Quick question: Marching to the sound of the guns

[Hobbes]

Hi folks, if I had an army stack with a fixed unit embedded would the stack still be able to 'march to the sound of the guns'?

I hope fixed units can do this?
Cheers, Chris

[Rafiki]

Not sure? I think the chance of marching depends on the speed of the stack doing the marching, but if fixed units count as having 0 speed, therfore infinite marching time and zero chance, I don't know.

Seems reasonable though, that they shouldn't be able to join in?

[Hobbes]

On a related note - if I have a fixed unit in an area and don't want to add it to a non fixed army stack but then get attacked in that region - is there a chance that the single fixed unit will get attacked alone with the possibility that the main stack in the region will not get involved in the battle?

If an army stack was alone in the region it would engage in combat - but if there is one lone other friendly unit maybe that would be attacked allowing the opposition to then occupy the region without having to attack the army stack.

I'm not sure where I'm going with this but I have a bad feeling about how the game might cope with this situation. I don't like leaving single units in a region with army stacks - I think because of a vague feeling of problems from things I have read on the forum over the past year or so.

Pocus - can you tell me that I can leave a fixed (or any unit) in a region with a larger (or army stack) with no real difference to the way the game would treat combat? Would fortification of the two stacks play any part?

I just feel a bit uneasy about this.
Cheers, Chris
P.S. Raf - if they can't join in that's fair enough but I hope they don't prevent the whole stack from marching?

[Hobbes]

One other thought on this. There seem to be two types of locked units. Type one has a locked unit symbol only displayed on the unit as shown on the map - these can be moved in and out of stacks. If you look at the unit display at the bottom of the screen no lock symbol is shown. The second type has a lock symbol both on the unit as displayed on the map but also on the unit itself as displayed at the bottom of the screen. These units cannot even be moved out of a stack once they are in it.

If you are unfortunate enough to move a large stack into one of the latter units and then gain an 8 entrenchment value you are stuck with the unit unless you want to lose the entrenchment. The only way to remove the unit from the stack is to remove the rest of the stack from the fixed unit - losing all of your entrenchment (Not good if you are fighting for your life around Richmond!)

One last thing - if I have built a defense in a structure using all of eight command points - a nice little defensive stack - some siege guns, troops, artillery - if I am expecting a siege but have one spare unit should I keep it in the structure separately or add it to the other units giving a 5% deficit in command points to all units? What if that one extra unit has a high discipline - or low discipline?

Some aspects of the game still confuse me! Maybe I will do a Christmas quiz to get answers to the most vexing questions
Cheers, Chris

[Rafiki]

Hehe, I think I'll leave this thread for Pocus, in case he needs something to ponder over his MOnday morning coffee

[Hobbes]

I normally send these sort of questions to him by email but I feel he has quite a bit on his plate at the moment

Another last thought - if you have a very small and a very large stack in a region maybe the very small stack should affect the way combat is executed, but only if you want the small stack to divert the enemy. I somtimes throw a cavalry unit into a region to try and disrupt my PBEM opponents attacks in AACW but I'm not really sure what effect it actually has (maybe this is the way it should be).

I think the nuance is important, maybe more so with a game like Napoleon as I think to enjoy an operational level game one really needs to understand how combat works in detail. I think operational level games are probably the most difficult to pull off well.

I'm worried whether the game engine can work without a strategic layer.
I will buy it and I'm sure I will love it but I really want Napolean's Campaigns 2 (if it's made it has to be 1 or 2 months per turn though surely, otherwise turning into the brilliant but unplayable War in the Pacific).

OK too much wine and it's time for bed!
Chris

[Adlertag]

I'm worried whether the game engine can work without a strategic layer.
I will buy it and I'm sure I will love it but I really want Napolean's Campaigns 2 (if it's made it has to be 1 or 2 months per turn though surely, otherwise turning into the brilliant but unplayable War in the Pacific).

Chris

But with that turn scale you'll definitively lose operational level advantages.
However, as you said it, reducing turn scale will almost tend to an unplayable game (if a Grand Campaign is implemented), altough a more accurate one.
As usual concerning wargames, we are all wishing things we can't afford to play, unless having more than 24 hours a day...

[Pocus]

its true that I can barely address bugs right now, so for the rest...

locked units prevent any move, even march to the sound of gun

targeting: stacks tend to target first the biggest enemy stacks, but can indeed be fooled by a smaller one. Also, offensive stacks are always targeted before defensive ones.

[Hobbes]

its true that I can barely address bugs right now, so for the rest...

locked units prevent any move, even march to the sound of gun

targeting: stacks tend to target first the biggest enemy stacks, but can indeed be fooled by a smaller one. Also, offensive stacks are always targeted before defensive ones.

Many thanks Philippe, that's interesting to know!
Cheers, Chris