Leadership vs Command

[merrymaid]

I've been trying to understand the difference between these two ratings.

If I understand correctly, COMMAND has a possible 'trickle-down' effect from the army leader down thru corps commanders, divisional commanders, etc as long as all subordinate commanders are within command range. LEADERSHIP does not act the same way.

COMMAND is used to check units for recovery from disruption, but is it used for anything else?

LEADERSHIP can help during a morale check (to keep a unit from becoming disrupted or routed) but only if the unit is stacked with a leader - and in this case it doesn't matter if the leader is an A or an F? Does it ever matter what rating a leader has in terms of leadership?

[rahamy]

From the User.hlp file:

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Command refers to the influence leaders have over the state of the forces under their command. Good use of Command will result in units being better able to move and fight, while Command failures will result in reduced capabilities.

Each Leader is assigned a default Command Rating ranging from A (best) to F (worst). This rating can be affected in a positive way by the Leader’s commander (if he has one) provided the Leader is not Detached. At the beginning of each player’s Turn, a Command Test is performed for all leaders currently on the map. The Command Test begins with the highest commanding leaders on the map and proceeds downward through the command hierarchy. Each Leader’s Command rating is translated into a number by converting A to 6, B to 5, and so on down to F to 1. This number if compared to a random die roll from 1 to 6. If the Leader’s number is greater than or equal to the die roll, the Leader has passed the Command Test for that turn. A Leader that has failed his Command Test will have his Command rating displayed in Yellow in the Hex Info Area (see the Main Program Help File ). A Leader which passes his Command Test will pass a +1 Command Bonus modifier down to the Command ratings of his subordinate commanders (except to Detached Leaders). If a Leader receives a Command Bonus from his superior and passes his Command Test, his Command rating will be recorded as the higher number for that turn. For example, a Division leader with a nominal Command rating of C which receives a +1 Command Bonus from his superior and passes his Command Test, will have a Command rating for that turn of B. In addition, a Leader which passes his Command Test will pass a Command Bonus down to his subordinates which is one more than the Command Bonus he received. A Leader which fails his Command Test passes no Command Bonus to his subordinates regardless of any Command Bonus he had received.

Here is an example. Suppose the command hierarchy at a battle consisted of
· Army commander: Lt. Gen. Hood. Command Rating of C.
· Corps commander: Lt. Gen. Cheatham. Command Rating of C.
· Division commander: Maj. Gen. Cleburne. Command Rating of B.
· Brigade commander: Brig. Gen. Govan. Command Rating of E.

The Command Test begins with Hood whose number for the Command Test is 4. Suppose that the die roll is 3 and thus Hood passes his Command Test this turn. Hood passes a Command Bonus of 1 to Cheatham which gives Cheatham a number of 5 for his Command Test. Suppose that the die roll is 4 and thus Cheatham passes his Command Test giving him a Command Rating of B for this turn. Cheatham passes a Command Bonus of 2 to Cleburne which gives Cleburne a number of 6 (the maximum) for this turn. Cleburne must therefore pass his Command Test this turn and thus passes a Command Bonus of 3 to Govan which gives Govan a number of 5 (2 + 3) for his Command Test. Suppose that the die roll is 6 and thus Govan fails his Command Test and keeps his nominal Command Rating of E for this turn.

Recovery From Disruption

After all Leaders have been through the Command Test, they are used to determine if Disrupted units become un-Disrupted that turn. A Detached unit is given a value of 1 for the Test for Disruption Recovery. A non-Detached unit whose Leader has passed his Command Test is given a value of 1 plus the current numerical Command Rating of his commander. If a random die roll is less than or equal to this value, then the unit becomes un-Disrupted.

Night Turns

During Night turns, all Leaders and units have a Command value one less than normal. Thus, a Leader with a Command Rating of A would have a numerical rating of 5 during Night turns and a Detached unit would have a value of 0 in the Test for Disruption Recovery (and thus be unable to become un-Disrupted).

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On Leadership, from the Morale section:

Morale refers to the mental state of the fighting units and the effect leaders have on restoring that state in the forces under their command. Units with good Morale and with inspiring leaders will fight better than units with low Morale or uninspiring leaders. Often a smaller force can overwhelm a larger one if it has superior Morale.

Each unit is assigned a Quality value ranging from A (best) to F (worst). This Quality value is the basis for determining the unit’s current Morale. Each Leader is assigned a Leadership value ranging from A (best) to F (worst). This Leadership value determines the extent the leader will be able to affect the Morale of the units under his command.

