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GraniteStater
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Points to know - Union - Work in Progress

Sun Mar 20, 2016 5:04 pm

All right, I'll kick this off, although I am not a fount of nuts & bolts knowledge. I'm perfectly capable of number crunching, but, working in IT, the last thing I want to do with Quality War Time is slap a slide rule around. I play by history and military gut feelings, what 'makes sense'.

A strategy discussion is somewhat inevitable, but that's not the central purpose here. This is akin to The Other Thread, where people can post Just the Facts.

That being said, fire away.
[color="#AFEEEE"]"Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable!"[/color]
-Daniel Webster

[color="#FFA07A"]"C'mon, boys, we got the damn Yankees on the run!"[/color]
-General Joseph Wheeler, US Army, serving at Santiago in 1898

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(A) When in doubt, agree with Ace.
(B) Pull my reins up sharply when needed, for I am a spirited thoroughbred and forget to turn at the post sometimes.


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Jerzul
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Tue Mar 29, 2016 3:49 pm

GraniteStater wrote:All right, I'll kick this off, although I am not a fount of nuts & bolts knowledge. I'm perfectly capable of number crunching, but, working in IT, the last thing I want to do with Quality War Time is slap a slide rule around. I play by history and military gut feelings, what 'makes sense'.

A strategy discussion is somewhat inevitable, but that's not the central purpose here. This is akin to The Other Thread, where people can post Just the Facts.

That being said, fire away.


From the high activity of this thread I'm thinking the only tip for the Union is:


Don't lose...it's embarrassing
I have heard, in such a way as to believe it, of your recently saying that both the army and the government needed a dictator. Of course it was not for this, but in spite of it, that I have given you the command. Only those generals who gain success can be dictators. What I now ask of you is military success, and I will risk the dictatorship.

-Abraham Lincoln, 1863, in a letter to Major General Joseph Hooker.

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John S. Mosby
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Tue Mar 29, 2016 3:58 pm

Jerzul wrote:Don't lose...it's embarrassing


I think now this thread is worthy of being "stickied". :D

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Tue Mar 29, 2016 4:03 pm

John S. Mosby wrote:I think now this thread is worthy of being "stickied". :D


:gardavou:
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John S. Mosby
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Tue Mar 29, 2016 11:04 pm

:D
John S. Mosby wrote:I think now this thread is worthy of being "stickied". :D


Sir, that was a joke.
Please consider "unsticking" the thread.

We need a Union player to put together a "seminar" similar to what Straight Arrow did with the CSA before is gets a sticky.

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Cardinal Ape
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Wed Mar 30, 2016 12:06 am

The silence here makes Arrow's 17 pages of notes even that more impressive.. I'll start taking notes in my current Union game, though it is a real slow going one.

I guess I'll start her off with a few:

  • Always know where Jackson and Lee are. If the South attacks it will most likely be led by them.
  • Mass building transports and sending them to the shipping lanes is a great way to improve your economy.
  • Have a force ready for Grant when he appears in Cairo, IL, in October '61.
  • In the early war try not to have your best commanders sit idle or get stuck in a holding pattern. They need action to earn promotions.
  • Have a couple of brig squadrons ready to interdict the Potomac river.
  • The Souths best chance to win is to take your capital, never slack on it's defense.
  • Get your commanders with the recruiting officer trait inside level 5 cities with high loyalty asap for 5 extra conscripts each turn.

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Wed Mar 30, 2016 4:58 am

Cardinal Ape wrote:[*]Get your commanders with the recruiting officer trait inside level 5 cities asap for 5 extra conscripts each turn.

Loyalty changes that last one, doesn't it? IOW, not a great idea to put one
in Baltimore early in the game ;)
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Wed Mar 30, 2016 6:33 am

Yup, I forgot about that part. Good catch.

I'm not sure what the loyalty cutoff for that ability is so I took the easy way out and put 'high loyalty.'

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Wed Mar 30, 2016 3:02 pm

John S. Mosby wrote: :D

Sir, that was a joke.
Please consider "unsticking" the thread.

We need a Union player to put together a "seminar" similar to what Straight Arrow did with the CSA before is gets a sticky.


We'll leave it as is for now. Once y'all generate a consensus, one of you can compile a summary and I'll replace this here thread...
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John S. Mosby
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Wed Mar 30, 2016 3:17 pm

lodilefty wrote:We'll leave it as is for now. Once y'all generate a consensus, one of you can compile a summary and I'll replace this here thread...


