Army by Army Mode

[06 Maestro]

Just in case anyone is getting into this somewhat more in depth manner of playing; I have a couple of tips for managing your turn. I am really just now becoming familiar with it-as I am gearing up for multi player games. I will add to this as I gain more firm info.

Army by army mode is considerably more complicated that WEGO (WEGO was my mode until this time). If you try to use the same management practices in army by army mode as you did in WEGO, your turns will really drag out. It will get frustrating looking for unactivated units.

A common difficulty in the A by A mode is not being able to advance out of the military phase. The cause of this malady is some army/armies not having been activated. If you just look around the map and activate units that you have something in mind for, you will be going back through the whole force later on. To avoid confusion you might as well just start it at the beginning-each time. This situation grows more difficult as the war develops; you have many more armies-most of which will not be doing anything but holding the trench line each turn-those must be activated also.

What I have come up with to speed this process is simply to pick the main army on one of the fronts-and just start activating. Activate the first one-if there is an attack or movement, plot it along with any possibly coordinated army (rare occasion)-hit the green arrow to finish with that army (conduct battle as need be) and hit the "next" key-that will take you to the next army. As there will eventually be many armies that are not really doing anything, you will be hitting the activate button then the green arrow-and will be done with that one. This can all be done with the mouse, but it will take longer.

So, you click activate, click the green arrow, hit "next" key, click activate, click green arrow, hit the "next" key-one hand on mouse and one one the keyboard. You will go through your entire force in a couple of minute and not miss a single army. Not only is this method faster (much faster), but it will likely save you from getting burned out going around in circles.

When you are done with one nation you may have to click on another nations territory or unit to begin the process for that nations armies.

The army listings on the right edge of the map change for each nation simply by clicking on that nations territory. The armies shown (and those down the list) will have an envelope on it to show that it had received orders (activated and moved/green arrow). If there is no envelope, then that army had not been activated-or the action arrow had not been clicked. If you click on the army emblem in the row on the right side the corresponding army will be centered on the map. The army (and any subordinate detachments) will also have the envelope on it if it had been successfully activated. If you are having a problem in finding an un-activated force, the army listing on the right is the best way to find it. To search for a unit that has the activation grayed out is a waste of time. You will skip right past the problem unit as it may appear to be activated, but the arrow was not clicked. This can only happen to one army at a time, so it should not be a problem (after the first time that is).[;)]

[06 Maestro]

The "next" key can also be handy in the reinforcements phase. Unlike the WEGO mode, replacements cannot be disbursed during the military phase (other than some adjustments during a "grand offense"). This means that you need to be somewhat thorough during the reinforcement phase. Once again, start with you main army on a front and work your way through your entire force (assuming you have the replacements). If you open the reserves block on the army, it will automatically open when you go to the next army. The reserve units can take more of a battering than your front line corps. If you miss some depleted units, it will be too late in the military phase to pump them back up-this could cause a loss of a big battle with all the negative affects tied to that. So, click on your first army, open the reserves, assign replacements as desired and hit the next key. You can go through your whole force rather quickly like this. Army detachments must be clicked on also. Of course, you need to keep in mind just how many replacements you have available (no more than 1/2 can be disbursed in a given phase IRRC).

There will be times when replacements are so scarce you will know right where to put the few you have left. There will be other times that you may assign more than twenty in a phase. Some standard method will speed up this process. More importantly, by going through your entire force, you will not be caught by surprise by some understrength corps on the eve of a major battle.

[NefariousKoel]

It's a good way to get them all but there should be times when you want to attack with Armies not necessarily in that order - especially if you try to coordinate a couple to attack at the same time to keep the enemy from splitting them with a reaction move or to exploit your new gains with a separate army that's not in order.  I would think, anyway.  I'm still rookie material.

[06 Maestro]

Yes Nefarious, you are quite right. That will be the case sometimes. During the openings months during maneuver warfare you will need to move down the front in a method dictated by your operations. However, the forces during maneuver warfare are much smaller compared to what you will have later. So, for a few months you can do it what anyway feels right, but you will still need to watch carefully so you don't get stuck with a lost army-and having to backtrack to find it. During the opening turns when I go to the eastern front I do both the A/H's and Germans at the same time. Turkey is done all in one shot.

After trench warfare sets in, it is quite different. You will have one big attack on each front per year-really likely only one grand offense a year.

[06 Maestro]

When playing army by army mode it is a good practice to keep an eye on the message box. It will tell you if other nations armies have activated-which can happen even during your part of the military phase.

Of course, the message box will tell you when each nation is finished with its military phase-and when you have finished. The active player is also indicated by the highlighted helmet-of the appropriate type.

The white advance button may not illuminate as soon as you are done with your part of the turn. Watch the message box-it will let you know when the others are finished. At that point the advance button will turn white. Don't panic because you cannot advance your turn-it is finishing up elsewhere. When all are done, then you end the phase.

Another reason to keep an eye on the current messages is you may want to conduct a "reaction" during an opponents turn in a particular area. To accomplish what you have in mind, your reaction will ofter need to be timely. This is not the same as a interception-which you can take care of just by watching the map.

[NefariousKoel]

When you try a React interrupt, do you just hit the button or do you hit pause first?

[06 Maestro]

ORIGINAL: NefariousKoel

When you try a React interrupt, do you just hit the button or do you hit pause first?

Now that you mention it-hitting pause would be a good idea-never tried that. I assume it would work, and give you more time to issue the order.

[Rosseau]

Thanks gentlemen. I will bookmark this and hope this thread continues.

Right now, I am still "Guns of August" material. Have the game, but not quite ready to battle the interface. Thanks.