Matrix Games Forums

ORIGINAL: yammahoper@yahoo.com

One fleet in the channel prevents any French crossing, assuming you use the optional land crossing in the rules (we did most of the time). If the board situation shows a threat of the french attempting to invade, then the Brits need to pick when to move in the naval phase carefully, which should allow them to stop an invasion force.

If your port guns are manned, no enemy fleet can eneter the port to disembark troops, so he will have to do so from the open sea hex or blockade box. Thus, if you engage the enemy fleets and win the battle, no troops will be able to land after they flee to the nearest enemy port.

Is the situation sometimes tense? sure it is. It helps to have the army at home or lots of troops in garrisons, a not so hard to achieve situation after taking a bunch of conquerds. I have had every city in Britain filled with troops, even had to begin placing them in north african cities I had so many. It is a long game, and certainly in the beginning you have to play a bit more cautious than later, but Britain has enough defense to allow for a respectable pffense with both army and fleets. I will note that I was once invaded while my army was in Egypt. I had to disband the army and place new corps in Britain proper to fight the invader and do it with out my cav corp. Was very painful indeed.

yamma

I never understood how anyone could suggest in 1805-1815 that the Channel was a potential land crossing. I have never heard one realistic arguement that validates this option.

It (and the other crossing arrows) is based on the idea that so long as no enemy fleet is present you can use small boats to ferry your troops across. It is POSSIBLE and was done or tried in just about every era (Roman Invasion, Viking Incursions, Anglo-Saxon/Danish Invasions, Norman Invasion, Hundred Years War, Spanish Armada [used big ships], American Revolution [it was possible to do, keep in mind John Paul Jones ruled the English coast for almost a year with 4 converted merchantmen! and caused the recall of Admiral Howe to British home waters], Nappy had a plan for it [if that one-armed one-eyed bastard had not sunk his whole fleet], Dunkirk aaaaaaaannnnnnd....... D-Day/Overlord).

ORIGINAL: Pippin

The way I look at it, Britain's army is a joke. Hell, she starts off with the worst shaped army on the whole board. Lets see, she has a guard counter, but what good is it? Doesn't seem to make much damn difference. Hell, she can not even use the guard unit to commit the guard on a level 1 or 2, or anything. Cavalry can only go into 1 counter, which only holds up to 8 units. You want to add a cavalry leader? Sorry, you can not get any army leaders until after a year of play. And then you only get to put down 1 leader, wait another whole year for another, and another year for the last one, with a total of 3 leaders only.

What about the size of the counters? Well, sorry but they are not thick enough to squeeze in too many factors. So despite your enemy can't see what you got in those, he can make a worst case guestimate, fairly easy.

Oh ya, no toys to play with like cannons either.


It is damn good for Britain she has a navy worth something, because she certainly is no match for a corps battle. And if she messes up her navy at any time.. she will be stuck doing a repeated surrender loop for the rest of the game vs any group of competant players.

IMHO of course... anyone disagree?

Well Pip, old boy..(I may call you that..?)
I think that in and of itself, I would agree. Now, mind you, I don't have a lot of EIA under my belt (it is just tough to find the players and the time for it FTF), but I think that the whole thing for the British to do is fight with some minor Free State forces or allies to help out the situation. If they have the Portuguese or some Spanish to bulk them up while they provide the morale boost, on paper that would seem to balance the equation out. I guess, in short, the English need to have some friends with them to make them into a more sizeable threat.

I agree tabpub,

Britian needs allies and usually has the filthy lucre required to get them.

Nooooooo. Help Nappy! Why beg for British lucre when you TAKE it (besides, they are dominationg YOUR trade, why should they have a monopoly on YOUR trade?).

Thus, if you engage the enemy fleets and win the battle, no troops will be able to land after they flee to the nearest enemy port.

what if the defeated player doesn't want to retreat to a port and the naval battle took place in the english channel sea zone? how do you prevent a landing then?

ORIGINAL: carnifex

Thus, if you engage the enemy fleets and win the battle, no troops will be able to land after they flee to the nearest enemy port.

what if the defeated player doesn't want to retreat to a port and the naval battle took place in the english channel sea zone? how do you prevent a landing then?

I don't think want is the right word. According to rules you must retreat to the nearist unblockaded port within 7 sea areas. If no such port exist, you retreat one sea area. So the probability france and spain has one such port within 7 sea areas is quite large...

