Blind deploys
 

I like reading Army Field Manuals, tactical papers, etc. I have found that this game is so great than many aspects of real live manuals are fully applicable.

But there is a small part which in my humble opinion is really unreal. When I am thinking about the battle plan in the deployment stage your knowledge of the enemy force and deploy is nearly 0.

It is specially true in assault missions, I can't imagine a commander arranging his troops to attack an enemy fortified position without having check previously the enemy deployment, strong points, etc.

Obviously I always send my scout force behind, and after doing contact sometimes I rearrange my troops, but when playing a medium-big map with mainly infantry troops some times is impossible.

I know that it is very difficult to simulate this pre-battle recon due the game mechanics, just wanted to know how people live with it, which tricks are using (if any), ...

TIA

There is no pre-game reconnaissance, because there is no "pre-game". In fact, if the assaulter is P1 then he is setting up before the defender deploys (so no way to say reveal a defender troop or two or three due to "pre-game recce").

In a scenario, then the designer may well give the attacker some hints in the text. And he plots any pre-game barrage, which may be on enemy positions perhaps.

In a human V human game then perhaps you could use a similar strategy to tabletop wargaming
- the first 10 turns (say) are the recce and bombardment pre-assault phase.
- The defender is not allowed to move in that phase, or to shell the enemy deployment zone (since the enemy main force will be restricted to there).
- The attacker can only move some troops designated as "recce" in the pre assault phase, and the main force must stay in the deployment "safe" zone (but can move sideways in that zone due to recce info for the coming assault).
- The attacker can only fire his recce troops, or any indirect fire assets (mortars and arty)
- The defender can only fire direct fire at the recce troops in the intermediate zone in direct fire. The defender's indirect fires should be curtailed as well (perhaps just to counter battery on any items in the rear zone). defender is not allowed any turn 0 pre-plotted arty bombardment!.
- Units movement (e.g. when the attacker is redeploying sideways if required) may trigger op-fire, that is fine.
- Add those 10 turns onto whatever the battle generator dice rolled.

You will probably want a map with a reasonable depth, to give the attacker a decent deployment zone to play with (and separate any on-map arty - which can be counter-battered - from the manoeuvre units)

What is "recce" is subject to agreement. (Those formations labelled as such, armoured car units, whatever). or 10% of the attackers points total (to avoid the attacker that then buys a fleet of armoured cars :)). (I recall someone at a 1/300 competition who took an army that was mainly composed of AMX10 heavy armoured cars with just a few APC infantry to sweep up objectives (only infantry were allowed to claim objectives in that competition), and plenty of arty - the AMX10 were recce so all got a deployment bonus. Next year I recall a limit to the amount of a force that could be classed as "recce" troops!)

Cheers
Andy

Actually sometimes you DO have info about enemy Deployments
 

If you're home side, and it's your PBs, or the PBs are friendly, they can give you info about enemy locs. They won't be able to tell you much ABOUT the enemy, exactly what they are armed with, how many and how good they are. But they CAN tell you if they have tanks or similar weapons (to a civ often every vehicle with tracks or a gun is a tank) and roughly where they are.

troopie