Winning as Colonials vs. Enhanced AI

[decaro]

Yes, I finally did it! Roughly 32 to 2400 points against the Brit AI with 20 strategic cities taken and all but two objectives occupied as the Colonials in scenario #6, thanks to the postings of Markshot and others.

To make a long revolution short:

-- Abbreviate your invasion of Canada and don't send troops by land to Quebec (I later used the French fleet with Spanish troops to take this city via seige and shore bombardment). Instead, barricade Arnold in Montreal -- with a subordinate for when Benedict bucks the cause -- and Montgomery in St. John. This helps deflect/slow down the reinforcements from Canada.

-- Boston was/is the heart of the revolution, so even if you lose it, get it back quick as soon you can. Albany holds some important geography, so give priority to this strategic city even though it's not an objective.

-- Washington does better with leaner, meaner armies, otherwise he might stand and fight to the death (of your game).

-- Garrison towns near victory cities with single units/small armies (w/leaders having good defensive values) as they will impede the advance of the Brit AI which will stop to seige, even in winter (some czar said his two best generals were called January and February). Also, send any spare regular troops on a circuit through unoccupied enemy towns to change their allegiance, even if they are not victory cities.

-- Any battle you can walk away from is a good one; put your army into passive () posture and tuck them away in a safe city until replenished to fight again.

-- Artillery inside coastline strategic cities (NY, Boston, Philly, etc.) is very useful for fending-off fleet bombardments; often times the Brit fleet gets the worst of it and has to refit in port, taking it out of the game for a while. The Colonials can also use fleet bombardment for seige, esp. against southern victory cities that don't shoot back as much.

-- Take and hold remote objectives w/Continental armies as they don't disband like militias and leave you "holding the fort" w/o any troops! Also, let training officers lead garrison troops to train them, and then recycle these units to field commanders who can really use them.

-- Use Clark and his irregulars to burn Indian villages to the ground. Not very PC, but very effective in stopping those annoying raids.

-- Finally, the Brits can't be everywhere; disperse your forces and (slowly) take/retake every victory city you can until the AI has next to nothing left and can't generate local support/militias.

Toward the end of my game, the Brits lost the North and Deep South, so the AI concentrated its forces in South Central. I used the French to chase them out and almost caught Cornwallis, but he got away and turned-up near Boston where he and GW had some interestings fireworks just before the end of the game.

Good luck
Joe D.

[oldspec4]

Thx for the tips... Between yours and Markshot's advice, I'll have to give the Americans another try. I've had the game since it was released but could never get it together from the American side, particularly the 1775 campaign.

[USS Yorktown]

Congrats!

Nice advice, reading them I feel like playing an Independence War campaign this week-end!!

(You're right, Albany is real strategic hub to control the North)

Did you always evade and slowly reduce the British strongholds , or did you have a chance to fight a huge battle with the Continental army, something like Yorktown?

[decaro]

It wasn't so much evasion as not playing to the AI's strength; remember the Colonials hold almost everything -- save Canada -- at the start of the scenario. The Brit AI will eventually take it back by overpowering odds, but it can't take and hold all of it indefinitely. When his generals take an objective and then go off on campaign for another, seige the token force(s) he leaves behind while delaying his advance; then wait for cold weather and the French.

I didn't really have major battles til the end of the game when the French nearly cornered Cornwallis at Norfolk (instead of Yorktown). Rochambau destroyed the AI army -- and almost his own in the process -- but Cornwallis "virtually" managed to escape and later appeared up North where he was reinforced by a mass of Brit troops -- and a new fleet -- that appeared late in the scenario (play the Brit side and you'll see what you're up against).

These new Brit reinforcements re-invaded the North and retook Boston; I had to call up all my spare units and hold victory cities with token forces to beef-up Washington (w/trained troops courtesy of Von Steuben). Then both GW and Lee's armies "had it out" in turn with Cornwallis, Prevost and Bourgouine. When it was all over Lee had no army left and GW's troops were all in the red, but it was too late for the AI to capitalize on this as both his advance and the game soon ended.

I guess the msg is slow and steady wins this race, but it always helps to check the info at the bottom of the screen and use the "E" and "R" keys to rotate thru your troops to check their status and see what's available for them to take.

Hope your weekend ends successfully, but luck is an important part of this game; I unfortunately lost both Greene and JP Jones early in this game, but still managed to out last the AI out.

[decaro]

If you're still looking for a (big) fight, play the same scenario, but as the Brits vs. Colonial (enhanced) AI at the hard setting with one degree of FoW leway. There's many big battles, esp. after the French show up.

[Roads]

I agree with almost all of this, but I question the advice about Boston. My experience is that the British AI will almost always have good sized armies near Boston, and will almost always send them at Boston. I will take it if I can, but then I'll leave a militia unit and run like hell.

I think the keys for the rebels are
-Build up the CA units. Never risk them without the potential for a big payoff
-Run from fights whenever you can
-Try to keep control of one strategic city in each region. Wyoming, Stanwix, Norwich, Hillsboro, and Savannah are all a pain in the neck for the British to recapture.
-Pick off smaller British armies whenever you get the chance. You can replace almost all of the CA units given enough time, the BR units are irreplaceable.

[decaro]

Well, I'll soon see how my tips work-out playing as the Colonials vs. Brit enhanced AI, but this time at the hard AI setting w/one degree FoW.

Lots of battles -- some real big ones -- and I've only just started.