[eia] Need help understanding how garrisons work.

["Kyle H" <menexenus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

    {WARNING:  This is a longish rules discussion which I will try to
condense in a subsequent email.  Read only if you are very bored.}

    As you may recall, my first garrison rules question involved whether
city garrisons should be allowed to "migrate" to become depot garrisons.  If
I understood JJ's response correctly, he thinks that when a depot is created
in a space that contains a city garrison, the default assumption should be
that the city garrison *does* in fact migrate out to the depot unless the
depot creator instructs otherwise (or unless otherwise prohibited by the
rules).  I think that position makes sense, and I endorse it.  (Is there
anyone who is opposed to this interpretation, or who would like to reserve
judgement and delay a final decision?)
    However, the more I read about garrisons, the more questions I have.
First of all, what will we do if a depot is created in an area that contains
more than 10 city garrison factors?  (7.3.3.5 limits depot garrisons to no
more than 10 factors.)  Below I have listed 4 different cases of increasing
complexity, and it is not clear what our default assumption should be
(especially in the latter cases).

CASE 1:  Paris city garrison contains 12 inf. factors when depot is created.

CASE 2:  Strasbourg city garrison contains 6 inf. factors and 6 mil. factors
when depot is created.

CASE 3:  Amsterdam city garrison contains 6 French inf. factors and 6 Dutch
inf. factors when the depot is created (and Holland is under French
control).

CASE 4:  Vienna city garrison contains 6 Austrian inf. and 6 Prussian inf.
factors when the depot is created.

    In Case 1, where we have a homogeneous garrison, the default assumption
seems obvious: 10 factors go out and 2 stay in.  In Case 2, where we have a
heterogeneous garrison, I'm not sure what the default assumption should be.
I can see myself preferring different things under different circumstances.
The same goes for Cases 3 and 4.  I'm starting to think that we should only
have a default assumption for homogeneous garrisons numbering fewer than 10
factors.  Otherwise, we should prompt the phasing player for specific
instructions regarding how many and which garrison factors migrate to the
depot.

    This issue brings up some other questions I have.  7.4.5 reads that
"besieged garrisons and corps *must* check for supply by the foraging
method, using the *city* supply value...."  In the past, we have interpreted
that language to mean that *each* besieged garrison and *each* besieged
corps rolls separately for forage.  [I have always thought that the language
in 7.4.5.1 indicates otherwise.  It says, "Instead, for every *full* 5 army
factors in the besieged city (regardless of whether the factors are part of
a corps or merely a garrison) '+1' is added to the die, to a maximum of
'+2'.  *For example, a city with 5-9 army factors would have '+1' added to
the die roll.  No other modifiers apply."  To me this indicates that all the
factors in the city are added together and one roll is made *regardless* of
the number of distinct corps or garrisons within the besieged city.  But I
was outvoted.]  If we are going to stick with our previous interpretation,
then I am wondering what counts as a separate garrison (that must make a
separate forage roll).  For example, I assume that in Case 2 there is only 1
garrison despite the heterogeneous garrison composition.  But what about
cases 3 and 4?  Are these cases in which there are 2 separate garrisons that
must roll separately, or should we understand these cases to involve only
one multi-national garrison (that rolls only once)?  [Notice that these
issues become irrelevant if we use my interpretation of the besieged supply
rules.  But we can do whatever people want.]

     Another question:  can a corps in the same area as a depot do the same
things that a depot garrison would do?  In the past I have assumed that it
could.  So for instance, if a corps and a depot of the same nationality are
in the same space, and an enemy corps attacks, I have always assumed that
the corps can choose to burn the depot as if it were a depot garrison.
However, this assumption is not supported in the rules.  7.3.3.3.2
specifies, "Corps may form all or part of a city garrison without detaching
army factors..." but it says nothing about corps being all or part of a
depot garrison.  And the rules regarding whether a player is able to burn a
depot depend on whether the depot is considered to be "garrisoned" or not.
(See 7.3.6.)  So it seems that by the written rules, corps do not have the
option of burning a depot when enemy troops arrive, only garrison factors
can do that.  Personally, I think corps should be allowed to burn friendly
depots when enemy corps arrive, just like a depot garrison.  However, if we
allow corps to act in the same way that a depot garrison is allowed to act,
does that mean all friendly corps can do so, including allied and minor
country corps?  7.3.3.5.1 and 7.3.3.5.2 specify that depot garrisons must be
of the same major power as the depot and can only be composed of minor free
state factors within the borders of the minor free state.  To be honest, I'd
be willing to scrap these restrictions altogether, but if people want to
keep them, I'd at least want to allow that allied corps and minor country
corps can burn a friendly depot at their discretion.

    So there are many places where I really am not sure I understand what
the rules intend, and there are some cases where I think I understand what
the rules intend but disagree.  I guess what that means is that I am
essentially doing is proposing House Rules for consideration.  I think what
I'll do next is try to collect and clarify all these issues and put them
into a vote-able format to make things a bit easier on people.  I'll send
that out very soon...




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