Supply Problem

[James D Burns]

While fighting a war with Greece, I captured Athina. I then waited for my troops to recover and resupply, then they marched southwest in the direction indicated by the red arrow. While waiting for several turns for my generals to pass an activation roll so I could attack, I wasn’t really paying close attention. Suddenly I get the lack of supplies messages shown this turn, but as the image shows, I have plenty of supplies at Athina.

Why are my supply wagons not drawing any supplies from Athina? Is this perhaps a bug or is there some vague supply rule I’m unaware of in play here?

The attachment supplyproblem.jpg is no longer available

Edit: Hmm can't seem to get images to display on page with the new forum. Anyone know how or if it can be done?

[nemethand]

For me it seems that the orange colour indicates that supply is not passing to the territory you are in, as opposed to the areas indicated by green colour. It may be because of low MC (?)

[James D Burns]

OK, after carefully re-reading the supply rules, it appears lack of 25% military control is my problem here, as the generals never activated and thus never took any MC in the region. This is the first part of the rules paragraph that covers that issue:

Supplies can be forwarded out of their region by Depots, Level 3+ Cities, and unblockaded Level 3+ Harbors (or Naval Bases), and these also demand Supplies. Supplies can be forwarded to structures and Units that need them and are not besieged or blockaded. Supplies can’t be forwarded into or through a region where you have less than 25% friendly Military Control, and enemy troops can block supply routes through (but not into) a region.

Where my confusion comes in is the second part of the same paragraph. When reading it, it reads like an exception to the above rule because it talks about drawing the supplies instead of forwarding them, but obviously it is not and the paragraph is poorly written.

Thus military Units can only draw supplies from supply sources or stockpiles (including a Supply Wagon) in the same region or from supply sources in an adjoining region meeting these requirements. National troops receive supplies to fill their need first, then allies and countries with supply rights get their share.

In fact it is probably misleading as I don’t think supplies ever get drawn in the AGE engine, I think they only get pushed or forwarded along the chain. So the 25% MC issue is only ever checked in a destination stack’s region, never in a supply source region as the second part of the rule paragraph seems to imply.

[ess1]

Surely a supply wagon/s that carry supplies are able to give them to the force.

[James D Burns]

Yep, as long as they are in the same region. But as you can see the second part of the paragraph seems to imply you can also draw supplies from an adjacent source or wagon as well. That is not the case as my situation here proved, as supplies can apparently only be pushed/forwarded to get from region to region, not drawn. So without a minimum of 25% MC supplies can never move to an adjacent region even though the rule as written implies that it can.

Edit: I guess a better way to write the rule would be to state units can only draw supplies from a source or wagon in their own region. Supplies can only be forwarded/moved from one region to another region by a source or wagon pushing the supplies forward and to do that the destination region (and any regions in between) needs to have a minimum of 25% friendly MC.

[Jim-NC]

Wagons are only magnets for supply, they do not pass along to other wagons (they will distribute what they have to nearby troops). So they will ask for supply from the nearest depot, and if the rules are met, the wagon gets some. One of the tips from AACW stated that you can't supply an army from a line of wagons (the wagons won't give to each other). To create a supply line, you need depots.

[ess1]

...and depots, I presume, can only be converted from 2 wagons?
I am certain that in our MP game my wagon (in an orange coloured area) was not passing supplies to another unit in same area. Fact that MC (must check) is below 25% doesn't, or shouldn't matter. Can you imangine the QM saying: "sorry chaps we aren't strong enough for me to supply you?"

[Ebbingford]

I have always thought that a supply wagon will only give supply to units that it is stacked with.

[nemethand]

...and depots, I presume, can only be converted from 2 wagons?
I am certain that in our MP game my wagon (in an orange coloured area) was not passing supplies to another unit in same area. Fact that MC (must check) is below 25% doesn't, or shouldn't matter. Can you imangine the QM saying: "sorry chaps we aren't strong enough for me to supply you?"

ess, I think Jim meant it in a different way: that you cannot create a supply line by simply placing wagons (i.e. throughout several provinces). If in the same region, additional units will draw supply from supply wagons even if the wagons are attached to another stack, provided the supply wagons contain enough supply and/or ammo.

However, no units (supply wagons or trooops) may draw supplies from another supply wagon in adjacent region, as opposed to a depot / city in an adjacent region, from which units can draw supply.

IIRC, in PON you can build a depot from a single wagon.

[James D Burns]

Oops, I messed up the rule a bit. Of course wagons are not able to supply adjacent regions, my bad sorry.

[Jim-NC]

ess, I think Jim meant it in a different way: that you cannot create a supply line by simply placing wagons (i.e. throughout several provinces). If in the same region, additional units will draw supply from supply wagons even if the wagons are attached to another stack, provided the supply wagons contain enough supply and/or ammo.

However, no units (supply wagons or trooops) may draw supplies from another supply wagon in adjacent region, as opposed to a depot / city in an adjacent region, from which units can draw supply.

IIRC, in PON you can build a depot from a single wagon.

That is what I meant. Sometimes I have typing/speaking issues and clarity problems

You need 25% MC for the supply wagon to get more supplies. It will distribute what it has, but then run out.

[ess1]

Thank you all for your very prompt and helpful replies.
My wagon must have supplied, ran out and "died" on its return for resupplying. Just didn't notice