Jonathan Gingerich - May 12, 2005 10:45 am (#1596 Total: 1644) I don't feel the slighest desire to have any of my relative finish me off. Grand Illusion: Compiled Questions & Answers (version 1.8, part 2, May 12, 2005) Fortunes of War Question: When German HA destroy a fort, so that no Battle takes place, a FOW roll is still made. What results count? Answer: Cautious Attacker and Counterattack will end the German Activation Segment; The General Staff results may increment CAP totals; the Mandated Attack (Offensive to the Limit after GT 4) results may increment Mandated Attack totals. Question: Does a Skirmish result mean all units fight with a CS of 1? Answer: No. All units only hit with the automatic hit when they roll "1". No DRM's for TEM or Entrenchments or anything else count. Question: Does defending front-line infantry still get two shots at attacking cavalry during a Skirmish? Answer: Yes. Question: If the Allies activate a hex for Battle and do not move and roll an Offensive to the Limit on the FOW table, may they leave disrupted units out of the mix, to avoid having to put them in the front line? Answer: No, this is an exception. Disrupted French units must be available to the Battle Board. Question: Elan means there is a -TEM DRM for the German defenders in addition to the normal +TEM DRM for the Allied attackers. Does an Attacker Surprise result cancel both? Answer: No, just the +TEM for the attacker's rolls. Question: Does Defender Tactical Advantage ever end an Activation Segment? Answer: No, the Player Aid Card is a little confusing. Question: Is the Counterattack Chit or rule 9.3.1b definitive? Answer: The rule. Question: Who may voluntarily retreat (i.e. is considered the defender) after a Counterattack? Answer: In a Counterattack, the roles switch for all purposes. In particular the original attacker would become the defender and have the option to retreat. Question: If units move into a Contested hex and suffer a Counterattack result, who defends? Answer: All moving units would defend. Those already in the hex would not. Similarly, if the original attack was conducted by some of the units which did not move, all units which did not move would defend. Question: If the original attacker has a fort in the hex, and becomes the defender due to a Counterattack result, does he receive the -1 Fort DRM? Answer: Yes. Only the attacker (original defender) ignores DRM's and uses the +1 Counterattack DRM instead. Retreat Question: May units in a hex retreat to different hexes? Answer: Yes. Question: Does mandatory or voluntary retreat take precedence? Answer: Neither, the defender may voluntarily retreat even after the attacker makes a mandatory retreat. Question: If both sides retreat, can hex Control change? what about if a previously besieged fort remains? Answer: Determine Control after the attacker's mandatory Retreat but before the defender's voluntary Retreat. Question: May units retreat into a Battle hex? do they take part in the defense? attack? Answer: Yes, into a friendly controlled hex. They would take part in defense, and might take part in attack with other moving attackers. Question: May units retreat into an enemy controlled hex containing only disrupted cavalry? Answer: Strike "undisrupted" from rule 9.4.3 a 5. Question: If my opponent has a full strength infantry unit, and I have a disrupted infantry unit and a fort, do I have to retreat? Answer: Yes. Rule 9.4.2 would be better if it read, "A player who has no full strength infantry units must retreat if his opponent does have such." Question: If I am left with undisrupted cavalry and disrupted infantry, and my opponent has only disrupted cavalry, must he retreat? Answer: Yes, if a player has only disrupted cavalry, it must retreat if the opponent has any undisrupted combat unit. Question: Would disrupted cavalry have to retreat from undisrupted combat units in an Entrenchment or mountains? Answer: No. Question: Would units retreat into an unsupplied friendly hex free of enemy units, or a supplied friendly hex containing enemy units? Answer: The unsupplied hex. Rule 9.4.3 takes precedence over 8.4.3 b. Question: Can German units retreat into Schlieffen Plan hexes on GT 1-7 if no other hexes are available? Answer: Yes, but they must exit as soon as possible. Question: When can the Allies Retreat into the Sea? Answer: Anytime the Allied player feels the alternative is less attractive. Question: Can Retreat into the Sea take place from any Coastal hex? Answer: Yes. Cavalry Delay Question: a French infantry unit moves into a hex with German cavalry and Heavy Artillery units. Is the presence of the HA sufficient to avoid the Cavalry Delay rules and thereby save the HA? Answer: No, the Cavalry retreat or die, and the HA is destroyed. HQ's would have to retreat. Question: Is Cavalry Delay a form of Battle? Answer: No, it is part of movement, although it may end the movement. Question: How does Cavalry Delay retreat work? Answer: Use the Combat retreat priorities to move 3 hexes