American Civil War Game Club (ACWGC)

ACWGC Forums

* ACWGC    * Dpt. of Records (DoR)    *Club Recruiting Office     ACWGC Memorial

* CSA HQ    * VMI   * Join CSA    

* Union HQ   * UMA   * Join Union    

CSA Armies:   ANV   AoT

Union Armies:   AotP    AotT

Link Express

Club Forums:     NWC    CCC     Home Pages:     NWC    CCC    ACWGC
It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 1:34 pm

All times are UTC - 5 hours




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 92 posts ]  Go to page Previous  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7  Next
Author Message
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 4:49 am 
Offline

Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2003 9:52 am
Posts: 1324
At the Matrix forum there are some AARs that have screenshots. The best one there I thought was the one between Joel Billings and Jon Pyle, but others are pretty good too.

MG Mike Mihalik
1/III/AoMiss/CSA


Top
 Profile Send private message  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 5:26 am 
Offline

Joined: Sat May 03, 2003 7:23 am
Posts: 111
Location: USA
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">I fear managing the economy yourself is going to be absolutely necessary for historical play. The AI is producing for me waaaaaaaay toooooooooo many heavy artillery units when infantry is what I need.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

Actually this IS historical but I don't think the game gives the ability to respond historically. In 1864 a lot of the heavy artillery units around Washington were disbanded and sent to Grant as infantry units as he was short of infantry. So the Union actually did create 'too many' heavy artillery units and the game seems to follow that. The problem is how can they be converted to infantry units as the Union actually did?

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">I am also concerned about a confederate army that is larger than the Union. There is no way that could have happened. Sorry Gary, I don't agree with you on that one no matter how bad the political situation was in the north. According to Shelby Foote and many other authors the confederacy was having man power problems by the end of 1861. I don't need to pull the population figures here but the confederates could never produce an army larger than the North. Everyone knows this except maybe McClellan and Pinkerton.

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

Especially in 1861 the problem was not with numbers. You have to look at the total allocation of forces. Union governors were much more compliant in providing forces to the Federal cause (with good reason-they weren't being invaded) then were the Southern governors.
But it was not just the threat of invasion, but the very nature of the pact made between the states in the Confederacy. This fight was about States Rights and if the Confederate States were not going to submit to the Union, they were not willing to replace one 'master' with another. When you talk about relative strengths you have to look at the Southern States militia separate and distinct. While the 'Confederate Armies' were suffering shortages of manpower, the Conferacy was not necessarily. Look at each State's Militia and Draft Exemption lists. There were still plenty of Rebs but they were not available to the Armies of Jeff Davis, but remained in control of the Governer's of their state. A perfect example is the governor of Georgia. The other big issues were transportation and supply.

Brig. Gen. Phil Driscoll
1st Brigade/1st Division/VCorps/AoP


Top
 Profile Send private message  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 6:08 am 
Offline

Joined: Fri Aug 01, 2003 12:44 pm
Posts: 1200
Location: USA
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">I am also concerned about a confederate army that is larger than the Union. There is no way that could have happened. Sorry Gary, I don't agree with you on that one no matter how bad the political situation was in the north. According to Shelby Foote and many other authors the confederacy was having man power problems by the end of 1861. I don't need to pull the population figures here but the confederates could never produce an army larger than the North. Everyone knows this except maybe McClellan and Pinkerton.

It was the confederates that passed the first conscription act not the Union to make up for this deficit. And they never were able to make up for it.

Still, this game is light years ahead of "Forge of Freedom" with its Confederate armies of hundreds of thousands of men.

Bg. General Gilbert Collins
Army of Alabama
III/I/2nd Brigade
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

I agree here. No chance to 'wear down' the ANV as Grant did to end the war, unless I need to learn more on the relatio between restricted supply and inability to raise new units/repair existing?

Image
General Jeff Laub
Union Chief of the Army
ACWGC Cabinet Member
http://www.geocities.com/laubster22/UnionHQ/


Top
 Profile Send private message  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 7:43 am 
Offline

Joined: Thu Sep 11, 2003 4:32 am
Posts: 1737
Location: USA
<b>Sep 1863</b>

Grant with a huge gunboat flotilla try to take Memphis. Taylor is more than up for the job sending him back with heavy losses. Davis immediately promotes Taylor to a four star general. The only sour note is the Yankees learned how to use their gunboats. The fleet of 11 ships wipes out six of my heavy guns without taking any damage. I move guns up from Vicksburg but it is probably a mistake.

