Can somebody explain the supply system.....

[dropzone77]

I don't get the most efficient way to keep all units supplied, building a supply base etc

[Jagger2002]

Think of your supply as a truck unit located at your supply source that you are moving across the board. It spends its action points like every other unit in the game and uses the truck column terrain costs. With 100 action points, it travels farthest on good roads and can't go nearly as far in bad terrain, off road, etc.

Wherever it can reach in 100 action points, your units will receive full supply and you will see green in the supply filter. Wherever it can reach in 100-150 action points, you receive 75% of supply and you will see yellow in the supply filter. Wherever it can reach in 150-200 action points, you will receive 50% of supply and you will see blue in the supply filter. Wherever it can reach in 200-250 action points, you will receive 25% of supply and you will see pink in the supply filter. If the distance is greater than 250 action points, the truck unit cannot reach it and no supply is delivered.

However you can extend the reach of supply by using depots. There are 4 different depot sizes. Each acts sort of like a gas station. They give extra action points to your supply truck. A strategic depot adds 80 extra action points. So now, your supply truck can travel 330 action points instead of 250 action points. I believe those extra free depot action points are used immediately after the truck leaves the depot. Also I believe you can chain supply depots to extend supply indefinitely. I think you can only build depots in Level 2 cities or greater and in covered hexes adjacent to those cities.

When you are using the supply filter, you can click on a hex or a unit and see the action points used to reach that position from your supply source. In the little black strip centered between your button selections of the control panel along the bottom of the map, you will see the action points used to reach the hex. You will also see if any free action points from depots have been used.

Basically supply travels from supply source to your units. It spends action points to reach your unit and can only go so far. Depots extend the distance which supply can travel. And supply is very important. Hope that helps.

[JacquesDeLalaing]

SUPPLY BASICS

At the start of each turn:
[*]1) Elements whose internal supply storage is not full request supply
[*]2) Supply is forwarded from your depots to your elements' internal storage (see below); many factors come into play: distance/road quality between the depot and the unit, road congestion, ...
[*]2) then elements try consume their ordinary expenditure (stat "basic supply use") from their internal storage.

@1) Requesting Supply
All elements have an in-built, organic supply storage (the size is "Supply Max Organic Storage"; usually consumption *6). If this storage is not full, the elements will request the missing supply points. Note that if an element has been out of supply for longer periods of time and its storage is very depleted, it might not be able to request the full amount of supply: There is a limit on how many supply points an element might request in a single turn (stat "Supply max Replenish per turn", usually half of the max storage). You can adjust supply requests by setting priorities ("Eff.SUP" standing orders).

@2) Forwarding supply
The closest depot (supply source; supply base in "deplete" mode) that has supply points available will try to fulfill your units' requests. The game considers how many AP it takes (movement type "supply") to move from the depot to the unit. If the total AP needed to reach your unit is 100 AP or less, 100% of the dispatched supply points reach the unit. If you enable the supply overlay, the areas that can be reached with 100 AP are marked in green accordingly. If your supply columns need more AP to reach the unit, fewer points will be sent, and the areas are marked in yellow, blue, red in the overlay accordingly. If it would take more than 250 AP, supply is cut (250AP is the maximum range). Note that if you're below 100%, no supply points are actually "lost" for the depot. It's just that fewer points get sent in the first place. Note that you can check how much of the requested supply has reached a unit by looking at the color of the small dot at the top edge of the counters.

Roads, bridges and also road congestion (traffic points) are factored into the calculation of supply range. Also, supply can only move through hexes that you control (that are on your side of the front line). This is often tricky to understand - remember that units that are positioned off-road have troubles exerting their "control" along roads. It's better to position units directly on the road!

The movement of supply points across road links also causes traffic points (0.2 traffic points per supply point).

Note that supply bases in "regular" mode extend the AP-range of your supply sources.

@3) Supply Consumption
Each element consumes a certain number of supply points per turn (stat "basic supply use"). If this need cannot be met, severe mali set in (e.g. no readiness recovery, instead loss of readiness). Check the "supply consumption" of a formation.

A smaller malus already sets in (particularly for offensive actions) if the unit fulfilled its consumption but has a low storage (check the formations' supply attack/defend modifier). Check the color of the symbols on the bottom edge of the counters (which stand for fuel and supply storage accordingly).

Note that in addition to ordinary consumption supply is also consumed in combat (particularly in offensive actions).

FUEL

Fuel works similarly to supply. However, units have no base consumption of fuel. Instead, fuel is only consumed if the unit moves or fights.
Also, fuel supply doesn't work on a gradual basis. Instead, if a unit requests for fuel, it will either receive 100% of its request or nothing at all. So, if your unit is in a yellow supply area (100-150AP distance; 75% supply), then it would receive 75% of the requested supply points and have a chance of 75% to receive 100% of the requested fuel points (and 25% chance to receive no fuel at all).
Fuel resupply generates slightly more traffic points (0.25 per fuel point).

[Hoyt Burrass]

very useful summaries...thanks you!

[mikerohan]

Thanks. Really helpful!

