jcrohio
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Postures and Blockades

Thu Jan 17, 2019 1:11 am

Just bought the game and really trying to work through all its rules. Most all my questions I have found answers to in these forums. I also bought To End All Wars and I am hoping the game engine is very similar. Meaning if I learn this the learning curve on TEAW should be pretty easy.

Anyway my questions are based on the naval parts of the game. I am playing as the Union.

1. The posture with the Brown Water Blockade - as far as I can tell it needs to both be Orange - Offensive. Is this correct?

2. The posture with the Blue Water Blockade - as far as I can tell it needs to both be Green - Passive. Is this correct?

3. At the beginning of the game there is a fleet consisting of some frigates and scout ships and a second fleet of merchant ships in the Shipping Lanes box. The merchants I assume should be Passive. I feel I am reading conflicting answers in the forums as to the posture of the other fleet. Some are saying to leave them Passive and others are saying to make them Offensive. Is this a function of what role you want them to have? If they are just escorts leave them Passive. If they are actually trying to hunt for Confederate blockade runners or raiders put them in an Offensive posture.

4. What is the role of transport ships as pertaining to the Union blockade? Should some transports be with all the fleets (both blockade fleets, the merchants and the escort fleet)?

5. The Union Fort Pickens down in Florida next to Alabama. How does it get suppled? Should I work to get a substantial fleet down here to eventually blockade Mobile Bay and New Orleans and if so how is it supplied?

6. Finally the role of the Blockade Flotillas I assume is to be placed in both blockade boxes. The role of the Timberclads, Motorboats, Gunboats and Riverines I assume is to impede river traffic. I assume the role of the Frigates and Brigs is for the Brown Water Blockade and to act as escorts for the merchant fleets and to act as hunters for Confederate raiders or blockade runners. Is this all correct?

Thanks for any help
Jack

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Gray Fox
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Re: Postures and Blockades

Thu Jan 17, 2019 3:37 am

1. A brown water blockade costs you more than it will the CSA.

2. Yes.

3. The merchant fleet should be escorted and the stack should be Green/Green evade combat.

4. All of the ocean transports should be in the merchant ship stack to increase your income from foreign trade.

5. The Union Fort Pickens gets supply from the secondary purpose of transports in the shipping lanes.

6. Here's one way to use the Union Navy units that you get.

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.

Good luck!
I'm the 51st shade of gray. Eat, pray, Charge!

jcrohio
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Joined: Thu Mar 30, 2006 12:50 am
Location: Ohio

Re: Postures and Blockades

Thu Jan 17, 2019 8:40 pm

Thanks Gray Fox. Exactly what I needed.
Jack

lightbrave
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Re: Postures and Blockades

Thu Jan 17, 2019 9:23 pm

Just wanted to expand my knowledge on this as well so I have a few questions. Just recently finished my first full PBEM game as Confederate and now I am playing Union so I need to learn more about it.

First point of concern - Blue Water Blockade - I assume that as long as blockade ships are in the blockade box, then they will "block" at peak efficiency. I assume when you say that it has to be green/green, that means it doesn't mean it makes the blockade more efficient, it just means it keeps cohesion or maybe supply longer so you don't have to bring them back to port so often. Iv had my blockade units on orange/orange because I assume that the might by chance engage a Confederate runner even if they are on passive. Is this wishful thinking? I actually broke up my stack into smaller ones thinking I would have a better chance of engaging the runners. Am I wasting my time? I was always under the assumption that even though an enemy is on passive and evading combat, there was still a chance to engage them.


Second point of concern - Shipping Lanes - You say you build ALL of the ocean transports. My game is currently at September 1861. I have 38 transports available to build. Are you saying I need to build all of these ASAP for a good return? At my current inflation rate, it would cost me 684 money and 380 War Supply. If I remember correctly from playing Athena, isn't there a point where you can get more merchant ships? Do you mean these merchant ships or the actual transports?


