Supply Tutorial - #9

[Shannon V. OKeets]

Patrice and I have been figuring out the contents and pictures for the supply tutorial. Here is a taste.

[dale1066]

I don't like to be critical and I understand that this is the first in the series on supply, But I thought that as you allude to terrain affecting supply eg alpines and straits it might be worth briefly mentioning that weather has a big impact too. I'm just thinking that a lot of people might just skim the first page and then go on to the next tutorial.

[Shannon V. OKeets]

ORIGINAL: dale1066

I don't like to be critical and I understand that this is the first in the series on supply, But I thought that as you allude to terrain affecting supply eg alpines and straits it might be worth briefly mentioning that weather has a big impact too. I'm just thinking that a lot of people might just skim the first page and then go on to the next tutorial.

People either read or don't read the text.

There is little I can do about that other than try to be clear and informative, with scant repetition and some odd tidbits about game play thrown in a long the way.

Patrice and I have worked out the following 7 pages for this tutorial - I just showed the first page. There might be more pages if we decide a concept requires more text or more screen shots.
==========
Supply Tutorial Concepts
(as of July 28, 2007)

LEGEND
* identifies items for which no picture is needed.
+ identifies items for which a picture is needed but the picture does not need any special annotation to communicate the rule.

TUTORIAL PAGES
1. Supply Needs
∙ * Units need to be in supply to move, fly, sail, reorganize units, overrun, and engage in combat.
∙ Units at sea are always in supply.
∙ All units on land are in supply if they can trace a supply path back to a primary supply source. Air units on land and naval units in port trace supply the same as land units. HQs get supply the same as other land units.
∙ Disorganized units get supply the same as other units.
∙ * A supply source can supply an unlimited number of units.
∙ Any friendly city in the unit’s unconquered home country is a Primary Supply Source for that unit.
∙ * A supply path is always traced from the unit to the supply source.
∙ A Basic Supply Path is 4 hexes maximum.

2. Primary Supply Sources
∙ For a Commonwealth unit, any friendly city in another unconquered Commonwealth home country is a Primary Supply Source for that Commonwealth unit.
∙ Any friendly city in an unconquered home country of a major power the unit co-operates with is a Primary Supply Source for that unit.
∙ Chinese Nationalists can not use Communist cities for supply, and vice versa.
∙ An HQ is a primary supply source for 1 turn if you expend a face-up supply unit with which it is stacked (optional rule).
∙ Any HQ can serve as a primary supply source for a limited number of units for 1 impulse (optional rule).
∙ + Hexes with desert and desert-mountain terrain count as 2 Basic Supply Path hexes.
∙ + Hexes with all other terrain (Clear, Forest, Jungle, Mountains, Swamps, Tundra, and Ice) count as 1 Basic Supply Path hex. [There need not be pictures of all of these.]
∙ + Rivers do not affect the length of a Supply path.
∙ * Supply Units are always in supply.
∙ * At any time during a game turn (even during an opponent's impulse) you can remove a supply unit from the map if it is not disorganized and stacked with an HQ it co-operates with. For the rest of the turn, that HQ is a primary supply source.
∙ * A city can only be a supply source for a unit if it has not been controlled by the other side at any time in the turn.