When a unit suffers casualties due to combat, it will take a Morale Check to see if it Routs or becomes Disrupted at the end of the Phase. In addition, units with Fatigue level 900 that take a Fatigue loss also are required to take a Morale Check. The Quality value of the unit is used as the base value for Morale by converting A to 6, B to 5, and so on to F to 1. Modifiers are applied to this base Morale to obtain the final Morale value for the Morale Check.

· If the unit is stacked with a Leader, then 1 is added to the Morale.
· If the unit is Low On Ammo or Out Of Ammo, then 1 is subtracted from the Morale.
· If it is a Night turn, then 2 is subtracted from the Morale.
· If the unit has Medium Fatigue, then 1 is subtracted from the Morale.
· If the unit has High Fatigue, then 2 is subtracted from the Morale.
· If the unit has been fired upon Enfilade, then 2 is subtracted from the Morale.
· If the unit is Disrupted, then 1 is subtracted from the Morale.

The resulting Morale value is compared with a random Die Roll from 1 to 6, and if the Die Roll exceeds the Morale value, then the unit fails the Morale Check. A unit that fails the Morale Check during a Defensive Fire Phase becomes Disrupted, while a unit that fails the Morale Check during any other Phase becomes Routed. If a Routed unit fails the Morale Check, it stays Routed, but also loses a number of men based on the amount the Die Roll exceeds the Morale, times 25 for Infantry and Cavalry, which is reported as lost stragglers. Unlimbered Artillery that is not at Maximum Fatigue is not subject to routing.

When a unit routs, all units in the same hex as the unit and all units in adjacent hexes to the unit must also take a Morale Check. If any units in adjacent hexes fail the Morale Check, then this process is carried over into hexes adjacent to those hexes.

Recovery From Rout

At the beginning of a player’s Movement Phase, Rally Checks are performed on Routed units to see if they Rally. Routed units which Rally become Disrupted and are eligible to become un-Disrupted starting with the next turn. Again the Quality of the unit is the base value for Morale for the Rally Check. These Modifiers are applied to this value to result in the final Morale value.

· If the unit is stacked with a Leader of the same organization or a higher organization as the unit and if the Leadership rating of the Leader is higher than the Morale value, the Morale value is set equal to that rating. If the Leadership rating is already equal to the Morale value, then 1 is added to the Morale value.
· If it is a Night turn, then the Morale value of the unit is divided by 2 with fractions rounded up (for example 5 becomes 3).
· If it is a Day turn, then the Morale value may be affected by Corps and Army Leaders in adjacent hexes using the same process for Leaders in the same hex.

A random Die Roll from 1 to 6 is compared with the resulting Morale value, and if the Die Roll is less than the Morale value, the unit becomes un-Routed.

[merrymaid]

rahamy -

Thanks for posting this info. It still doesn't look like COMMAND affects anything other than a unit's ability to undisrupt, or is there something I'm missing?


· If the unit is stacked with a Leader of the same organization or a higher organization as the unit and if the Leadership rating of the Leader is higher than the Morale value, the Morale value is set equal to that rating. If the Leadership rating is already equal to the Morale value, then 1 is added to the Morale value.

I see that the LEADERSHIP rating does come into play when a unit is routed if you have the leader stacked on top of the routed unit in question (or adjacent to the unit if the leader is a Corps or Army leader). Is this the only time the leadership rating comes into play?

In the case of a unit adjacent to a Corps commander (or stacked with Division commander) it isn't clear to me from the wording in the rules whether it matters if the unit is directly subordinate to the leader in question.

For example, using hypothetical values, if I have a routed unit from Dana's brigade Quality D (Sumner Corps) adjacent to Corps commander Franklin (Leadership A), would Dana's Morale value for the purposes of the Rally check be: 1) A, using the higher of the Leadership rating of the adjacent Corps or Dana's Morale; 2) D, because the adjacent Corps commander is not above Dana in the organizational chart he has no affect on Dana's Morale.

[merrymaid]

Another question. Is there any reason NOT to have your leader units mounted all the time?

[rahamy]

They are more likely to be wounded/killed when mounted. Not sure what the percentage is, but its there.

[merrymaid]

Hey thanks. I'm been leaving them mounted all the time because it gives them great mobility, but it seemed somewhat unrealistic to have them directing battle from horseback for 2 days straight.

I can find the leader casualty odds in the Parameter Data files, but nothing there indicates any difference between mounted and dismounted. Any ideas where to find that info?

[Gary McClellan]

No clue what the official numbers are, but I'd guess that it's around 2x as likely to get hurt.

[rahamy]

Not everything is documented...some thing you just learn from experience. :cool: