This is the FAQ for the
SUPERSONIC Games Ltd
Galston
Ayrshire
KA4 8WA
Tel: +44 (0) 1563 821 022
Fax: +44 (0) 1563
821 006
Email:
sam@austerlitz.co.uk
Written by:
SUPERSONIC GAMES LTD,
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Can
I enter the co-ordinate of the barracks as the Id in Sections –01- and –03-?
What
goods types can I store in a barracks?
What
happens if my opponent in a simulated battle does not send in a turn?
When
do battles take place in the turn?
Will
all of my forces take place in a Simulated Battle?
Can
ships on Blockade also be moved during a turn?
Can
brigades ride on baggage trains to allow them to move faster?
Can
I board a baggage train onto a single ship?
Can
I board a brigade onto a single ship when the ship has enough capacity to hold
it?
Can
I board Spies onto a fleet?
Can
I load a whole federation of brigades onto a fleet?
Can
I unload a federation from a fleet?
Do
I need to specify the fleet when I disembark brigades?
Must
I unload each part of a brigade from each ship it is on?
What
does that number mean when a ship is carrying a brigade?
When
boarding brigades, do I need to specify the direction the fleet from the
brigade?
Why
can I not board a commander onto a fleet?
Can
I build a complete of even-numbered (special) troops?
Can
I build brigades with a custom number of men?
Can
I build elite battalions when I build a new brigade?
I
thought I had enough money to build my brigades, but they did not get built.
What happened?
Is
there a minimum number of battalions I must build in each new brigade?
Must
I always write the brigades ID number? Can I just use the name?
What
do I write down to build battalions?
Where
can I build special troops?
Where
do I build Colonial Troops?
Must
I use the battalion numbers from the rulebook when setting up additional
battalions?
How
does Increasing Headcount work?.
Building
Brigades, Ships or Baggage Trains
Can
I build more than one production site on a co-ordinate?
What
do I write down to build a production site?
Can
I build and use a ship in the same turn?
Do
Merchant Ships need a name?
Can
I change the name of a federation?
Can
I change the name of a Trade City?
Can
I put single ships on Coastal Defence?
What
co-ordinates will my fleet patrol when on Coastal Defence?
How
do I get ships across to the Colonies and back again?
How
do I board commanders onto ships?
How
do I disembark commanders?
Why
can I not board a commander onto a fleet?
Can
I demolish an entire brigade?
Can
I demolish production sites in section –02-?
What
is your policy on dropping from the game?
Can
I load more than two goods types onto a merchant ship?
Can
I move goods directly between Trade Cities I own?
Can
I sell directly from my national warehouse into a trade city that I own?
How
can money be transferred between nations?
How
do the formulas for buying and selling work?
Can
I spend all the Louisdore I have at the start of the month?
What
do those error codes mean?
What
does Not Enough Citizens mean?.
Why
do I get repeated error codes?.
Can
I board a ship onto a fleet?
Can
I unload a ship from a fleet?
How
do I take an item out of a federation?
What
federation numbers can I put brigades and commanders into?
What
federation numbers can I put ships into?
Where
do the goods come from when I fortify a barracks or shipyard?
What
goods types can I store in a barracks?
Can
I hand over a baggage train?
How
do I hand over goods to another nation?
Are
goods transferred when a ship is handed over?
Can
I transfer an entire fleet of ships to another nation?
How
do I hand over territory to another nation?
Must
I specify the nation I am handing over territory to?
Can
I conquer territory the same month that I unload the brigades from a fleet?
Do
I require a garrison in neutral areas?
When
do I need occupying forces to garrison conquered territory?
Why
didnt I capture a co-ordinate after unloading a brigade on top of it?
Why
didnt I capture any territory?.
Why
dont I capture enemy ships when I capture a port?
Why
I lose my conquered territory when no battle was fought?
How
can I establish a position in the Colonies when I own no territory there?
What
are those small letter I can see on sea co-ordinates sometimes?
Can
I move individual items that are in a federation?
Can
I move something more than once in a turn?
Does
it cost movement points to march on the spot – i.e. move while remaining
stationary?
How
do I get ships across to the Colonies and back again?
How
do I write down Forced March orders?
What
happens when I force-march across my territory and onto enemy territory?
Why
did my brigades not move as far as I thought they would in the Colonies?
How
can I make my fleets act as Pirates?
Why
did the population drop in a co-ordinate?
What
order do production sites produce their goods?
How
do I board spies onto ships?
Are
there any tips you can give me when starting the game?
How
can I find out the state relations of another nation?
What
do I write down to change state relations?
In
Section –01-, can I move goods directly from the national warehouse to a ship
or baggage train?
In
Section –01-, can I transfer goods to a Trade City?
Can
I load more than two goods types onto a baggade train?
Can
I load or unloads goods from a federation, or must I do it for each ship or
baggage train?
Can
I transfer goods between national warehouse in the
Can
I unload goods in section –20-?.
Can
warships carry money or goods?.
