Ageod WW1 Manual Cover.qxd

5. Organizing Your Forces
Success in World War One: La Grande Guerre 14–18 is determined in
large measure by how well players are able to organize their military forces.
In order to make the most of your larger military formations, such as Corps
or Armies, it is first important to understand the symbols and information
found on the lower echelon units.
Military units are of two types: combat and non-combat (support units), be
they land or naval. There are dozens of land unit types and 10 different
naval units.
Each unit has its own characteristics: Type (infantry, cavalry, warships,
non-combat units etc.), Combat Value (attack, defence, support, firepower,
and fire range), Resistance (for ships and fortresses), Morale, Movement
or speed, and Reconnaissance Value (planes).
Similarly, leaders have various characteristics, valued between 1 and 6:
attack and defence values, obstination, sacking and coordination values;
and some specific abilities (all are detailed on the leaders’ tooltips)
Combats are strongly influenced by the military doctrine in use: in 1914, it
is Movement Warfare, a fluid battle. But by the end of 1914, troops start
digging in and trench warfare starts, and the Firepower doctrine is
introduced. When in this doctrine, attacks are not numerous but they are
violent and very costly in terms of casualties, and movement is extremely
22 World War One: La Grande Guerre 1914-1918
limited. It’s only around the end of the war, when the Combined Warfare
doctrine is implemented, that the battlefield sees some movement again.
Military ground units are divided into 3 Main categories:
● HQ (headquarters): one unit per Army. An HQ is used mainly to
identify its Army and to activate the units it commands each turn. An
HQ is also used to keep several units in reserve (off the map).
- Certain HQs have a historical general whose values replace
that of the HQ.
- HQs are identified by a Star symbol next to their on-map sprite
as well as their Army number.
● Corps (mostly infantry or cavalry): these are the combat units which
are the only units that may be engaged in the front lines during a
battle. The “corps” is the standard unit and has a reduced side
(indicated by a white stripe on the counter).
● Support Units: these consist of artillery (heavy, siege or coastal), air
force (fighter, bomber, zeppelin), assault troops and armor. They give
bonuses to combat units but they don’t participate directly in combat.
Armies and HQ
Each country’s ground forces are divided into one or more Armies, each
one having a number (in addition, certain ones are also specifically named,
for historical reference).
An HQ represents an Army. It commands
its own corps (with its Army number).
It may also command other corps
(without an Army number). Its units are
divided into one or several stacks.
See below for more details.
5.1 Understanding the Unit
Panel
The Unit Panel is a versatile tool for
viewing, selecting, and organizing your
Forces (Units, Leaders, Naval Vessels,
Forces, Corps, Supply Wagons, etc.).
Left-clicking on Forces (including Leaders
and garrisoned structures) on the game
map causes a horizontal display window
known as the Unit Panel to appear along
the bottom edge of the screen.
Units
When you click on a stack of military
units, the unit panel displays more
information (see # on the picture below):