trenching question

[randell765]

Can you trench units without activating the HQ around them? Let's say I took over a city and I expect an attack next turn, but I don't want to waste an activation point because I am not going to move the troops there, can I still trench?

[flintlock]

Can you trench units without activating the HQ around them?

Yes you can.

[JD Walter]

Hi randell765,

Yes, as Flintlock says.

Also, note that you can only entrench up to your Trench research level. The entrenchment point is hex-based, and is good for all forces present in that hex, even those moving in on a later turn.

Corps may "hop" from trench hex to trench hex, gaining the value of the new location as soon as movement's done.

Trench levels decrease over time, and due to combat. Siege artillery will automatically lower the entrenchment level of a target hex by one each time they fire, and have a 33% chance of completely eliminating a fortress (setting it to zero). This can be critical at places like Verdun and Metz.

Fortresses grant that level of entrenchment automatically in their hex. Their value can be decreased by siege artillery, and (once reduced) cannot be repaired/replaced. However, you can also entrench normally in their hex, in which case both the fort value and the trench level are added together on defense for combat purposes.

The entrenchment level affects both attack and defense. Each level adds 5% to the DF, and subtracts 5% from the AF - a 10% shift in total. This is important, bcause defenders fire first in combat.

Artillery gains in effectiveness against entrenchments each tech level. The cost for gaining each level is shown on pg. 23 of the rules. Artillery is slightly cheaper to improve in level than trenches. Since you can only spend one research point in each technology per strategic phase, this means artillery will have a slight edge (on average) through level 4. (At which point entrenchments top out, and artillery becomes increasingly expensive to improve.)