Re: [eia] evasion attempt off Naples

[Michael Gorman <mpgorman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 03:57 PM 12/11/2002 -0500, you wrote:
> While I see what you guys are saying as far as the letter of the rules 
> says, I
> find it _extremely_ silly that there is no limit to the number of 
> interceptions
> a defending stack can attempt before combat begins.  For example, a stack 
> of 30
> ships is attacked by, say, 30 fleets with 10 ships each.  This interpretation
> makes it possible for the defending stack to intercept each and every 
> attacking
> fleet separately as it enters the area.  Not only is this silly in that it
> gives 30 ships a reasonable chance to defeat 300 ships, but also, at the rate
> of one interception combat (or manuevering to intercept) per day, this 
> part of
> the naval phase would take up an entire month's game time, with nothing left
> for naval combat or the land phase.  Or, if the attacking fleets are supposed
> to be showing up simultaneously or almost simultaneously, how could there be
> even a chance that every fleet could be intercepted ?

        What the rules make it very hard to do is bring a bunch of fleets 
onto a single target where each fleet is making its own time to the 
area.  And considering that there were no forms of long range communication 
that would allow the ships to coordinate their approach before they arrived 
in the target area, it would be a huge effort to gather your forces from 
all over the Mediterranean and not combine until you are in the face of the 
enemy.  Instead, you are forced to have the fleets move to each other and 
then to the target in a way that makes you waste a lot of movement, but 
that covers the fact that you aren't losing movement points for moving as a 
large fleet since you don't start in one location.
        Coordinating three or more fleets is supposed to cost you two 
points of movement when they spend the whole movement phase 
together.  Looking at that, I would predict that the difficulties of 
coordinating large fleet actions should make it impossible for the Turkish 
fleet to arrive at Naples in support of the British and Spanish.  Instead, 
they are able to arrive, but they have to come on their own and operate 
apart from the coalition until they are already at the battle site.
        Similarly, it is difficult for the 2 British and one Spanish 
fleets to all arrive together at the battle site since they are scattered 
in a ring around the western Mediterranean and effectively lose the 
movement points to coordinate their actions in having to come together 
rather than losing them up front by not getting them in the first place.
        The rules impose highly annoying logistical problems upon naval 
actions, but looking at the vast distances these engagements are spanning, 
there should be logistical nightmares a plenty.

        Kyle and I also spent a ton of time the last two weeks planning 
this action so that it would occur at a time when the coalition navy was 
busy and scattered all over the place.  So, it is supposed to be a pain in 
the butt to counter attack us this turn.

Mike


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