Doug Dery - 07:49am Sep 30, 1999 PST (#252 of 252) [ Mark ] Currently Playing: GDW's Avalanche - Currently Reading: Paul von Hindenburg "Out of My Life" Does anyone have a digital copy of the posts that were eliminated as a result of the server crash? That would be posts between 8/10/99 and 9/7/99? As David Starry notes in #245, I had just posted a large amount of material on Labor Day answering many people's questions -- If I remember correctly, the last time consimworld crashed. Here is a copy that I had edited of Dave Bolt's Q&A from early September. Hope people will find this helpful. "#1 In a Retire Order, must a unit expend ALL its available movement points to retire, or can it use less than the total MPs?" Standard Rule 7.15B (Retire Mission Order) states that units which belong to formations with the Retire Mission Order must "expend any MPs they use moving through hexsides designated on the Mission Requirements Diagram (on the Strategic Chart) as a retire hexside." The rule further stipulates that "all available MPs must be used to move through hexes using the retire hexsides." This rule finishes with the statement "it must increase the distance between the closest enemy unit and itself." Simply put, a unit must move at least one hex away from the nearest enemy unit when under the Retire Mission Order. This takes precedent over all other considerations. Then, said unit must then continue moving away from enemy units by expending all available MP moving through retire hexsides. Two exceptions to this movement are given in Standard Rule 7.15B -- digging entrenchments and placing combat markers. Another exception would be road-naval-rail mode. The new (optional) Mission Order Summary we are using to playtest "Clash of Eagles" (see #254 below) also provides for reconnaissance and destroying rail lines/bridges. Players should note that between digging entrenchments (3MP + MC) and placing an intensive combat marker (2MP) a player has the option to spend as much as 5MP in a hex without be forced to move through a retire hexside once the first hex has been retired to. "For example, assume a unit has 4 MPs available: Could it spend Zero movent points and just remain in the hex?" No - see above. To simplify your example, let us further assume this unit has an "infantry" mobility rating (i.e., 1 MP to enter a clear terrain hex). All responses below assume the expenditure of 1MP to enter a clear terrain hex… "Could it just spend 1 MP to retire 1 hex? (Assuming clear terrain.)" If a unit spent 1MP to retire one hex into clear terrain, then it would have 3 more MP to spend under the Retire Mission Order. If a unit entrenched it would expend 3MP and make a morale check. The unit in question could also choose to spend the MP in order to place a combat marker. If the unit in question expends 2MP to place an intensive combat marker in the clear terrain hex, it would still have one MP left (too little to entrench with) and would then be forced to retire through one of the hex in question's retire hexsides. However, if all the hexes adjacent to the retire hexsides cost more than 1 MP to enter, the retiring unit would have to remain in this clear terrain hex as it would not have sufficient MP to enter an adjacent hex. "Could the unit spend 2 MPs to place a combat marker on an adjacent enemy unit?" No, as it would first have to retire one hex. As we know from your example above, at least one of the hexes adjacent to the unit in question's hex is a clear hex, so it would have to spend only 1MP to enter that hex. As to whether this unit would have to continue retiring to another hex would depend on the MP cost to enter hexes adjacent to the retire hexsides of the newly occupied hex. If these too were clear terrain hexes, then the unit in question would retire two clear terrain hexes and then it would have sufficent remaining MP to place a combat marker, bringing its MP expenditure to an end as it would not have sufficent MP to enter an adjacent hex. BTW, a player could also choose to enter more costly terrain types in other adjacent hexes, a unit need not only enter the cheapest terrain cost when retiring. In an additional BTW, A unit places the combat marker on itself, with the marker oriented through the frontal hexside of the unit adjacent to the enemy unit it is attacking. "Or must the unit expend ALL 4 MPs to retire?" A unit must retire at least one hex. Then it may expend MP to entrench (3MP) or place a combat marker (1-2MP) but only if in doing so the unit no longer has sufficent MP to move through retire hexsides into adjacent hexes. "Can a unit remain the same distance away from an enemy unit while moving? (Note: the last sentence of 7.15b reads that a unit must INCREASE the distance from an enemy unit.)