Should I print paper money?

[Mosby]

It's late August 61, and it would be my first time to print it, giving me around 450,000 but increasing inflation by 4%.

I could really use the money, I have virtually no navy, and while my eastern campaign is doing rather well (turned a huge union force from Winchester, now I've got a second force on the offensive) my western area is no where near as good as it needs to be to face the soon to arrive Grant n crew.

I know that 4% isn't a lot, but I'm not really sure what the long term effects will be, and I don't want my men to be shoe-less in a few years.

[Evren]

It's late August 61, and it would be my first time to print it, giving me around 450,000 but increasing inflation by 4%.

I could really use the money, I have virtually no navy, and while my eastern campaign is doing rather well (turned a huge union force from Winchester, now I've got a second force on the offensive) my western area is no where near as good as it needs to be to face the soon to arrive Grant n crew.

I know that 4% isn't a lot, but I'm not really sure what the long term effects will be, and I don't want my men to be shoe-less in a few years.

It is not a big deal. If you're planning to make a strong army early in the game and keep your valuable VP cities away from the hands of the Union, it is worth it. Soon you'll be able to get more money from other options with the increasing VP points, and inflation decreases in time.

[Rafiki]

Hehe, paper money printing, it's gotta be one of the more addictive things you can do in this game

Keep in mind that due to the reduction in buying power, caused by the inflation, the more you do it, the less and less it'll give you and the more and more you'll need to keep doing it

[Coregonas]

Just Ignore inflation...

The only problem (IMHO) of printing is -1 to NM.

This has as a secondary effect lower recruitment power. Also, some cohesion lost.

[Jabberwock]

Just Ignore inflation...

The only problem (IMHO) of printing is -1 to NM.

This has as a secondary effect lower recruitment power. Also, some cohesion lost.

If the north feels the pressure to keep up, printing costs them 2 NM ...

Historically, from start to finish the Confederacy had 9000% inflation.

[MarkCSA]

If the north feels the pressure to keep up, printing costs them 2 NM ...

Historically, from start to finish the Confederacy had 9000% inflation.

And this is one of the reasons why their economy grinded to a complete halt very very fast. Unless you are taking your lessons from Dr. Robert Mugabe's 'Magical Book of Economics and Free Money', avoid printing money like the plague. Go for bonds or build some Brigs and stick them in a blockade box to trade for cash (this is abstracted to they will just haul in the resource you need most, cash or War Supply).

Alternatively, scale back your Industrialization efforts back a bit for a while.

[Coregonas]

Yes but money is more needed.... Look the 2008 economic reality

All central banks are printing money as mads since a year ago!

Inflation starts going up!

Money is needed, as no more bonds are desired by the China, Oil producers & other big money owners....

[Pocus]

With a title like that, I believe we are now registered in one of Echelon's secret files

[MarkCSA]

Yes but money is more needed.... Look the 2008 economic reality

All central banks are printing money as mads since a year ago!

Inflation starts going up!

Money is needed, as no more bonds are desired by the China, Oil producers & other big money owners....

I see you're almost done with the book!

To clarify: the current credit crunch is due to people refusing to lend money to each other (due to uncertainty), regardless of how much cash they have on hand. Turning on the money printing press is never a good economic policy and is usually done as an action of last resort.

Inflation goes up when more money is available (or the base prices of commodities rise).

There are no central banks that are printing like mad (apart from the Central Bank of Zimbabwe).

Are you familiar with the Law of Supply and Demand?

[Jabberwock]

Unless you are taking your lessons from Dr. Robert Mugabe's 'Magical Book of Economics and Free Money', avoid printing money like the plague.

I should have made it clear that I avoid this strategy, but I think the option should be less restricted, and more damaging by compounding the %.

From Jab's magic book:

If I print money at 4% every other turn for the entire game that's only about 250% inflation. The damage would be in having to regain about 60 NM. By 1865, I'd have printed about 35-40 million $ to buy things to make that NM deficit up with. With a fudge factor, say on average that units will cost 2x as much as base due to inflation. So effectively 18 million.

I'm estimating that all the light and field artillery available to the rebs costs about $4-5 million at base. All the ocean ships, $2.25 million. All the Ironclads, $500K. Divisions, $500K. If I wanted to be really silly, in 1864 I'd buy 120 siege batteries for $6 million.

I wouldn't forget to invest in the economy early for some WS, and call for volunteers with $3000 bounties. I would need conscripts and materiel to keep all that artillery from getting steamrolled.


Fortunately, the NM hit restricts the number of conscripts available, so most Confederate CinC's avoid it.

