Manual:Army organization

From AACWWiki

Understanding the Unit Panel

There can be a variety of Forces in a region and/or in the structures therein. The purpose of having separate Forces is that they can be issued different orders. The size of a Force is also limited by leadership.

When you click on a playing piece or structure on the map, the Unit Panel will show the units in the region (1).

Hint: Use the arrow buttons on each side (2) to scroll between a Force’s units if they are too numerous to fit within the Unit Panel. The mouse wheel will also scroll the panel.

Additional Forces in the region are each indicated by a tab (3) just above the Unit Panel. To switch Forces, click on its corresponding tab and it will become the active Force. The active Force is also represented on the map by a playing piece, ready to be issued a move order.

The unit currently selected within the Force has its name, composition, current position and destination indicated in the top left corner (4). Essential information about a Force (level of General Supply, Ammunition, etc.) can be displayed in a tooltip by hovering your mouse over the different icons in the upper right corner of the Unit Panel (5).

What is a Unit?

The Unit Panel shows all of the different components of a Force (see illustration above), which fall under the term “unit”. There are many types of units in the game representing anything from full divisions to independent artillery batteries or administrative staff (headquarters), but they all share the ability to be moved and be given orders individually if needed. This makes them the smallest elements in the game that you can manipulate, although they seldom operate alone and are usually grouped into forces, as explained above.

Exceptions: Divisions are a special case of units, as they can be further split into several units.

Leaders are also treated like units in most respects and can be manipulated just like them. However, they are rated differently. The main characteristics of combat units and leaders are displayed right on their counter in the Unit Panel.

What is an Element?

Here, the 3rd Brigade unit is made up of two infantry (4th Alabama and 2nd & 11th Mississippi), one artillery (Staunton) and one cavalry (6th North Carolina) elements, as shown by the NATO symbols displayed on the right (you can click on this symbol to open a detailed window describing the element).

This small artillery unit is made up of a single element (8th NY Mil A Bty): here, one unit equals one element. A unit is a container of elements (from 1 to 18).

Units are further subdivided into elements, displayed in the Elements Panel. Elements, as opposed to units, cannot be manipulated; they are an integral part of their parent unit and always stay together. Elements are sometime referred to as sub-units. Procedure: To display the list of a unit’s elements in the Elements Panel, click on a unit to select it (this is indicated by a gray square around the counter).

Each single element is in turn differentiated by its attributes, as explained on p. 22.

Please note that some units are so small that they cannot be subdivided. They are represented in the game as having a single element, which is the unit itself.

Leaders are handled in the same way: one leader = one element which is the leader himself.

Manipulating forces

In order to split one or more units from a Force, select the units to be separated from the main Force in the Unit Panel, then drag and drop them to their current region on the map. They are now considered a new Force and will be shown in a separate tab.

Multi selection procedure: To select/deselect several units, Ctrl-Click on each unit in turn.

In order to issue a movement order to a Force, either select it and drag & drop its counter from its region to its destination or drag its corresponding tab over the Unit Panel directly to its destination on the map. You can also move units between Force’s by dragging and dropping them onto the destination Force’s tab. Finally, you can merge Force’s in the same location by dragging and dropping one tab onto another.

Fixed Units

In some scenarios and campaigns, you will come across fixed units identified by a on their counter. They cannot move until either a regular unit from their side ends the turn in their region, or a specific date has been reached, as indicated on the unit’s tooltip. In some cases, some fixed units are permanently fixed and will move under no circumstance.

Command Chain

In AACW, your Forces are loosely organized into the following hierarchy:

• Army
  • Corps
    • Any unit (division, brigade, battery…)
      • Elements

Units are deemed “in the command chain” if they belong to a corps which is, in turn, attached to an army. Any units, which don’t belong to such a corps, are considered independent for command chain purposes, and they have additional penalties from being out of the command chain (-50% to the command points generated by the leaders in the force). Naval forces are handled differently and no notion of hierarchy exists between the various Fleets.

On the map, you can then have three kinds of land stacks:

• The army stack, which is the stack (or force) commanding subordinate corps.
• The corps stack, which is a stack subordinate to an army stack.
• Independent stack, which is an "Out of the command chain" stack.

These three stacks each have units and they are all “containers”. Units represent formations of various sizes and act as “containers” for elements, from 1 to 18 in each unit.

Army

A Force is identified as an army by a star icon on its tab and an army badge in the top right corner of the Unit Panel.

An army represents a leader and his staff along with any reserve troops and leaders directly attached to the army. The strategic rating of an army commander determines both his command radius (press and hold the shift key while an army is selected to show this radius on the map) and his overall combat efficiency).

Corps attached to an army and within its command radius during the planning phase receives some important benefits (see below).

