Commerce Raiders

[Justus2]

I'm surprised there is no Commerce Raiders in the game for the CSA, like the CSS Alabama type ships. This could be represented by something like a more lightly armed Frigate, ocean-going, faster (improved engine tech?) but not as powerful, but with improved raiding (like gunboats). This would also require representing some form of Union convoys from Europe so they had some commerce to raid, but it seems it should be possible. Then the Union would have to decide how much to prioritize on convoy escort/raider hunting.

[devoncop]

There are commerce raiders and blockade runners already in the game . The whole essence of the blockade game for the Union (until they can capture the ports of origin) is to combat the blockade runners.

Or do you mean you want to be able to physically move the runners yourself as a Confederate player and try and catch them as a Union player ?...

I am not sure how practical that would be given the map scale as the Union can effectively block the rkutes pretty quickly near the source.

[Platoonist]

There are commerce raiders and blockade runners already in the game . The whole essence of the blockade game for the Union (until they can capture the ports of origin) is to combat the blockade runners.

Or do you mean you want to be able to physically move the runners yourself as a Confederate player and try and catch them as a Union player ?...

I am not sure how practical that would be given the map scale as the Union can effectively block the rkutes pretty quickly near the source.

I believe he is referring to the raiders that were built in foreign yards for the Confederacy that operated on the high seas sinking Yankee merchtmen. Like the CSS Shenandoah that single handily decimated the US whaling fleet in the Arctic.

Seems like you would need an off map box to represent such a widely dispersed combat arena.

[battlevonwar]

Would be hard to implement as the Union Navy would hunt them down without a stealth feature or abstraction plus the Union's Resources don't flow in a way that makes that work. . .

https://www.essentialcivilwarcurriculum ... teers.html

I don't know how important I'd mark them ...

[devoncop]

There are commerce raiders and blockade runners already in the game . The whole essence of the blockade game for the Union (until they can capture the ports of origin) is to combat the blockade runners.

Or do you mean you want to be able to physically move the runners yourself as a Confederate player and try and catch them as a Union player ?...

I am not sure how practical that would be given the map scale as the Union can effectively block the rkutes pretty quickly near the source.

I believe he is referring to the raiders that were built in foreign yards for the Confederacy that operated on the high seas sinking Yankee merchtmen. Like the CSS Shenandoah that single handily decimated the US whaling fleet in the Arctic.

Seems like you would need an off map box to represent such a widely dispersed combat arena.

Okay I got you.

Agreed I dont think its practical given the current map either.

[Justus2]

There are commerce raiders and blockade runners already in the game . The whole essence of the blockade game for the Union (until they can capture the ports of origin) is to combat the blockade runners.

Or do you mean you want to be able to physically move the runners yourself as a Confederate player and try and catch them as a Union player ?...

I am not sure how practical that would be given the map scale as the Union can effectively block the rkutes pretty quickly near the source.

I believe he is referring to the raiders that were built in foreign yards for the Confederacy that operated on the high seas sinking Yankee merchtmen. Like the CSS Shenandoah that single handily decimated the US whaling fleet in the Arctic.

Seems like you would need an off map box to represent such a widely dispersed combat arena.

Yes, this is what I was thinking of. There would have to be several convoy routes from the USA to the European sources or new off-map boxes (and obviously would require re-balancing so that those routes generated some MPPs for trade, and offset that by adjusting existing MPP income). The CSA could then build (buy) ships that move to block those routes out along the map, similar to German U-Boats or raiders in SC_WWII. The Union could then dispatch Frigates etc to hunt them down. FOW could make this interesting. I get that it's not a priority, but I think it could be interesting, or possibly an option for a mod.

[Platoonist]

Okay I got you.

Agreed I dont think its practical given the current map either.

Yeah, you'd need a map that stretched all the way to Western Europe, where the ships were built, paid for and out fitted by Confederate agents, plus the whole ocean in between to act as a battleground. People are already complaining the current map is too big. I'm sure from the game developers point of view that would be the tail wagging the dog. A lot of extra work to incorporate an interesting but minor aspect of the war.

War between the States had an off map box system where the Confederate player could buy raiders and hoped they would do minor damage to the Union economy. The Union player committed his wooden cruisers from the map to the box hoping to track the raiders down. However, results were out of your hands at that point and visually it was rather plain. Plus, the ships were generic and didn't have names. You just got the name of the Confederate captain.

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