Various Pot Luck Easy Questions

[Cromagnonman]

It was my understanding that the leader bonus to frontage was only applied by the guy whose pic is on the battle summary. Id est, 2 corps vs 3 corps doesn't really matter for frontage, as they will still only get a frontage bonus from one guy.

In combat, each element in a unit gets a 3% bonus to hit from the unit leader's (i.e. BG) off/def rating. The elements get an additional 5% bonus to hit from the stack leader's (i.e. MG) off/def rating. Thus your corps commander is more important than his subordinate division commanders. I believe that the rating bonuses pushed down from Army are included in this (and frontage) calculations, although not displayed on the battle summary.

Lone army stacks should behave like any other stack. It is only when accompanied by a corps from their own army that they do not initiate combat (although I believe they can still be attacked).

So far as I've seen or read, there's no special advantage given to corps- or army-level artillery. Likewise, it can only fire if it fits into the support frontage quota, which is admittedly larger when a LG commands than when a MG commands. I suggest a test utilizing the battle log and a situation where frontage would normally be quite limited, like hills or mud etc.

[Cromagnonman]

More on # of corps: One the one hand, more corps increases the chance that one might not MTSG, limiting your reliable combat power. On the other hand, it allows you to have a better chance of having an active leader.

[sbr]

Where do you find the battle log?

EDIT: Nevermind, I found it. The first time I looked I didn't see a !BattleLog file, but it is there today.

[dolphin]

More on # of corps: One the one hand, more corps increases the chance that one might not MTSG, limiting your reliable combat power. On the other hand, it allows you to have a better chance of having an active leader.

What about the issue of MTSG when defending with two Corp in the same region? Is that even an issue? Do not two corp in the same region automatically combine as a single whole defensive force?

I often find that having a backup **Corp Commander in a critical Corp stack can avert those annoying times when your main corp commander becomes inactive. Just demote the inactive one and hope your second is active so you can give him temporary command. Unlike Division Commanders or Army Commanders there is no penalty, or cost for switch-swapping Corp Commanders.

For the CSA Huger is pretty much always going to be a ** Major General and he will usually need to be in an artillary heavy corp anyway. Alexander can be with your Army Group Artillary.


I have read the thread on artillary and it seems pretty definate that having massive artillary in the Army Commanders stack gives your Corps a massive advantage in terms of dishing out a constant stream of fire support for your leg divisions in all the Corps involved assigned to that Army that are involved in the battle.

Here is the thread about it. (A thread you must read and study.)
http://www.ageod-forum.com/showthread.php?t=10849&highlight=corps+artillery&page=2


The point I am getting at is it seems when you put all your artillary in your Army Stack which is supporting its corps in the same region your artillary is supposidly immune from battlefield damage because the Corps in effect screen their HQ Stack during the battle

Also in the thread it mentions adding artillary to the corp stacks too if you have any CP open. Here again I am wondering if that artillary would be safer as well since it is not actually attached to a particular division. My take on it was that the Corps Leg Divisions would soak up the damage for the Independent Corp artillary the same as they do for the actual Army Stack and its HQ. The only possible difference I am reading in that thread is that Independent CORP level artillary fire at the strongest enemy unit in the opposing stack, but that adds even more confusion to my dilemma because if that is what independent Corp level artillary does then what does Army level independent artillary fire at?

In the thread it mentions basically filling up your entire Army Stack with nothing but artillary. Due to combat mechanics the artillary does not count against the frontage limits that are allowed for the Leg Divisions and using the support unit rules actually get to fire constantly throughout the battle no matter which particular divisions and/or corps are currently taking fire.

I am going to have to read through the thread again and maybe I will ask some questions and post them in that thread.

Part of my confusion has to do with how independent artillary assigned to either Corp, or Army level command can ever be at risk at all on the battle field unless of course your routed and then everything is up for grabs.


The thread talks about not having anything in your Army Stack except artillary, so with no Leg divisions, or even independent regiments/brigades/elements there is nothing to protect that artillary if the Army Stack were to take direct damage. The thread infers you need no Infantry/Cavalry etc. whatsoever in your Army Stack as long as it stays in the same region as at least one of its corps which will soak up the damage for it.