Example: The US Army of the Tennessee, commanded by Grant, greatly improves the efficiency of all attached Corps within range. In addition, its reserve units (directly attached to the army) provide additional advantages and punch in the region the army is located in.

Army Leader Bonus:An Army Leader will 'pass down' his strategic ratic to his subordinate Corps Commanders.

An Army Commander with a Strategic Rating of 4 will pass down SR bonuses as follows:

8% of the time the Corps Cdrs receive a (+2) SR bonus 58% of the time the Corps Cdrs receive a (+1) SR bonus 33% of the time the Corps Cdrs receive a (0) SR bonus

An Army Commander with a Strategic Rating of 3 will pass down SR bonuses as follows:

50% of the time the Corps Cdrs receive a (+1) SR bonus 50% of the time the Corps Cdrs receive a (0) SR bonus

An Army Commander with a Strategic Rating of 2 will pass down SR bonuses as follows:

66% of the time the Corps Cdrs receive a (-1) SR bonus 33% of the time the Corps Cdrs receive a (0) SR bonus

This does not include any bonuses to SR that the Army commander may have due to Experience.

Procedure

To form an army, have a stack with an army headquarter and a 3 or 4 star leader plus any leaders and units you want to directly to attach to the army (these can also be added later), then select the “Create army” special order. This will change the status of the stack from an independent force to an army stack. This is the center of command of the army, not the entire army: you still have to attach a corps to it for maximum effect!

If the leader assigned to command the army has bypassed another leader, you will lose some NM, as indicated by the special order’s tooltip. You can also disband an army, but doing so will cost you NM according to the political favor of its commander. Despite the NM cost, you may sometimes want to do this in order to put a new and better leader in charge.

Notes: An army HQ with combat units will react quickly to support corps formations but should not be viewed as a super combat stack. It is important to note that a lone army HQ stack will never initiate combat by itself.

Corps

A Force is identified as a Corps by a diamond icon on its tab and a Corps badge in the top right corner of the Unit Panel.

Corps are attached to specific armies. Their purpose is twofold: they never suffer the "Out of command chain" penalty and they get the following bonuses when operating within range of their Army:

• The corps commander’s strategic, offensive and defensive ratings are increased by the expertise of the army commander
• If stacked in the same region, the ability to stay together during movement by choosing the corresponding special order (Synchronized move)
• If spread out in different regions, chance of supporting an adjacent corps engaged in combat (i.e. “march to the sound of the guns”). This ability is influenced by the level of military control in both regions and by the corps’ cohesion.
• Increased command points
• Combat bonuses when several Ccrps are fighting together (they will help each other more efficiently during a fight)
• Some special abilities of the army commander can benefit its corps

Procedure

To form a corps, select a 2 or 3 star leader within range of an army plus any units, divisions and leaders you want to include in the corps, then select the “Create corps” special order.

Note 1: As opposed to armies, there are no corps headquarters in the game. A leader counter is assumed to represent not only its named leader, but also the limited number of aides de camp/administrative staff needed to command a corps.

Note 2: A corps must always occupy a single region. You could separate units from their corps to extend your coverage, but they would become an independent force in the process, losing corps benefits and suffering possible "out of command chain" penalties as a consequence. A corps always equals one Stack of units.

Division

Hovering your mouse over a Division (1) in the Unit Panel displays its constituent units (2). Selecting a Division displays a list of all elements within the Division (3).

Grouping units into divisions whenever possible helps you optimize command points (see below). A leader is required and will provide bonuses to the division. This can be in addition to the commanding officer of the force to which the division belongs (whatever the nature of the stack: army stack, corps stack, or an independent force). A division can include a maximum of 18 elements divided among several units.

Procedure

To form a division, first select a general and press the ‘enable divisional command’ button. Then select the units and the general to be included in the division and click the “create division” special order. You can break down a division into its constituent units at any time and without any penalty. Important Note: There is only one kind of HQ in the game: The Army HQ. Forming corps or divisions don’t require HQs.

Leadership

Units need leaders to command them or otherwise they suffer movement and combat penalties.

At any time, the “Command Cost” of the troops in a Stack is compared with the “Command Points” of the leaders present in order to determine whether a penalty applies as well as the size of the penalty. To see the details of the calculation, check the tooltip of the command icon of your Force.

Note: Command Penalties can be quite severe. A small and well-commanded Force moves much faster and has as much hitting power as a larger Force lacking leaders.

Each unit in a region has a certain Command Cost:

• Basic unit (brigade or regiment/squadron/battery): 1 to 4
• Division: 4
• Army HQ: 4

Each leader provides command points (CP’s) to his stack, depending on his rank:

• 1 star: 4
• 2 star: 8
• 3 or 4 star: 12

The total CP’s provided by leaders in a Stack is limited to a maximum of 16, no matter how many leaders are present. This base value can be increased by certain bonuses.