How
can I work out how much money I will gain from selling my goods?
How
do I write in the amount of goods I want to transfer?
How
do I write in the goods I want to transfer?
I
did not buy all of the trade goods I wanted – but there was no error code. Why?
Is
all the money transferred when everything is unloaded from a ship or baggage
train?
Is
there a shortcut I can use when I am unloading all goods from a ship or baggage
train?
Where
must I put the money when I am buying goods?
Barracks
Can I enter the co-ordinate of the barracks as the Id in Sections –01- and –03-?
In section -01- and -03-, etc, the barracks/shipyard is written in as the i.d number rather than the coordinates, i.e '313' instead of '34/12'! I've altered them for you so all your orders should go through ok!
What goods types can I store in a barracks?
All goods types can be stored in a barracks, although only Louisdore, Citizens, Economic Points, Wood, Horses and Textiles are shown on the printout. So you and an ally can load goods into your barracks, and they will be there!
Battles
Myself and my ally met on a single co-ordinate to engage the enemy, but only one of our armies fought! Why is this?
I'm afraid that two countries who are allied will not fight against a common enemy. Only one of the two countries will fight, and that is decided randomly.
So if
This is the same for both Mathematical and Simulated battles.
The only time that two countries will fight together is during a sea battle, when their fleets will combine to fight a common enemy.
What happens if my opponent in a simulated battle does not send in a turn?
Just a quick note about the simulated battle with last turn!
I’m afraid that the other country, not having a ruler, won’t fight the battle. Instead a mathematical battle will be fought, with the other country taking 25% losses at the start due to troops routing, deserting into the countryside, etc.
The battle will take place ‘between months’, before the start of this month, so all your forces will be available this turn just as if the battle was fought last turn!
When do battles take place in the turn?
Battles take place after all movement is finished, so all armies that converge on the one coord will engage the enemy army en masse rather than be defeated in detail. A tiny army that's outnumbered 8:1 will only be overrun if the combination of movement orders means that the larger enemy force moves over the top of it.
Will all of my forces take place in a Simulated Battle
This is just a quick note to explain the lack of troops in the simulated battle!
In the simulated battle set-up sheet the division of
federations was 101
Therefore only part of your army has fought in the battle this time round!
Blockade
How do blockades work?
How do blockades work? Each blockading fleet that is outside a port protects the eight coordinates around it, plus the coordinate it is on:
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fleet |
|
|
|
|
|
If any fleet of an enemy nation (relationship 1 or 2) enters any of the nine coordinates then the fleet will move to attack them.
Can ships on Blockade also be moved during a turn?
Unfortunately while ships are on blockade they can't be moved, so all the movement commands have no effect.
Boarding
How do I move an army by sea?
Brigades are actually loaded onto a fleet (see section 6.7 & 6.7.1 in rulebook), you can’t load a brigade onto a single ship.
Example: You have 4 brigades and a commander in one of your shipyards, which you
want to
transport to
First Turn:-
In section -20- of the turn sheet, using the command E.(brigade number).15 for each separate brigade (not the federation number), and the command E.(commanders number).any ship in fleet 15 (you must specify a ship i.d. number for the commander to board). Brigades will also board a fleet that is situated adjacent to the land co-ordinate the brigades are on (i.e North, South, East or West) using the ‘E’ command alone - no boarding direction needs to be specified!
Second Turn:-
With the brigades and commander safely on board move the fleet to the desired location.
Example: The fleet has berthed at another of your shipyards.
In section -20- of the turn sheet, using the command ‘9.(brigade number)’, and command ‘9.(commander number)’, the troops and commander will disembark onto that co-ordinate. If the fleet was on a co-ordinate adjacent to the coast, and not in a shipyard, instead of command 9 you would use the unload commands 1-7 (see section 6.7.Boarding in your rulebook) and they would land on the coast.
When troops are disembarked onto a co-ordinate they do nothing that month except climb off the ships and stand on the beach. Unfortunately they can’t conquer any territory or participate in any battles, unless a battle is already taking place on the co-ordinate on which they land. To conquer the co-ordinate next month they must be given a ‘9 1’ movement order, i.e move while remaining stationary (see 6.3.7.2).
The quantity of troops that is listed as being on board a fleet is actually the tonnage of troops on board that particular vessel rather than the number of soldiers. So you can rest easy that the remainder of your troops aren't swilling down wine at his majesty's expense at the embarkation port!
One other point - if the fleet on which your brigades are being transported is involved in a sea battle you may lose some of the troops within the brigades, this is especially relevant if you lose a ship which has part of a brigade on board. (even though your brigades might appear to be at full strength on your turnsheet, while still onboard the fleet, the true headcount will only appear when they are disembarked).
Can brigades ride on baggage trains to allow them to move faster?
Example: 'E 4008 72', would mean boarding a brigade onto a baggage train! Unfortunately this won't work, although the idea of a 'donkey express' rapid brigade delivery service is interesting...
Can I board a baggage train onto a single ship?