Good deal. Thank you.
Sorry for the confusion.

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Wed Mar 30, 2016 5:25 pm

1. McClellan, Sigel and Halleck can each upgrade two militia to almost line infantry per turn. It may be that the upgrade costs additional resources, but it's well worth any cost. They can also upgrade mounted infantry to early cavalry.

2. A good recon is worth it's weight in replacement chits. A single cavalry, ranger or partisan element on Green/Green, Evade Combat can infiltrate southern lines to give you intel on enemy preparations. A brig with one of these elements or a balloon can also scout out coastal regions. Know your foe.

3. Artillery battalions were eventually used by the Union. A good General in command of a Division with only 15 batteries of artillery is an effective way to simulate this actual unit.

4. Many of the Regional Decision Cards offer Victory Points for cash. If you use these judiciously, you can garner several hundred VP's over the course of the game.

5. If you click on a stack and then press the "7" key, you can cursor over regions where you plan that stack to attack and you'll get a menu of terrain and weather effects. You also get a listing of the number of combat and support (artillery) units that will be available in battle there.

6. A single stack set to Blue/Orange (Conservative Attack) may offer more time for other nearby stacks to March to the Sound of the Guns.

7. A couple well placed stockades garrisoned by a Division can block off any quick access to Washington D.C. by the Confederates early in the war. As already mentioned, brigs on the Potomac can also prevent river crossings.

8. Mixed Divisions of infantry, cavalry and artillery are better for defending critical structures and regions, because they have a little bit of everything. The best offensive unit would have a sharpshooter, a couple cavalry and the rest infantry types. Try to use one marine or sailor to reduce the river combat penalty. One elite brigade can boost cohesion for the entire Division. A stack of these Divisions benefits most from an all artillery Division.

http://www.ageod-forum.com/showthread.php?39242-Picture-this

9. You can't choose which of your units get attacked, but you most definitely chose which of your units join your own attacks. "Don't poke it with your finger, smash it with your fist" (Guderian).

10. A General with one of the defender abilities can work with a pontooneer and engineer so that a stack entrenches in the quickest time. Don't underplay force protection just because you must attack.

11. Expanding the blockade is of limited use. A 100% blockade would only cause 50% of the CSA cash production per turn to be lost. Conscripts and War Supply are not affected. The South can easily replace the cash by printing money, raising taxes or selling bonds. So use the blockade squadrons you start with, but creating any further units for this purpose is not a good investment.

http://www.ageod-forum.com/showthread.php?43186-We-Sail-the-Ocean-Blue

12. The threat of an amphibious assault somewhere along the coast ties down a portion of the CSA forces available. Actually performing an amphibious assault to take and hold a target along the coast ties down a portion of your forces for the remainder of the game. I'll let you do the math.

13. You win if at any time your National Morale (NM) rises above a certain level or you drive the CSA NM below a certain level. Events affect NM as do winning battles and taking Strategic Cities. If you do not win by NM, then the game progresses to 1866 and the winner is the side with the highest Victory Points. You get VPs by playing Regional Decision Cards, making policy choices, holding objectives that produce VPs each turn and destroying enemy units. Thus a winning strategy involves crushing the CSA NM or grinding out more VPs.
http://www.ageod.net/agewiki/National_Morale

14. Supply is everything. The reason the Union army actually advanced along the Cumberland and the Mississippi is that a river was an excellent route for supplies. Sherman marched across Georgia to the sea to get to a supply base in the port of Savanna. There weren't enough mules in North America to supply his army in Atlanta. Whatever strategy you choose, you must consider supplying your forces enroute to your objective and during your assault.
http://www.ageod.net/agewiki/Supply

15. Whatever strategy you choose, you must win battles. Three types of offensive engagements are possible, the Set Battle, Assault and Meeting Engagment.

-Set Battle. You want to take an Immediate Objective (IO). This may lead to another IO and so on, to an Ultimate Objective (UO). Do a map recon of the IO. Use the 7 key and find out the terrain and weather limitations. Does your route cross a river into the IO region? A "dry" route overland is less risky because a river crossing has a severe combat penalty for the attacker. Send a recon team in to get as much info on any enemy force in the IO. Estimate the level of entrenchment by comparing the enemy icons to similar icons for your forces. You want to get names and stats for Generals and power numbers for any units. Is it a Corps/Army which might be reinforced by adjacent units that MTSG? Maintain a recon until you can attack to prevent surprises. Assemble a force to win the Set Battle. Use your best leaders with your best infantry/cavalry/artillery mix and solid supply support. The enemy will thank you for not giving 100%.

-Assault. Enemy held cities, stockades, forts and redoubts can slow an invasion force or block supply routes. Sometimes, an objective may be fortified. In addition to the normal routine for a Set Battle, extra batteries of heavy artillery can aid in causing breaches. You may wish to make a field army to take IO regions that then continues to the next IO while a slower force designed for sieges performs the assault.
http://www.ageod.net/agewiki/Sieges_and_breaches

-Meeting Engagement. Your forces are moving to an IO when they encounter an enemy force and an unplanned Meeting Engagement ensues. Think Gettysburg. This is less of a gamble if you plan your moves well. As always, a recon is the best insurance policy. Don't pretend that a region is safe, know that it is. If you detect a risk, move synchronized or so that adjacent units might best MTSG. It's better to be present for battle with ten men than absent with ten thousand.
http://www.ageod.net/agewiki/Combat_Explained

16. In general, you don't need a plan to attack everywhere, but you will need a plan to defend somewhere. Sun Tzu noted that if you defend everywhere equally, then everywhere you will be weak. With that in mind, you might develop an overall Strategic Defense Plan (SDP). Scutinize the map from top to bottom and make priorities. You may decide that forts on the Gulf Coast are less important than Fort Monroe, so you would reinforce Monroe. Similarly some States may be less critical to your war plans than others. Certainly, cities that generate VPs or grant NM should be defended or at least garrisoned appropriately to any given threat. You don't need a Maginot Line of continuous forts from D.C. to CA, however a few strong points backed up by a mobile reserve force dedicated to quick response is a good plan. Terrain is again key to fighting on "good ground". Garrisoned cities along the rivers from St. Louis to Pittsburgh may form a good defense. The hills of WV and a few stockades in MD might complete a "shield" that would deny the South any initiative. When your position is strong, then you can plan offensive operations without distraction.

17. You can wait. You have an SDP. Your industry is superior. You get better leaders and units the longer you wait. Of course, in RL Lincoln would just fire you for not losing a lot of pointless battles, but you can wait. Or you might move with a purpose, set at least one UO for 1862 and take some IOs along the way to generate momentum. No one likes a long war, especially elected politicians, so imagine that you wake up every morning surrounded by those people.

18. Make two stacks of five blockade squadrons each. Put one in each blockade box set to Green/Green. These will give you a good blockade percentage and not require much support for a year or more. They will also catch runners every now and then.

19. In the Far West, you can purchase a flatboat in Southern California and use it to build a depot. Then use the Regional Decision Cards to slowly "Build Depots" stretching to Fort Craig, for operations against Texas.

20. The chance for a small unit to cut a railroad is equal to its power number. So a Division with only four cavalry elements is still stealthy if set to Green/Green and Evade Combat, but can cut rail lines deep in enemy territory if its cohesion is high.
Last edited by Gray Fox on Sat Jul 27, 2019 2:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Thu Mar 31, 2016 7:44 pm

11. Expanding the blockade is of limited use. A 100% blockade would only cause 50% of the CSA cash production per turn to be lost. Conscripts and War Supply are not affected. The South can easily replace the cash by printing money, raising taxes or selling bonds. So use the blockade squadrons you start with, but creating any further units for this purpose is not a good investment. -Gray Fox

This is debatable. This is also not the thread to debate this. I'll open up a separate thread.

Just the Facts, Ma'am - like SA's thread. Strategy will creep in here, but there's more than one way to skin a cat.
[color="#AFEEEE"]"Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable!"[/color]

-Daniel Webster



[color="#FFA07A"]"C'mon, boys, we got the damn Yankees on the run!"[/color]

-General Joseph Wheeler, US Army, serving at Santiago in 1898



RULES

(A) When in doubt, agree with Ace.

(B) Pull my reins up sharply when needed, for I am a spirited thoroughbred and forget to turn at the post sometimes.





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Fri Apr 01, 2016 2:21 am

Do not lose Ft. Monroe. You will regret it. Baltimore becomes useless for embarking troops and thus adds travel time for any coastal ops. Any dreams of a Peninsular campaign (McClellan had the right idea but dawdled) vanish. More Rebs in NoVA. All in all, Very Bad.

If the CSA seems determined to take it, see if he's weakened NoVA or some other point.
[color="#AFEEEE"]"Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable!"[/color]

-Daniel Webster



[color="#FFA07A"]"C'mon, boys, we got the damn Yankees on the run!"[/color]

-General Joseph Wheeler, US Army, serving at Santiago in 1898



RULES

(A) When in doubt, agree with Ace.

(B) Pull my reins up sharply when needed, for I am a spirited thoroughbred and forget to turn at the post sometimes.





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GraniteStater
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Wed Apr 13, 2016 5:12 pm

The Blockade works. Here's a report from two current PbeMs.

Take your starting fleet. Add a scout (brig) to each Box Blockade stack (just make sure you have at least one). Add a TP (maybe two for Atlantic).

Pensacola is a given. Bogue's Inlet, for that smaller NC port, is a freebie, no guns.

Charleston, Wilmington, and Mobile are two Exits each. My standard Up Close & Personal fleet is a Blockade Flotilla with two Brig units (2 x 2) (for 12 elements) and a TP.

So that's eight Blockade fleets: six for the three ports and one each for Pensy & NC. There's also Savannah (I'm doing things slightly differently in each game0.

I think I've got about nine, maybe ten fleets of at least 12 'points' each. Not all are alike, some are a bit cobbled together.

Plus there's Shipping, the Boxes, Farragut, Dahlgren, and a few odds and ends and some spare TPs, etc. Plus a Potomac squadron.

65% Blockade, depending on what you block. Maybe flirting with 75, 80, if I get all those points mentioned at once.

The ships don't hurt all that much, really, running the forts. Have done this multiple times yet, just a couple for relief sailings, but, so far, the ships don't really suffer all that much. And once they're there, they're there for quite a while, Turn after Turn...

after Turn. At least six Turns, and more, especially with TPs. I've just started relieving and it's been in the neighborhood of five, six months that the CSA has had a 50%+ Blockade.

What are we depriving the CSA of? - let's call it a $75 loss each Turn - maybe higher, maybe $90, but let's be conservative.

Six Turns - $450, maybe more? That's an entire Turns income for the CSA, I would guess, in the neighborhood for a "normal" cash Turn. Six months, twelve Turns - $900. One year - $1800 that the CSA did not get and never will and the expense of your fleet, in $$, has almost been met.

Six months would roughly equal two Turns CSA cash income - gone, gone forever.

That's gotta hurt, imho.
[color="#AFEEEE"]"Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable!"[/color]

-Daniel Webster



[color="#FFA07A"]"C'mon, boys, we got the damn Yankees on the run!"[/color]

-General Joseph Wheeler, US Army, serving at Santiago in 1898



RULES

(A) When in doubt, agree with Ace.

(B) Pull my reins up sharply when needed, for I am a spirited thoroughbred and forget to turn at the post sometimes.





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GraniteStater
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Thu Apr 14, 2016 3:29 pm

I just checked the Wiki to refresh my memory and it seems clear that naval units may receive Replacements only at a level 3 Harbor.

So it seems Forts Pickens and Monroe do not qualify, unless I'm mistaken - need to open the game and check it. In general, it seems the Union (or CSA) needs a friendly level 3 port to receive naval Replacements.
[color="#AFEEEE"]"Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable!"[/color]

-Daniel Webster



[color="#FFA07A"]"C'mon, boys, we got the damn Yankees on the run!"[/color]

-General Joseph Wheeler, US Army, serving at Santiago in 1898



RULES

(A) When in doubt, agree with Ace.

(B) Pull my reins up sharply when needed, for I am a spirited thoroughbred and forget to turn at the post sometimes.