[Heldenkaiser]

Which makes me think, is there some upper limit on the total result of all the manpower options available over the course of the war (modified by the highest possible VP/NM values that have a bearing on the output), that makes sure that a reasonable ratio of conscripts to total population is maintained? Afterall, whatever I do in the game, I can not within four years make the inhabitants of North America multiply to the extent that they yield a ten-milion strong army ...

[Jabberwock]

Afterall, whatever I do in the game, I can not within four years make the inhabitants of North America multiply to the extent that they yield a ten-milion strong army ...

Why not? Get off the boat, take your $3000, and go stand in line to get a uniform. Stand-o in the line-o!

[MarkCSA]

Which makes me think, is there some upper limit on the total result of all the manpower options available over the course of the war (modified by the highest possible VP/NM values that have a bearing on the output), that makes sure that a reasonable ratio of conscripts to total population is maintained? Afterall, whatever I do in the game, I can not within four years make the inhabitants of North America multiply to the extent that they yield a ten-milion strong army ...

Why not hire some cheap Mexicans?

P.S. Jabber, with your example, I would say that printing money should be penalized a bit more, being able to print money endlessly is not supposed to give you everything for free...........

[Jabberwock]

being able to print money endlessly is not supposed to give you everything for free...........

The effects of compounding would be a remarkable deterrent.

[soloswolf]

Stand-o in the line-o!

haha

[Heldenkaiser]

Why not? Get off the boat, take your $3000, and go stand in line to get a uniform. Stand-o in the line-o!

Seriously, is the manpower supply basically unlimited? I.e. limited only by what you achieve to buy through options?

[Pocus]

yes. Enlist child and grandfathers if you need...

[Coregonas]

There is a limit on manpower, but you can send it somewhat higher depending on the actions done. Mainly NM is the key, so winning battles adds for manpower. (I can Consider even some people change side...)

As an example, if NM is 105, CSA gets around 28 companies / turn, but if 85 you get 18.

In all, 114 turns mean 1140 Companies more. A standard division (13 line, 1 SharpS, 4 arty) is 144 manpower -> So 8 DIVISIONS more, 1 every 6 months!

Again... going for full mobilization (versus partial) adds 150-200 companies -> 4 mobilizations mean around 600-800 -> 5 DIVISIONS more.

And Volunteers -> The difference between a volunteers for free or a volunteers for 3000$ is again around 5 DIVISIONS more.

The problem is every time you click an option makes your NM go down, so hard to achieve this TOP!

[MarkCSA]

The effects of compounding would be a remarkable deterrent.

No, they wouldn't, as you have shown (in a previous post) that you can effectively buy *everything* by just hitting the 'print more CS$' button again and again.

[Jabberwock]

No, they wouldn't, as you have shown (in a previous post) that you can effectively buy *everything* by just hitting the 'print more CS$' button again and again.

I'm saying if the inflation were compounded, then the rebs wouldn't be able to afford everything, and that they'd be seriously hurting themselves in the long run, just like they did historically.

from my previous example:
4%^60 = 1050%, so everything would cost 4x as much by the end of the war, when compared to the example I gave.

Lets say the rebs show some restraint, hitting the button once every two months:
4%^30 = 325%
but they've only printed half as much money.

Or say that they hit the button almost every turn:
4%^120 = 11,000%
that looks more like the historical situation.

Even better would be to change the number to 5% per 1 NM for the rebs, then compound:

5%^30 = 430%
5%^60 = 1870%
5%^90 = 8,000%
5%^120 = 35,000%

[Clovis]

A simple solution is to restrain to 4 times a year the possibility to print money...

[Jabberwock]

A simple solution is to restrain to 4 times a year the possibility to print money...

Simple but restrictive. It doesn't allow the historical situation to develop, instead going in the opposite direction. Got to give the player options.

[Clovis]

Simple but restrictive. It doesn't allow the historical situation to develop, instead going in the opposite direction. Got to give the player options.

The game engine doesn't modellate economy but just offer some economical taint for the build-up process. Si it is vain to think about modelling hyperinflation , the most useful way being to create historical flavour from the current game engine.

Restraining the use of printing money option is per se unhistorical but gives at least as result a much lesser efficiency, closer to historical situation. Bu upping a bit the penalties in NM and inflation per use, you get engine-level rates of inflation and loss of NM penalizing who uses it too often.

[Brochgale]

Do you have a credit crunch?

Sorry I could not resist that - espeically as Fed Reserve and Bank O England and European Central Bamks ahave been printing money of late as if there is no tomorrow.
They aint worrying about inflation either?