Foraging

[X-Osoerde (Alan)]

On page 178 of the Regent Guild, under the heading "Foraging" it mentions that:

"Indeed, foraging is the default option for all armies, even when they are in their home provinces (and is why you shouldn’t keep large forces of active units hanging about you provinces). "

Does this happen immediately? e.g. do all units immediately make checks for Foraging (and thus, reduced maintainence)?

[DM B]

No - that's a very fluffy line that has no bearing on the actual foraging rule.

[X-LPA/Gaerred Khaiarén (Gray)]

How does foraging occur in a normal war move?  Would we expect the army to be able to do normal duties while also foraging? etc.

I have to admit I have never understood this rule very well.

[DM B]

Updated turn #71:

FORAGING
Foraging is a term that covers a variety of activities that boil down to; the army supplies itself by buying/stealing etc. from the province through which it moves.

Foraging has the benefit of reducing upkeep cost for units and also provides a source of supplies not dependent on lines of supply (will be detailed elsewhere).

Reserve: Not applicable.

Garrison: Garrison units never forage. They are either staying in their barracks, or they are redeploying or making some patrols.

Active: Active units can be ordered to forage; put them on half supply and note that they are foraging in your DO. Active units will also AUTOMATICALLY begin to forage if supply lines are disrupted (this won't save you upkeep, but it might save your units)

Effects of foraging: A foraging unit is considered to be on half supply (or full supply if its already on half supply). A foraging unit has all movement costs doubled (since its spending time foraging).

Difficulty of foraging: A province can automatically support foraging units equal to its level (per war move). Beyond that foraging requires a foraging check (DDC 10 for up to twice the province level in units, +5DDC for every multiplier thereafter). Failure means that resources have been stretched too thinly and NONE of the units count as having gotten any supplies. Conceptually they have of course foraged something, but not enough for each unit.

Foraging units incur both a prosperity penalty (-1; perhaps more if excessively foraged) and a growth penalty to the province (depending on how many units ATTEMPTED to forage in that province throughout the turn). One unit foraging (successfully or not) for one entire month will incur a -1 penalty to growth (or -3 points for the entire turn).

SUPPLY
This is what happens to units that lack supplies:

Full supply: No effect.

Half supply: Unit must make morale checks to avoid taking nonlethal damage.

No supply: Units must make (more difficult) morale checks to avoid taking lethal damage.

[X-Points East]

OoC:

1.  Can ships forage?

2.  Can ships be placed on half supply?

3.  Can ships be placed on no supply?

[Ruideside/OM (RP)]

1. Fishing, etc. in the open sea and putting foraging parties ashore on islands, etc. were common practice at least in the age of exploration, so theoretically yes.
2 & 3. I would say yes.

[Talinie & NIT/TD (Linde)]

Foraging isually cost prosperity.  If ships can forage what is the negative impact?

[Ruideside/OM (RP)]

The usual, make it so they have to be in a coastal zone and they are foraging in that coastal province.

[Yggdrasil (DM Andy)]

Conceptually if they are fishing then they are taking the harvest from someone else who would have fished there, so even if the ships don't forage on land (which many probably would) they could damage a local province.

[Talinie & NIT/TD (Linde)]

The usual, make it so they have to be in a coastal zone and they are foraging in that coastal province.

That should make them vulnerable to attack by land units in that province.

[Yggdrasil (DM Andy)]

The usual, make it so they have to be in a coastal zone and they are foraging in that coastal province.

That should make them vulnerable to attack by land units in that province.

They are vulnerable if the land units can respond in time - which is where the problem historically came in, it takes organisation to spread the word and respond quickly, and ease and readiness of travel, if there are strategic castles, reasonable roads, and central strength to the land then the raiders will get little if anything, and often face assault, if however a realm has isolated villages without any agreed readiness then the raiders can forage almost at will.

[Talinie & NIT/TD (Linde)]

The usual, make it so they have to be in a coastal zone and they are foraging in that coastal province.

That should make them vulnerable to attack by land units in that province.

They are vulnerable if the land units can respond in time - which is where the problem historically came in, it takes organisation to spread the word and respond quickly, and ease and readiness of travel, if there are strategic castles, reasonable roads, and central strength to the land then the raiders will get little if anything, and often face assault, if however a realm has isolated villages without any agreed readiness then the raiders can forage almost at will.

Don't forget that we are just talking about a ship with its crew, not a ship carrying land forces. The ship has to set anchor and have enough of its crew disembark to effectively steal the supply. Making it more of a raid action than a forage action.
Easy perhaps for a warship with crew trained in boarding. Harder for a coaster with a small crew of non combatants. But then again they would need less supplies.

Also, foraging naval units would have to forage at home as well if they start the turn at home, just as foraging land units would.


How will the naval unit and a potential land unit engage in combat? Perhaps making patrol actions in a province guard against forage by naval units, instead of designing a new combat system for naval vs land?

[Yggdrasil (DM Andy)]

I suspect that if there are active troops in the province a simple way to deal with foraging would be to permit the grounds troops to get a few rounds of combat against any raiders to represent various small scale conflicts, or to simply ban foraging anywhere where there are active castles without very large numbers of naval units.  Of course foraging ones own provinces would be somewhat different, if odd.  I'm not sure how common this would be as an action - generally foraging in someone else's land is begging for war, so I'd only expect the Vulkan islands, or perhaps Rjuvik to do it, in which case it could perhaps be done as a contested action.

[Ruideside/OM (RP)]

generally foraging in someone else's land is begging for war,

Sweeeeet!