Union Tip

[Twotribes]

Washington DC has no Governor. Muster every turn no matter the odds ( if you have manpower) Conscript/Impress when ever the odds are low enough. You cant piss anyone off at you.

Missouri starts the game ( Standard Scenario) with no Governor, conscript/muster/impress the first turn if the odds are good. 2 Cities are in Missouri.

Boston has 3 Manufacturing centers at start. Build troops there, Infantry appears in one turn and the rest are 3 turns sooner than anywhere else.

When Kentucky joins the Union ( ok if) the 3 cities generally have a zero chance to cause damage from conscription. Conscript and worry about repairing the Governor's standing with you later.

In case you didnt know it, you can conscript AND muster on the same turn in the same city ( requires 4 manpower to be successful of course)

Against the AI send troops to Wheeling and the city on the Ohio ( grr cant think of name, Cleveland?) The AI will send troops there if you dont.

[Hard Sarge]

Cinci ?

[Twotribes]

Could be cincinnati, I dont know cities well in States I never lived in and havent the screen up ( obviously).

[General Quarters]

I've been wondering when the brighter lights would play the game enough to start coming up with pointers. Well done, twotribes!

[Nick R]

Actually, what I do is to do a sort on the overall listing of Citys by the % chance that someting bad will happen. I then muster in those that only have a 10% chance for anything bad and at least a 70% for the muster succeeding. You need to make sure that you have Manpower though. I then save all my resources to build things I cannot muster like artillary and cavalry. This can be done for either side.
 
Other things I have played with, so not throughly tested, as the South ignore spending money on Diplomacy and spend it all on improvements and on artillary and cavalry but no ships except runners. With the better Generals you seem to get with the South and what seems like their increased ability  to move I then just pick apart the North with battles in the West. In the current game I am playing as the South, I have taken over Missouri and Illinois and the score is liek 13 to -6 and my National Will is like 6 and the North's is -2.
 
As the North, I do the same but it is trickier since the North's Generals do not seem to be as good, and the Armys dont always move. I do spend money as the North on Diplomacy but only as much as I have to. I do spend most of my money early on on frigates, so I can capture the South's ships and on siege artillary and like the poster earlier said build them in Boston. Oh and one more thing, build a Lab early in the city in NY with the school.

[Alan_Bernardo]

Actually, what I do is to do a sort on the overall listing of Citys by the % chance that someting bad will happen. I then muster in those that only have a 10% chance for anything bad and at least a 70% for the muster succeeding. You need to make sure that you have Manpower though. I then save all my resources to build things I cannot muster like artillary and cavalry. This can be done for either side.

 
This is all fine and dandy.  I do just about the same, though I don't muster or impress in cities of provinces where I am militarily active.  The only problem with too much mustering is that you have to have the money to maintain these troops.  I find myself always very short of cash.
 
One question I'd like to ask, though.  What are the specific reasons why money and labor flow so well in the winter, but when winter is over things get really tight?  I realize that some savings in winter are gotten by reducing supply, which I typically do.  Still, the difference cannot be that much.
 
 
Thanks,
 
Alanb 

[jimkehn]

Actually, Alan B., the difference can be huge. If you click the bottom of the screen down where the resources stockpile shows up, to toggle between stockpiles and expected gains, you can see your money income. If you pick one of your larger armies and set them on no supply, then set them to high supply you will see how much difference in income you will have.
 
I have done a lot of what all of you have suggested. I am in late Jan 1864 (as the Reb) and the French joined the war with some 30 BDE's. Now if I only had some Federal troops to fight. The AI brought a HUGE AoP into Fredricksburg and kicked me out. Then he moved into Lynchburg without leaving his rear guarded. I took a turn to take back Fredricksburg and cut off his retreat. Then I gathered all the forces I could within range and attacked the AoP. The QB went literally down to our last 3 brigades on each side and I honestly had no clue who was going to win that battle until the Confederate Flag showed up as the victor. All of the North's forces surrendered or were killed. I virtually have no one left to fight. There is one division in Pittsburgh and a whole bunch a Yanks in forts in Annapolis (as well as city garrisons, but other than that.........

[Alan_Bernardo]

Actually, Alan B., the difference can be huge. If you click the bottom of the screen down where the resources stockpile shows up, to toggle between stockpiles and expected gains, you can see your money income. If you pick one of your larger armies and set them on no supply, then set them to high supply you will see how much difference in income you will have.

 
I understand there is a difference, especially between no supply and high supply.  I only use high supply on special occasions, when I know an army is going to do battle.
 
But even without changing supply-- maybe limited to none, at most-- during the winter turns (pretty much from December to February) I seem to have a lot of cash.  But once spring rolls around, all my cash is gone and I'm not gaining much each turn, either.  I am curious to know why this might be happening, knowing that supply levels is part of the answer but can't be the whole reason.  What is going on, econimically, in the winter months that is not going on in other months?  As the Union, I typically have an abundance of iron and horses but, especially in winter, money and labor is hard to come by.
 
 
Alanb

[Gil R.]

One reason you might be seeing more resources in the winter is that you might have fewer provinces experiencing unrest or being occupied by enemy armies -- two things that cut off economic production in a province.

[Alan_Bernardo]

[quote]One reason you might be seeing more resources in the winter is that you might have fewer provinces experiencing unrest or being occupied by enemy armies -- two things that cut off economic production in a province.
[quote]
 
Gil,
 
I don't know about this.  I'll have to look into this further.  I wonder if anyone else is experiencing the same thing?  Unrest may be some of it, but I really don't think so.  I know, however, that enemy occupation is not.  Are there any other things that could be causing this discrepancy? 
 
 
Thanks,
 
Alanb

[Gil R.]

Okay. Just check the Nation Screen periodically and you'll see what's going on.