ORIGINAL: eg0master

ORIGINAL: carnifex

Thus, if you engage the enemy fleets and win the battle, no troops will be able to land after they flee to the nearest enemy port.

what if the defeated player doesn't want to retreat to a port and the naval battle took place in the english channel sea zone? how do you prevent a landing then?

I don't think want is the right word. According to rules you must retreat to the nearist unblockaded port within 7 sea areas. If no such port exist, you retreat one sea area. So the probability france and spain has one such port within 7 sea areas is quite large...

Nope. As usual rules should be read from the begining all the way to the end [:-][:)]

6.5.3.1.1. If no eligible port is available, OR AT THE LOSER'S OPTION, the loser retreats to any one adjacent sea area of the victor's choice (a sea area into which movement is not possible may not be selected). Retreating or pursuing fleets may not be intercepted. In this case there is no pursuit and the victor remains in the area where the combat occurred.

I guess you should better strengthen your blockade fleets [;)]

IIRC, in EIA the loser does have the option to not duck tail and run to port. So, if I am Britain, and I have blasted the french fleet, I will try to make sure my choice of seazone for him will be the worst one for him, (or best one for me). Try to push him into a zone which will give you the best chances for interception for when he tries to land. Or if he is at war with another nation, try and push his stack into the hex that leaves him vulnerable to as many opponents as possible. Now, it is true he has some protection while considered retreating, however there are some interresting block & trap tactics you can do with an ally or two...

Quite a few variables here if you can 'think out of the box'...

OR AT THE LOSER'S OPTION,

It was precisely those 5 words which caused the destruction of the Franco-Turko-Spanish fleet in one of the games I played. GB and Russia were maneuvering to to combine their fleets to face the others, but circumstances allowed the Russian fleet to be engaged separately. It lost the battle and the French alliance was all sneers and taunts at being able to now blockade the Russians while still formidable enough to face Britain. The Russian player however, chose to stay. Jaws dropped. No one had ever read those five words I guess. Arguments ensued and the rules were shown. The next opportunity the Russian and British fleets combined, crushed the French alliance fleet, which then mistakenly assumed that Antwerp's 80 guns would protect them. They did not. After two turns of running the guns and filling Antwerp's harbor with driftwood, surrenders were given and accepted.

Anyway, it seems that it will be harder to defeat Royal Navy in MG release, because it seems that naval rules will be based on EiH, and Navy has much better morale than other fleets.

If he opts not to flee, place him in a hex that is not adjacent to land, and all the corps die. Failing that, place him in a hex that is not adjacent to England. I have played England many times and have faced several determined invasions. They all failed. The island is quite secure. Yes, you must pay attention, close attention, but in a game as demanding as EiA, that is par for the course.

As far as GB 80 factor army...it is an effective force. I also never understood the guard factor. I can recall playing a game where Sp, Tu and GB #1 corp had been expanded to allow 2 gaurd and the nations allowed to commit for a one colum shift. I never did use my guard as GB, but it did not upset the game either. Personally, I always loved the idea of elite Jannisary charging into battle, ready to relive the glory days when they were feared throughout Europe. Ah Sulyman, where have you gone?

yamma

ORIGINAL: pfnognoff

ORIGINAL: eg0master

ORIGINAL: carnifex



what if the defeated player doesn't want to retreat to a port and the naval battle took place in the english channel sea zone? how do you prevent a landing then?

I don't think want is the right word. According to rules you must retreat to the nearist unblockaded port within 7 sea areas. If no such port exist, you retreat one sea area. So the probability france and spain has one such port within 7 sea areas is quite large...

Nope. As usual rules should be read from the begining all the way to the end [:-][:)]

6.5.3.1.1. If no eligible port is available, OR AT THE LOSER'S OPTION, the loser retreats to any one adjacent sea area of the victor's choice (a sea area into which movement is not possible may not be selected). Retreating or pursuing fleets may not be intercepted. In this case there is no pursuit and the victor remains in the area where the combat occurred.

I guess you should better strengthen your blockade fleets [;)]

Ooops... missed that "or"...

I recall one time I was distracted by a shiny and reflective spainish fleet that was moving up to ferry french soliders. I pounced and destroyed the fleets, but realized with horror that I had left the channel open. French armies double-timed it up there and poured into Britain. I tried to hold out, but ended up surrendering after almost a year after loosing London.