Note: This simulates both the military doctrine of the day, as well as the chaos inevitably generated when a place gets too crowded.

CP bonuses:

• Signal unit present: 2
• Recon unit (ex. balloons) present: 1
• If a corps or an army stack: Army commander’s strategic rating minus two (can give negative effects too!).
• An army headquarters that includes a capable aide de camp (A leader with a strategic rating of 4+ in the army stack who does not command any troops): 1 + 1 to all subordinate corps

Out-of-command-chain penalty – Important

If a stack is an independent force (not an army stack or a corps stack), then the CP’s generated by the leaders (of the said stack) will be halved.

Promoting and relieving leaders

Officers who have shown some capability in their current rank may become eligible for promotion to the next rank. This is shown by a flashing promotion icon on its counter (you also get a message in the message log). Be aware that promoting a leader to 3 or 4 star who is considered too junior by the military and political establishment (i.e. there are other more senior officers of the same rank) will cost you NM and VP’s, depending on the “bypassed” leaders’ political cost.

The same applies to 3 or 4 star leaders assuming army command if another more senior unassigned leader is bypassed. Finally, relieving an officer from his army command will also entail a loss in NM proportional to his political cost.

Note: This only applies at army level, not at corps level and below.

Please note that an officer’s abilities may change (for better or worse, or both!) after getting promoted, depending on each individual’s talents.

Historical note: John Bell Hood, a very capable CSA officer, didn’t perform well after being promoted. Leading from the front and staff work are quite different jobs.

To promote a leader to a new rank, it is specifically needed that:

• He is potentially promotable (the database must have an entry for his new grade). This is indicated by a 'Yes' in the 'Is Promotable' line, element detail window.
• He has a seniority of 1 or 2 in his current rank OR
• He has gained 4 points of seniority since he appeared on map (the base seniority is under brackets in the the Element Detail Window, top panel section).

Unit Attributes

The 4th CSA Brigade, with 7 elements and a combat efficiency of 161, packs quite a punch.

Unit counters are differentiated by the following:

• Background color: Nationality
• State of origin (only for militia)
• Special abilities (top left corner)
• Unit type (top right corner)
• Combat efficiency (numerical value at the top)
• Number of elements (number of ribbons on the left hand side)
• Experience (color of the ribbons on the left hand side)
• Cohesion (purple column)
• Manpower (green column)
• Captured support unit (gray background with ‘capt.’ noted on unit also)

Nationality

Most units belong to the USA or CSA. However, under some circumstances foreign intervention may bring British, Mexican or French units into the fray.

State of Origin

Militia will have their State indicated next to the unit type symbol (here, TN for Tennessee).

Militia units fighting in their state gain a small morale boost. Each state can field a limited number of units.

Special Abilities

Indians are among the units with special abilities, as denoted by the icons in the top left corner.

Any special abilities of the unit are listed there. The symbol’s tooltip provides additional information.

NATO symbol and unit type

There is a NATO symbol on the unit icon showing the major type of the elements it contains. For example, an infantry brigade is an infantry unit, but can contain infantry regiments, artillery batteries and cavalry squadrons, as shown on the Elements Panel. You can click on any NATO symbol, on the unit or on the elements, to get even more details.

Each element is of a specific type, with corresponding strengths and weaknesses, as shown in the Elements Details Panel. A unit’s characteristics are derived from the attribute values of its constituting elements.

Upgrading

As new equipment becomes available (starting in 1862), elements (sub-units) are automatically upgraded into other, more effective types (e.g. early to late cavalry). This mostly affects the defensive rating of units, simulating the increased difficulty of attacking positions defended by units equipped with modern rapid-fire weapons. The USA has a distinct advantage in this area, especially late in the conflict.

Historical Note: This trend culminated a few decades later into the terrible deadlock of trench warfare during World War I.

Combat Efficiency

This gives an indication of the lethality and staying power of a unit during combat. Combat Efficiency is a number used to provide a quick assessment of the Unit Strength, but is not used during battle per se. See it as an overall indicator of the unit power. The Combat Software Engine works at the element level taking each parameter of each element into account to simulate precisely the outcome of every battle (gun range, rate of fire, discipline and such).

Note: cohesion and manpower effects are already factored in. e.g. A division with of cohesion level of 1 will have a very low Combat Efficiency.

Play note: A good general will preserve his experienced units by regularly sending them to the rear area in order to allow rest i.e. cohesion recovery.

Number of elements and experience

The ribbons on the left-hand side of a unit indicate both number of elements in the unit and its experience. There are three experience Levels (bronze, silver and gold). Units gradually gain experience with each battle, increasing both their overall efficiency in combat and maximum cohesion level.

Cohesion

Cohesion represents a unit’s general readiness for combat. It is critical to a unit’s overall efficiency as it impacts almost every aspect of the game, such as morale, speed, firepower and the ability to “March to the Sound of the Guns”.

