Concealed Command

[additz]

Hi

Concealed Command Page 17 :

A single command ... deploys in the normal way, but not until the army's second bound ...

Does that mean, that the concealed command has to be deployed in the 2nd bound?
(unless it is disccovered by scouts or any of its elements were moved)

Unfortunately the translation into German for not until leaves several options ...

Thanks
Axel

[landmeister]

This is how I read it, but I'm not an authority, of course 

[Tim Child]

That's right Axel, you put it on table in the second bound, even if otherwise undiscovered.  It's a quite important difference from an Ambush.

Tim Child

P.S.  I see that this is my 50th post to this forum, and I've just left the ranks of Sp(I) to become a flashing Bd (like some of my beloved SRB infantry, thanks to DBMM Book 2!)

[andrew]

Hi Axel

The other thing to consider is 'the normal way' - this means you still have the deployment restrictions and constraints.

Andrew

[additz]

Hi everybody,

Thanks for the answers so far 
Does anybody have an explanation what is the idea behind this rule?

@Andrew:
Do you mean that I cannot place the command less than 400p from the left/right table edge (for instance)?

Axel

[MikeCampbell]

Phil Barker said that there aer no exemptions for teh deployment areas for concealed commands way back in 2004 in answer to a question -

P22 ? Do the ambush exceptions to the deployment distances also cover concealed commands?

<No>

(see http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/DBMMlist/message/15037)

A bit later in 2005 he posted soemthing explaining concealed commands a bit more -

Just putting troops in a wood does not necessarily conceal them completely.
Charles Grant Jnr once said that if he camped his battalion of Jocks in a
wood where he could not control them closely, you could hear them from half
a mile. Probably an exaggeration, but incidents of people moving around,
sneaking off to get water or firewood, movement of foliage, rising birds or
glint of equipment tend to accumulate, and there is also Inherent Military
Probability to raise suspicion.

And that's why "merely" being out of sight is not enough - the general has to take specific precautions to stop all this stuff from happening.

I think the placing on turn 2 is just a game-play mechanism - it keeps life a lot simpler that way.

[andrew]

@Andrew:
Do you mean that I cannot place the command less than 400p from the left/right table edge (for instance)?

That is correct.  Also, only light troops, or generals grouped with them, can be deployed between 400 and 800 paces from the edge of the world.  All other deployment rules still apply - like the deployment rectangles etc.

Andrew

[honk16]

thanks for the answers so far:

It seems, I do not need to put down the elements and facing as I would need to do for an ambush, but just deploy the concealed comand completly in my 2. Bound as I whish, confirming to the normal deployement rules.
I.e. I can react to my oponents moves before my 2. Bound.
Correct?

Tilman

[andrew]

Hi

In a nutshell yes.

Given they are 'deployed in the normal way' they have to conform to your deployment orders.  Yes there would be a little bit of wriggle room for exactly where they are deployed depending on what your opponent does, but not outside of their deployment rectangle.   And you are correct in that you don't have to write the direction etc like you have to for an ambush.

Also, when you deploy (assuming the enemy hasn't seen you yet) then again you cannot necessarily  pick and choose where the elements are deployed because they must have been entirely concealed from your opponent during deployment, your first move and during your opponents first (and possibly second) move.

And yes you could actually elect to move one of the elements during the first bound if you wanted to get the command on earlier to prevent your opponent from marching.

Andrew