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[Lowlander]

My question is does a strong advancing Battalion outpatrol a weak defending Company.
I suspect not so I would'nt use this option.

[Philippe]

My question is does a strong advancing Battalion outpatrol a weak defending Company.
I suspect not so I would'nt use this option.

Not sure I understand this post.

What does 'outpatrol' mean in game terms?

As I'm sure you're aware, patrol is a standard feature and not an optional rule. So what I think you're saying is that you choose to ignore it. Probably not a good idea in a pbem game, because it's always useful to keep tabs on where the enemy front line is.

If you don't send out patrols and get surprised, you have nobody to blame but yourself. And military historians will make snide comments about your conduct of operations long after you're gone.

[Lowlander]

I stand corrected however again, when the patrol command is selected does a weak high fatigue diminished Company perform the same as a fresh full strength Battalion.

Especially when said units are pitted against each other, in other words does the good strong Battalion's bigger patrol or patrols, prevent the weak Company's diminished patrol from performing the task as was the case in real life.

What I'm trying to find out is quite simple are all patrol results the same, wither using a section,Regiment or A,B,C,D,E or F morale troops.

IMO a combat formula should be used which would then prevent certain units from gaining any Intel, I.E. they would be outpatrolled.

[Ricky B]

No difference five tired men are as good as a fresh 250.

[Lowlander]

No difference five tired men are as good as a fresh 250.

Yes I was just seeking to confirm what I already knew, that's why I tend not to use this option as it's skewd, however if needs must !!!.

[JDR Dragoon]

I would like to point out here, that "patrolling" might also be rationalized as representing more technical means, such as the use of Ground Search Radar, Thermal Cameras and other such stuff, and thus be totally unrelated to the size of the unit and its quality.

[Lowlander]

I would like to point out here, that "patrolling" might also be rationalized as representing more technical means, such as the use of Ground Search Radar, Thermal Cameras and other such stuff, and thus be totally unrelated to the size of the unit and its quality.

Good point but we can patrol in all the WW2 games and WW1 France'14, now I finally know the meaning of " A FEW GOOD MEN ".

Edit, After some time I managed to get my brain into gear.
So in Modern games a few good men would out patrol the MANY because they have better more advanced gear, well let's reverse the question if the MANY had the better advanced technical equipment should they get better results.
It does'nt matter in these games as both figures give the same exact answer.

It would be good if patrolling could be subjected to some kind of combat formula to decide who get's the info if any or just a ? hex.

[Philippe]

Could the patrolling mechanic be more realistic? Yes. Does the difference between its present state and its ideal state bother me? Probably not.

What does bother me is the way that fortifications tend to vanish from the map when they're no longer in your line of sight. I wouldn't be too disturbed by this if this just happened to fortifications built by the other side, but in a situation where you're on the defensive and perhaps considering a counter-offensive to win back some lost territory, it seems kind of strange not to see bunkers and pillboxes on the map that you might have put there yourself before the scenario started. You might not know if they were in a ruined state or not, but if you'd built them and garrisoned them for a while you'd certainly know they're there.

What I'm talking about here is a step up from vanishing minefields. I understand why it's not totally unrealistic to have minefields (your own and the other guy's) fall off the map when you aren't looking at them. People stumbled into their own minefields all the time. But a construction project that you spent several weeks building and several more weeks garrisoning -- it seems harder to swallow that you could forget about something like that quite so easily.

[Lowlander]

Philippe I've no doubt when the next game is released something new will be introduced.
Remember walls have ears

[Liebchen]

Especially when said units are pitted against each other, in other words does the good strong Battalion's bigger patrol or patrols, prevent the weak Company's diminished patrol from performing the task as was the case in real life.

The nature of patrols is to try to avoid combat if at all possible, so I'm not sure that a larger unit's patrols would necessary spot, let alone deter, a smaller unit's patrols.

Yes, I know that on occasion they would run into each other, but the preference was usually to get back to your unit alive and with intel, not to go "cowboy."