Baggage trains can only board fleets. You can put the ship into a 'single ship fleet', fleet 14, and board the baggage train onto that.
Can I board a brigade onto a single ship when the ship has enough capacity to hold it?
Brigades must always be loaded onto a fleet, even when a single ship has enough capacity to carry them.
Can I board Spies onto a fleet?
In section -20-, Boarding, spies are boarded onto single ships - they get confused when they're asked to board a whole fleet!
Can I load a whole federation of brigades onto a fleet?
In section -20-, Boarding, you can't load a federation directly onto a fleet. Instead brigades must be loaded individually onto a fleet, and commanders onto ships.
Can I unload a federation from a fleet?
In section -20-, Boarding, you can't unload a federation from a fleet. As soon as brigades and commanders are loaded onto a fleet/single ship they are taken out of their federation.
Do I need to specify the fleet when I disembark brigades?
When disembarking troops you do not have to specify the fleet, unless, of course, your brigades are on someone else's fleets.
Must I unload each part of a brigade from each ship it is on?
In section -20-, a brigade need only be disembarked from the fleet it is on. The fleet number alone is fine!
What does that number mean when a ship is carrying a brigade?
The quantity of troops that is listed as being on board a fleet is actually the tonnage of troops on board that particular vessel rather than the number of soldiers. So you can rest easy that the remainder of your troops aren't swilling down wine at his majesty's expense at the embarkation port!
When boarding brigades, do I need to specify the direction the fleet from the brigade?
Yes, brigades will board a fleet that is adjacent to them (i.e North, South, East or West) using the ‘E’ command alone - no boarding direction needs to be specified!
Why can I not board a commander onto a fleet?
Commanders must be individually loaded onto ships, you see, as when they're presented with the choice of an entire fleet they get all dizzy and fall in the harbour...
Brigades
How do I move an army by sea?
Brigades are actually loaded onto a fleet (see section 6.7 & 6.7.1 in rulebook), you can’t load a brigade onto a single ship.
Example: You have 4 brigades and a commander in one of your shipyards, which you
want to
transport to
First Turn:-
In section -20- of the turn sheet, using the command E.(brigade number).15 for each separate brigade (not the federation number), and the command E.(commanders number).any ship in fleet 15 (you must specify a ship i.d. number for the commander to board). Brigades will also board a fleet that is situated adjacent to the land co-ordinate the brigades are on (i.e North, South, East or West) using the ‘E’ command alone - no boarding direction needs to be specified!
Second Turn:-
With the brigades and commander safely on board move the fleet to the desired location.
Example: The fleet has berthed at another of your shipyards.
In section -20- of the turn sheet, using the command ‘9.(brigade number)’, and command ‘9.(commander number)’, the troops and commander will disembark onto that co-ordinate. If the fleet was on a co-ordinate adjacent to the coast, and not in a shipyard, instead of command 9 you would use the unload commands 1-7 (see section 6.7.Boarding in your rulebook) and they would land on the coast.
When troops are disembarked onto a co-ordinate they do nothing that month except climb off the ships and stand on the beach. Unfortunately they can’t conquer any territory or participate in any battles, unless a battle is already taking place on the co-ordinate on which they land. To conquer the co-ordinate next month they must be given a ‘9 1’ movement order, i.e move while remaining stationary (see 6.3.7.2).
The quantity of troops that is listed as being on board a fleet is actually the tonnage of troops on board that particular vessel rather than the number of soldiers. So you can rest easy that the remainder of your troops aren't swilling down wine at his majesty's expense at the embarkation port!
One other point - if the fleet on which your brigades are being transported is involved in a sea battle you may lose some of the troops within the brigades, this is especially relevant if you lose a ship which has part of a brigade on board. (even though your brigades might appear to be at full strength on your turnsheet, while still onboard the fleet, the true headcount will only appear when they are disembarked).
Building Brigades
Can I build a complete of even-numbered (special) troops?
Unfortunately, even numbered battalions can only be built in positions six and seven in a new brigade. This reflects the elite nature of those type of troops.
Can I build brigades with a custom number of men?
In section -03-, Set Up Brigades, and section -04-, Set Up Battalions, the number of men that is set up for each battalion is automatically 800. I'm afraid the numbers can't be 'tailor made'!
Can I build elite battalions when I build a new brigade?
In section -03-, Set Up Brigades, new elite units (i.e. type '22') can only be added to existing brigades in section -04-, and can't be created with a new brigade.
I thought I had enough money to build my brigades, but they did not get built. What happened?
When brigades are set up outside your nation’s home region then the cost in Louisdore is doubled or tripled (see 5.1.4), but all other costs, such as increasing headcount and training, are the normal cost.
Is there a minimum number of battalions I must build in each new brigade?
In section -03-, Set Up Brigades, each brigade must have a minimum of five battalions.
Must I always write the brigades ID number? Can I just use the name?
In section -04-, -05, -06, -07, and other sections where you specify a brigade, the game program only accepts the brigade's i.d number, rather than the brigade's name.
