Anyone ever play a game where Britain and France came in?

[Bargus]

I know it's very, very rare, ahistorical, etc., but has anyone ever had a game where either GB came in naturally, or you "forced" an event in the game files to make them intervene? I'm curious how it affects the war and what impact GB and France really have.


Thanks!

[AACW3Plz]

I haven't.

There's an event in the winter of 61 which has smallish percent chance of dramatically increasing England's likelihood of entering. You'd need that to go your way to have any reasonable chance of intervention.

[Durk]

It can happen. For it to happen, the government cards are important. If the blockade card goes the right way, then the CSA can play the two foreign concessions card. It is a probability even.
And yes, if the Union keeps the two diplomats captured in the Trent affair, then perhaps foreign concessions are not needed, but a favorable blockade roll is needed.
Essentially either France or Britain or both brings a small corps sized army and a small fleet. Their leadership is decent and they can join CSA armies. The fleets are enough that it is possible to counter some of the brown water blockades, but these fleets combined with a bit of CSA naval builds cannot out gun the Union navy.

[Bargus]

Thanks!

So 2 smallish Corps and 2 smallish fleets are about the extent of it... Can GB/FRA build more? Does the CSA player have control of those armies?

[Durk]

Well, not too smalllish, kind of like a normal corps: think Jackson and Longstreet. Fleets are big enough to beat a Union player who is to lazy or self satisfied to build any additional ships.
They do have units added to the force pool, but if I remember correctly, without very much additional EP.
Yes, CSA controlled. Not AI.

[Bargus]

Cool! Thanks for the info!

[andrzej]

Britain has a strong army and navy :













France also has a strong fleet -


Her army is small. But something is sure to appear in Mexico on the intervention event.


For some reason, there is even an army in Mexico in the game:



The Independent Indian Faction has the following forces:



There are no armies and fleets, but there are factions and territories in Spain, Haiti, Dominican Republic and Guatemala.

[Pocus]

This represents the (ill advised) French intervention in Mexico.

[Bargus]

Cool! Thanks for the screenshots, Andrzej! Very interesting to see. Looks like the foreign navies could be quite useful against the Union.

[andrzej]

This represents the (ill advised) French intervention in Mexico.

This means AI French are fighting AI Mexicans ?

[grimjaw]

This represents the (ill advised) French intervention in Mexico.

This means AI French are fighting AI Mexicans ?

IIRC, the territory is never unlocked, so no o fighting takes place at all. The force placement in Mexico is just for appearance sake.

I also recall that AI controlled any foreign intervention forces, so CSA player did not get control unlike CW1.
I

[andrzej]

I also recall that AI controlled any foreign intervention forces, so CSA player did not get control unlike CW1.
I

Yes, I know that .. But it's easy to fix and make a mod where you can control the armies of other countries, or play for them as separate countries.

[grimjaw]

Agreed. I was just providing information to the OP.

[Rod Smart]

As the Union, I forced an intervention once. Intentionally taking all the wrong decisions, trying to get them to intervene.

It was fun! Sending Grant steamrolling through Canada, and then off to capture London and Paris. While sending amphibious corps to capture Caribbean islands instead of the usual Confederate ports.

I ended up in a stronger position in 1864 than I would have keeping them out of the war.

[Rod Smart]

Following up - even after England and France intervened, the Confederacy continued to use the decisions to bring them into the war.

They were sacrificing NM in an attempt to get something they already had.

That seems broken.