3. Blocking Land Supply Paths
∙ You can't trace a Basic or Railway Supply Path into an enemy ZOC (unless the hex contains a friendly land unit).
∙ * You can't trace a Basic or Railway Supply Path into a hex controlled by another major power unless it agrees.
∙ You can't trace a Basic or Railway Supply Path into a hex controlled by a neutral country.
∙ You can't trace a Basic or Railway Supply Path across an alpine hexside.
∙ You can't trace a Basic or Railway Supply Path across a lake hexside (except when frozen).
∙ You can't trace a Basic or Railway Supply Path across an all sea hexside that isn't a straits hexside (except as an overseas supply path).
∙ + For any Soviet unit, you can't trace a Basic or Railway Supply Path into a hex controlled by any other Allied major power (and vice versa) unless the USSR is at war with Germany.
∙ The Basic portion of a supply path is reduced to 3 hexes in Snow and Blizzard.
∙ The Basic portion of a supply path is reduced to 2 hexes in Rain and Storm.
∙ + When determining the effects of weather on the supply path length, the weather in the hex occupied by the unit, secondary supply source, or tertiary supply source applies.
∙ Non-HQ units that are out of supply can operate as if they were in supply for 1 impulse if they can trace a basic supply path to a face-up HQ they may co-operate with. You can only do this with as many units as the HQ's reorganization value (optional rule).
∙ + Aircraft units that are out of supply can only fly rebase missions.
∙ + If you move a naval unit that is out of supply, subtract 1 from its movement allowance (not range) and disorganize it.
∙ + Out of supply land units still have their normal movement allowance and still exert a ZOC.
∙ + A land unit that is out of supply is disorganized if you move it (even by naval transport or air transport).

4. Overseas Links
∙ * You may trace supply overseas only once when determining a unit’s supply path. That segment of the supply path is called its overseas link.
∙ An overseas link can be part of a Basic or Railway Supply Path.
∙ For an overseas link to be valid: (1) the unit tracing supply must be in a coastal hex, (2) the link must begin at a port, or (3) the link must originate at a tertiary or secondary supply source which is in a coastal hex.
∙ At sea, the overseas link can traverse any number of connected sea areas.
∙ The overseas link must terminate at a friendly controlled port: (1) which is a supply source itself or (2) from which the supply path can continue overland to a supply source.
∙ * The overseas link counts as 1 hex against the Basic Supply Path. This is regardless of the number of sea areas it traverses and the terrain for the hexes where it starts and terminates.
∙ A sea area can only be part of an overseas link if contains a friendly convoy, naval transport, or AMPH (Limited Oversea Supply optional rule).
∙ * When using Limited Oversea Supply, a single convoy, naval transport, or amphibious unit can supply an unlimited number of units.

5. Blocking Oversea Supply Paths
∙ A sea area cannot be part of an overseas link if it contains an enemy CV, SCS or aircraft unit with an air-to-sea factor, unless it also contains a surface naval unit, or aircraft unit with an air-to-sea factor, controlled by any major power or minor country at war with that enemy unit.
∙ You can't trace an overseas link between sea areas if one of your SCS couldn't move between them.
∙ You can't trace an overseas link out of, or into, an iced-in port if the weather in that hex is snow or blizzard.
∙ A unit can't trace supply across a straits hexside, if the presence of enemy units would prevent tracing an overseas link into that sea area (optional rule) .
∙ + A land unit that is out of supply can't attack.
∙ + A land unit that is out of supply defends with 1 combat factor if it is a disorganized division or non-elite unit, 3 if it is a disorganized elite unit (organized units defend with their normal strength).
∙ + A land unit that is out of supply can't provide HQ support (optional rule).

6. Secondary Supply Sources
∙ An HQ with which a unit co-operates can serve as a Secondary Supply Source for that unit.
∙ The capital city of a minor country controlled by a unit's major power can serve as a Secondary Supply Source for that unit.
∙ The capital city of a major power, or a minor country, conquered by a unit's major power, or by a major power with which the unit co-operates, can serve as a Secondary Supply Source for that unit.
∙ To be valid, a Secondary Supply Source must be able to trace a Railway Supply Path to a Primary Supply Source for the unit.
∙ * A Railway Supply Path has the same hex limit as a Basic Supply Path (e.g., 4), plus it can contain an unlimited number of connected rail line and road hexes.
∙ The 4 hexes which are not connected rail line can occur anywhere along the path.
∙ Connected rail line hexes are two adjacent hexes which are connected by a rail line.
∙ Connected road hexes are similar to connected rail line hexes.
∙ * Specifically, a hex a Railway Supply Path enters, by moving along a railway or road, does not count against the Basic Supply Path hex limit.
∙ + A hex a Railway Supply Path enters across a straits hexside does not count against the limit, so long as the hexes on either side of the straits are railway hexes.
∙ * There may be only 1 Secondary Supply Source in a unit’s supply path.
∙ * A Railway Supply Path is only used when tracing from a Secondary Supply Source to a Primary Supply Source.
∙ + A Railway Supply Path can contain an Overseas Link.