Must I name brigades?
In section -03-, Set Up Brigades, all new brigades should be given a name.
What do I write down to build battalions?
In section -3-, Set Up Brigades, the program only accepts the battalions as the numbers from the army tables in chapter 9 of the rulebook, not the abbreviations.
Where can I build special troops?
Even numbered troop types, i.e. special troops, can only be built in your nation's home region, i.e. the coordinates beginning with the capital letter of your nation on the regional map.
Where do I build Colonial Troops?
Unfortunately Colonial troops can’t be built in the
Colonies-they can only be built in
Must I use the battalion numbers from the rulebook when setting up additional battalions?
In section -04-, Set Up Additional Battalions, the program only accepts the battalions as the numbers from the army tables in chapter 9 of the rulebook, not the abbreviations.
How does Increasing Headcount work?
The number of 'men' for the increase is actually the number of men that will be added to each battalion rather than the brigade as a whole! The maximum increase it is possible to enter is 800 men.
Building Brigades, Ships or Baggage Trains
Must I transfer goods into a barracks to build a brigade, ship or baggage train? Can I just keep the goods in my national warehouse?
All goods must be in the barracks where a new brigade or ship or baggage train is to be formed.
Building Production Sites
Can I build more than one production site on a co-ordinate?
In section -13-, Build Production Sites, there can only be one site on each co-ordinate.
What do I write down to build a production site?
In section -13-, Build Production Sites, the 'Item' number is taken from section 2.8.5, i.e '1' for a demolition gang, '2' for a barracks, '4' for a factory, etc. The next two numbers are the co-ordinate.
Building Ships
Can I build and use a ship in the same turn?
There was a problem with the new ship that you are building this month. You can't actually do anything with an item in the same month that it is being built. It is only completed at the end of the month, and then it appears on your empire sheet with its i.d number!
Do Merchant Ships need a name?
In section -10-, Build Ships, new merchant ships don't actually need a name as only warships have names. It's a nice thought though, and I'm sure the captains will be pleased!
Do Warships need a name?
In section -10-, Build Ships, new warships should be given names.
Change Names
Can I change the name of a federation?
In section, -22-, Change Names, I'm afraid that you can't change the name of Federation - they have to stick with the number!
Can I change the name of a Trade City
In section, -22-, Change Names, I'm afraid that you can't
change the name of the
Coastal Defence
Can I put single ships on Coastal Defence?
Only fleets can be put on defence, not single ships. You can, however, assign a single ship to a fleet and then put that 'fleet' on coastal defence.
What co-ordinates will my fleet patrol when on Coastal Defence?
A fleet on Coastal Defence based in a port will only patrol the continuous path of co-ordinates that start outside the port and are symbolised by either ‘*’ or ‘+’ - the fleet will patrol a continuous path of ‘*’s or ‘+’s. For example, a fleet based in Karlskrona would patrol the co-ordinates 43/11, 44/11, 45/10, 46/9, 46/8, 45/7, 45/6, 46/5, 47/4 and 48/3.
Colonies
How do I get ships across to the Colonies and back again?
For ships to move across to and from the Colonies they must
end their movement for the turn on a jump off point. They’ll then sail across
the ocean during the month to appear in the corresponding jump off point in the
Colonies (or back in
There are several reasons why ships might not cross using the colonial jump off points. If they arrive on a jump off point accidently, i.e if they run out of movement points or ‘go off the edge of the map’ and are stopped at the edge on a jump off point, then they will not cross over. If they are also sitting stationary on the jump off point during the whole turn they also will not cross over. The only way ships will go across is if they end their movement legitimately on the jump off point. This also means that if they begin the turn on a jump off point then they must ‘move while remaining stationary’ i.e move ‘9.1’.
If you check the error codes for ship movement any error code 10 means the ships overshot the edge of the map and therefore didn’t cross, and any error code 14 means they ran out of movement points and again didn’t cross.
So in a nutshell, ships must end their movement for the turn on the jump-off point in order to sail across!
Hope this clarifies this point for you!
Commanders
How do I board commanders onto ships?
Spies and commanders can't be loaded onto ships but must instead be boarded onto individual ships in section -20-. They object to sharing accomodation with cabbages and horses and spending the voyage knee deep in tbe bilges, you see...
How do I disembark commanders?
Spies, brigades, baggage trains and commanders can't be unloaded. They must instead be disembarked from their ships in section -20-. They object to being unloaded like cargo and sharing accomodation with cabbages and horses, and spending the voyage knee deep in tbe bilges, you see!
Why can I not board a commander onto a fleet?
Commanders must be individually loaded onto ships, you see, as when they're presented with the choice of an entire fleet they get all dizzy and fall in the harbour...
Demolishing Items
Can I demolish a commander?
Unfortunately I couldn't put through some orders in section -02- as it's impossible to demolish a commander. They do take exception to being put in front a firing squad by their own side...
Can I demolish a federation?