The last summer turn. Lee doesn’t get initiative but enough of his subordinates do to go on a weak offensive. I may regret this but it the last turn before winter. Lee advance with whatever he can put together into Nashville. There is a large force in Nashville maybe 70,000 plus men but Pope is in command.

The Union takes a big hit politically these last two turns. Their political points are now in the low 600’s which is going to cripple their recruitment efforts.


LG. Kennon Whitehead
Chatham Grays
1/1/III AoM (CSA)


Top
 Profile Send private message  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 7:44 am 
Offline

Joined: Thu Sep 11, 2003 4:32 am
Posts: 1737
Location: USA
<b>Oct 1863</b>

Winter mostly slaps the Confederacy back. My weak attack against Nashville was what I thought, to weak. Lee got beaten badly losing some 24,000 to the Union’s 12,000. To add insult to injury the Grant overran Shiloh region. I am not sure how that happened since I thought I had enough troops in there to trigger a battle.

On the Eastern front the Union goes on the move again sending a small force into Staunton which I sent Jackson with a reduced force to slap down which he did handily suffering no casualties while inflicting almost 5,000. That good new was offset by bad news from further south. Hooker landed in Savannah overwhelming the garrison and the small relief force put together by Beauregard to help defend it.

Union gunboats and cruisers continue to take a heavy toll of Rebel heavy artillery. I finally withdraw it to Vicksburg where I desparately need a turn with enough excess supply to build a level 2 fort.

I seem to have used up my initiative for the year and can’t get enough to go on the offensive anywhere. Lee withdraws his main force to Huntsville where it will be more easily supplied. Taylor keeps his army in Memphis while troops are built up in the regions south of Shiloh to keep Grant in check. Beauregard is reinforced but not enough to expel Hooker. The South needs to rest and wait for the units lost during the summer to return to duty.

<i>Which leads to another observation: For some reason Rebel damaged units seem to be rebuilt in the states west of the Mississippi. I think this highlights an error in the design and how they decide to distribute damaged units to production lines. The western states are the least capable of doing this yet they seem to get a majority of units. The logic used should weight what state the unit was from, what states have the larges population and factory capacity, and last who is nearest. The current method creates a real problem for the Confederacy due to transportation difficulties from the west. Eventually large armies will be there with no way to move east. Not logical or historical.</i>

LG. Kennon Whitehead
Chatham Grays
1/1/III AoM (CSA)


Top
 Profile Send private message  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 7:49 am 
Offline

Joined: Thu Sep 11, 2003 4:32 am
Posts: 1737
Location: USA
<b>Nov 1863</b>

Winter seems to be shutting both sides down now. Hampton’s little excursion into Kentucky yielded me the London region but the Union countered by taking back Murfreesboro. They are welcome to it. It was costing be double supply to be there.

I would like to throw them out of Shiloh but just can’t get the activations for a winter battle. My supply is still short with too many combat units unsupplied. The Union ships have been hammering my Heavy Artillery and have now managed to close the Mississippi to trade again.

I decide to pull Lee back out of Central Tennessee all the way to Decatur so he will be in position to support Memphis or combine with Taylor to retake Shiloh. My fall campaign into Central Tennessee convinced me it can’t be retaken until I have enough force to go all the way to Nashville very quickly. Once there its still questionable whether it’s defensible with the Tennessee River dividing my Memphis force from it. Lack of good artillery leaders is also costing me in the struggle to control the Mississippi.


LG. Kennon Whitehead
Chatham Grays
1/1/III AoM (CSA)


Top
 Profile Send private message  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 7:50 am 
Offline

Joined: Thu Sep 11, 2003 4:32 am
Posts: 1737
Location: USA
<b>Dec 1863</b>

Again winter hits my troops hard and almost no one can move. I have to watch as garrison forces try to block armies. Staunton is lost to Curtis’s army. Luckily Stuart can evacuate before they arrive but the infantry brigade left behind has no such luck. In Rolla, Mo, the Union cavalry tries it had at fighting infantry. The force is small but infantry on the defensive is hard to beat with just cavalry and they are sent back.

Otherwise I just spend the turn reinforcing Beauregard but he doesn’t have sufficient force to do anything to Hooker’s build up in Savannah. He probably doesn’t have sufficient force to even defend himself if Hooker gets initiative. Lee moves his army to Corinth just in case he and Taylor ever get initiative to take on Grant’s army.


