Acw

[Easterner]

I've owned the game quite awhile and have played off and on over the last couple of years. I always found the system rather opaque but repeated playing give greater insights and eventually I start learning and gain greater understanding. I welcome rebuttals, it will improve my game. I'm pretty sure I'm far from mastering the game yet.

Observations

New units, appear semi randomly where ordered, a better method should exist to show ACTIVE arrivals. currently I see best way as purchasing regionally to find them easier after they arrive.

AI, very powerful it beats me like a drum.

Combat: at times it seems skewered. In current game Longstreet (def 6) was defeated in battle of Richmond Fortifications by Banks (off 0) The CSA lost worse than 2:1 in casulties despite entrenchments to an incompetent they outnumbered 28000-16000. Can not imagine this happening often, if ever in real life. Yet it is all too common of my experiences in the East. Union incompetents beat and beat consistently Lee, Jackson and Longstreet. Yet historically they lost one battle Gettysburg (Antietam a tac win, strategic loss) and won or drew the remainder, though later victories over Grant usually Phyrric. It feels more like Franco-Prussian War than ACW at times.

East
AI small Union forces have no problem wandering all over the deep south from the earliest days. Capturing their supply bases seems to have no effect. The effect is that the CSA in east seem pinned early, Once these forces reach a certain level the CS is forced to counter them to protect rail lines, no possibility to start any Northen invasions ever seem to open up. Feels more like '64 even in late '62 (a common problem in ACW games).

West

Though usually similar to East my CSA did better in current game, April '64 and CS controls Vicksburg, Memphis, NO, Bowling Green and Nashville. In late-62 most were Union (this is '62-2-theater) in '63 and overmatched by Union units that had just taken Meridian I sent AoT to Nashville, took it then BG, cut rails to Miss. and amazingly US forces retreated, CS then took Memphis. Forcing the US back felt "right" yet this doesn't show in East where every general eventually retreated to D.C. after setbacks. AI does not unless US is fighting over Manassas.

US should have greater impetus to retreat to D.C. US should have greater need to protect supply bases, at least until later in war. Player controlled forces wandering around enemy territory tend to vanish, AI should too, unless I'm missing something.

Defending units should have tremendous advantage particularly with good leaders something I'm not seeing.

CS takes higher losses in every campaign I've played, unsure if from combat flaw or over aggression.

Leader inactivity, units seem to move too easily, particularly into combat. Occasional random event pins a particular unit but by and large most leaders (particularly low strat values) should be difficult to get into battle, with no leader in force even harder. Reforming this would probably fix my percieved problem with massive AI forces wandering about the map.

Union Manpower
Rumors to the contrary the US never had a great manpower advantage over the south until late in the war, The reason is inefficient enlistment lengths, causing constant churn in troops. Unclear if this is modeled.

Best example was Hooker went south in 5/43 with 110,000, Meade got the army a month later now sized 90,000 despite a number of new units added. But troops disgusted with the conduct of the war mustered out in droves after Chancellorsville, a constant union problem.

[Gray_Lensman]

deleted

[Easterner]

In general 1.00-1.12

Have started 7/61 today with 1.12a, so far going well. Last session was really an "over the hump" in that many of the games I failed in were from lack of understanding, but I kept learning.

Oh, McCullough seems missing from 61 scenarios (he is on-map in 62) he should be in NE Tx at start in 7/61.

[Gray_Lensman]

deleted

[Maqver]

Link showing army sizes. The Union figures on Jan 1 '63 and CSA figures for Dec 31 1862 are telling. Even the January '62 figures for the Union tell the story.

http://www.civilwarhome.com/armysize.htm

[Gray_Lensman]

deleted

[lodilefty]

If it continues to be a big problem even with the April scenario, I may just go ahead and add the same Militia units to that scenario also.

Similarly, in WIA we ended up with 1 element Militia garrisons in many locations. In regions that are 'newly settled', we have 'Colonists'...

Most cities big enough to be 'on the map', would have at least a local Militia Company..

Another method: add these small garrisons to the 'raid response' events. Then they're not on the map until there is a reason....

[Eugene Carr]

I think most places would have home defence units pretty much from the start or fairly soon.

I tacked my depot guards on to the 3rd levy event (june 61) which gives the Union an incentive to pile in on places like Rolla and Jefferson City before they get garrisoned. I used militia rather than vols and locked them, I also dropped their health/cohesion in the hope they would suck up some resources to represent the downside of defending everywhere.

S! EC

Actually I've just checked and I've only done the Union depots must have been a quick cut and paste test to have garrisons in Rolla and Jeff City

[Gray_Lensman]

deleted

[Easterner]

Interesting that he was dead in '62, hadn't realized it started post-Pea Ridge.

1.12a: Just completed campaign as CSA 7/61 Confed won L-7/64. Apparently I had indeed had epiphany, primarily from cracking the Production. Odd how simple it is, yet I never saw it correctly. Even recovered from disaster of ASJ losing 70% - 80% of AoT in Ky. winter. McCullough was a no-show .

Missing map-boxes. Indians

LA, Ca. and Santa Fe, NM.

Colorado & NM troops under Canby fought Sibley's Texans in NM the furthest extent of CS forces. The two were brothers in law. Battles at Val Verde (desert) & Glorietta Pass (hills and mountains).

Tucson map was Calif. troops against Az. local troops. Baylor vs. Carleton. Biggest battle was Pichacho Peak Pass, 12 CSA vs. 10 US men.

LA was CS objective not San Fran.

These two maps are more important than the ones provided and should be added (if feasible) or replace existing boxes. (Portland & Laredo most expendable boxes)

Sioux should have leader Red Cloud.

Colorado: Cheyenne under Roman Nose too. After Sand Creek Massacre in '64 Red Clouds War began (US lost) Sioux in Wyo. & Cheyenne in Colo. allied for the remainder of the Indian Wars.

Santee Sioux under Little Crow also revolted in Minn in '62 exterminating something like 1000 persons. Pope and a US H. H. Sibley (cousin to CS H. H. Sibley: different middle names) fought here. 303 Indians convicted and sentenced to death, Lincoln commuted all but 39 to imprisonment. The 39 killed in largest US mass execution in history on giant scaffold that held up to 40.

Apache's went on warpath in '62 after Cochise's brother was murdered by US Lt. Bascom. His Father in law, the paramount chief Mangas Coloradas, started a war that lasted off and on until 1935 (the last raid). Earlier Governor Baylor fought Apache's and was recalled as Richmond's policy was pro-Indian.

[Comtedemeighan]

The Sioux Rising '62 is in the game. I'm just wondering where did you get the info on the 1935 Apache Raid?

[Gray_Lensman]

deleted

[Le Ricain]

The Sioux Rising '62 is in the game. I'm just wondering where did you get the info on the 1935 Apache Raid?

Info the Apache raid can be found in "They Never Surrendered: Bronco Apaches of the Sierra Madres, 1890 - 1935" written by Douglas Meed (1993).

The raid was in 1927 when some Apaches killed the wife and kidnapped the infant son of a Sonoran Rancher, Francisco Fimbres. This started a bloody vendetta between the Fimbres family and the Sierra Madres Apaches that was to last for 8 eight years. Fimbres was as hard and unforgiving (think Charles Bronson) as the Apaches were.

The story of the lost infant caught the imagination of the populace north of the border and some Arizona businessmen organised a manhunt that unsuccessfully searched northwestern Mexico for the boy and his abductors.

[Jabberwock]

McCullough seems missing from 61 scenarios (he is on-map in 62) he should be in NE Tx at start in 7/61.

He should be in Southeast Texas at the start in Spring '61.