One map move, and what it it means
 

It's obvious what map move one represents in many cases, mostly troops with heavy armor. But with commanders things get much stranger. After noticing some oddities with ME Agatha commanders, I took a quick survey of other commanders with map move one, and also those with old age, and there seems to be very little pattern currently.

For instance, compare ME Man's crone of avalon with the deep seer of ME Atlantis. The crone is much older both in absolute terms and in being farther over threshold, not to mention fitting the standard archetype for old age, yet she has map move two while the deep seer has one. Human earth readers are map move one despite being far under old age threshold, and being the exact same age as attendants of the oracles with map move 2. Oracles of the ancients have 14 action points but only 1 map move. The list goes on for almost every commander with map move one.

I've attached a text file with the values of the commanders I examined, in case someone wants to look them over. No doubt some of them already have some kind of thematic explanation for the odd values, but it is difficult to imagine all of them do when taken together. So unless I'm missing something, it seems at least some commander tweaks are in order to bring some consistency. I suspect the path of making more commanders map move one would result in substantial backlash, so that only seems to leave bumping up the move value in many cases.

Re: One map move, and what it it means
 

To an initial glance, the only one that looks badly out of step is the Oracle.

I'd expect some troops and commanders to have a map move inconsistent with their APs for thematic reasons.

As a quick example: Witches are generally seen as outdoorsy types, I believe, and so it seems reasonable that Crones would get a better map move than an Arcoscephalian philosopher who's spent his life sitting around talking his head off in the agora.

It's a bit odd that the essentially immobile Guru has a map move when he apparently spends his live hovering cross-legged above the ground - perhaps he has a Marketa pulling him around on a length of string between battles?

Re: One map move, and what it it means
 

But the Crone pretender has mapmove 1.

I think it's largely impossible to work out the individual reasoning behind the mapmove of each unit. Not to say that some units shouldn't thematically be mapmove 1, it's just that you can usually argue these things either way. Witches are outdoorsy types vs witches are old, frail and typically depicted as staying put in their witchy hideout somewhere on the fringes of society.

Re: One map move, and what it it means
 

The problem is there are plenty of academic types (for instance LE Man's mages, or loremasters), that do have map move 2.

The Guru is actually the one that just sits on the ground crosslegged. Such dedication that even when fleeing from battle they don't uncross their legs to run but slowly scoot toward saftey. The floating Rishi on the other hand can apparently glide at a brisk pace with a swift 10 ap (but not very far, 1 mapmove).

Re: One map move, and what it it means
 

Sombre: I guess that's my point, in a way. The mapmove values can be argued either way, and I don't think there is a strong enough link between AP and mapmove to justify many changes that way either.

The list seems to be mostly mapmove 2 types. A lot of the mapmove 1 units seem reasonable (Agarthan units sort of suit being a bit slow and plodding strategically, and it seems fair that the Arcoscephalians are a bit sedentary), and giving the mapmove 1 high mages extra strategic speed would be quite a balance change.

QM: EA Arco's philosophers benefit from a sloth domain - it fits that they take their time moving from place to place. My bad on the guru/rishi bit though. I still like the image of a hovering mystic being dragged around on the end of a length of string :-)

It seems to me that there's a difference between being able to hustle at high speed in a fight and being able to cope with a long-distance trek between two provinces. That's why longdead and soulless get their high strategic move, after all.

I don't see any terrible inconsistency in some types of mage being good at hiking around and others being less good.

Re: One map move, and what it it means
 

I only just realised that arco slingers are mapmove 1. Why? They are classic skirmishers / light missile troops.

I'm confused.

Re: One map move, and what it it means
 

All untrained militia troops, and all independents, have mapmove 1. The Arcos slinger type is the independent slinger type. That's the mechanical reason. As for a thematical one... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...s/confused.gif

Re: One map move, and what it it means
 

It's because they've got rocks in their pockets.

Re: One map move, and what it it means
 

when was the last time you tried marching an army 500 miles?
Untrained troops may just not have the stamina (or will) to march that far that fast.
Just like the reason undead havea mapmove 3 often is cuz they can walk day and night literally, no rests, no meals, no setting up camps for the night.
Reading the descriptions for LA pythium iirc has some 1's and 2's separated by their ability to be trained to march well, not by major equipment differences.

Re: One map move, and what it it means
 

None of which really makes sense when you consider the mixed forces usually used.

Undead shamble on through the night while the cavalry ride far ahead through the day and camp for the night. The mage controlling the undead has flying boots, so he also has map move 3, but he has to fly on ahead to get his beauty sleep, not stay up all night and day controlling the dead.

Re: One map move, and what it it means
 

I actually agree that most the map move 1 stuff can be justified, individually. But don't many of the map move 2 mages strike you as odd given that many perfectly healthy commanders no where near the age theshhold can only move 1? Nornas, Arcane Magisters, Lore Masters, Sages, Grand Thoumaturg, High Priest of the Sun, Ancestor Smith, Bakemono Sorcerer compared against Spirit Guides, Sequani Stargazers, Earth Readers, and Alchemists of the Five Elements. A durther oddity with the Alchemist of the Five Elements, that he can move only one but the older Imperial Alchemist with more magic moves 2. And of course it's fine to call witches outdoorsy types... but where does that leave poor Marverni's map move 1 druids?

Re: One map move, and what it it means
 

They keep getting distracted by the pretty trees and flowers they like so much. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

I agree that how map move is determined is pretty strange. I've found it odd that the afflictions "limp" and "crippled" don't reduce map move, too.

Re: One map move, and what it it means
 

I guess in the same vein the Spirit Guides spend half their time in a trance, the stargazers stay up all night stargazing and are too worn out to travel in the day and the alchemist spends most of his time stoked up on the latest distillates (the Imperial Alchemist has learnt better with age) http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif

I guess I view mapmove 2 as a sort of default capability for a healthy, motivated individual (of any age - there are enough elderly hikers out there who I can't keep up with). Units with move 1 are being slowed down by something, be it infirmity, personality, size, weight or just disinclination to hurry.

I completely agree with Evil Dave that some afflictions should reduce map move (probably to a minimum of 1). That would be a great thing to mod in.

And special afflictions for old age would be cool (if perhaps impossible). Arthritis could reduce map movement and increase encumbrance in cold provinces, for instance.

Re: One map move, and what it it means
 

That's fine, as far it goes, but some commanders are much more of a stretch to be map move 2 than others. What it boils down to is that while I'm sure IW had some rational for each of the units they made map move 1, I don't think they really went back and compared them to units which should have also been map move 1 for the same reasons.

It's not moddable, and even if it were easy for IW to do, I doubt it would happen. People would get far to annoyed hunting for the one crippled troop slowing down the whole stack.

Re: One map move, and what it it means
 

At the other end of the scale are Clockwork Horrors. They get exhausted just trying to cross the battlefield but they have move 3. That only makes sense if they are piled in wagon pulled by something undead.

Re: One map move, and what it it means
 

The exhaustion is so bad that clockwork horrors have very limited uses. The exhaustion makes their protection virtually useless by round 3.

Re: One map move, and what it it means
 

I think the explanation for the extraordinary exhaustion of clockworks in combat is that using their weapons in their frenetical manner uses up all their energy. Every one knows 100 miles a day is a pretty easy distance to cover. On foot. I do it every now and often.