away from the start. Supply Question: When is Supply determined? Answer: Supply is always determined for each unit during the Check for Supply segment, according to the rules in 11.2. Units which are in unsupplied hexes are considered OOS until the next Check for Supply segement. It is also traced when awarding VP's for Mandated Battles or VP Hex Control and for placing Reinforcements and Replacements. Most importantly it is traced every time units move. Units which start in an unsupplied hex, must move into or toward the nearest supplied hex. Otherwise units may not Move into an unsupplied hex. Retreating units must also avoid unsupplied hexes given the choice. Question: What about things like Entrenchment? Answer: Other rules, like Entrenchment, require supplied units. That is, they are forbidden to units determined to be OOS in the prior Check for Supply segment. Question: Cavalry Controlled hexes block supply except for Attrition, correct? Answer: No, supply is never blocked by enemy Cavalry Controlled hexes. Question: Cavalry Control does not block Supply - does this mean both sides might be able to trace through the same hex? Answer: Yes Question: Do Blocked hexsides prevent Supply being traced across them? Impassible hexsides? Answer: Yes, both. Question: Does a rail net extend into a friendly hex with a besieged enemy fort? Answer: No, nor an unbesieged enemy fort in the odd event this happens. Question: Can Germans draw Emergency Supply if hex 44 is Out of Supply? Answer: No. Question: Is hanging too good for Vasey? Answer: Yes, but most things are. Question: German Emergency supply represents diminished capacity moving through hex 54 (Maubeuge) and into hex 44 and beyond. Is there anything special to hex 44 or could the same diminished capacity be assumed to exist through hex 45 (Le Chateau/Cambrai)? Question: What about that Dery character? Answer: Definately watchlist material... Answer: No the diminished railnet moves only from 44 (Tournai) and then beyond. Hex 45 itself could be supplied with Emergency Supply because it is adjacent to the railnet of hex 44. Question: What does the End of Rail Net marker mean? Answer: The rail net does not extend north of hex 56 for the Allies nor south for the Germans. Question: Is the End of Rail Net marker removed before or after Attrition is determined? Answer: Fort surrender and End of Rail Net marker removal both occur during the Attrition segment. The order does not matter, because OOS units have already been determined in the Check for Supply segment. Strategic Movement Question: Does a besieged fort prevent Strategic Movement through it? Answer: Yes. Entrenching Question: May the Germans delay Entrenching to prevent the Allies from doing so? Answer: Yes, but it's not advisable. Question: Can the Entrenchment at Merz be improved before Entrenching starts? Answer: Yes. Headquarters Question: If two HQ's are in the same hex during the Administrative Phase do they remain flipped? Answer: No, they return to their full movement side. Question: HQ's flip when one ends a move in the other's hex. What about retreat? Answer: Both flip if they end up together after retreat. Question: Rule 2.4 says a HQ which enters a hex containing another HQ causes both to be flipped. Rule 8.4.1 says this happens when a HQ ends it move in such a hex. Which is correct? Answer: Rule 2.4. Question: If a HQ moving with a stack of units enters a hex containing another HQ after spending 2 or 3 MP's, may the stack continue moving even though the HQ will be flipped? Answer: No, the HQ movement allowance is immediately reduced, causing the stack to halt if it already spent 2 or more MP's. Belgium Question: Must the Belgians retreat to a hex in Belgium given the choice? Answer: Yes. Question: If the Allies spend 1 CAP to conduct Belgian Withdrawal, does this count against the 1 activation in the North restriction? Answer: Yes. Question: Does rule 12.5.3 prohibition on German entry into Ghent only apply if Belgian Withdrawal has been used? Answer: No it applies whenever Belgian combat units are in Antwerp. Question: May the Germans attack the Belgians in Ghent even though Antwerp is not captured? Answer: Yes, but they may not move from Antwerp to Ghent directly due to the Control rules. Scenarios Question: On GT1, if the Allies spend a CAP after a Defender Tactical Advantage roll, does this count against the 1 activation in the North restriction? Answer: No, it is not considered an activation. Question: On GT1 the Belgian Army, if chosen for activation, can activate any number of times, correct? Answer: No, just once. See the Designer/Developer Note in 13.1. Question: In Scenario 2, an eliminated BEF division counts as two steps, correct? Answer: Maybe. Note the VPs are awarded for cumulative hits (steps), not currently eliminated or disrupted steps. Question: Scenario 3 refers to 71/81 as an impassible hexside. Should there be three diamonds on the map? Answer: No, the rule should be corrected. Compiled by Jonathan Gingerich