You can't demolish a federation - the items must instead be demolished one by one.
Can I demolish a spy?
Unfortunately I couldn't put the orders through for section -02- as you can't demolish a spy. They do take exception to being put in front a firing squad by their own side...
Can I demolish an entire brigade?
In section -02-, Demolish Items, each battalion that is to be demolished in a brigade should be entered as a separate order! It's something to do with industrial relations as this keeps the troops from being laid off too quickly.
Can I demolish production sites in section –02-?
You must demolish production sites in section 13 (see Demolition Gang 2.8.5). Section 2 is reserved for demolishing population (see 2.6.5), Ships (see 4.9), Battalions (see 6.10.3) and Barracks & Shipyards (see 6.10.4)!
Dropping Out
What is your policy on dropping from the game?
A player will be allowed to miss a maximum of 2 turns and then their empire will automatically be freed, this is assuming they have no credit left after this period. This is so we can monitor the free empires better, allowing new players into existing games quicker and so keeping the game interesting with an input of new blood.
The time span of two turns is ample in which to contact me if you are experiencing problems.
Economics
Can I load more than two goods types onto a merchant ship?
Unfortunately, only two types can be loaded onto a merchant ship. The sailors can only count up to two, you see. Hope this doesn't ruin your trading plans...
Can I move goods directly between Trade Cities I own?
Unfortunately this can't happen! It would be great if it could be done, but I'm afraid it can't! Instead, baggage trains and ships have to haul their cargo of goods across from city to city, buying and selling as they go.
Can I sell directly from my national warehouse into a trade city that I own?
This is a shortcut! You do not have to transfer money to a
barracks, then buy goods from trade city into the barracks, and then transfer
the goods back into the warehouse. Instead, you can trade directly from your
national warehouse into a trade city that you own. You don’t have to go ‘via’ a
barracks, you’ll be glad to hear! The command to do the trading would be, for
example, ‘13 1000 1 112’ to sell 1000 EcPts from your European national
warehouse into
How can money be transferred between nations?
One nation must load the money onto a ship or baggage train, and go to a barracks of the other nation and unload it there. This is the only way to get the money.
How do the formulas for buying and selling work?
Buying and selling goods is actually pretty straightforward once you know how the formulas work!
Buying
To calculate the cost per unit when buying goods the following formula is used (see 6.6.1):
So the cost to buy one unit of Gold (Goods Factor 29 - see 6.6.3) from a trade city with a rate of 6, and with 100 units currently in the city would be:
or...
or 26,540 Louisdore per unit. So to buy 50 units would cost 50 x 26,540 = 1,327,000 Louisdore!
Selling
Selling goods is much the same, with just one added complication. The formula is (see 6.6.2):
So the price for selling one unit of food (Goods Factor of 4) at a trade city with a rate of 5, with 1000 units currently in the city and selling a total of 500 units would be:
or...
or 554 Louisdore per unit. The grand total when selling 500 units of food would be 554x500 = 277,000 Louisdore.
I hope this clears this up for you!
Can I spend all the Louisdore I have at the start of the month?
Ahar! The old
At the very end of the month, after all orders have been processed, all production happens and taxes are collected, and all of it is placed in your national warehouse.
You don't have to be an accountant to play
Error codes
What do those error codes mean?
The error codes are printed at the bottom of the sheet that lists the orders inputted, and they are listed as follows --x y z--, where x, y and z are:
x - The section the error occurred in
y - The order number where the error occurred
z - The error itself (see section 10 in the rulebook)
So, for example, and error 10 1 6 would mean:
10 - The error occurred in section 10, Build Ships
1 - The error was in order number 1
6 - The error was 'you cannot build a ship in a barracks' (from section 10.10)
What does Not Enough Citizens mean?
When the program brings up a 'Not enough Citizens' error, it means 'citizens', i.e goods type -11-, rather than the population of the coordinate. Each production site, you see, requires 1,500 citizens as staff, and if there aren't enough in the national warehouse then an error is generated.
Why do I get repeated error codes?
The reason for the repetition of the error code for repairing ships/baggage trains was that the order was to repair all the items in a federation, and since there wasn't enough goods to deal with them the program generated an error for each item.
Federations
Can I board a ship onto a fleet?
Example: "E.1414.12" would mean boarding a ship onto a fleet! A ship is actually put in a fleet in section 14 by assigning it to the fleet, i.e "1414.12".
Can I unload a ship from a fleet?
Example: "4.1094.11.P" would mean disembarking a ship from a fleet! A ship is actually removed from a fleet in section 14 by assigning it to fleet 0, i.e "1094.0".
Can spies join federations?
I had to alter one of the orders in your turn, order 12 in Form Federations. Spies can't actually join a federation, and must move independently of other items.
How do I take an item out of a federation?
In section -14-, Form Federations, assign an item to federation '0', which will remove them from their current fed.
What federation numbers can I put brigades and commanders into?
Brigades and commanders must be put in numbers 61-90 (see 6.1).