7. Tertiary Supply Sources
∙ Tertiary Supply Sources are identical to Secondary Supply Sources, except that they cannot trace a Railway Supply Path to a Primary Supply Source.
∙ To be valid, a Tertiary Supply Source must able to trace a Basic Supply Path either to a Secondary Supply Source or to another valid Tertiary Supply Source.
∙ There can be any number of Tertiary Supply Sources in a supply path but the last one must terminate at a Secondary Supply Source for the unit tracing the path.
∙ A Basic Supply Path is always used when tracing from a Tertiary Supply Source, but it can contain an overseas link.

[Froonp]

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets
Patrice and I have been figuring out the contents and pictures for the supply tutorial. Here is a taste.

This first page is the occasion to remind / learn people that "being in supply" is indicated by the green light on the top left of each unit.
Maybe also say that "bing disorganized" is indicated by the orange light on the top left of each unit. Just add "(orange light)" after the word "disorganized" for being brief.

[Froonp]

About the strait & supply maybe hint also that the sea area though which the strait goes has to be "not enemy controlled" for the supply to goes, under some optional rules.

[Shannon V. OKeets]

ORIGINAL: Froonp

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets
Patrice and I have been figuring out the contents and pictures for the supply tutorial. Here is a taste.

This first page is the occasion to remind / learn people that "being in supply" is indicated by the green light on the top left of each unit.
Maybe also say that "bing disorganized" is indicated by the orange light on the top left of each unit. Just add "(orange light)" after the word "disorganized" for being brief.

Not true. A unit that is in supply has no indicator shown.

Normal status for units is to show no indicators.

The upper left green dot indicates that the unit can be moved during the phase.

Yes, I agree about the disorganized status indicator addition.

[Shannon V. OKeets]

ORIGINAL: Froonp

About the strait & supply maybe hint also that the sea area though which the strait goes has to be "not enemy controlled" for the supply to goes, under some optional rules.

I'll do that on a later page.

Each page has a primary 'teaching' goal. When opportunities and space permit, I introduce some other concepts, but I do not try to explain those auxiliary points in detail. Page 5 is where blocking a strait will get a more thorough discussion.

[composer99]

Aside from noting a spelling error in the tutorial overview ('tertiray' instead of 'tertiary'), I currently have no comments on this subject.

[Froonp]

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets
Not true. A unit that is in supply has no indicator shown.

Normal status for units is to show no indicators.

The upper left green dot indicates that the unit can be moved during the phase.

Yes, I agree about the disorganized status indicator addition.

Maybe you should then indicate that the green light does not indicate supply status, as perusing this bitmap would led people to think (If I was mislead, then I believe that it will misslead other people). You should maybe state somewhere that no status indicator appear on in supply units, only a status indicator appear on out of supply unit.

Maybe a close up on one in supply and one out of supply unit should be added, to better show the indicators ?

[Shannon V. OKeets]

ORIGINAL: Froonp

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets
Not true. A unit that is in supply has no indicator shown.

Normal status for units is to show no indicators.

The upper left green dot indicates that the unit can be moved during the phase.

Yes, I agree about the disorganized status indicator addition.

Maybe you should then indicate that the green light does not indicate supply status, as perusing this bitmap would led people to think (If I was mislead, then I believe that it will misslead other people). You should maybe state somewhere that no status indicator appear on in supply units, only a status indicator appear on out of supply unit.

Maybe a close up on one in supply and one out of supply unit should be added, to better show the indicators ?

Well, as always, I like to step back and take a broader view. What you are saying is that the status indicators haven't been explained. I need to see where in the tutorials they are suppose to be discussed (I might have completely fogotten to include them). One possibility is to do as you suggest and present them one at a time rather than go through them one after the other - which might be boring and more difficult to remember (learn).

