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All Forums >> [New Releases from Matrix Games] >> Empires in Arms the Napoleonic Wars of 1805 - 1815 >>

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- 9/22/2003 9:06:21 PM

pfnognoff

Posts: 631
Joined: 5/6/2003
From: Zagreb, Croatia
Status: offline

EiA allways has a 50:50 division in opinions on all issues raised. The same is happening here again with FOW. Therefore I must put my 2c in, too. ;)
Original idea behind the game was to be a diplomatic, as well as military simulation of the Napoleonic era. Having that said, I think the original board game version with the limited FOW is just the right answer for this combination of goals. If you want to conduct diplomatic negotiations, you have to have some kind of inteligence reports on enemy's forces whereabouts. You can't trust an ally if you don't know where his main troop is. Also you can't put pressure on your enemies without having them see your show of strength on their borders.
Original FOW where you see all troop movement, but not exact field corps composition is just the ballance that is needed to make diplomacy playable, while still allowing for some nice surprises. Installing the spy network would be a necessity if you increase FOW level, but it would be to much trouble for to little gain.

(in reply to Forward_March)

Post #: 1

FOW issues and maybe a solution - 9/22/2003 9:07:36 PM

Le Tondu

Posts: 564
Joined: 10/2/2001
From: Seattle, WA
Status: offline

Me thinks you over-rate the spys of the day.

Ships are something MUCH smaller than an Army Corps. Spys can't help there. Where they're patrolling is anybody's guess except when you play the boardgame. The boardgame's method of handling this is absolutely unrealistic for ships. Satellites didn't exist back then AND [U] intelligence from spys was not correct all of the time like the boardgame portrays.[/U] Intelligence travelled so slow that by the time the news got to its destination the ships could have moved. Fog of War is a must.

Lining of every border with Corps? I don't think so. FOW is needed for land forces as well. Being able to accurately "see" in real time what is going on in Russia from London is unrealistic as well. Maybe there should be a certain range for a corps depending upon their size and composition. Spy networks could be modelled depending upon the nation's investments in it could add to this "vision."

****At the very least, I would be willing to accept keeping the FOW as the boardgame has it IF a player was allowed to have up to a dozen dummy counters for land and sea. These would be the kind that doesn't need any units in it to exist. Only combat could reveal them and when discovered, it would be removed -and used again at the players discretion.

_____________________________

Vive l'Empereur!

(in reply to Forward_March)

Post #: 2