What federation numbers can I put ships into?
Ships must be put into numbers 11 to 60 (see 6.1).
Fortifications
Where do the goods come from when I fortify a barracks or shipyard?
The goods required to fortify a barracks/shipyard are actually taken from the National Warehouse.
Goods Types
What goods types can I store in a barracks?
All goods types can be stored in a barracks, although only Louisdore, Citizens, Economic Points, Wood, Horses and Textiles are shown on the printout. So you and an ally can load goods into your barracks, and they will be there!
Handing Over Baggage Trains
Can I hand over a baggage train?
Only ships and territory can be handed over to another nation. The mules grow attached to their emperor, you see...
Handing Over Goods
How do I hand over goods to another nation?
You can transfer goods from your barracks into an ally’s baggage train or ship, or vice versa, but not directly to or from your national warehouse. All goods can be transferred, not just those listed in the contents of a barracks on the result sheet. So, for example, you could transfer ore into the barracks, and the ore won’t appear on the result sheet but will be in the barracks, and then transfer the ore into the baggage train.
Handing Over Ships
Are goods transferred when a ship is handed over?
When a ship is transferred to another owner all goods loaded onto that ship are transferred, except for any citizens who disembark from the vessel and are lost. If a brigade, commander, spy or baggage train is loaded onto a ship, then the ship will not be transferred.
Can I transfer an entire fleet of ships to another nation?
Ships must be transferred individually in section -21-,
Handing Over Territory
How do I hand over territory to another nation?
To cede territory to another nation they must have a brigade of their own on the co-ordinate that is to be handed over. If there is no brigade, then the co-ordinate will remain yours!
Must I specify the nation I am handing over territory to?
The country that the territory is to be handed over to must be written down!
Increasing Brigade Headcount
What do I write in here?
In section -05-, Increase Headcount, the number of men you wish to add to each battalion must be specified rather than the troop type.
Invasion
Can I conquer territory the same month that I unload the brigades from a fleet?
When troops are disembarked onto a coordinate they do nothing that month except climb off the ships and stand on the beach. Unfortunately they can’t conquer any territory or participate in any battles. To conquer the coordinate next month they must be given a ‘9 1’ movement order, i.e move which remaining stationary (see 6.3.7.2).
Can I invade enemy territory with one army, then on the same turn, invade over that territory and capture more co-ordinates?
Unfortunately coords that are captured in one order cannot be used to 'leapfrog' an invasion force further into enemy territory in a subsequent order.
Do I require a garrison in neutral areas?
In a nutshell, occupying forces aren't required in neutral areas! The population don't have any sort of common governmental voice that would need quelling - they're quite happy to fly the big '?' flag outside their homes, and change it to the colours of whatever nations come along!
When do I need occupying forces to garrison conquered territory?
Occupying forces are only required to pacify the conquered territory of another European nation, i.e on the regional map those coordinates beginning with 'A' or 'a' for Austrian, 'G' or 'g' for Great Britain, etc.
Why didnt I capture a co-ordinate after unloading a brigade on top of it?
If you disembark a brigade onto an island/co-ordinate, you must use the remaining stationary command on the following month to capture it. You will not capture a co-ordinate simply by unloading your brigades onto it.
Why didnt I capture any territory?
The troops haven't conquered any territory because they lack the leadership to do so. The footnote at 6.4.1.1.1 mentions that you must have a commander with the brigade to conquer neutral territory, and if you do they can take up to three coordinates per turn. So move a commander to their location, then join the commander and the brigade together in a federation, and there will be no problem.
Why dont I capture enemy ships when I capture a port?
If you capture a shipyard containing ships of an enemy nation, the ships should actually leave the shipyard and take to the open sea, so you can’t capture them!
Why I lose my conquered territory when no battle was fought?
The reason that the coordinates returned to their original allegiance after they were captured was probably because there were no ‘occupying forces’ on the nation’s territory. Brigades are required to pacify the conquered territory of another European nation, i.e on the regional map those coordinates beginning with 'A' or 'a' for Austrian, 'G' or 'g' for Great Britain, etc, or else the coordinate returns to its former country (see 6.4.1.2).
How can I establish a position in the Colonies when I own no territory there?
To start a position in the colonies when you don’t have any
colonial holdings is difficult, but not impossible. Since your national
warehouse is empty, you must first get hold of a barracks and transfer those
goods required into the warehouse. You can either do this by conquest ( Set Sail from
Map
What are those small letter I can see on sea co-ordinates sometimes?
The small letters at sea are ships that have been sighted, and they could be fleets or single ships. If several fleets are in the same coord, only one will appear on the map, if any are sighted at all!
Movement
Can I move individual items that are in a federation?
In section -18-, Movement, individual brigades, ships, baggage trains, etc, that are in a federation cannot be moved separately while in the federation. Instead the whole federation is moved in the one movement order!
Can I move something more than once in a turn?
