Watch replays, yes or no?

[Mr Grumpy]

I think Rick makes some good points that perhaps being the defending player does make the intel from replays more important than when on the attack and of course if you have secure flanks and good LOS along your line that would also make replay intel less vital.

OJW also makes a good point that perhaps we do receive more detailed intel than we should having our "god like" view of the whole battlefield. 

My POV is that if you don't watch replays and your opponent does, you do so in the knowledge that you are giving him a advantage of varying degrees depending on the scenario being played, not saying that it is wrong as everyone is entitled to play these games as they see fit. 

I am in Rick's S14 campaign game and I timed watching a replay at 14 minutes, some people will say that is 14 mins of my life I will never get back!!  LOL

Watching replays is:

a. Sort of like watching the movie of your game. It can be anxiety-inducing, at times!

b. NOT "god-like intel" because you still only get reports of what your troops witness/experience.

Someone could attack your unit and disappear out of sight, and if you didn't watch the replay you might not even notice that they've been there. Your troops would most definitely have reported enemy contact, though.

a. I agree, watching fire on a unit that you just can't afford to disrupt can see you letting out a big "phew" when it survives or seeing an assault coming in only for it to fail to take the hex. 

b. As overall commander not every single scrap of intel would make it back to your HQ, some would be lost in a garbled report or a runner that goes missing or is delayed putting the report in, so I still believe in the larger scenarios we do see detail that a Army commander might not have reported to him. 

[Outlaw Josey Wales]

I spent a couple of years as an RTO for a Bn Cdr. There are all kinds of things that happen that interrupts the flow of information. You might have an officer looking to get promoted quickly by getting medals and downplays info he gets or doesn't report it at all. Some officers are stupid or just can't handle it. Comms could be down or destroyed. Cdrs also don't have the benefit of looking at replays on a tv screen. Sometimes, they have an exercise by computer. But, there are no replays until the AAR. It is what it is.

[Dion]

Sounds like replays are quite useful. Seems that if you don't watch them your missing important information. I never used them, looks complicated. It's probably easy once you know how to do it. Is it in the rule book?

[Liebchen]

Sounds like replays are quite useful. Seems that if you don't watch them your missing important information. I never used them, looks complicated. It's probably easy once you know how to do it. Is it in the rule book?

When you get your turn back from your opponent and open it, it asks you if you want to watch the replay. You just have to say "OK."