WHAT THE $&%# do I do with all these POWs?!

[munited18]

As many people have stated in these forums, Russia and Turkey send wave after wave of armies at your borders. ALthough they are defeated rather easily, what on earth do I do with all the surrendered untis? They eat my food and wait to be realeased by some roaving ban of Cossacks! I put some in my garrisons, but I don't have room for almost 100K of POWs! HELP!! I am about to lose because I am winning..

[Mr. Z]

As many people have stated in these forums, Russia and Turkey send wave after wave of armies at your borders. ALthough they are defeated rather easily, what on earth do I do with all the surrendered untis? They eat my food and wait to be realeased by some roaving ban of Cossacks! I put some in my garrisons, but I don't have room for almost 100K of POWs! HELP!! I am about to lose because I am winning..

If you just want to starve them all, you could stick them all in a single province and wait. (Or maybe you could dump them into the sea!)

[GBS]

Am I correct in my understanding that they are used to increase your labor pool? If so, they can be helpful.

[Hard Sarge]

Put them in your Cap City, along with a Army to protect them, and then use them as labor

(my last game, I had over 300K of POWs in Paris (was at war with 5 sides at once)

or put them in a area that they will not be gotten to, and then place on Depot supply and don't give them a depot, they will die off soon enough

HARD_Sarge

[Mr. Z]

ORIGINAL: GBS

Am I correct in my understanding that they are used to increase your labor pool? If so, they can be helpful.

Yes, if you can distribute them adequately, they help your production. The problem is if they begin outstripping the forage value of your provinces--then you'd have to start building depots, and I don't know if it would be worth it.

[munited18]

Mr. Z has hit the nail right on the head! As Prussia, I sent all the Russinas to Berlin, with a protective army. However, they were all dying, Russians and Prussians, from forage, and due to my lack of replacements, I was losing troops I couldn't replace right away. So, I left the Russians by themselves and moved my army to keep them alive. Then here come the roving band of Cossack trash and liberated them. I fought them again and trounced them. However, I lost troops I still couldn't replace and had POWs I couldn't feed.
March them into the sea is what I say! I was stuck in a war that I didn't start or want, and it was dragging me down even though I didn't lose a single battle! Oh the HUMANITY! [:D]

Did I mention I love this game?

[ahauschild]

Maybe they should include a extrmination button. This would kill all pow but give you like negative 100 victory or a big moral hit.

[Reiryc]

ORIGINAL: ahauschild

Maybe they should include a extrmination button. This would kill all pow but give you like negative 100 victory or a big moral hit.

[X(]

This isn't a third reich game! [:'(]

[munited18]

PLease let the record show that I did not propose to exterminate 100k POWs. Prussia doesn't want to ruin its rep.....yet[:'(]

[Reiryc]

ORIGINAL: munited18

PLease let the record show that I did not propose to exterminate 100k POWs. Prussia doesn't want to ruin its rep.....yet[:'(]

lol!

[:D]

[Hugo Olsson]

...and then along comes a neverending flood of ever-to-be-damned cossacks, who proceed to liberate these 100K russian prisoners... in central France... man, do I hate cossacks...

[tiredoftryingnames]

A cool feature might be a prisoner exchange with random chance the AI accepts. Other than that what about half rations for prisoners.

[jchastain]

You can place the POWs in a province foraging and the "guards" in the same province on depot supply. It is a bit more expensive, but at least you'll benefit from the POW labor without losing troops of your own or risking losing your POWs to wandering cossacks.

[Tanaka]

ORIGINAL: tiredoftryingnames

A cool feature might be a prisoner exchange with random chance the AI accepts. Other than that what about half rations for prisoners.

yep i was about to say a cool option for diplomacy would be POW bargaining....

[eMonticello]

ORIGINAL: Mr. Z

ORIGINAL: GBS

Am I correct in my understanding that they are used to increase your labor pool? If so, they can be helpful.

Yes, if you can distribute them adequately, they help your production. The problem is if they begin outstripping the forage value of your provinces--then you'd have to start building depots, and I don't know if it would be worth it.

Although if there were huge glory penalties for losing POWs, then it would be worth it. If the penalty did exist, it would need to be accompanied by treaty options for prisoner exchange and/or prisoner parole. If it was feasible in the game, I would expect that parole would allow the prisoners to be sent back to their home country without worrying about their converting to combat troops ... at least until an agreed upon date. However, the same rules would apply for paroled troops as POWs; they could be used as labor in their home country.

[Ralegh]

a) I have proposed that you should get more VPs during a peace treaty if you have more (live) POWs - that would create some incentive to keep them well
b) I have proposed that POWs inside a city should not be freed until the city is occupied, rather than when the province is entered - then it would be safe enough to put some in each city

What do I do? - For me, the risks of them coming back to fight me again are more significant than the value of them as forced labour, but others might feel differently. I usually identify a safe province with a nice low forage value and put the POW there to starve. If I don't have a safe province, I might send them into allied territory (I often have an ally who isn't involved in the war who can act as POW warden for me!) I haven't tried putting an army to guard them - my armies are usually too busy for that!

[Tanaka]

ORIGINAL: Ralegh

a) I have proposed that you should get more VPs during a peace treaty if you have more (live) POWs - that would create some incentive to keep them well
b) I have proposed that POWs inside a city should not be freed until the city is occupied, rather than when the province is entered - then it would be safe enough to put some in each city

What do I do? - For me, the risks of them coming back to fight me again are more significant than the value of them as forced labour, but others might feel differently. I usually identify a safe province with a nice low forage value and put the POW there to starve. If I don't have a safe province, I might send them into allied territory (I often have an ally who isn't involved in the war who can act as POW warden for me!) I haven't tried putting an army to guard them - my armies are usually too busy for that!

Great ideas!!!

Im also in POW overload... [:'(]

[Tanaka]

and more in my city! [:D]

[munited18]

WOW! That is utterly amazing..

[ahauschild]

I am contemplating putting them on a transport fleet, without guards and having the Brits sink the ships for me. I just have to many. Wonder if Nelson would still be so popular if it came to light that he just drownd 250k british troops and Wellington.