QB giving out 'conscript' Fallschirmjagers!?

[wbs]

I played a QB against the AI last night and gave the computer a +3 experience bonus. I also set the experience level to 'random' under the theory that the AI would have randomly selected experience, but nothing lower than 'Veteran'. The computer ended up receiving CONSCRIPT fallschirmjagers (there's an oxymoron!)

I am pretty sure that I read in the rule book that fallschirmjagers and other specially trained troops had higher-than-normal standards than normal 'line' units and therefore you would never receive 'conscript' or 'green' units of that type.

Also, shouldn't the +3 experience bonus have kept that from happening anyway?

[Silvio Manuel]

"fallschirmjagers and other specially trained troops had higher-than-normal standards than normal 'line' units and therefore you would never receive 'conscript' or 'green' units of that type."

I guess its a "should" thing, not a real rule of the game.

The +3 only means that you'll still see "Conscript FJ Squad" while playing the game, but they are actually "Veteran" quality, despite what troop quality your troops spot.

It makes sense in that I'm sure BTS didn't want to have to invent other qualities for the sake of labeling troops that are higher than Elite or lower than Conscript...if such things are indeed possible via the exp. level handicaps.

[WWB]

Actually, aside from the FJ divisions in Normandy, and some fragments thereof fighting against XXX corps in Market-Garden, the FJs should be generally green. Many FJ divisions were nothing more than reassigned Luftwaffe personel re-christened 'paratroopers.' They were well armed on a small-unit level, and were generally fine material for the infantry. But really lacked heavy weapons and especially expereinced officers and NCOs, meaning they did not fare so well in actual combat.

Just because a unit says paratrooper does not mean they were elite.

WWB

[Leeo]

Everyone has battle a "first time." As far as I recall, Crete pretty much decimated the experienced German paratroopers.

[JonS]

Originally posted by Leeo:

Everyone has battle a "first time." As far as I recall, Crete pretty much decimated the experienced German paratroopers.

Oh, they managed to find a few strays to defend Cassino

[wbs]

from wwb:

Just because a unit says paratrooper does not mean they were elite.

That's true, but in the context of the game I'm certain that I read in the manual (which is currently at a friend's house)that 'Fallschirmajager' units could not be conscript or green

[mikster khan]

From the manual:

"Certain combat arms, like airborne troops and Gebirgsjager, which always required a certain amount of training and physical fitness to be accepted within their ranks, cannot be conscripts"

Cheers,

Mike

[109 Gustav]

In QBs, units can be any experience level; paras can be conscripts and volksstrum can be elite. This is necessary given the random setting for experience level, and the ability to restrict purchaces to one type of force. For example, if you chose random experience level, got high experience, and happened to have your army restricted to volksstrum, historically you would be up the creek, since there were no (or very few) crack or elite volksstrum units. Therefore it is necessary to allow any experience level to be purchased in a QB.

[WWB]

Originally posted by mikster khan:

From the manual:

"Certain combat arms, like airborne troops and Gebirgsjager, which always required a certain amount of training and physical fitness to be accepted within their ranks, cannot be conscripts"

Cheers,

Mike

The problem with this statement is that the bulk of the german FJs were not airborne troops, just heavily armed infantry.

WWB

[wbs]

From Mikster Khan:

From the manual:

"Certain combat arms, like airborne troops and Gebirgsjager, which always required a certain amount of training and physical fitness to be accepted within their ranks, cannot be conscripts"

Cheers,

Mike

From 109 Gustav:

In QBs, units can be any experience level; paras can be conscripts and volksstrum can be elite. This is necessary given the random setting for experience level, and the ability to restrict purchaces to one type of force. For example, if you chose random experience level, got high experience, and happened to have your army restricted to volksstrum, historically you would be up the creek, since there were no (or very few) crack or elite volksstrum units. Therefore it is necessary to allow any experience level to be purchased in a QB.

Thanks, Guys, these posts gave me what I was looking for. I was operating from memory, and remembered the paragraph that Mikster posted, but I thought it was written as an operating rule for the game rather than as historical commentary. Gustav's commentary provided the proper perspective for me.

The only thing that still nags at the back of my mind is:

If it was not meant to apply to the game, why does the last sentence in Mikster's quote from the manual read "...CANNOT be conscripts"? That indicates present tense and would seem to indicate that it applies to CMBO. If it was meant as historical commentary it seems that it would have been written "...COULD NOT be conscripts" wouldn't it??

So, as written, that statement still seems to be meant to apply to CMBO. Am I missing something here? Or am I on to something?