Reasons to delay mobilization?

[Heldenkaiser]

It's September 1861 and I am toying with the idea of partial mobilization. The manpower trickling in over regular channels is just enough to cover replacements and the odd blockading squadron or regular brigade every once in a while. 523,000 men or so at the cost of 25 VP and 4 NM seems a good bargain. (Full mobilization, 700 odd thousand for 75 VP and 5 NM does not seem quite good a deal.)

Any reason why I would not want to do that, or do it later?

Thanks as always.

[Rafiki]

I usually go for full mobilization, since I always find myself short on manpower as the Union. Though the price is steeper per 100 conscript points for full vs partial mobilization, the extra conscripts are welcome in my army

To answer your question, if you don't need the manpower right now, and expect to gain more VP/NM (not sure if both or just one of them affect the number of men you get?), I'd wait, in order to get even more men.

[Heldenkaiser]

To answer your question, if you don't need the manpower right now (...)

How or when can the Union not need manpower?

The question is probably, how desperately do I need it.

Anyway, thanks.

[Rafiki]

How or when can the Union not need manpower?

When you lack money and/or war supplies to use your manpower for anything much. Tends to happen to me during the first year or so of a campaign, rarely later

[Heldenkaiser]

When you lack money and/or war supplies to use your manpower for anything much. Tends to happen to me during the first year or so of a campaign, rarely later

Plenty of money and war supplies right now, but yes, utilizing half a million men would probably mean I need two turns' money. Guess that means I'll wait until I have it? On the other hand, manpower doesn't go stale just sitting around ...

[Evren]

It's September 1861 and I am toying with the idea of partial mobilization. The manpower trickling in over regular channels is just enough to cover replacements and the odd blockading squadron or regular brigade every once in a while. 523,000 men or so at the cost of 25 VP and 4 NM seems a good bargain. (Full mobilization, 700 odd thousand for 75 VP and 5 NM does not seem quite good a deal.)

Any reason why I would not want to do that, or do it later?

Thanks as always.

It depends on your overall strategy and how the war is going. If you are planning for an operation in a theatre, it is better to plan before going in : how many divisions you'll need, when you'll need them etc.. For instance if you're planning a big scale operation, you should mobilize 2-3 months before, so you'll recruit the men, form divisions, move them to the theatre etc.. You already know that.

One thing i can add about that, if you're in spring and summer time, which is suitable for operations for both sides, you can choose delaying mobilization, since NM directly effects the cohesion of your troops, and 5 NM points can change the result of a battle. If you don't need the manpower for replacements urgently, it is better to wait till the end of autumn, or winter.

About the partial and full mobilization, with the extra menpower, you can form a division which can invade or hold an objective city, which will come back to you as recources, NM and VP points (taking New Orleans can be a pretty good deal).

[Heldenkaiser]

One thing i can add about that, if you're in spring and summer time, which is suitable for operations for both sides, you can choose delaying mobilization, since NM directly effects the cohesion of your troops, and 5 NM points can change the result of a battle. If you don't need the manpower for replacements urgently, it is better to wait till the end of autumn, or winter.

That's a good point of which I didn't think. The complexity of this game is sometimes really overwhelming!

Well, I have ordered the mobilization. I think I can put these additional troops to good use before the winter. If only I had some decent generals to command them! Hordes of rather nondescript 3-1-1 one stars and 2 strat two and three stars do not really inspire much confidence.

[Jabberwock]

VP affects finance.

NM affects drafts.

If you're going to delay drafting due to weather and campaign season, don't forget that the options reset in late June and December. If you haven't used the volunteers option by early June or early December, you've lost the chance for that six month period. Mobilization only resets once a year, in December. If your NM is going up, you get the most bang for the buck just before the reset. The other theory is that if you use the options immediately after they reset, you have more troops available during the cycle. I like to wait, then double-dip, taking the options at the end of a cycle and again as soon as I have $ & WS to put more divisions in the field.

[Pocus]

Check also if losing VP or NM make you lose the 'I have more VP (NM) than you mini-game'... see Foreign Entry for more info on that.

[Heldenkaiser]

Apropos NM. Are the values rounded? Or in other words, is there a possibility to win, say .3 NM points? Because I have won several battles that all returned "0 NM gained", yet my NM score is slowly (slowly, slowly) creeping upwards. Say I won total 2 NM over the last three turns, without obvious reason. Where did they come from?