I noticed when I was typing in the movement commands in section -18- that the same unit was moved more than once. Unfortunately, each unit can only move once per turn, and the second movement order will generate an error.
Does it cost movement points to march on the spot – i.e. move while remaining stationary?
It does cost MPs to move while remaining stationary. The troops effectively march around the province, climb mountains, forge through forests, etc, and thus incur the MP cost.
How do I get ships across to the Colonies and back again?
For ships to move across to and from the Colonies they must
end their movement for the turn on a jump off point. They’ll then sail across
the ocean during the month to appear in the corresponding jump off point in the
Colonies (or back in
There are several reasons why ships might not cross using the colonial jump off points. If they arrive on a jump off point accidently, i.e if they run out of movement points or ‘go off the edge of the map’ and are stopped at the edge on a jump off point, then they will not cross over. If they are also sitting stationary on the jump off point during the whole turn they also will not cross over. The only way ships will go across is if they end their movement legitimately on the jump off point. This also means that if they begin the turn on a jump off point then they must ‘move while remaining stationary’ i.e move ‘9.1’.
If you check the error codes for ship movement any error code 10 means the ships overshot the edge of the map and therefore didn’t cross, and any error code 14 means they ran out of movement points and again didn’t cross.
So in a nutshell, ships must end their movement for the turn on the jump-off point in order to sail across!
Hope this clarifies this point for you!
How do I write down Forced March orders?
If brigades are meant to be forced marching, use directions ‘11’ ‘12’ and ‘13’. The method of writing down forced march directions is to add ten to the direction command.
What happens when I force-march across my territory and onto enemy territory?
If you force march across your own territory into enemy territory then the whole order will be aborted. Unfortunately, your troops won't march to the border then stop – they will simply not move at all…
Why did my brigades not move as far as I thought they would in the Colonies?
I’ve a fair idea why the troops did not move as far as
expected in the colonies. The cost of movement in the
Piracy
How can I make my fleets act as Pirates?
There is no 'piracy' order as such in
Your pirate fleets must consist solely of warships, however, which means that all you have to do to avoid catastrophic losses when moving a warfleet and possibly engaging a larger foe is to include a merchantmen.
Population
Why did the population drop in a co-ordinate?
There is more than one reason why - it can be something to do with the population of your entire country increasing when invading new territory, and then running out of food. It can even be the result of plague.
Production
What order do production sites produce their goods?
The production sites, as far as I am aware, produce their goods in a logical order, i.e sheep farms produce wool, then the textile mills produce textiles from the wool, and then the factories use the textiles to produce Economic Points.
Repairs
Why was my ship not repaired?
The reason the ship wasn't repaired was that the shipyard didn't have enough goods to perform the repair. The goods, etc, required for the refit don't come from the national warehouse, they come from the shipyard at which the ship is berthed. So if the yard doesn't have the necessary goods, then nothing is done.
Spies
Can spies join federations?
I had to alter one of the orders in your turn, order 12 in Form Federations. Spies can't actually join a federation, and must move independently of other items.
How do I board spies onto ships?
Spies and commanders can't be loaded onto ships but must instead be boarded onto individual ships in section -20-. They object to sharing accomodation with cabbages and horses and spending the voyage knee deep in tbe bilges, you see...
How do I disembark spies?
Spies, brigades, baggage trains and commanders can't be unloaded. They must instead be disembarked from their ships in section -20-. They object to being unloaded like cargo and sharing accomodation with cabbages and horses, and spending the voyage knee deep in tbe bilges, you see!
Startup
Are there any tips you can give me when starting the game?
Hints'n'Tips
The following is a quick resumé of commonly made Austerlitz mistakes. Settle down in front of a roaring fire, mug of hot chocolate in hand, for a good long read...
In section -1- goods can only be transferred between national warehouses and barracks/shipyards. To transfer goods between a baggage train/ship and a national warehouse or barracks/shipyard then use sections -17- and -19-.
In section -1-, you also can't transfer goods directly to or from a Trade City. It would be good if you could, but you can't!
When Increasing Headcount in section -05-, the number of 'men' for the increase is actually the number of men that will be added to each battalion rather than the brigade as a whole!
The goods required to fortify a barracks/shipyard are actually taken from the National Warehouse. The precondition listed in the rulebook, which says that the goods are taken from the barracks itself is actually a typo.
Each production site requires 1,500 citizens as staff, and if there aren't enough in the national warehouse then an error is generated. This should have been in the rulebook, but was somehow lost in translation.
In sections -17- and -19-, Trade and Loading, you can't actually load goods into or out of a federation. Instead you have to individually load them directly onto the ships/baggage trains in the federation so that the program knows where everything goes!
In section -20-, Boarding, you can't load a federation directly onto a fleet. The rulebook does sort of hint that you can, but believe me, you can't! Instead brigades must be loaded individually onto a fleet, and commanders onto ships.
When disembarking troops in section -20- you do not have to specify the fleet, unless, of course, your brigades are on someone else's fleets.
