Early Cav.

[oahunick]

ORIGINAL: Norden

1) Father Prussia
2) Mother Russia
3) Baby Turkey

Hi oahunick,
If Prussia and Russia were the parents, Turkey would be a weird baby... [;)]

Norden

Yes it would be a cruel looking child. Over 15 years I've seen this threesome called "the Edge" (map) Po', Broke, & Lonely" ($) and "Austria's Worst Nightmare" as well as "the Dream Team"!

Look the cav unit is worth it in recon mode ... blowing the 15/2 to find out if Messina's stack is hollow or is it Davout's? Gentlemen games even have savvy French players basically scaring Austria down to unconditional in 1805 this way.

[megalomania2003]

ORIGINAL: oahunick
Look the cav unit is worth it in recon mode ... blowing the 15/2 to find out if Messina's stack is hollow or is it Davout's? Gentlemen games even have savvy French players basically scaring Austria down to unconditional in 1805 this way.

But why waste a cav factor instead of a militia or inf factor? Given the fact that you have to supply it, as it will else likely forage itself to death, you wont need the extra movement on the counter.

[Titi]

ORIGINAL: hlj

a cav factor costs 15 gold and 2 manpower
that is for most, if not all the nations to high a cost for being sure what your enemy is attacking with, and to say it does not cost a pp is stupid, the money you loose you could have used manipulating, so in effect you lost money that could have helped your armies mobility or it could have been used for you to gain a pp through manipulating.

To sacrifice a cossack or freicorps to check the strength of an enemy army is more acceptable as they are free.

That's my original point : only use cossack or freikcorps for scouting. I agere that losing a PP or a regular cavalry facot is way too much for that result.

I could understand if you sacreficed an Infantry corps with one militia factor to be absolutely sure.

Even so, losing a PP is still too much. Try to use that infantry or militia factor in garrison instead in a city or a depot, a trivial combat will reveal the enemy strength without costing you any PP.

But a careful player is not totaly in the dark when he faces his enemy. I note how much MP each nation collect, and I note if they have manipulated for manpower. And this way I know how many factors they are going to build. If factors die in forage or in battle, I note that to. And thus I have a list of how many factors my enemy has. I would only check what was in his corps if he had an unrealistic amount of corps on the board in relation to my list of his forces.

I agree and was used to do the same when playing; until i reread the rules and discovered that normally it's a public knowledge and spare the "good" player from a lot of noting, and the others players of some darkness.

[megalomania2003]

Even so, losing a PP is still too much. Try to use that infantry or militia factor in garrison instead in a city or a depot, a trivial combat will reveal the enemy strength without costing you any PP.

Except if you are playing with the overwhelming numbers rule introduced in General (5+ to 1 is trivial)

I agree and was used to do the same when playing; until i reread the rules and discovered that normally it's a public knowledge and spare the "good" player from a lot of noting, and the others players of some darkness.

Most players I have meet (in ftf games), and I have played quite a few, play with the corps strengths as a secret so this tactic is still valid.

[Titi]

ORIGINAL: megalomania2003
Most players I have meet (in ftf games), and I have played quite a few, play with the corps strengths as a secret so this tactic is still valid.

In every game i played, we also used the corps strength as a secret.
First, probably as yourself we find it more interesting to have that kind of Fog of War. Then because around a table, i have a lot of time for keeping the records while other players are moving, foraging, doing battle, i did like you and want to know the enemy total strength.
But on the computer, i won't wait for other peaople to move and i hope i won't see a report telling me for example that the XIII russian corps lose one step while foraging. First cause this will be an annoying report and second cause there will be no logic to know the loses of a corps but not it's stength.
So rather than a tool (like a report screen) telling me the manpower a nation has collected minus the expanses for building, economic manipulation and loses for forage and batlle, i would rather like to know the strength of each corps but not it's location, as per original rules even if rarely used.

[Pippin]

It is true that those who have good memory can often over-see the fog-of-war effect. This is why I like to buy extra counters and mix units between them asap. This way it becomes very hard to someone to guestimate how many factors I have in location A veruses location B, etc.

[1LTRambo]

I agree with Pippin, and I have used that tactic to keep some opponents from attacking. This was done because I would have several low strength corp stacked just in my border. So they were leary to attack because they were unsure of the strength. Then I would shift units to that location and when I did attack, my stack was then strong. All the while, they were thinking the stack was that strong to begin with. Thus, they will be less likely to question your unit strength.[8D]