; the division doesn't get a benefit from the unit commander's ratings, since that commander also is the stack commander.

Thanks for the warning!

I had not thought of that, but it makes sense, otherwise the the leader would be getting double credit for his own ability ratings, as the leader of both the Corps and a Division within the Corps.

So, if I'm understanding this correclty, the phantom division that's directly merged with the Corps commander will get the benefit of the commander's Offense and Defense attributes counted only once, at 5% per point as the Corps commander, and not at all as Division commander (normally 3% per point).

So, it's better to add even a weak 3-1-1 Division commander, for the extra 3% bonus to attack and defense.

That's definitely a penalty worth noting. Still, there are some situations where a lack of available Division commanders would make it desirable for a Corps commander to hang onto his original Division on a temporary basis. Definitely not for long-term.

In my current campaign, this exploit allowed me to get a new Corps created quickly and prosecute a very successful battle. Wthout this trick I would have had to wait another turn while I got a new Division commander in place, and by then my quarry would have either fled or recovered sufficient cohesion that victory would not have been as assured or complete. I was planning to bring in a new Division commander when I got arouind to it. Now I'll make it a priority.

[Rafiki]

So, if I'm understanding this correclty, the phantom division that's directly merged with the Corps commander will get the benefit of the commander's Offense and Defense attributes counted only once, at 5% per point as the Corps commander, and not at all as Division commander (normally 3% per point).

So, it's better to add even a weak 3-1-1 Division commander, for the extra 3% bonus to attack and defense.

Yup, that's it