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Re: Points to know - Union - Work in Progress

Thu Jun 22, 2017 5:17 pm

21. Here's one way to use the Union Navy units that you get for free.

a. Make sure that you always fill out each of the ship units to full strength. Some of the Brig, Sail Frigate and Blockade Squadron (BS) units need replacements. Send them to a major port with a naval engineer like Philly, NYC or Boston. Set them to Green/Green and make sure that you have replacements in the pool for their ship type. The next turn, they should be locked in place until the replacements arrive. You can even do this with understrength units that start the game locked in one of those ports.

b. I get 5 BS in each of the two blockade boxes set to Green/Green. This way they can stay on station for a year or more without resupply. Their priority is to enforce the blockade.

c. The last BS goes in Hampton Roads to isolate Ft. Monroe (92% chance to block overland access) from ground assault and to help enforce the blockade of Richmond. So it's set to Blue Green. Eventually I send the Monitor and an Admiral there to counter the Virginia ironclad.

d. I build all of the Ocean Transports and place them in the Shipping Lanes box in one stack with the Merchant ships. This quickly pays for the investment. These are guarded by 4 Steam Frigates and a sail Frigate set to Green/Green, Evade Contact under the command of one of the 3-1-1 Admirals.

e. Finally, to prevent an assault on D.C. over the bridge from Alexandria, I place two Brig or Sail Frigate units (4 ships) in the Potomac river zone set to Blue/Green. Again, this only leaves an 8% chance for the rebels to get across.

f. I make and then send the 4 Ranger elements to Philly. There they embark on 4 brig units as my CW SEAL teams. You can split these up into 4 brig+Ranger combos to scout the CSA coast or land the Rangers to twist up RR lines or destroy depots. I use a flatboat to build a depot in the FL keys. Based there, these teams can operate rapidly against the entire CSA coast.

g. This leaves enough ships to assign Farragut, Foote and Dahlgren each a Task Force (TF) consisting of 4 Steam Frigates and a sail Frigate. Set to Orange/Orange, they can hunt CSA runners and raiders in the Atlantic/Gulf/Shipping Lanes boxes. Also based in the keys, they can quickly react to CSA sightings. According to several posts by Captain Orso, the TF gets a contact check when it enters and again when it leaves the box. So that is 3 extra chances per turn to locate the enemy.
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Re: Points to know - Union - Work in Progress

Sun Sep 10, 2017 3:19 am

So I am tardy with keeping up with my reading. This advice is amazing. Thanks.

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Re: Points to know - Union - Work in Progress

Thu Sep 14, 2017 1:16 pm

22. Information Preparation of the Battlefield (IPB)

Let's say that you could put a mirror behind your opponent and then see what cards are in his hand. Knowing what he's holding beats guessing about it. IPB is the term for putting all the recon pieces together to get one accurate picture of enemy strength and capabilities.

These are some of the Union recon assets. I discussed the 4 Ranger elements on Brigs. The Union also has access to 4 Partisan elements from Regional Decision Cards (RDC) in 1862. These can start in WV and operate in VA while resupplying in MD. Finally, if you send the Mounted Volunteers to McClellan, he can train them into 2 element Early Cavalry units. You thus start with enough cavalry to form one Division. I usually break this down into two "mini-Divisions" of a General and four cavalry elements, with eight single elements loose. Set the recon teams to Green/Green, Evade Combat so that they are stealthy and keep them moving.

As mentioned, the Ranger-Brigs can prowl the coast, giving you a snapshot of where the CSA perimeteer is weak. These stay supplied longer so you can probably operate all four together. Split the other teams into two groups, one that is resupplying in a safe area and the other group that is out behind enemy lines. That gives you two Partisans, four cavalry elements and one brigade sized mini-Division available for recon duty every turn.

Know Your Foe

Make it a part of each turns routine to operate your recon teams effectively. Review the recons first thing so that you operate on fresh intel. You can even make a quick Excel sheet to record what you've found. Headings like, date contacted, unit, leader, power number and location are useful to note. Even Athena isn't going to reorganize her army every turn, unless a unit got gutted in battle. Jackson's Division is probably going to keep the same organization until he becomes a Corps commander. In addition to the recons, use any Battle reports to figure out who commands an artillery Division or has a cavalry heavy Division, etc. Challenge yourself to get as much info as you can. The enemy will thank you for not giving 100%.

