Proper protocol for intellegence gathering?

[Bidermann]

I have yet to play a battle where troops appear on trains.And in that case they would always come in on tracks.

It is something to think about , instead of shooting me down in flames!!

[FLG]

I don't think he was shooting you down just making a comic point that if your idea was implemented you would have to account for entrained units.

(P.s. I believe there was a bug in an M41 scenario where entrained troops appeared off a rail way line and then couldn't be detrained becuase there wasn't a rail line there. As ever, this was corrected immediately by Glenn and HPS.)

[Marquo]

In the Flashing Sword of Retribution Axis reinforcents do arrive entrained.

It really would be nice to have variable arrival hexes. In my current Bulge campaign my Axis opponent made a huge push south trying to wipe out my southern shoulder. I retreated to within the protection hexes and simply did not bring on all my reinforcemetns so if he got too close I would bring them on, break his units, and then go on a rampage. It turned into a boring, static standoff for many moves until I accumulated enough reinforcements to overwhelm him and break out. If it were a "real" campaign, I am sure that he would have pushed west, and my southeast reiforcements would have come on way more to the west.

This brings up another issue: if a player delays bringing on reinforcements until a later date, then incredibly huge stacks can be created, way over and beyond the stacking limit. I would like to for this issue and the following issue to be corrected by the programmer: over stacking can also occur if you rest depleted units together in a stack - it is possible for the stack to eventually grow to much a larger strength than would have been permitted if the full strength units tried to move independently into the same hex. As a point of honor I always break down the stacks in these cases; however I imagine that it would be quite possible for a player who was unaware of these possibilities to inadvertently move monster stacks around. :eek1:

Marquo:soap:

[FLG]

It really would be nice to have variable arrival hexes. In my current Bulge campaign my Axis opponent made a huge push south trying to wipe out my southern shoulder. I retreated to within the protection hexes and simply did not bring on all my reinforcemetns so if he got too close I would bring them on, break his units, and then go on a rampage.

Sorry Marquo, that has to be the gamiest manouever I have heard of in a while. Hiding in protected hexes then using them to break enemy units when they advanced.

[Dog Soldier]

Stacking limits were removed for incoming reinforcements some time ago. This was to allow for large stacks of reinforcements to enter the scenario caused by variable entry times triggering all on the same move. Not a common occurrence.

While it is possible to then move these large stacks, They have problems with road limits once they hit a non clear terrain road hex. Eventually one would break the stack down any how as keeping it in one lump at the front would because it to attract all kinds of enemy fire. If I was facing such a stack, I would look for a way to smash the units protecting it's flanks. Then it would become a 1 km POW camp.

Dog Soldier

[Marquo]

"Sorry Marquo, that has to be the gamiest manouever I have heard of in a while. Hiding in protected hexes then using them to break enemy units when they advanced."

This is absolutely not gamey. This is exactly why protection hexes exist - to protect a player from a gamey opponent who uses knowledge of the reinforcement schedule to slaughter otherwise defenseless units. Give me one other reason why an Axis opponent would send the entire Panzer Lehr south towards Luxemburg rather than west towards the Meuse? He was trying to destroy my reinforcements piecemeal and I would not let him. Why would I bring units onto the map piecemeal to be destroyed by a waiting Panzer Corps?

Now, my opponent knew exactly what he was doing, and I would not fall into the trap. He entrenched just outside the perimeter of protected hexes and waited like a spider. However, I too was patient, delayed bringing on my reinforcements so that if he did get too close, I would break him. And when I had enough delayed reinforcements stored up to make a fair fight of it, I brought them on all together.

I submit that not only is this not gamey, it is intelligent, wise and fair use of the rules of engagement. :)

Marquo

[James Ward]

I have yet to play a battle where troops appear on trains.And in that case they would always come in on tracks.

It is something to think about , instead of shooting me down in flames!!

I wasn't trying to flame you. Sorry if it seemed that way. I agree that sitting and waiting for reinforcements to arrive is wrong. It would be very strange for the enemy commander to have that information!