[eia] 2 alternative plans (long)

["J.J. Young" <jjy@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Okay.  Let's all take a breath and calmly figure out how far we've gotten in
this discussion, which I think is a long way (at least for me).  I believe
we now have two proposed plans for how our group will deal with situations
where an attacking corps enters an area where there is an enemy corps (which
does tend to happen : )  ).  Now that I have a better understanding of the
details of what Mike's plan is about, I would be willing to live with either
it or the alternate plan proposed earlier by me and then by Kyle in more
detail.

Before I start:  I think that either plan works well with the idea that
either all or none of the attacking corps that end their movement in an area
must participate in any siege in that area.  I highly recommend this
interpretation.

But anyway, on with the show...

Plan #1
Synopsis:  The attacking corps ending up in an area containing a city with
an enemy corps inside have the option of besieging or not besieging that
city.

1a.)  Whether there is a siege or not, the defender has the option of
building a supply depot inside the city if it is a port and there is a
proper source of sea supply.

1b.)  Whether there is a siege or not, the defender cannot trace depot
supply over land through the area occupied by the attackers, and so
defending corps in the city must either use sea supply as in 1a., invasion
supply, or forage.

1c.)  If there is a siege, then use normal besieged supply rules for
foraging.

1d.)  If there is no siege, then the defending *corps* (no supply or forage
required for garrisons) must forage using the forage value of the *area*
around the city, but with normal penalties for the attacker's corps in the
area.  The defending corps in the city may modify their foraging rolls with
unused movement points.

(BTW, I think that if there is no siege, the defending corps inside the city
should count against the attacker's foraging rolls, even on the second and
subsequent rounds of occupation of the area with no siege.  This could make
a difference in cases with less than 3 attacker's corps in the area.)

1e.)  In cases where there is a siege, the rules already clearly cover the
defender's ways of breaking out of the city or being relieved from outside.

1f.)  In the case of a defending corps in a city but not besieged, if some
or all of the defending corps wish to leave the city, they must enter the
area occupied by the attacker's corps, and so a field battle must result
unless the former defender leaves the city completely unoccupied and the
former attacker wishes to retire into the city and it is capable of holding
all of the former attacker's forces.

1g.)   When the attacker first moves into an area containing both a
defending corps and a city, the attacker must stop movement, regardless of
the defender's later decision of whether to retire into the city or not
(house rule to speed up email play).

1h.)  If one of the attacker's corps moves into an area which is already
occupied by the attacker's forces, with the defender retired inside the city
(besieged or not), then the attacker's corps can move on into another area
or stay and join in with whatever the attacker's forces already in the area
are doing (either besieging or simply occupying).

1i.)  The situation of depot garrisons is already well-handled by the rules.
After winning a field combat or a trivial combat in the area outside a city,
the attacker can immediately begin a siege of the city if all of his corps
in the area are eligible, otherwise none can.

1j.)  City garrisons are also easy to handle.  Regardless of whether or not
attacking forces are in the area outside the city, if the city is besieged
the garrison requires supply, if the city isn't, it doesn't.


Plan #2
Synopsis:  Any attacking corps occupying an area containing defending corps
in a city *must* conduct a siege.

2a.)  When the attacker first moves into an area containing both a defending
corps and a city, the attacker must stop movement, regardless of the
defender's later decision of whether to retire into the city or not (house
rule to speed up email play).

2b.)  Attacking corps first moving into an area with a defending corps and a
city *must* either use depot/invasion supply or forage without modifying the
roll with any unused movement points.

2c.)  If all of the defender's forces retire into the city, or if the
attacker wins a field or trivial combat in the area, while defending corps
remain in the city, then the attacker *must* immediately lay siege to the
city.

2d.)  This siege *must* be maintained (by all the attacking forces in the
area) every turn that the attacker remains in the area and defending *corps*
remain in the city.

2e.)  One of the attacker's corps which moves into the area after the siege
has begun may move on into another area or stay and join the siege.  If they
stay, that corps may not use unused movement points to modify their forage
roll.

2f.)  Since the defending corps are besieged in the city, they do not count
against the forage rolls of the attacker's corps in the area outside the
city (this also applies to Plan #1 in the case where the attacker chooses to
lay siege).

2g.)  If only defending garrison factors are inside the city, but no
defending corps, then the attacker in the area outside may or may not lay
siege to the city, as desired.  The defending garrison only needs supply or
forage if the attacker chooses to lay siege.

2h.)  It should be noted that besieging a city does not neccesarily mean
that the attacker must make assault attempts on any given turn.


Mike and Kyle (and anyone else who wants to jump in), please go over what I
have said about your plans and see what mistakes, omissions, or
misunderstandings I have made.  Then, all that remains is for the group to
choose between them, and we can move on.  As I have said, now that (I think)
I understand both proposals, I would be willing to accept either one of
them.  I hope this email is helpful to everyone in making their decision,
without adding to confusion or bad feelings.

-JJY


_______________________________________________
eia mailing list
eia@xxxxxxxxx
http://lists.ellipsis.cx/mailman/listinfo/eia