In addition to recons, you can also twist up Railroad lines that cost the CSA WS to fix. Do this every turn and the hole in the WS bucket will get quite large. The mini-Division or all the Rangers acting together can probably take out a depot's garrison. Thus, recon teams can force the CSA to concentrate some of their war effort on Rear Area Securtiy.
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Re: Points to know - Union - Work in Progress

Tue Dec 05, 2017 3:26 pm

23. You get 1.6 WS for each rail line you destroy. So, use some cavalry to destroy 10 of your own lesser used rails for +16 WS. Do this several times until you have accumulated at least 50 WS this way. Now issue war bonds for +$800. This allows you to build Iron Works (IW) in the Middle States ($200 and 50 WS). The IW provide 16 WS/turn together. Initially use this to repair the rail lines. Eventually after about another 8 turns you can build the IW in New England ($500 and 125 WS). So by temporarily scavenging your own rail lines and raising war bonds, you get 7 individual IW and +56 WS/turn for the rest of the game.

Also, here's a link by Captain Orso as to how some game mechanics work:

viewtopic.php?f=331&t=39243&start=150
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Re: Points to know - Union - Work in Progress

Wed Dec 16, 2020 6:50 am

I'll start with a short list:

1: Have a plan. It is a big map, and the Union resources are almost overwhelming...to manage. Know what you want to do, otherwise you risk spreading your resources too thin.

2: Don't win the war in 1861. The worst position the Union is in is between the start and October 61 when divisions are available. CSA leaders, big brigades, and the near parity early game, make attacking very risky. Focus on securing your position and future jump off points. The Union's numbers can only be used effectively once corps are available.

3: Go East (young man): The Richmond DC area is the sudden death zone, where the NM swing is big enough to effectively end the game. Whatever else your plan is, it has to include a credible threat to Richmond. If for nothing else, commiting troops there forces the CSA to do the same, opening up opportunities elsewhere by fixing confederate forces in Va. Remember that with a 3 to 1 advantage, even Mac will give Lee a hard time. Once you build a strong AoP, use it. You can't fix Lee by sitting on your... well you get the idea.

4: Don't forget the Navy. This is my way of saying use your ships. CSA is raiding across the Ohio? 4 of those gunboats can block the river crossing. Beyond blockading, the Navy denys the rebs mobility, while increasing yours. From a tactical sense, the river navy is the most important. Also if a CSA player concentrates all his ironclads on the Mississippi, he can make your life miserable, so think about building river ironclads.

5: Attack mobility and supply: Don't just attack a stack for attacking's sake, the goal should be to isolate the enemy stack away from reinforcements and supply. Don't push down the rail line to his depot, maneuver to put your stack on the rail line between the enemy and his depot, and attack to push him away from his base of supply (Taking the depot itself is always good too!) Retreat paths can be a bit odd, but normally an enemy stack won't retreat to a region where you have 100% MC. This also has the benefit of forcing the enemy to attack you on your ground (rather than you assaulting his entrenched position). Also think about about where enemy reinforcements can railroad in from. Memphis is a lot simpler to take if the Union controls Ft. Donelson, Corinth, and has cut the rails to Mississippi.

6: You need mass to attack: in order to do 5, you need a force big enough to cover your own supply line while you flank his. 2 to 1 at least, and preferably 3 to 1. How to achieve this? Well you can outbuild them, the Union starts with roughly a 2 to 1 advantage in manpower (NM has a pretty big impact). Beyond that, it goes back to number 1. Take forces from areas you are defending and move them to your attack areas. Maneuver and attack in such a way that at the point of contact you have local superiority. MTSG is your friend, and remember that it kicks in after the first round. If you have to break an entrenched line, try to have all your stacks show up at the same time, if the initial power difference is big enough, the enemy may retreat before the battle.
Last edited by pgr on Wed Dec 16, 2020 3:05 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: Points to know - Union - Work in Progress

Wed Dec 16, 2020 8:14 am

I'll add one of my own favourites

4 x Artillery Elements + 1 x 4 Element Supply Train = A Redoubt

So early on aim for St Louis and Cairo as well as Paducah when it comes up for grabs

Over time add in Nashville and Memphis as you get them

Long game look to do them on Depots .. Athena seems to have a thing about Depots

It's expensive but worth it for those key locations, the earlier the better for St Louis and Cairo

Xeja1
Corporal
Posts: 53
Joined: Thu Apr 07, 2016 3:55 pm

Re: Points to know - Union - Work in Progress

Sun Aug 29, 2021 12:43 pm

Now that I've put 4 or 5 years and about 1000 hours into the game, 100% of which is MP, I feel confident in giving some Union advice. The Union is actually far harder to get right than most people realize, and a good Confederacy player against an average Union player stands a better than equal chance of (at least effectively) winning. Below I will outline some of the steps a Union player needs to take in order to survive against a top tier Confederacy player.

