Here is what is going on:

I'm in the modern era and I want to draft but I don't want to draft an infantry unit. I know that when drafting it must be a non-mechanized unit so I thought over about this idea and decided to post about it now so here it is:

What about instead of just drafting an infantry unit you can have an option window that says this: Which unit would you like to draft citizen into?

-infantry
-marine
-paratrooper

I think this idea would make drafting more useful in the modern era. The option of each unit will appear once you have learned the tech required. What do you think? :rolleyes:

Marines and Paratroopers are special force units and therefore must be trained.

Well, marines and paratroopers require special training that may not be able to be taught to a new recruit that fast.

And, I'm pretty sure that you can draft mech infantry :hmm:

I guess so to a degree but it they can be given training within a year or two because that is how long a turn pretty much is. With that much industrialization it can be done, unlike before.

Oh, and mechs, I don't think so. You are taking away people with drafting, not machinery.

I don't think you should be able to get specialised units with drafting. The draft is meant to be an emergency measure, not a way to quickly get specialists.

Yeah, but it can also be used to gain some forces that are worth something, the specialist units will still be conscripts.

I can't help wondering if the concept of conscript SAS types even makes sense.

I don't really consider the marine and the paratrooper specialist units. They just have different jobs. The government can make a descision what the drafted troops will do.

Here's my thought on drafting generally. Only foot soldiers for starters (mech infantry being the exception) and the unit has a lower morale and skill level than an ordinary unit of this type. This way, you could draft a marine contingent, but their attack and defense strength might be 1-2 points lower than a standard unit of that type. Additionally, they would take longer to train because they first need to get from conscript to regular (which would be the hardest transition point!)

Yours,
Aussie_Lurker.

ummmm... in america they can draft into a specific military branch... marines, army, airforce, navy... so being a "marine" isn't really a "specialist unit" (don't tell them this! :P)... but for the game's purposes, i would say they are...

so i think the infantry draft is perfect... you should only really be drafting for the sake of defense or because you really really really really need a couple more dudes to attack within your borders...

eromrab: There are four branches to the United States Armed Forces: 1) Army 2) Air Force 3) Navy and 4 ) Coast Guard (But the USCG gets a little complicated).

Technically, the Marine Corp is a branch of the US Navy. Although, if you try to tell that to some 'Jarhead', he may put your head in a jar.

edit: back to the topic of the thread. Drafting should give you an Infantry soilder. Not a Marine/Paratrooper specialist. And not a Mech Unit because, as was already point out, you are drafting people, not materials.

The work of Marine units and Paratrooper units is quite specialized, which is why you cannot draft them. Yes, anyone can charge up a shore or jump out of a plane, but how effective would they be?

The thing that seperates the Civ Infantry, Marine and Paratrooper units is just that training.

If that weren't the case, then there wouldn't be seperate units. :p

I think the solution is to give Infantry weak amphibious and air-drop abilities, rather than allowing the drafting of different types of units.

hmmm... i like that idea trip...

sealman, for the purpose of the draft, there are 4 though... cause you can be drafted directly into the marines... i don't think you can be drafted into the coast guard... at least there is no precedent for that cause they have always been part of the Department of Transportation, until the recent overhaul of the system in the wake of the terrorist stuff...

i used to be a "jarhead"... we have no problem with being a "department" of the navy... as long as the navy knows it's the "men's department" ;-) hehe

but yeah... i like the limited idea of trip, but at the same time... how do you have "weak air drop abilities"?? just shorten the range?? i mean... you're not actually dropping onto a fight... you drop onto a square and fight...

Lose HP when you airdrop.

Sing along now:

"In the navy..."

;)

I say you should be able to choose any non-mechanized unit you want.

Lose HP when you airdrop.But then you'd have a mere 1 HP infantry, that'd be useless. Besides that, the weak amphibious ability was a good idea

To airdrop then you could just build a helicopter, and use that

edit: back to the topic of the thread. Drafting should give you an Infantry soilder. Not a Marine/Paratrooper specialist. And not a Mech Unit because, as was already point out, you are drafting people, not materials.Perhaps you should be able to draft mechanized units if your nation is mobilized, to represent the industries producing so much surplus weaponry. (As in WW2 where Nations like Britain and Japan had more planes than Pilots)

Hmm, America has a draft already?

There are rumours of one being implemented, and if/when it does, who here thinks airbourne/seabourne assaults will be a major part of boot camp?

Those draftees may well be in a military branch called "the marines", and might even be wearing that uniform, but if they lack that specific training, are they really marines in civ terms?

rhialto, thats what my first entry said... was that civ marines ARE specialist units... the ones in reallife are not... that's why i wasn't agreeing to a draft of marines... and why i do like trip's idea of infantry having a weakened form of amphib assault...

But then you'd have a mere 1 HP infantry, that'd be useless. Besides that, the weak amphibious ability was a good idea

To airdrop then you could just build a helicopter, and use that
Civ units should have HP bars rather than single HP pips, like every game besides Civ 3. :p

should be able to draft the home guard as they hav little/no experience n may hav a -1 attack/defense. even infantry need extensive training

"Who do you think you are kidding Mr Hitler....."

British in-joke about the Home Guard there ;)

What's sad is that I know the whole song with 95% accuracy