When I said in the newsletter to write '10x' against each trade command in order to save writing out all the multiple trade orders, I should have also said that you're still limited to just the normal 18 trade commands! So writing '10x' against each and every order means that you rapidly run out of trade orders...
How do blockades work? Each blockading fleet protects the eight coordinates around it, plus the coordinate it is on:
Fleet
If any fleet of an enemy nation (relationship 1 or 2) enters any of the nine coordinates then the fleet will move to attack them.
And finally, the old Austerlitz cashflow problem! At the start of each month in Austertlitz, before any orders are processed, all the maintenance costs, wages, etc, for your empire are taken from the national warehouses. This means that the figure for Louisdore on the empire sheet for the previous month is quickly whittled away by the costs of running the empire! So you have to work out exactly how much money you have available before allocating any of it! You don't have to be an accountant to play Austerlitz, but it helps...
State Relations
How can I find out the state relations of another nation?
To find out the state relationships of another county, you have to move a spy to one of the nation's barracks or trade cities, and then you'll get a report at the end of your empire sheet!
State Relationships
What do I write down to change state relations?
In section -23-, Change State Relationships, the new relationship is written down as a number, i.e '4' for Alliance, '1' for War, etc (see 3.1) rather than the name.
Trading
In Section –01-, can I move goods directly from the national warehouse to a ship or baggage train?
In section -1- goods can only be transferred between national warehouses and barracks/shipyards. To transfer goods between a baggage train/ship and a national warehouse or barracks/shipyard then use sections -17- and -19-.
In Section –01-, can I transfer goods to a Trade City
In section -1-, Transfer Goods, you can't transfer goods
directly to or from a
Can I load more than two goods types onto a baggade train?
Unfortunately, only two types can be loaded. The donkeys can only count up to two, you see. Hope this doesn't ruin your trading plans...
Can I load or unloads goods from a federation, or must I do it for each ship or baggage train?
You can't actually load goods into or out of a federation. Instead you have to individually load them directly onto the ships/baggage trains in the federation so that the program knows where everything goes!
Can I transfer goods between national warehouse in the
Colonies and Europe ?
In sections -01-, -17- and -19-, only money can be transferred between national warehouses (see 2.3). The transfer of money is an abstract thing, sort of equivalent to letters of credit, etc, and is therefore possible within the game. I'm afraid, however, that goods must go the long way, via ship!
Can I unload goods in section –20-?
Example: In section -20- "9 18 1319", which means 'unload goods type 18 on this location'. Unfortunately, you can only transfer goods between items, barracks, warehouses and trade cities.
Can warships carry money or goods?
Nope, I'm afraid that warships can't carry money or goods of any description. They're ships of war, and if they're laden down with cabbages it can blunt their fighting edge!
How can I work out how much money I will gain from selling my goods?
The sale price for goods does depend very much on how much you sell! The formula in the rulebook does reflect supply and demand, so if you sell 1,000 units you will get a lower price per unit than if you sell one unit only!
To get the most money out of trading it’s better to sell a lot of small amounts many times than one large amount once. So instead of selling 1,000 units in one order, you will get more money if you sell 100 units ten times! To help us input all the multiple orders, it’s best to write ‘ten times’ next to the order you wish to repeat, and we’ll then duplicate it ten times (or however many times you want). You are still limited to just the normal 18 trade commands, however!
How do I write in the amount of goods I want to transfer?
In section -17-, Trade and Loading 1, the quantity of goods is transferred is always in ‘units’ rather than tonnes.
How do I write in the goods I want to transfer?
In section -17-, the code numbers for goods are used (see 2.1) for trading, not the goods value or goods names!
I did not buy all of the trade goods I wanted – but there was no error code. Why?
No error is generated during trading when the specified amount of a goods type isn’t bought. This shortfall can happen because of lack of money or lack of the goods.
Example: When no error appears you assume that there was no problem, and the trade went through alright, when in fact nothing may have been bought... Say some Louisdore are transferred into a ship or baggage train in the same month that it is to buy the goods, and because the national warehouse is out of money, no money is transferred. Then the ship or baggage train ‘completes’ its trading, and buys nothing because it has no money. So it appears that money has been transferred, no goods bought, and yet the money has disappeared. Confusing, eh?!
Is all the money transferred when everything is unloaded from a ship or baggage train?
In sections -17- and -19-, Trading and Loading, the ‘A’ (unload All) command doesn’t unload money.
Is there a shortcut I can use when I am unloading all goods from a ship or baggage train?
You can use one single order to unload everything from a ship or baggage train:
A 10000 ship city
The "A 10000" means "unload all". Hope this is of some use to you!
Where must I put the money when I am buying goods?
When buying goods from a trade city, the money must be present in the 'destination' item, whether that item is a ship, baggage train, barracks or warehouse.
Turns
How is the game processed?
The turnsheet is processed exactly in the order you see it, i.e section -01- first, then -02-, and within each section each order is processed for each player at the same time. So everyone's order 1 in section -18-, for example, is processed before order 2.