[Mass Combat] Cutting supply lines

[hal]

Adding more to this would be the idea that military commanders who want to insure their supplies get through to them from the "Depot" location - will need to create "anti-raider" defense units.

Treat "raiding" units like any other battle in GURPS MASS COMBAT. Send scouts out looking for the raiders. If the territory is friendly, you gain additional intelligence on troops within your area. If not friendly territory, then the locals may help or even hinder your scouting abilities to know where the opposing units.

In essence? You treat the movement of each "group of LS" as its own "army units" complete with light cavalry, light infantry, or anything else the theater commander wants to use to escort these vital supplies.

Now, what are the effects of having a "Depot" in any given location? MONEY in general, represents buying power. You convert money into food, and then transport the food to soldiers. Some of the money gathered is really "Kind" - a measurement of things worth money, but were never gathered or received as money. If someone owes a tax worth $5000, they might recieve that as 30 bushels of grain, 14 cattle, and $50 (just pulling numbers out of thin air as an illustration of concept here).

So, can you have a group of LS travel with the main body of an army? Hell yes. It would be the camp train or seige train that often follows with the main army. As supplies are used up, those LS units (empty) should be returning back to the DEPOT.

My intention at this point, when I have more time to look more closely at the rules and see what I can devise based upon rules for logistics (such as "Maintaining a Force in Bad Terrain") and see what comes into play.

DEPOTS: Food supplies gathered for the Depot likely end up at the Depot after a harvest. Having a "raid" of player characters who in turn, destroy $50,000 worth of supplies in a warehouse fire - will have struck a blow against their enemy without even having had to fight a full fledged battle. A raiding party comprised of 80 men (8 units of light cavalry) could be sent to harass the road bottleneck where the road enters a valley, goes through the valley, and also has but one exit further away from the Depot. The opposing force, if it doesn't have an escort of say, 100 Infantry to protect 80 LS units - then the raiding party of 80 light cavalry can hit the supplies and destroy it or disrupt the movement of the LS unit as it delivers the supplies.

Well, that's enough for now. Should be in bed sleeping. But you can see the gist of what I'm proposing. Detail the LS units and treat them as moving units.