Matrix Games Forums

How do you get your Generals to keep from going inactive? It's making life miserable for the Union.[:@]
One turn they are active, the next they are not, driving me nutso.

You can turn that option off from the main menu.

I know I can, but I chose to have it enabled.
Does anyone know how the game mechanics are that decide whether Generals go inactive?
Is it just a random generated dice roll or is there something specific that i am doing wrong?

Sorry misunderstood. Thought from your post you didn't want it happening.
It's in the manual and I don't remember all the specifics. It's under the leaders section. I believe and someone can correct me but it's based on their strategic rating and can be modified by some abilities. Every turn they make a check that's why it varies from turn to turn. If they are a Corps or Division commander the commander above them in the chain of command also effects it.
 
They aren't completely inactive, they can still move at a reduced rate and still defend although with penalities. They can't assume the offiensive. The first time I saw someone was inactive I thought they couldn't do anything, but they can. It's really a good rule and is designed to model the Union's early war failures from upper command levels. If you play with it on you should expect to be frustrated like Lincoln. Unlike some civil war games the seniority rules and activation rules do pretty good at driving the Union player nutso early on as you can't get the commanders you want or need.

Cool, thanks for your reply. I never really thought about that fact, the Union was very disorganized and their leaders timid. I just thought perhaps I missed something in the game mechanics.
I am in my first grand campaign set to easy and I feel i am being smacked around by the Rebs.
I'm going to keep plugging away and feel my way through this game. Very enjoyable on one hand, but until I master the mechanics I will be pretty much at the mercy of the Rebels.[&o]

I am in the same smacked-around state. The rebels raid as they please and I have cavalry units chasing them throughout the midwest. This seems fairly ahistorical to me, but is likely a balancing gimmick for the AI.

Lyon is "pacifying" Missouri and gaining rank -- he seems to be the one general capable of action on a regular basis. I'll take the combat percentage loss of an independent command in return for capturing rebel cities and expanding control. I just have to recruit hordes of militia units for the garrisoning.

I'm tempted to turn off the activation rule and start over, to let the generals win or lose on their combat strengths, but I think AGEOD had a good idea with activation. It took Lincoln months to goad McClellan into action. On the other hand, McDowell was forced to act to soon, with 1st Manasass the result.

It seems like quite a few of us old WITP'ers are figuring this game out, and the feedback is good. Check the AAR by Serydlitz for a lot of good info.

Dave

Things aren't THAT bad for the Union. You get a slew of 3/1/1 generals, meaning they have a strategic rating of 3, which seems to be about average. Those guys seem to activate at least as often as they don't. Ideally you want a general with strategic rating of 4 or better, but the 3/1/1 guys willl do in a pinch.

As others have said, you can still accomplish things without being activated. You can move and even besiege towns.

Activation is rolled against a six-sided dice indeed, so they have 50% chance each turn. If they are activated but does nothing at all, they even get a +1 for next turn activation.

Non activated generals move slowly troops and don't fight well, but they can still do things. This is one of the way we designed to show how it was for the Union to muster his war machine, that, and old generals with seniority [:D]

It sounds like the biggest problem you may be having is that you are building "regular" units rather than militia. In the grand campaign game it is critical that you spend most of your resources building the maximum amount of militia in Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, along with some cavalry during the first part of the game. These units garrison your rear and gradually get upgraded to regular units. Otherwise the CSA cavalry will have the advantage. Without captured towns and supplies, they aren't very effective and gradually die away, while you get stronger.

With adequate garrisons it isn't important that your leaders won't activate. They always activate for the purpose of defense. A few large infantry or cavalry units without leaders can be used to eliminate the CSA cavalry remnants.

1.06 is out and the cavalry raids have been toned down significantly.

The only real problem I have with the Activation rule is in the forming of divisions.  I play with the more random stats and I'll have a slew of 1 strat leaders but it takes months before one gets's active so I can't form any divisions at times.  (I work with what I have so yes I'm forced to use these guys.)  I don't think forming Divisions should be based on Activation.
 
Dude

ORIGINAL: dude

The only real problem I have with the Activation rule is in the forming of divisions.  I play with the more random stats and I'll have a slew of 1 strat leaders but it takes months before one gets's active so I can't form any divisions at times.  (I work with what I have so yes I'm forced to use these guys.)  I don't think forming Divisions should be based on Activation.

Dude

Even forming Divisions early in 1861 as the Union seems to result in a stack that won`t attack since the 3.1.1 commanders won`t activate often, so unless I`m missing something it`s not too useful other then the benefit from having a general in the stack if attacked.

The Union leaders you get in Jan. of `62 like Hooker have much better stats.

I have had little problem getting the 3-1-1 generals to attack.  It's the political meathead generals that do a lot of sitting around for me.