." No #2 Can a unit under an ADVANCE or RETIRE mission order expend movement points to? Enter or exit road, naval, or rail mode?" Yes "Enter Replacement mode?" No "Recover Morale levels?" No "Destroy rail lines?" No (However, see #254 in this folder - the new Mission Orders allowthis) "Convert or Repair rail lines?" No (However, see #254 in this folder - the new Mission Orders allow this as engineers and cavalry are now exempt from MO restrictions) "#3 When are Formations on the German Strategic Chart released?" Exclusive Rule 11.51A releases "the three cavalry corps on the German Strategic Chart" at the beginning of the second impulse of the Opening Game Turn. The remainder are released at the beginning of the final impulse of the Opening Game Turn. "#4 Can German reinforcement formations be assigned to German Armies while the Schlieffen Plan is still in effect?" Yes. Note that incoming reinforcements are placed initially on the Strategic Chart. A player always places reinforcement formations on the Strategic Chart. The exception to this would be if a reinforcement unit enters the map within the CCR of an army or army detachment HQ, otherwise it would be outside of the Command Control Radius of a headquarters unit upon entering the map (a restriction that does not apply to Strategic Formations). "IE: On Game Turn One the Germans receive 15 RR Eng Regts. What Charts (Army, Army Detachment, Strategic) may these RR units be assigned to?" Any he chooses. "#5 Does the +1 MPs for Allied Units to cross the "German" border include the France/German Alsace-Lorraine border or is only for the pre-1870 French/German border?" The 1914 Franco-German border, not the 1870 border. This reflects the presence of small border guard and Landsturm detachments at small road junctions and the like. "With regard to the Early Release of German Units, (11.51c; third event) does "… in Germany," mean only inside the pre-1870 border?" The errata published by Clash of Arms last year (4/1/98) provided a clarification to Exclusive Rule 12.51C: All German units are released if any are attacked in Germany north of the 5400 hexrow. South of the 5400 hexrow the following applies: The German Seventh Army and any Strategic Formations located south of the 5400 hexrow are released when the first French unit enters Alsace. "#6 Belgian initial Order. We believe that the intial Mission Order for Belgian units is a modified "Retire" that allows Belgian units to move towards Antwerp. A "Hold" order would release all German Armies, while an unchanged "Retire" would prevent some Belgians from moving to Antwerp since they would be moving closer to the Germans anyways. Is this correct?" Your interpretation of the Belgian modified "Retire" MO is correct. However, I do not understand when you state that a "Hold" MO "would release all German Armies." "#7 When an Army is listed as having a specific Mission Order in the scenario set up, what deos this mean? Given that the Army must be given a Mission Order anyways, why would the intial order be of any concern?" This is the MO counter that begins the scenario on the Army Chart. The 1st player may immediately attempt to change orders during the 1st Player Command Phase. However, whichever player becomes the 2nd player in the scenario will be under these orders until the 2nd Player Command Phase in the middle of the impulse. Most scenarios do not stipulate who is the 1st Player in a scenario, so it was necessary to list both. "#8 What happens when units that are stacked with a fortress leave or retreat from the fortress hex that is adjacent to enemy units that are under a combat marker? Do the attacking units get to advance and then must have combat in the hex?" The "Pursuit" Attacker Combat Option (Standard Rule 10.53D) allows for a unit that has a combat marker to enter a hex vacated by an adjacent enemy unit. Standard Rule 10.53D1 stipulates a Morale Check (MC) to enter a hex vacated by the enemy as a result of combat. Standard Rule 10.53D2 allows a unit to enter a hex vacated by an enemy unit that moved away during the preceding Counter Movement Phase. Pursuit is always optional, so the attacking units in your question would not have to enter the enemy fortress unit's hex, but if they did they would have to attack the fortress unit (Standard Rule 13.22A).