Grand Campaign USA Starting Move

[Heldenkaiser]

I just started my first full war campaign PBEM, as the Federals. I was completely perplexed by the variety of possible policy choices available to me and spent two hours browsing these boards and all sort of documents and guides trying to find some hints for the first steps in the recruitment / finance / economy areas. I finally selected what seemed most reasonable (read: conservative) to me, for my first game. Now that it's done and sent to my opponent (who is hosting), I wonder what others do on T1? Conserve as much money as possible to curb inflation and just call up volunteers? Make a lot of money, pay bounties, try to raise a huge army right away? Industralize the hell out of the minor states? Obviously it's always a trade-off, but are there priorities more useful for a start than others? For instance, if I have a lot of volunteers but no money to raise regiments (because I pay bounties), is that better than having a lot of money but fewer troops (because I call up volunteers and save the bounty)? And so on ....

I honestly couldn't find a thread here or another place where these questions were discussed (for the USA). I saw a lot about army organization and warfighting, but not about these issues ...

Thanks!

[Jabberwock]

I:

Industralize the hell out of the minor states

But only for the first couple of turns. It's generally not necessary to do more, you will have a running excess of WS by the end of '61, especially if you build transports every chance you get.

I also buy a few replacements, so that the understrength units created by event can get with the program quickly.

Many prefer to skip the industrialization altogether, and save the early money for buying some good units when they are available on turn 3.

And always take the total blockade political option. I think everybody agrees on that.

[Eoghammer]

It is a very good question.
Shortly, every action you will make have some advantages and some hindrances. So every action have positive effect and negative effect.
In this game you aren't commanding a compagny in the middle of nowhere, but one of the nations impliqued in a war.
for the economic part, for exemple, tax are a way to increase your money but if they are too heavy the national moral will decrease and if they are too light you will not have enough army to defend your land.

As the USA, I think that for the first turns, you must "wait" until the victory point have raised as they will improve the benefits of several actions, like historicaly.
Invest a little but continuously in industry for increasing at the start the Weapon Supply income and to improve the production of ammo and General Supply where you need it (often in the west)
Avoid the inflation as long as you will often lack the other items to create more unit...
improve your naval supply (with transports) as it will give you money and/or Weapons

[Coffee Sergeant]

Wait until turn 3 (early may) before you use any of the finacial/draft options; you can't build anything before then, and the amount of money/conscripts you get from the options is dependent on victory points, which accumulate each turn. However, you definitely want to do something before turn 6 (late june), as the financials options and call for volunteers reset themselves on that turn. Also, its generally much better to crank units out quick than wait for the VPs to accumulate so you can get more men/money when you enact the option, depending on what the limiting factor is at the moment (for the Union, either money or conscripts, as you have plentiful war supplies)

Money is generally the bottleneck early on, but you accumulate it faster than conscripts, so I generally go 1k per company for the first call for volunteers, as it is hard to do a whole lot in 1861 and additional units you would get be able to build by not using a bounty don't help all that much but the extra ~100 conscript companies you get come in handy down the line. I have always used mobilizaiton before the year is up, but generally only a couple of months after the first call for volunteers, as it costs you morale and victory points. Usually I only go partial. War supplies should never be a problem for the Union, so I don't bother ndustrializing.

[Heldenkaiser]

Thank you, Gentlemen. Well, it appears I did it all wrong this time. Pity. But we live to learn.

[Heldenkaiser]

Wait until turn 3 (early may) before you use any of the finacial/draft options; you can't build anything before then ...

Why is that? And does it say so anywhere in the rules or scenario description? Because I really missed this.

And that being so, what are the first two turns good for? Since all units are fixed as well ... ?

[Coregonas]

Perhaps this is too general . All options have effects on:

NM
VP
Inflation

And they add / cost
Money
Conscripts

Total recruited conscripts depend ONLY on your NM
Total MONEY depend only on your VP

(Playing with CSA) I believe Inflation is the less "important" so I ignore effects on it... And the more important is hold NM around the 100... so more conscripts come to fight.

Take into account there are lots of events (turns 1-16 aprox) affecting NM.

[arsan]

Why is that? And does it say so anywhere in the rules or scenario description? Because I really missed this.

And that being so, what are the first two turns good for? Since all units are fixed as well ... ?

The first turns are there for the CSA to attack Fort Sumnter and capture Norfolk and probably Harpers Ferry while you can do nothing to prevent it
Be aware that it was the south the one which began war and taked the north a little "by surprise". The USA need some time to movilize.
But don't worry, the CSA has also few movile units on this first turns.

About advice for the north... i'm currently palying my first campaign with the north so i´m no expert but...
i agree completely with some of the others posters: you DON'T need any inustrialzation!! I'm flooded with war supples and have done none on my campaign
Conscripts will be your main limiting factor. And money to some exent. At least if you dont want to take many unpopular measures (the ones that make you lose NM and VP).
And the total blocade option is a no brainer of course.
Regards!

[beefcake]

In the early turns as the Union (playing against the AI, using Clovis' Coming Fury mod), I usually do the following things:

-Light industrialization in WI, MI, DE, and maybe a 4th state. Not really necessary, but it does seem to help over the long haul.
-Build rail and ship transports. Usually 20 or 30 units per turn, until I have a comfortable amount.
-Declare a blockade. I'll do this at least once in the 1st two years of the war. If I think the FI score is too high, I won't risk it again until I can declare the Emancipation Proclaimation.

When turn 3 comes around, I spend most of my initial reinforcements on milita and cavalry for the West. I also buy most of my initial infantry and artillary in Kansas and Iowa. This allows me to take and occupy most of the strategic cities in MO without a lot of fighting, and I can also garrison the harbors between Cairo, IL and Quincy, IL along the Mississippi River.

[Banks6060]

I somewhat disagree about industrialization...

I think as the Union, the more the better...it's the fuel of war and the more of it you have...the more units you can build. Especially naval, marine, engineer and coastal units.

I reccommend getting your bi-weekly total up to +250 or more and then calling it quits. As the Union I invest heavily in 3 states and keep it that way for as long as I can afford it, (taking breaks when I need the extra cash.)You'll have a healthy surplus of WS for mid to late war for fort-hopping and blockading. Too many players disregard the Federal Navy...it's a real force to be reckoned with if you actually develop it past it's initial strength...AND continue to build transports for the shipping box.

I'll give ya this little tip too...the Union gets quite a few "Event Brigades" throughout the campaign, so your need to build new infantry brigades isn't going to be that high....within reason of course. Your main focus will be on the units which require greater money and WS.

Artillery, Cavalry, Brown Water ships, gatling guns, frigates, steam frigates, monitors, coastal batteries, HQ's, Supply Wagons, Signal and Hospital units, Engineers, Marines...the list goes on and on.

As the Union invader...logistics play a MAJOR role in your efforts....and if you don't have a robust stockpile of WS and cash to work with...the war will only take that much longer and the south will have a chance to win that many more battles and strip you of national morale...because it is fairly inevitable, (unless random generals is on) that the south will win more fights due to much better, upper echelon leadership.

Just my 2.75654 cents.

[Heldenkaiser]

Excellent advice, Gentlemen. If there is more, keep it coming ... and in any case, many thanks.

[Le Ricain]

With my initial reinforcements, I tend to build lots of gunboats. With the opening of the Illinois canal in vers 1.09, you do not have the problem of getting ships from Chicago to the Mississippi river network vis the Erie canals.

I string my gunboats from St Louis to at least Cincinnati. Also, against the AI you need to garrison the two harbours north of St Louis. One you have the gunboats and garrisons in place, you can basically forget about cavalry/raider incursions into your heartland.