Note: A unit with low Cohesion could suffer from poor morale, desertions and stragglers, exhaustion, disorganization, inadequate training or any other debilitating factor. It will be slow in moving and prone to break during combat.

Movement and combat reduces a unit’s cohesion while resting gradually improves its cohesion until it ultimately reaches its maximum level. This depends on training and experience. NM affects a unit’s cohesion and its cohesion recovery rate when resting.

Manpower

A unit’s remaining number of men. Pressing the Ctrl key will show this number instead of the unit name.

Element attributes

Each single element of a unit has several attributes (such as discipline or weight) influencing a variety of mechanics (combat, transport, etc.) throughout the game, as indicated elsewhere.

Click on an element’s NATO unit type symbol in the Elements Panel to display a depiction of the element as well as the values of all of its different attributes. Here, the 2nd Brigade’s cavalry squadron element’s details are shown. Note its high Detection Rating, which is typical of cavalry units.

Leader Attributes

Good leadership is essential to win battles. All leaders have strengths and weaknesses as represented by their attributes.

Play note: Try to use your leaders to the best of their abilities. For instance, some are good on the offensive while others are better at defending.

A leader’s counter only shows two pieces of information: Rank (number of stars) and Special Abilities (icon(s) in the top-left corner). Selecting a leader displays more data in the Element Panel on the right.

More information about a leader can be displayed by clicking on its rank icon. Here, we see that Confederate leader Johnston is a reasonably skillful defender, as he possesses the Skirmisher Special Ability icon, whose tooltip provides some details.

In addition to providing CP’s, as every leader does, the commanding officer of a stack (i.e. highest-ranked most senior leader present) improves the capabilities of his subordinate units with his offensive/defensive rating (+5% to combat for each point) and his special abilities. His strategic rating also has a critical impact on the stack’s performance (see below). Units in a division not only benefit from the benefits just described, but also from their own divisional leader’s capacities.

If a leader is alone in a region with enemy units, he may be detected and eliminated.

Rank

Rank is shown by the number of stars on a leader’s counter. It determines the CP’s of a leader, as well as the type of command he may assume (army, corps or division and below).

Note: Be aware that - just like in real life - the most talented officers are not always in command.

Special abilities

Leaders may have special abilities, denoted by one or more icons. The tooltips will provide more details. Some of these abilities apply at all times and others conditionally. Likewise, some only apply to certain units while others affect the whole force.

Examples: The cavalryman special ability only benefits cavalry units and does not apply in mountain terrain, whereas the ranger special ability affects the whole force but is only useful in woods.

Strategic rating and activation Important

Each turn, each force’s commanding officer makes a test based on his strategic rating. If he fails (indicated by a brown envelope icon on the force), the leader is deemed inactivated and will suffer the following penalties:

• Reduced movement (-35% speed)
• Combat penalties in hostile regions (up to –35%).
• Offensive posture prohibited (not applicable for admirals).

A leader, which is not activated, can represent delayed orders, over cautiousness, or even incompetence at the operational level or above.

Note: A very cautious army commander can even impact negatively the activation Check of subordinate corps commanders.

Technical Note: You may de-activate this rule in the Options Menu.

Leaderless troops are always activated, as they don’t have leaders, but suffer from movement and combat penalties (by lack of CPs). They are not prohibited from assuming offensive posture (the commanding, unknown colonel is willing to take action but is not the best man for the job).

Specifically: A Leader that is NOT Activated receives a 35% speed penalty to all movement but a combat penalty equal to enemy military control of region, to a maximum of 35%. (Not applicable to Forces in Passive Posture)

Offensive and defensive ratings

These ratings are used as a bonus in combat when attacking or defending.

Seniority

Seniority differentiates leaders of the same rank. It is expressed as a number (with 1 being the most senior) and has a direct impact on promotion. Seniority is affected by winning and losing battles.

Political cost

The political cost of a leader is a measure of a leader’s place within the military hierarchy (rank and seniority), as well as his political influence and level of popularity. It has a direct impact on promotion.

Historical note: Some leaders, such as the Union general McClellan, commander of the Army of Potomac, were quite incapable yet very popular among their troops and with strong political backing. The cost of sacking such a leader is not to be underestimated.

Experience

Leaders gain and lose experience by winning battles and losing battles. This will in turn affect their other attributes.

Random general option

You can choose to play the game with leaders' attributes randomly generated, see the options window and check the level of randomness desired.

Fleets

Naval forces are treated in much the same way as land forces, except that command chain rules don’t apply. Naval leaders are called admirals (irrespective of rank) and cannot command land forces (and vice-versa). An admiral also to make an activation check each turn, but if he fails, he is only delayed in his actions, and not prevented from setting his fleet to an offensive posture.