1. You need a lot more men in the Eastern theater than you think: My usual defensive force in the East now normally consists of at least 5 full Corps, and preferably 6. 3 defending Washington in a line from Harpers Ferry to Alexandria, and 3 (or 2 if you have 5 Corps) coming up the peninsula east of Richmond. Generally I use 3 artillery divisions in my defense, with 2 being given to the peninsula forces and 1 in Alexandria. If Lee/Jackson attacks towards Washington, move up to Richmond from the peninsula, if he attacks the peninsula, move south with your Washington forces and cross the river south of Manassas. One lost battle with your northern Corps can mean the collapse of your entire defense, forcing you into siege in Washington, so you need to constantly be exercising maximum caution and know where Confederate forces around Richmond are at all times.

2. The Confederacy actually has the upper hand in mobility over the Union: It may sound crazy, but the trans appalachia railroad allows transport of a full Confederate Corps from Virginia to Eastern Tennessee every turn (and vice-versa). You think you have a handle on the 3 Confederate Corps in the east during an offensive operation, but then suddenly Forrest shows up with 6 crack divisions from the west and you're screwed. It is impossible to contest the rail line before Kentucky joins the war, and even after it is very difficult due to inferior Union supply in the area. You just have to live with the reality of being constantly outmaneuvered on land, and try to advance in one theater when the Confederacy is distracted in the other. Moving 6 divisions will empty his rail pool, so keep that in mind.

3. Capturing New Orleans is critical to a Union victory; Charleston and Texas are strongly suggested to be captured as well: My current strategy is to take NO in late September to early October of 61 with one division (and several squadrons of cavalry), and place a second in Pensacola a month later with sufficient transport in the event reinforcements are needed. The blockade percentage, industry loss and conscript losses suffered by the Confederacy if NO falls are enormous, and go far to preventing the South from being able to empty their recruitment pools. Without an early NO capture, it becomes far too difficult to take, and the Union will regret it later on. I always bring 2 supply wagons to facilitate the building of a fort in the city, and make sure to bring along Butler to trigger the very beneficial event. Keep in mind the Confederacy loses the production there and the Union gains it, a double blow.

The capture of Charleston is very similar. Run the forts and deposit at least 1, preferably 2, divisions there with 2 wagons, build a fort, and hide in the city. Take the on map forts around the city a few turns later as a bonus to level up your best generals. Make sure to take some excess cavalry squadrons along who can use the city as a base to cut surrounding rail lines.

4. The Union should be converting 6 volunteers to regulars nearly every turn of the game: Early on the Union finds itself in possession of 3 training generals of the special type who convert either 2 volunteers or conscripts straight to regulars every turn, this nearly doubles the power of the element. The Union begins the game with an enormous number of volunteer regiments ready for conversion (light/volunteer/volunteer), has many more spawn in Alexandria and Washington by event, has a moderate number of volunteer brigades in the west pool (regular/volunteer), and can find more regiments in the south east pool once Kentucky declares (regular/volunteer/volunteer/regular cavalry/light artillery). All these elements can be converted by late 62, netting you a huge number of regulars and turning near useless brigades and regiments into some of your best. Then when 63 hits, you gain an almost unlimited number of colored volunteers.

Efficient conversion of all these elements is one of the most important tasks you can complete.

5. Don't build Ironworks, don't build transports for the naval box, and don't build anything beyond the 3 non-Ironworks construction decisions you get in 61. It is easily possible to empty your pools of all infantry, regular cavalry, and 12 lbrs by the summer of 63 without spending cash on things which generate more cash in the future. All investing like this does is delay your build-up and give more time for the Confederacy to empty its own pools. If 2:1 strength is needed to reliably win offensive battles in CW2, then letting the defending player put more elements into the field is the worst thing you can do. Remember, once your recruitment pools are empty, your armies are at their maximum possible size. It doesn't matter if you have $10 billion in the bank and 6k war supplies, with nothing to spend it on it goes to waste; instead, invest that money into elements in 61 and 62 which can then be used to steal production from the South by taking their cities.

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