Q for Doug - Fleeing Units & River Crossings

[campsawyer]

I believe the point with the river crossing of boats and bridges maybe be a bit fine of grain for PG. In the tactical river assault, typically units would send over troops to secure the other side in boats while the engineers worked on some sort of bridges. In PG, this is this is symbolized by the ENG remaining in the hex over the course of many turns. The first platoon to cross may have gone over in boats, log rafts, or even swim in the Soviets case, meanwhile the ENG's would start to work on the bridge. With the river crossing roll, this would give the simulation of all of this but at a simpler level, just one roll doesn't matter how they crossed just they either did or did not.

BTW, clarification added to the annotated rules.

[vince hughes]

I believe the point with the river crossing of boats and bridges maybe be a bit fine of grain for PG. In the tactical river assault, typically units would send over troops to secure the other side in boats while the engineers worked on some sort of bridges. In PG, this is this is symbolized by the ENG remaining in the hex over the course of many turns. The first platoon to cross may have gone over in boats, log rafts, or even swim in the Soviets case, meanwhile the ENG's would start to work on the bridge. With the river crossing roll, this would give the simulation of all of this but at a simpler level, just one roll doesn't matter how they crossed just they either did or did not.

BTW, clarification added to the annotated rules.

Alan,

Probably a good synopsis of PG representation and of course, the simplification of a playable rule-set is possibly one of the reasons we all play the system.

[campsawyer]

I believe the point with the river crossing of boats and bridges maybe be a bit fine of grain for PG. In the tactical river assault, typically units would send over troops to secure the other side in boats while the engineers worked on some sort of bridges. In PG, this is this is symbolized by the ENG remaining in the hex over the course of many turns. The first platoon to cross may have gone over in boats, log rafts, or even swim in the Soviets case, meanwhile the ENG's would start to work on the bridge. With the river crossing roll, this would give the simulation of all of this but at a simpler level, just one roll doesn't matter how they crossed just they either did or did not.

BTW, clarification added to the annotated rules.

Alan,

Probably a good synopsis of PG representation and of course, the simplification of a playable rule-set is possibly one of the reasons we all play the system.

Yes, anything more specific should be a SSR. Much like the Christmas scenario that Shad picked last year.

On another point there is quite a few resources on river crossings on the internet and I just notice Ospery is doing a book on this in the fall.

[waynebaumber]

Interesting that Herr Hughes seems now to be writing the rule book. I see no issues here, fleeing units must flee towards the nearest safe hex, now this may be back across the pontoon bridge they may have just crossed or it may be down the riverbank towards the nearest wood it all depends on the circumstances. Of course if the ENG hex is fully stacked they may well stay put.
Demoralized troops may never do what the owning player wants but sometimes they may not do what the opposing player wants or expects.

[zaarin7]

My uncle was in a divisional engineer battalion and he spoke of troops gathering along the opposite river bank. I've always thought the demoralized troops should fall back to the bank then fill in the hexes to either side until the enemy was pushed back away from the bridgehead. If the enemy is not then they become prisoners. In any case they continue to absorb casualties and officers continue to try and move them off the river.