[Toed]

I think one place for explaining the status indicators would be easier and better than spreading them out. If a player doesn't remember one of them it will be faster and easier to go to one place were you know that all of them are explained (tutorial X or appendix A) rather than having to look through several tutorials or chapters in the manual to find the information.

[Shannon V. OKeets]

ORIGINAL: Toed

I think one place for explaining the status indicators would be easier and better than spreading them out. If a player doesn't remember one of them it will be faster and easier to go to one place were you know that all of them are explained (tutorial X or appendix A) rather than having to look through several tutorials or chapters in the manual to find the information.

Yes. But this is really two different things: Learning and Referencing.

The goals and process for teaching concepts/rules are not the same as for when looking things up.

The player's manual will be one of the Help menu items and available while playing. That will serve as a quick reference. I expect to include pictures in the manual so players can see tables and such. A picture of all the possible status indicators with their meanings is essential there.

But for the tutorials I am not so sure. I like the idea of teaching a concept like Supply (In supply, Out of supply, Isolated) and showing the status indicators for those conditions (the first shows no indicator at all). And then doing similar stuff for Transported/ing, Damaged, Committed to an Attack, and so on, as those concepts are taught.

Perhaps a summary at the end.

Perhaps a little 'quiz' where a screen shot is shown with various status indicators on and the reader asked if he knows what each one means. Some forum members suggested quizzes for the tutorials but they were quite emphatic that the reader shouldn't have to answer questions to continute in the tutorial. So I have inserted a few of these 'review' pages at the end of some tutorials, asking if the reader knows what was covered in the tutorial.

[Shannon V. OKeets]

Here are 2 more pages of the supply tutorial. Screen shots by Patrice.

[Shannon V. OKeets]

The status indicators shown here aren't quite right. I have to fix the supply determination routines.

[michaelbaldur]

very fine ..... you are my idol    [&o]

[Froonp]

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets
The status indicators shown here aren't quite right. I have to fix the supply determination routines.

Steve, show me which indicators are not right, I can tweak the bitmaps to make them appear right.
About the writeup you did for those pages, I think it is great !

[lomyrin]

Page 3 supply:  The Supply unit has to be undisrupted in order to be used to give supply.
 
Lars

[Shannon V. OKeets]

ORIGINAL: Froonp

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets
The status indicators shown here aren't quite right. I have to fix the supply determination routines.

Steve, show me which indicators are not right, I can tweak the bitmaps to make them appear right.
About the writeup you did for those pages, I think it is great !

For these 3 these pages, I would like to:
- Eliminate the bright green Can Move In Phase indicator everywhere.
- Keep the dark green Secondary Supply Source indicator for the HQ's (everywhere).
- The Italian bomber should keep its yellow Out Of Supply indicator.
-The Japanese miliitia should keep its orange Disrupted indicator.

EDIT: The 2 new graphics need the 4 transparency pixels.

[Shannon V. OKeets]

ORIGINAL: lomyrin

Page 3 supply:  The Supply unit has to be undisrupted in order to be used to give supply.

Lars

Yes.

I had that in the text earlier but I thought it didn't add a whole lot. If the players are going to use this rule, then they should read all the details about it. For the tutorial, it seems enough to make them aware of these 2 optional rules and their basic purpose and function. There are a few other details I have also omitted.

[Zorachus99]

Feature Request: Show supply    Severity: High
 
A function which shows all current 'in supply' hexes.  Just a button to darken hexes so you can determine current supply status would be incredibly helpful.  Of course you want to show supply both offensively and defensively when toggling this type of overlay.
 
Just noticed that you weren't using such a function in the tutorials, when it seems such a natural function to automate. 
 
The unit markers are useful, but don't paint the picture in a complete way.  I often complain when I make mistakes in supply simply because I couldn't tell in any obvious way what my supply status is.  The pacific map is considerably complex with Japans network of ports providing coastal supply.