Third point of concern - Rangers in boats - I am finding that they are very valuable on land at the moment (Early September 1861). Do you keep rangers on the coast (in boat or out) the entire game?


Last point of concern - You say you have 3 task forces that require the rest of your available ships to hunt down Confederate ships. Do you ever launch a coastal assault on a major city like New Orleans, Charleston, Savannah? Do you build anymore ships (besides the transports and anything on the rivers) for this purpose or do you bring your task forces in so you can launch an assault?

Thanks!!

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Gray Fox
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Re: Postures and Blockades

Thu Jan 17, 2019 10:01 pm

One stack of Blockade Squadrons on Green/Green will still engage runners. Being on a higher setting just makes their cohesion run out sooner. By my reckoning, the squadrons need to be on station to lower CSA production, so do the right things to keep them on station. Foote, Farragut and Dahlgren can hunt runners/raiders with their task forces.

Yes, build all of the Ocean Transports and put them in the shipping lanes. I have never received any more merchant ships. Also build all of the Iron Works. Do all of this in 1861. It pays for itself.

Some players like to do some kind of super far west strategy. This may be real fun, but it is simply not a war winner. Know your foe. Rangers prowling and infiltrating the coast can tell you what the CSA is doing behind the lines. Also, tear up RR lines. This costs the CSA WS to repair. Hit depots or just make him think you might. Every Confederate unit behind the lines is not defending Richmond.

If you land an assault force to take New Orleans or some other port, then you also have to tie down units and resources to hold NO, etc., for the rest of the war. The threat that you might invade ties down CSA forces. Actually doing it ties down your forces. Richmond is worth more in NM than all of the other sites combined. Sooo...I don't waste effort on things that aren't going to pay off. If you built every ship and enforced 100% blockade, your army would still have to win the war. You have enough Navy to do their part, so I concentrate on creating an Army to take Richmond. Good luck!
I'm the 51st shade of gray. Eat, pray, Charge!

lightbrave
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Location: Jackson, Georgia

Re: Postures and Blockades

Fri Jan 18, 2019 12:03 am

Thanks Gray! Quick question - Do you build more river ships? Also, I am sure you have operations in the West and Far West. Just out of curiosity, when do you usually start to really push on Richmond? I don't see how the Union could be a serious threat to it in 1861. Most of what is going on in my current game is in the west...…..Missouri, Arkansas...exc

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Gray Fox
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Re: Postures and Blockades

Fri Jan 18, 2019 2:03 am

I use a sword and shield strategy. Entrench a mixed Division inside the cities of St. Louis, Cairo, Evansville, Louisville, Cincinnati, Ashville, Parkersburg, Wheeling and Pittsburgh. Assemble this garrison Division from the starting brigades with the weak 6-lber, the brigades with a light and 2 volunteer regiments and some state militia. Use a flatboat to build a depot in any of these cities that lacks one. Have enough gunboats so that you can cut off any large force that crosses a major river into the North and then rail in a reserve to annihilate it. The rivers and the mountains, this is your shield. Build a stockade in Montgomery and Carrol MD also with a mixed Division. Two brig units, 4 ships total, in the Potomac outside D.C. can make any move on your Capital a risky project. I have all of this done by October 1861, although forming the Divisions is dependent upon those Generals being active. Certainly by 1862 you are dug in. By denying the CSA any chance for offensive action against the Union, you now have the initiative and they are at your mercy.
Mixed Division
download/file.php?id=28310

By the summer of 1862 I have assembled 12 elite Divisions under Grant, with Kearney and Lyons as Corps Commanders.
Elite Division
download/file.php?id=32137
Grant's Army
download/file.php?id=36058

On to Richmond!
I'm the 51st shade of gray. Eat, pray, Charge!

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Gray Fox
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Re: Postures and Blockades

Sat Jan 26, 2019 6:16 pm

I checked and there is a one-time game decision to purchase 3 additional merchant ships in 1862. So extra merchant ships do eventually show up.
I'm the 51st shade of gray. Eat, pray, Charge!

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