Yes, one slip can hurt a lot. I once played a session while drinking froma case of beer. I never did that again! We always played with the 10factors per fleet rule, and once while shipping an allies fleet around Spain to North Africa, I forgot to port the fleet, and they corp was destroyed. I have always felt both a certain sense of horrow at the sensless loss and indignant that my freinds would not allow me to back up and save the corp (based on the arguement those men on board would not allow themselves to be starved to death at sea).

yamma

ORIGINAL: yammahoper@yahoo.com

Yes, one slip can hurt a lot. I once played a session while drinking froma case of beer. I never did that again! We always played with the 10factors per fleet rule, and once while shipping an allies fleet around Spain to North Africa, I forgot to port the fleet, and they corp was destroyed. I have always felt both a certain sense of horrow at the sensless loss and indignant that my freinds would not allow me to back up and save the corp (based on the arguement those men on board would not allow themselves to be starved to death at sea).

yamma

I agree, they wouldn't, they would have killed off the sailors, so you should have had some hulks to roll for and try to get back to a port [:D]

I remember a case still better. Russia from Corfu tried to disembark in Corsica and he forgot to disembark the corp twice!. The men from the two lost corps deserved a better leadership, but you know, vodka.

Preview
RE: Best way to play each power
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Well, lots of variety in strategies and how people play .... that what makes the game so outstanding. I have no set strategy other then starting the first turn and seeing the board.

What I mean is the actual OOB for each country, opening allies and DOW's. This gives me a fairly comprehensive view of the situation and possibilities that are worthwhile.

I read the forums and don't comment very much as far as good or bad ideas, as each nation seeks to control their sphere of influence, minors and such. Certain nations start with some serious defencies, no leaders as in Prussia's and GB's case, besides Nelson of course, and I love to see the Brits and anyone else trying to attack strong ports,what a roit. The ships that die are solid money down the tubes, and a bad result for GB and they are seriouly weakened for years. Nations who set up fleets and don't have corp and leader there give a very good idea as far as how competent they are at the game.

As France you must take early advantage of all options as they present themselves which leads to an adaptable and flexible situation, not an easy task at all, but the gains are immense as far as the first few turns. DOW's on Pru and gaining of minors are high on priorities, PP and corps you get from free state and conq.

Napoleon must look to diplomacy as to reach objectives and warfare with minors and Nations will gain territory and threaten strategic board areas. Early attacks by GB on Den or Portugal will make enemies of powers for little gain.

Production must be maximized in many cases to obtain favorable results, and a complex building program must be implemented to achieve future conquests for the least amount of losses. The balance of power on board is crucial in the 1st few quarters, France must take advantage of it or they will be in a sad situation very early in 1805. I believe they have 1 year to damage potential adversaries, then a new year starts and France must again reevaluate the situation.

I have seen some bazaar moves and some very good moves, what it depends on mostly is the caliber of player and the ability to adapt to new board situations immediately and this means preperation and ability to bring forces to bear, if you are not able to retaliate to moves by other Nations then you will watch from the sidelines, wow lots of fun eh ..!!

I will be playing numerous games when this is available and look forward to all aspects new players bring to challenge the dominance of Europe for the Napoleonic Wars.

Irish Guards


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Here is a tactic I used as the French against the British. Any time the Brit. declares war on a minor that France gets control of, I would place Ney in charge of the minor stack during the reinforcement phase(keeping him off the board and ready for this)! This can be especailly painful for the British early in the game when they have little infantry to spare. This occurred when GB declared war on Cyrenaica. When he landed I had Ney incharge of the corp 5I and 5C. Since the GB has no officers the first year or two all they have is their good morale to save them. So, I would always have a positive modifier for the die roll. I actually obtained a draw the first battle we fought. If I remember correct I stayed around for one more round before I took Ney off in the next Reinforcement phase. But I caused the Brit to have 4 casualties. It doesn't seem like a lot but when you start with only 20I it's pretty significant! Took Cyrenaica 6 months of production to replace those losses!

Mmmm. Is your use of Ney llegal?. It surprise me. I think that you control Cirenaica for defence, it´s not really a FS.

BTW, Britain has 19 Inf, and Cirenaica is 1/2, so, if British lost 4 Inf, it will take a whole year to replace the losses.