[pmarvin]

Great coverage of a complicated topic, thank you.

Related question: I'm trying to add a forward supply base/depot in the simple Arracourt scenario, but keep getting refused. I have enough PPs, and am trying to put it on roads, even crossroads, the ownership of which is not in doubt. What gives? What is needed to allow the placement of a forward supply depot?

[Toby42]

ORIGINAL: pmarvin

Great coverage of a complicated topic, thank you.

Related question: I'm trying to add a forward supply base/depot in the simple Arracourt scenario, but keep getting refused. I have enough PPs, and am trying to put it on roads, even crossroads, the ownership of which is not in doubt. What gives? What is needed to allow the placement of a forward supply depot?

I believe that you can only add it to an highlighted hex?

[Jagger2002]

Yes, you need to place the supply depot on a highlighted hex. I believe those hexes are level 2 cities or greater. It seems hexes adjacent to those cities can sometimes accept depots as well.

[Oberst_Klink]

ORIGINAL: Jagger2002

Yes, you need to place the supply depot on a highlighted hex. I believe those hexes are level 2 cities or greater. It seems hexes adjacent to those cities can sometimes accept depots as well.

If I got some time, I might create a simple and easy to understand supply tutorial slide or thread here in the forum.

Klink, Oberst

[mikerohan]

ORIGINAL: Oberst_Klink

ORIGINAL: Jagger2002

Yes, you need to place the supply depot on a highlighted hex. I believe those hexes are level 2 cities or greater. It seems hexes adjacent to those cities can sometimes accept depots as well.

If I got some time, I might create a simple and easy to understand supply tutorial slide or thread here in the forum.

Klink, Oberst

That would be great! I remember your slides from TOAW and they were very helpful.
Thanks!

[jhdeerslayer]

So as Germans, under what conditions is setting your built Depots to Build-up versus Regular? Been trying to understand benefit of Build-up to the Germans.

[vege1]

If you cannot hold the depot except for a short time or you are not planning to push through the area then depleting it is the way to go.

Build-up means just filling the depot (not using it but accumulating supplies and fuel in the depot). You might sometimes want to deplete the depot and then use build-up later, or you might want to skip this phase. Sometimes the enemy has started to destroy supplies, so you need to use build-up to use the depot in full capacity.

Setting the depot on regular gives increase in your supply range (supply action points), depending on the depot size.

So as Germans, under what conditions is setting your built Depots to Build-up versus Regular? Been trying to understand benefit of Build-up to the Germans.

[jhdeerslayer]

If you cannot hold the depot except for a short time or you are not planning to push through the area then depleting it is the way to go.

Build-up means just filling the depot (not using it but accumulating supplies and fuel in the depot). You might sometimes want to deplete the depot and then use build-up later, or you might want to skip this phase. Sometimes the enemy has started to destroy supplies, so you need to use build-up to use the depot in full capacity.

Setting the depot on regular gives increase in your supply range (supply action points), depending on the depot size.

So as Germans, under what conditions is setting your built Depots to Build-up versus Regular? Been trying to understand benefit of Build-up to the Germans.

Thank you sir

[jhdeerslayer]

So can captured Bases be used as AP extenders only i.e. Free Supply AP? Or only Bases the Germans build? The manual is lacking I feel at times with such little details.

Finally (hopefully), where are the Structure and Logistics values in the "Hex" Bases window explained? Significance of these values? I noticed that Bases Germans build have values there but Captured ones do not.

[vege1]

Captured bases will give you supply AP just as a normal depot that you built yourself. However, remember that you do not get the full value of enemy supplies in the captured depot (due to ammo mismatch etc.), but you get all fuel though.

You see the supply depot info in the hex info tab (right side of the screen).

So can captured Bases be used as AP extenders only i.e. Free Supply AP? Or only Bases the Germans build? The manual is lacking I feel at times with such little details.

Finally (hopefully), where are the Structure and Logistics values in the "Hex" Bases window explained? Significance of these values? I noticed that Bases Germans build have values there but Captured ones do not.

[RayWolfe]

Another problem. I think I understand how supply depots extend the supply ability but ........

A depot in build-up does not supply. A depot in deplete does supply. A depot in regular therefor should both receive and distribute. However, I see no evidence of either in the smaller scenarios (I have not played the campaigns). When I say evidence, I mean in the in hex info box on the right-hand side of the screen which always shows zero in both instances.

I agree with the above comments that supply is complicated but not well explained and the "maybe" promise of a future tutorial by The Oberst would be very well received.

Cheers
Ray

[Capt Cliff]

Should depots be placed a certain distance. 100 ap, from the major supply source? Should you have a string of depots reaching across the map? The Allies don't seem to have trouble with supply, but the Germans do!! I built a depot out at Samree and another at Houffalize. Now the "green hexes stop right adjacent to Houffalize. The units around Samree all show no supply has been received that turn. But the depot at Samree has 4000 supply and 4000 fuel and is set to regular! I know the German has a problem with supply but is this supply system working and is it too complex?

[carll11]

Good question, would love to see an answer..thx.