People's Tactics/Movement

To move a unit, the usual procedure is to click on the unit, then on the movement button, and finally on the destination hex. After clicking on the movement button, the hexes into which the unit may enter appear in a lighter color. At this point, if you move the pointer over a map hex, either the total movement cost or the “No movement possible” message appears in the message box. WARNING: there is no Undo button. This is by design and will not be changed. Be careful. Be very careful. Be extra careful. After you click on the destination hex, Murphy’s Law rears its ugly head and strikes.

Movement allowance and rate of expenditure

The maximum movement allowance for a given formation depends on the mix of Unit Type items:

• SHQs have a fixed maximum allowance of 1 MPs.
• Air formations and sea formations can move as far as the slowest Unit Type item in their TOE
• THQs and land formations can move as far as their Movement Type allows them (see below)

MPs are expended at various rates, depending on the formation and the terrain:

• Sea formations expend 1 MP per hex, and may only move in sea or port hexes (a port hex is a town on the coastline)
• Air formations expend 1 MP per hex, but this happens in one of two ways: AIR WINGS are actually Air Bases, that can physically move from one (land) location to another, or attack another formation within their current Movement Allowance

THQs and LAND FORMATIONS:

• Spend 1 MP per hex of Grass or Town
• Spend 2 MPs per hex of Forest or Swamp
• Spend 1 additional MP to cross a river, or to enter an enemy (or neutral) controlled hex
• Spend 2 additional MPs to enter a Forest, if the formation’s movement type is Truck or Armour
• May not enter Sea or Mountain hexes
• May enter a Swamp hex if, and ONLY if, they do NOT have any Mobile, Artillery or Armour Unit Types in their composition
• If there is a road linking two hexes AND the formation is already on one of those hexes, it can move at the expense of 1 MP regardless of the type of terrain (but not of the ownership: the 1 MP penalty for entering enemy/neutral territory still applies). This is the only way a unit may enter/stop/cross a Mountain hex
• SHQs spend 1 MP per hex, and are only subject to the Sea, Mountain and enemy ownership limitations affecting THQs and land formations

Another constraint to movement, related to the ownership of a given hex: a player can only move into an hex owned by another player if they are at war with each other.

A final constraint to movement: no more than three units may be in the same hex. Units on board sea formations do not count for this limit.

Movement type

The THQ/LAND FORMATION’s movement type is related to the mix of Unit Items and the ratio of “Carrying capacity” to “Weight needing to be carried”. If there is only one class of Unit Type items in the mix, the movement type is the one associated with that class. The movement allowance of a formation is that of the slowest unit type that is not transported.

If there is enough carrying capacity to offset the combined Infantry and Artillery weight, the unit is Mobile, and has a movement allowance equal to the minimum movement allowance of the mobile or armour types. For example, a unit containing infantry, artillery and enough trucks so that carrying capacity is equal to or greater than the weight of the infantry and artillery, will move at the speed of the trucks (6 in the default rules). However, if a Royal Tank is added to this unit (which has a movement allowance of 4 in the default rules), the movement allowance of the land formation would be 4.

If there is enough carrying capacity to offset only Artillery weight and the unit contains infantry as well, the unit will have a movement allowance of the infantry unit type (3 for most unit types).

Airdrop and airlift movement

Land formations and THQs may be moved by air. For this to happen, three things are required: an air formation with sufficient movement allowance and carrying capacity (i.e., enough items of the Transporter Unit Type), the unit to be transported has to have at least 2 MPs still available, and both must be in the same hex.

Airlift differs from Airdrop in that: any unit may be Airlifted, but the destination must be a friendly town hex; only units with Airdrop capabilty may be Airdropped, but the destination may be any hex that the unit could normally enter (no Airdrops into the sea or mountains) and that the player doing the Airdrop may see (Fog of War and Shroud of Discovery restrictions). To conduct Airdrop/Airlift, click on the AIR WING, then on the Airdrop/Airlift button, then select the unit to transport (if more than one present; otherwise PT assumes it is the other one on the hex), then on the destination hex and, finally, confirm the movement by clicking on the large button “Do Airlift/Airdrop”.

Amphibious assault and sea transport

Land formations and THQs may also be moved by sea. For this to happen, three things are required: a sea formation with sufficient carrying capacity (i.e., enough items of the Cargoship or Light Carrier Unit Types); the unit to be transported has to have at least 1 MP still available; they have to be either in the same hex or in adjacent hexes.

Amphibious Assault is different from Sea Transport only in that the hex where a unit is disembarked is occupied by an enemy unit, and combat then occurs.

To conduct Sea Transport, click on the sea formation, then on the Load button, then on the unit to transport and finally on the large “Load unit” button). Move the sea formation for as many turns as desired. To disembark the unit, click on the “Unload” button, then on the destination hex and, finally, confirm the movement by clicking on the large button “Do Unload”.

One important difference between transport by air and transport by sea is that a unit may stay on board ships, while transport by air is always done in the same turn.