Raiding in PBEMs

[Longshanks]

How to handle the issue of raiding in PBEMS? is the topic here. I'd like to hear about various House Rules for dealing with this, so please post.

The issue is, in short, that the South can flood the North with a lot of small, usually invisible bushwackers, partisans, Texas Rangers, etc. These cut rails so fast that the Union player has to dedicate about a division per state simply to repair the cuts, or else face the prospect of a raid-in-force for a target that the Union cannot then reinforce. The raiders are fast, fast, fast, and can survive off supplies from captured ports and so on. If they die, they're cheap to replace, or even come back for free.

So, many PBEM games want a House Rule to limit their ahistorical use.

For example:

1. Raids may not be single units. There must be two in a stack, or with a leader.

2. No single unit raids in the states north of MO-KY-WV-VA-MD-DE. In return, the US must permanently station 5 built miliia in different towns in each of IA-IL-IN-OH-PA.

I'm sure you have a way to deal with this, so please post your candidate solution.

PS - Of course, we hope Ageod will fix this in a future version, but please don't post here what they should do to fix it. I'm just looking for fixes that can be implemented with the current versions of the game.

[GraniteStater]

AI raiding has been toned down quite a bit from original vanilla. Early Cav, by itself, cannot take structures.

Which applies to PBEM. Thus, before early 63 or so, anything that can take a structure is slower infantry. A fast anti-raiding strategy is Cav/Cav/HArty or 3 Cav/2 HArty and so forth, maybe under a decent Leader.

150 - 200 PWR Inf forces can backstop this - Militia with small Inf only Bdes.

Artillery in the column really slows down movement. If he's bringing arty, it's probably not just a raid.

[Longshanks]

Found this in the modder's wiki. Not sure who the author was:

"4. "Deep Raids" House Rule :

- There is a general prohibition on forces without leader to move in enemy-controlled areas, unless those areas have over 50% loyalty for your side, without the Passive Order (green). It is forbidden to use the order "Destroy RailRoads" and Destroy Depot" if in Passive Order.

- If any force is in a region were the addition of the loyalty and military control is less than 50%, its special orders "Destroy Depot" and "Destroy Railroads" should not be used (even if available).

This would allow small CSA partisans or USA cavalry units with a dedicated Leader to destroy the railroads of a region only if they can count on the support of the population. But if you don't have a dedicated Leader, a minimum of elements and a minimum of population support and/or of military control of a region should only be needed. "

Unfortunately, as written this would stop a Union force of, say, 6 Brigades but without a leader from moving into Rebel territory in a Southern state without being in passive mode. I'm betting the modder didn't mean that.

Raiding with regular units (i.e., a single cavalry brigade) is much less troublesome imo than with leaderless Raider units. This mod is trying to deal with the issue by addressing the main consequence: cut rails. However, it seems to be a solution with problems.

[Mickey3D]

Other possible house rules :

[INDENT]- In the borderstates: Missouri (MO), Kentucky (KY) Delaware (DE) Maryland (MD) and West Virginia (WV) south can raid (destroy railroad and depot), in all other states it needs to take minimum 3 units and a leader to show that the CSA don`t raided too much.[/INDENT]
Or
[INDENT]- To destroy a railroad or a depot you need 50% loyalty in the region or to have a leader with the raider (Optionally you can require more than one unit with the leader).[/INDENT]
Players should avoid gamey tactics like "teleporting" the leader on the units the turn you want to destroy an infrastructure.

[Durk]

The ones used in my current game come from the idea that my opponent and I are both not fans of unhistorical raiding (and he is good at writing our ideas into working solutions)

1) free raiding in states that are contested (meaning both sides have at least one substantial force (of 1 division or more) in that state.

2) in all other states raiding is restricted to one raid per theater (East, West, Trans-Mississippi) at a time. Meaning we would be limited to a maximum of three deep-raids at a time.

This allows historical raiding without distorting the intent of raiding forces.

[Pat "Stonewall" Cleburne]

I didn't come up with these, but I like em:

- No single units deep raiding into the opponents home states (more than three provinces away from a friendly city to replicate cross border raiding or corps+ size force to replicate advance scouts). Deep raids should be at least three units and a leader.
- No operating "partisans" in regions with less than 25% loyalty unless accompanied by a leader- they derive advantages that to me would not be the case in enemy territory and are too easy to coordinate without applying leadership.
- No river movement on rivers without a friendly port or naval units: avoids moving units through enemy territory without having river/port access or marine assets. And that port cannot have an enemy fort in between: i.e. to use the Tennessee, the Union have to take Donnellson or capture a port on the Tennessee.

[Southern Soldier]

This is my suggestion from another thread, not using it in current PBEM but hope to try some day. If some uses these i hope you will give feedback.

This is all for a more historical feel, some aditional toughts.

Do you think Maryland should be part of the borders states completely open to both? It sure had lots of Confederate minded people and witnessed lot of raiding.
Do you think Raider units should be able to raid anywhere without a leader? This would really make you value them or hate them.


Raiding involving, pillaging, destruction of railways or structures in opponents home states only by units with a leader.

(Raid like Griersons http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grierson%27s_Raid or Merrits http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Burning_Raid )



Raiding involving, attack, ambush and capture of enemy troops, railways or structures in opponents home states is allowed by units without a leader.

(Raid like Stovepipe Johnsons http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newburgh_Raid or Gilmors http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilmor%27s_Raid )


Raiding involving, pillaging, destruction of railways or structures in players home states can be done by units without a leader.

I think disputed border states W.Virginia, Kentucky, Missouri, Kansas Territory and Indian Territory should be open to both players as home states regarding raiding.


Raiding (and off course all other) river movement in enemy owned territory has to be done with naval units.