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It'd then be another different game (Empires in Miniatures).

ORIGINAL: malcolm_mccallum

Sure I could wait two days and read the digitally downloaded manual but....

It is likely only my wild imaginings, but did someone once say that there was an option in computer EiA to resolve battles in miniature? Surely no. That'd be too good.

Marshall or Garry (Gazfun) are the ones to answer all questions concerning the Third Party Combat System (on the spot mate). That feature was almost cut out of the final build and there is absolutely nothing written up for this feature in the manual (except that it exists) so you’ll be totally dependent on either Marshall or Gaz to get you up and running.

Richard

malcolm_mccallum:
 
That is correct. There is an external combat feature that will allow you to take a battle and create a data file (Text file) that will have all force levels, morale, leaders and even a randomly rolled weather condition. You can take this data and resolve the battle in the miniature world then update the text file with the results and load the battle back into EiANW which will then award PPs accordingly and retreat the losers.

ORIGINAL: Marshall Ellis

malcolm_mccallum:

That is correct. There is an external combat feature that will allow you to take a battle and create a data file (Text file) that will have all force levels, morale, leaders and even a randomly rolled weather condition. You can take this data and resolve the battle in the miniature world then update the text file with the results and load the battle back into EiANW which will then award PPs accordingly and retreat the losers.

Very interesting [:)]

ORIGINAL: JavaJoe

Diplomacy, the Political Status Display(PSD) and Political Points(PP). First I'll try to  give the Reader's Digest version of how it relates to winning the game. PPs from making an alliance or winning a battle (or others) move you higher on the the PSD, the higher you are the more Victory Points you receive when it comes time to count them. Losing battles breaking alliances and surrendering (among other things) move you down the chart. They are counted quarterly in March, June, September and December. Once counted they go into the "bank" so to speak. Whomever reaches their VP goal (each nation has a different amount and the amount you bid for a nation is added to the goal) wins. Now the British have an ability to take some points away...but hey they're British afterall! All things political are done during the Political Phase. You can arrange to ally with any nation you aren't at war with although making a lot of alliances may not be a good idea since sooner or later they will be broken.

more to come

Please forgive me if you already added this later, but I am reading this chronologically.

NOTE: I'm referring to the boardgame only, as I haven't had time to download the computer game yet.

The other major feature of the PSD is that your political points move at the end of every calculation phase (quarterly). There's a central zone where one's PP total moves by 0 (i.e. it doesn't move), but most nations move until they get to that magical middle zone. The reason is that the "zero zone" is in the middle, give or take. The further one gets from this "middle", the faster one moves back towards it. So, even when one gets smashed into rubble, one is back in the fight only a few quarters later (usually, just in time for the next war ).

Since I don't see a detailed answer for #4, I'll take a stab at it. I've only played the boardgame, but it appears that little has changed with computer EiA.

Building is done by strength point or ship. Money and manpower is spent and the factors built are recorded/stored in the month they will arrive on the map. Infantry, militia, cavalry, artillery, landwehr and ships are the types of strength points I recall. There are guerrillas in the boardgame, though I do not know how they are handled in the computer game.

Also available to be built are what are known as containers: corps and fleet counters that actually go on the map and contain strength points. Different nations have different types of corps, with varying strength point maximums and strength point types allowed in them. Infantry, cavalry and artillery corps are the primary types, with fleets being the naval version (the computer game appears to have light and heavy fleets...interesting to find out what the differences are). Turkey has a special kind of corps called a feudal corps, which essentially is a militia corps which can be rebuilt to full strength each spring as long as it is in its home province.

Strength points are brought onto the map in home nation cities or directly into corps if they have depot supply traced back to the home nation. There is a limit to the length of this supply line if I recall correctly. Ships have to be received into fleets going from memory again.

Leaders arrive historically as I recall. There are also some special rules and some victory conditions that affect leaders.