LG. Kennon Whitehead
Chatham Grays
1/1/III AoM (CSA)


Top
 Profile Send private message  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 8:05 am 
Offline

Joined: Thu Sep 11, 2003 4:32 am
Posts: 1737
Location: USA
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by laubster22</i>

I agree here. No chance to 'wear down' the ANV as Grant did to end the war, unless I need to learn more on the relation between restricted supply and inability to raise new units/repair existing?

General Jeff Laub
Union Chief of the Army
ACWGC Cabinet Member
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

Yes there is. While we have been reporting a lot of casualties the game has an internal system to handle the fact most weren't permanent losses. After a battle say that there were 12,000 losses they are actually reported as a number of units damaged and destroyed. Destroyed units are permanent but most of the losses are damged. These units are returned to the production tracks of various states. And here is where wear and tear on your nation is implemented. First the unit is reduced a level in quality so units that are continuously losing battles end up just back at the level they started at when first created. And, it's opposite, the winner's units are constantly improving until they are three star units or elite veterans. Another mechanism also comes into play. The units are returned to play from the production track on the next turn if you have enough population points in the region and a supply unit. Since the South has problems in both areas their repaired units end up never returning. If you are playing with control of production the game gives you another choice. You can combined two combat infantry or cavalry units to immediate make one unit at no other costs.

The net affect of this is you will find if you lose to much your overal army sizes start strinking. If you win and have good supply systems like the Yankees you never really lose any units they just take up some of your production capacity. There is a very delicate balance between how many permanent loses you can take and offset with new unit production while maintaining a steady flow of rebuilt units.

LG. Kennon Whitehead
Chatham Grays
1/1/III AoM (CSA)


Top
 Profile Send private message  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 8:10 am 
Offline

Joined: Thu Sep 11, 2003 4:32 am
Posts: 1737
Location: USA
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by mihalik</i>
<br />At the Matrix forum there are some AARs that have screenshots. The best one there I thought was the one between Joel Billings and Jon Pyle, but others are pretty good too.

MG Mike Mihalik
1/III/AoMiss/CSA
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

The matrix forums allow you to include screen shoots I think. This forum won't host them so I have to find another location. I will see if I can post a link to the game's map so you can locate things but I don't have space to include graphics for each month.

I didn't intend this AAR to be a strategy guide since neither Gen. Collins or I started the game with any real understanding of it. I primarially wanted to point out how it works and what you can do in it as I discovered how myself.

LG. Kennon Whitehead
Chatham Grays
1/1/III AoM (CSA)


Top
 Profile Send private message  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 12:04 pm 
Offline

Joined: Fri Aug 01, 2003 12:44 pm
Posts: 1200
Location: USA
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">The net affect of this is you will find if you lose to much your overal army sizes start strinking. If you win and have good supply systems like the Yankees you never really lose any units they just take up some of your production capacity. There is a very delicate balance between how many permanent loses you can take and offset with new unit production while maintaining a steady flow of rebuilt units.

LG. Kennon Whitehead
Chatham Grays
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

Thanks, Kennon. Still have more reading in the manual to do, and lots to explore!

I wonder how much hammering you can do, and at what PP cost, especially since the Union needs to re-elect Lincoln in 1864...

Image
General Jeff Laub
Union Chief of the Army
ACWGC Cabinet Member
http://www.geocities.com/laubster22/UnionHQ/


Top
 Profile Send private message  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 2:48 pm 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2005 3:15 am
Posts: 180
Location: Canada
May 1864

Well, this is the month that the Union has got to use to make their big push to recover. Not one single commander got initiative! The Union boat was sinking anyway but to have your commanders just sit there and not plug the holes is disgraceful.

Lincoln is on the verge of a nervous breakdown, as for Mary, well she is almost ready for the funny farm. She knows if the Union loses the war all the dirt about her spending expenses will be exposed.

The sad thing is I'm still saddled with duds like Fremont and turtle "McClellan". I figured by 1864 I would be able to clear out a lot of this dead wood but without Union battlefield victories, commanders were not being promoted and available.

The Navy will be the only force of arms that will be able to hold their heads up high after it is all over.

A few officers will be able to write their memoirs with no shame. I'm thinking here of Gen. Hooker whose brilliant capture of Savannah should be a good bargaining chip when the south demands (and gets) her independence.

I figure five more turns of active campaigning before the election and if the Union does not get good initiative in all those turns Confederate Independence is absolutely assured.

This is a game that is not 'going to go stale' that is for sure. Each game is going to be absolutely a different kind of experience for both players depending on initiative, opening moves etc...