[Cromagnonman]

IIRC, artillery is protected because it is a support element, and fire is principally directed at combat elements. I can't remember ever seeing divisional artillery take damage, even when the combat elements in the same division were sorely used. I do not think there is any other protection afforded to artillery, regardless of whether it is alone or part of a larger unit, or to what kind of stack it belongs. This is why I usually try to keep a provost guard with my Army stack, to provide better cover/evasion.

[Jim-NC]

As a support element, artillery only takes damage after everyone else is dead. So usually, your division that was just fighting has all it's infantry killed, and is rotated out of the battle, leaving you with a division of only artillery. At that point, you must get replacements for missing elements.

[dolphin]

IIRC, artillery is protected because it is a support element, and fire is principally directed at combat elements. I can't remember ever seeing divisional artillery take damage, even when the combat elements in the same division were sorely used. I do not think there is any other protection afforded to artillery, regardless of whether it is alone or part of a larger unit, or to what kind of stack it belongs. This is why I usually try to keep a provost guard with my Army stack, to provide better cover/evasion.

As a support element, artillery only takes damage after everyone else is dead. So usually, your division that was just fighting has all it's infantry killed, and is rotated out of the battle, leaving you with a division of only artillery. At that point, you must get replacements for missing elements.

In My current PBM game my artillary is not being damaged. Its being stolen.

Were in turn 34 and my opponant has litterally stolen at least a dozen battery's since we started.

The first theft was when he caught me by surprise transfering some artillary to a different stack and I took the wrong route.

The rest he stole out west under similar circumstances where artillary was just arriving to its post, but he managed to pull off a chance raid.

Certainly the Provost guard for artillary is a mandatory precaution to prevent such occurences, but in the case of it being in an Army stack as long as there is a Leg Corp of that Army stack in the same region I am discering from the posts I am reading that it would be safe without a provost. The leg Corp in effect is its Provost.

Now a corp with artillary only is another issue altogether. For the CSA creating an Artillary only corp with Huger actually might be worth doing as long as we can confirm that his corp will pretty much be safe as long as he is in a region with another corp from the same Army, or possibly even any corp from any army. Only reason I bother to speculate on this situation is because I can see plenty of situations where the actual Army Stack could be used elsewhere with another corp. In essence having Huger step in as an Artillary Corp Commander to support Longstreet, or Jackson while Lee's Army stack and its artillary is supporting another Corp in another region.

In effect what I am suggesting is using an Artillary only Corp to support another Leg Corp in the same region the same way an Army stack with artillary supports a Leg corp in the same region?

If this is doable it actually allows Lee's army to operate as two seperate Army's with Longstreet and Jackson in seperate regions each having what amounts to its independent Army Artillary Stacks for support.

The question then remains is an Artillary only Corp safe from dircect damage the same way an Army stack with its artillary is safe and just as important will an Artillary only corp support a sister leg corp in the same region in the same way as Artillary in an Army stack supports its Corp with direct fire?

[Gray_Lensman]

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[Cromagnonman]

The problem with an artillery-only stack is that its evasion is terrible. If you have to retreat, it will never escape. Rather, it will be brought to battle and captured. Also, if not an army-hq stack, it won't avoid initiating combat.

[dolphin]

The problem with an artillery-only stack is that its evasion is terrible. If you have to retreat, it will never escape. Rather, it will be brought to battle and captured. Also, if not an army-hq stack, it won't avoid initiating combat.

So your saying an artillary only corp that initiates combat and loses will be captured. What about its sister leg corps in the same region?

I would assume that if they are both in a region defending, or moving together to attack you want it to be involved in combat anyway.

As long as its sister leg corp is with it and as long as it is not forced to retreat its should be just as safe as it would be in an Army HQ stack with same chances of being captured.

[Cromagnonman]

So your saying an artillary only corp that initiates combat and loses will be captured. What about its sister leg corps in the same region?

I would assume that if they are both in a region defending, or moving together to attack you want it to be involved in combat anyway.

As long as its sister leg corp is with it and as long as it is not forced to retreat its should be just as safe as it would be in an Army HQ stack with same chances of being captured.

The infantry corps should have enough evasion to retreat, but the artillery corps might not. As retreat seems to be handled on a stack level, the infantry corps could rout due to being in the line of fire whilst the untouched artillery corps does not immediately follow ("where y'all runnin to? We been doin jus fine back heah"). Suddenly there's nothing left in your combat frontage, and the enemy infantry swarms your guns. But you should be okay so long as you never have to retreat.