Something strange about railing units

Peter Stauffenberg · Post by **Peter Stauffenberg** » Sun Aug 26, 2007 6:55 pm

I've noticed some strange things regarding units who are allowed to rail move or not.

1. I tried to rail a Russian garrison unit in Baku, but this unit was NOT allowed to rail. The unit was allowed to move or convert into a transport. But the rail button was greyed out. This problem repeated itself for turn after turn. But I tried to move the unit 1 hex north of Baku and next turn it was allowed to rail. That is strange indeed. Is this how it's supposed to be?

2. I also noticed that British land units located in Egypt can NOT rail anywhere, but air units arriving by sea from the Atlantic can rail the turn after they got ashore. Is this logical? It doesn't help if I move the land unit to clear terrain to get 3 supply instead of 1 supply. It still can't rail move.

3. Even stranger is that as soon as the British land units get into Libya they're allowed to rail move. Egypt had a rail net, while Libya didn't. Is this a bug? Why can't I rail units starting in Egypt while I can rail units starting in Libya?

4. What is the rules regarding where you can rail units. Can e. g. the Allied player rail units inside mainland Italy, liberated French territory etc.? Is any player supposed to rail units in North Africa. I think you should be able to rail units on the European continent, but not North Africa. Maybe with the exception that you can rail units within Egypt.

firepowerjohan · Post by **firepowerjohan** » Sun Aug 26, 2007 9:39 pm

You can rail if you have highe than full supply. So at supply 4 or Supply 5 you can rail, at 3 you cannot. So that means sometimes when you get too far from your Capital the supply penalty will prevent rail usage too.

Peter Stauffenberg · Post by **Peter Stauffenberg** » Sun Aug 26, 2007 11:04 pm

I guess this explains why Baku can't rail. It's more than 40 hexes away from Moscow. Does the supply distance to a capital apply by counting the distance to the primary capital or can e. g. the Russians count the distance to Perm as well?

I don't understand why it's possible to rail British units in Libya, but not in Egypt. Both territories are more than 40 hexes away from London. Or are there other factors who will influence the supply level? E. g. US entry into the war, captured enemy ports etc.

davetheroad · Post by **davetheroad** » Sun Aug 26, 2007 11:40 pm

Is libya 40 hexes away from Rome!

firepowerjohan · Post by **firepowerjohan** » Mon Aug 27, 2007 12:10 am

Libya has no land route to Rome so that means half supply. The supply distance penalty is only used for those who have land link to Capital.

Oh, there is an exception though. Air units can use rail despite low supply. Maybe this rule should be changed.

SMK-at-work · Post by **SMK-at-work** » Mon Aug 27, 2007 12:57 am

No - the rules should be changed so that units can only strat move by actual rail lines - in which case Baku has no problems........

distance from capital is a nonsense criteria for supply.

Redpossum · Post by **Redpossum** » Mon Aug 27, 2007 3:56 pm

stalins_organ wrote:No - the rules should be changed so that units can only strat move by actual rail lines - in which case Baku has no problems........

distance from capital is a nonsense criteria for supply.

But then you'd have to put the rail lines on the map. Like so many good suggestions, this one involves complicating a wonderfully clean game system, and so I'd be against it.

Distance from capital is not a nonsense criterion, (criteria is the plural), it is simply an abstract one. The way one makes a game on this scale flow smoothly is to abstract many of the complexities, and that's what Slitherine has done.

A certain lack of historical accuracy in certain particular details is the price one pays for quick game play on this scale. This isn't WiR, bro, and it never pretended to be

sagji · Post by **sagji** » Mon Aug 27, 2007 5:50 pm

In other words this isn't a historical wargame, it is a wargame with a historical theme.

SMK-at-work · Post by **SMK-at-work** » Mon Aug 27, 2007 10:49 pm

I yeild to superior pedenatry!! :p

there's nothing complicated about railing along lines at all - you can get a map of russian railways in 1943 for $1.25 from http://www.lulu.com/content/278415 for source info.

you can see a fairly simple outline os major rail lines at http://history.sandiego.edu/cdr2/WW2Pics2/82027bg.jpg - add rivers to it and that's your transport infrastructure....or you could use http://history.sandiego.edu/cdr2/WW2Pics2/81903bg.jpg as a starting point......

I never played WIR - please don't tag me with your own prejudices! :p