I have not seen anyone reporting Union Victories yet, even over on the Matrix board, but I think Kennon and I are blazing a trail here in that I doubt if many player to player games have been played to conclusion.

Despite my doom and gloom forecast of Union defeat, this is a winner game all the way.



Bg. General Gilbert Collins
Army of Alabama
III/I/2nd Brigade


Top
 Profile Send private message  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 11:22 am 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2005 3:15 am
Posts: 180
Location: Canada
June 1864

Grant's army made a push in to the interior from Savannah but General Taylor pushed him back to the coast.

This month saw a lot of activity on the Confederates part. They launched five major offensives in Kentucky and Tennessee. Thank goodness the Union were able to repel the important ones. The political appointee "Gen. McClernand" even got a strategic victory against that knight of the South, Gen. Robert E. Lee. (McClernand's is now thinking of the presidency in 1864 even if there is no Union left)

July is going to see more heavy fighting as Grant (who never gives up) moves on Port Royal to the north of Savannah. His army still gets great support from the fleet which is just offshore.

The Union may be being torn assunder but Confederate independence will be achieved at a terrible cost to the south.



Bg. General Gilbert Collins
Army of Alabama
III/I/2nd Brigade


Top
 Profile Send private message  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 12:09 pm 
Offline

Joined: Thu Sep 11, 2003 4:32 am
Posts: 1737
Location: USA
<b>State of the Disunion in 1863/1864</b>

My how time has flown. 1863 started off looking like a Union juggernaut but was turned into a series of Southern victories during the summer that almost expelled all the Yankees from southern territory. But Fall brought the South a series of reversals. Mostly the loss of supplies took the fight out the Southern armies. Even though many of my troops were Elite (3 star) brigades they couldn’t compensate for lack of food. It looks like by the end of winter the regions taken in central Tennessee will all be back in Union hands. In Eastern Tennessee they have advanced into Shiloh and are probably getting ready to take Memphis. I will be able to make that one a serious fight though. In Virginia they have taken advantage of my inability to fight in mountain regions where supply costs are doubled to slowly take the whole Shenandoah Valley. Maybe in spring I will be able to do something about that.

On the rivers and ports the Union learned how to use there ships and gunboats. With first class naval leaders they have been systematically reducing my defenses to rubble. The South lacks the quality of artillery leader needed to offset them. If I were in control of the economy I would probably have stopped producing heavy artillery some time ago so my armies would have food.

While things haven’t gone my way the second half of 63 in the first half I achieved what I needed for ultimate victory. I won a series of Major Battles, took some key regions that were supplying the Union with political points, and force them to call a new draft. Since May their Political Point level has dropped first into the 700’s and now in the 600’s. It would take a miracle for them to return it to the 1000 level needed for Lincoln to be reelected. All I have to do is hold on in 64 and not give up any more major victories than I absolutely can’t avoid.

But the way things have been going since winter started does not bode well for the South if the Union had gotten Emancipation on time.


LG. Kennon Whitehead
Chatham Grays
1/1/III AoM (CSA)


Top
 Profile Send private message  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 12:10 pm 
Offline

Joined: Thu Sep 11, 2003 4:32 am
Posts: 1737
Location: USA
<b>Jan 1864</b>

All quiet on all fronts this turn. Neither of us got enough initiative to do anything. The Union called another draft which means they are going to try to overpower my armies in the first months of 64. Their Political Points are so low, 576, that they just as well try a “Hail Maryâ€


Top
 Profile Send private message  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 12:12 pm 
Offline

Joined: Thu Sep 11, 2003 4:32 am
Posts: 1737
Location: USA
<b>Feb 1864</b>

Well Grant pops up after disappearance of turn or two. In Savannah of all places. I guess Gen. Collins plans to try to shift the offensive down to the southern states like the British during the Revolution. It will create a command control problem for me since none of my Theater Commanders will reach to there but I suspect he will also have a problem although I am not sure what the reach of a TC is by sea.

Anyway Grant pulls a scratch force together and moves inland against Beauregard. If he had been able to move with the whole force in Savannah of over 50,000 men he would have easily brushed aside Beau but he moves with only 16,000 of which only 12,000 get committed to battle. Beau’s little force of 20,000 is more than enough.

Otherwise another bad winter’s month with not enough activations to go on the attack.


LG. Kennon Whitehead
Chatham Grays
1/1/III AoM (CSA)


Top
 Profile Send private message  
Reply with quote  
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 92 posts ]  Go to page Previous  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7  Next

All times are UTC - 5 hours


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 87 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group