Re: [eia] battle of Bordeaux: British withdrawal roll, overwhelming odds and trivial combats

[MICHAEL P GORMAN <mpgorman@xxxxxxxx>]

Whereas to me the siege rules as they are make perfect sense in the simulated world the game rules describe.  It's not the size of the battle that matters, it's all about those mobile formations.  No matter how big they are, they're what matters in the game.

In the end, I'll go with whatever people think.  If it seems clear to everyone else that yeah, they meant to wipe out political points for overwhelming field battles, I'll roll with that.  It will always look like an ugly rule to me since it won't fit the flow of the rules as it appears to me, but if I'm the only one struck that way on the issue, it's probably not worth dwelling on it further.

----- Original Message -----
From: Bill Jaffe <billj@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Monday, May 14, 2007 1:45 pm
Subject: Re: [eia] battle of Bordeaux: British withdrawal roll, overwhelming odds and trivial combats
To: 'public list for an Empires in Arms game' <eia@xxxxxxxxx>


> I see the siege rules as rewarding primarily "fletches", which are
>  fortifications that make a city more important from a POLITICAL 
> point. The
>  reason having a corps present is added is because the loss of an entire
>  corps formation in a siege would be politically newsworthy, just as 
> the fall
>  of Lille or some of the other principalities. I actually would house 
> rule
>  that a 2 or more fletch city, or 4 or 5 spire city always causes PP 
> to be at
>  stake, even in a surrender. But I don't know if that would be unbalancing.
>  
>  Clearly, most overwhelming odds situations are more about a small 
> force left
>  behind to hinder the movement of a large force, rather than these 
> where 1
>  mid-sized corps of 8 or 10 faces a 1 point militia-based corps.
>  
>  However, I do see this as not changing the way the rule reads - you are
>  forced to trivial combat, so 7.5.3.5 doesn't apply, and there are no 
> PPs
>  awarded.
>  
>  Bill Jaffe
>  Wargaming since Tactics (1958), and playing 18xx since 1829
>  billj@xxxxxxxxxxx
>
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