I finally did it!

[decaro]

I have never won BoA by taking all the necessary strategic objectives and towns, but yesterday -- playing as the Colonials in the 1775 scenario vs. Brit AI @ normal w/extended time -- I finally won by fullfilling all objectives with just 4 turns left.

The AI put up quite a fight, contesting its last stronghold, Phillidelphia, w/a large army commanded by a 3-star general and supported by 2 large fleets. I used 2 large armies -- one French, the other American -- and two fleets to finally seige the city, resulting in lots of "hearts" (losses) on both land and sea.

Aside from luck, I think what really helped me was gathering militia into secure cities and using training commanders and officers to turn these militia into continental infantry, which doesn't disband during the winter. That way I could afford to take more losses in battle, winning by attriting the Brit forces as it can't replace its units in this fashion.

[Pocus]

Congrats! I always like to hear when a player says he finished the game and had a tough but enjoyable game. 

[decaro]

Thanks, but I probably didn't give your Athena enough credit; "she" also sent a moderate-sized army to garrison Fort Detroit, but after two seasons worth of seige, the AI had to move these units out before the supply situation became critical. A depot inside Detroit might have made a difference, though.

There was also a last-minute attempt by the AI to take back a couple of strategic towns while I was preocupied in Philly; Athena actually retook Petersburg, but couldn't get me below the 20 towns I needed.

If I have to fault the AI at all, it was that it only left token garrisons inside Mortreal and Quebec, which couldn't resist a large army -- under Washington w/a wagon train of supply wagons -- before the weather changed.