P.S. -- The text of an order description does not always exactly match the prerequisites for that order. In the case of order 905, though the text says "another nation's army", the prerequisites do not include any mention of what nationality the army mayor may not be. 
-- E3
···
-----Original Message-----
From: DrakaraGM@aol.com
To: mepbmlist@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Fri, 19 Jan 2007 5:14 PM
Subject: Re: [mepbmlist] Just a weird bit of information about 905 ScoutArmy
Nope, not a bug. This has been something long-time players have used for a long time, and I believe GSI and DGE were both aware of the possibility, and did not see a problem with it.
Yes, you can use the 905 order to move an agent more than 12 hexes, IF you have an army to scout/follow. On the other hand, a character on a ship can move 14 hexes, if the navy has food. A mage with a movement spell can move 14 or more hexes. It is totally unreasonable that an agent, if he scrambles, might eke out a couple extra hexes? Given that he is using two orders, not just one, to do it? Not a big deal.
And it also makes perfect sense that, given the ability to track (i.e. follow) that an agent has, an agent can be order to "go find Lord So-and-so's army, and when you catch up with him, join the army and guard the guy." It may take a month -- but the agent can go to the last known location of the army, follow it, and on the following fortnight present himself to the army commander as the guy's new guard.
Here's something that people do not take as much advantage of -- the Dwarven ability to scout/recon at rank 50 with all characters. In various 4th Age games, I have taken that SNA for a Dwarven nation -- and although rank 50 is just not very useful when it comes to the critical 930 order, it DOES work just fine for 905 orders. A Dwarven nation that has ravens for friends can do the 905 trick with straight commanders ordered to catch up with an army in the field, with no agent rank necessary. And I once had multiple Dwarven mages with Weakness spells all do 905s to follow an enemy army commander, and on the following turn Weaknessed him to death... Also, that allows Dwarven commanders, emissaries and mages to scout pop center if you want to get the loyalty, or scout hex if you want to get army commander names...
Anyway, back to uses of the 905 order on your own armies -- it does occasionally come in useful, but no more so than the way food and troops can be shuttled back and forth between a couple armies using 3 commanders to march large numbers of troops practically indefinitely eating very little food per turn...in fact the way movement works, all you need in order for your army to move at full speed is to have at least one food in the baggage train when it comes time for the army to move. So for example if you have an army of 7000 HI with 0 food and an army of 100 HI with 101 food in the same hex, the second army can eat 100 food, have 1 food left, do a transfer command into the first army -- and the first army now contains 7100 HI with 1 food and can now move at full speed -- despite the fact that of the 7100 troops, 7000 of them actually went hungry that turn.
It is a "feature" of the program, that occurs due to the fact that although things are technically taking place simultaneously throughout the turn, in order to actually resolve it as a game, actions and events must be resolved in order. And it is easier to simply check "does this army have food?" when it is time to move, rather than try to figure out how many troops were fed and how many were not...
Is that any more realistic than the idea that an agent can hustle and get a little bit further than most other characters in the rare circumstances where there is an army to follow that ends up more than 12 hexes from where the agent started? Or than the idea that an agent can follow a force of armed men regardless of the nation that force serves? Nope -- but it is a widely known and accepted part of the game.
It IS a game -- so figure out the tricks and make good use of them! -- Ernie III
-----Original Message-----
From: andre.racz@gmail.com
To: mepbmlist@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Fri, 19 Jan 2007 2:36 PM
Subject: Re: [mepbmlist] Just a weird bit of information about 905 ScoutArmy
I think this is a bug in the program, at least it is not what it says in the
manual...
Any thoughts on that?
Regards,
Rácz
On 1/19/07, Jesper Lyster <jesper@jesperlyster.dk> wrote:
Hi all
Just a bit of information about the 905 ScoutArmy order that I
tested in a recent gunboat game.
In the rulebook it says that "This order allows a character to scout
out another nation's army or navy."
That is true, but it also allows you to scout your own armies.
Why would I do that ?
A. Imagine you need to deliver a command artifact to that army
charging against the Arthedain. You do not know where the army is
going to be due to blocks, and so cannot deliver it unless you scout
your own army.
B. You have 14 hexes to your capital. Just scout the army that
stands guard on your capital.
C. You wish to trail your own army, so you can exact retribution
against an opponent, but joining the army will risk get you killed
in combat or by overrun.
regards
Jesper Lyster
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