Matrix Games Forums

I'm waiting for my fiscal situation to be sorted out so I can buy my copy of this game (boy do I want it) and a few questions arose from playing the demo:

1. In the Bull Run scenario, I frequently found it turning into a race to see whether the Union would get to Richmond before the Confederates got to Washington. Obviously, the key to preventing this is to know what's going on behind you, but is it wiser to go right after the enemy army than it is to head for the geographic objective, particularly in the campaign game where losing Washington or Richmond early is an unmitigated disaster?

2. In the Early campaign game, will taking Richmond automatically end the war, or will the Confederacy recover and relocate their capital to a more secure location such as Montgomery?

3. How significant a factor are the presidential elections in the full war game (Jeff Davis had to run for a full term in 1862, and of course the Union election of 1864 was the Confederacy's last chance to secure a negotiated peace by hoping for a McClellan victory)?

4. The American Civil War, in addition to its social and political implications, is notable as the conflict that changed warfare forever -- where harrying the enemy and watching him slowly bleed to death under your relentless pressure became the most viable strategy of all. It was this insight on the part of Grant and, earlier, Winfield Scott (who devised the plan that led to eventual Union victory) that makes the Civil War so significant to future conflicts. How well can you reflect this in the game.

5. Is it EVER advisable for the Army of Northern Virgina to invade the North in the campaign game? Lee tried it twice and accomplished little.

Playing VS a human player causes a total re-thinking of your strategy VS the AI. That's what I hear, since I have only played against the AI thus far. That said, here is my very general take on your questions based on playing VS the AI:

1. My experience is that grabbing geographical objectives is the only way to win the Bull Run scenario. In the campaign, it depends on which side you are playing. The South shouldn't try to go toe to toe with the Union Army in general. Make an early grab for Washington but get out quick if it seems to be not going well. Then it becomes a delaying action with nuisance raids to disrupt Union supply short sharp jabs to grab local victory cities. The Union strategy is generally do as much damage to the rebs and grab as many objectives while your Command is cooperating. you can usually beat the South in the field but if you try a Fredricksburg type attack (across a river against a fortified position) you will get your hat handed to you.

2. Assuming you capture the capital in Richmond, you will likely need a couple of other Cities like Nashville and Memphis to break the South's morale and win. If the Capitol is moved (which it can and will) you have a long hard fight ahead.

3. If Abe loses the 1864 election due to poor military performance, The North will lose interest in continuing the war significantly. Very good for the South. I believe this is abstracted in the game by making the Union more vulnerable to Moral loss in 1864. I'm not sure if there is an actual event making McCLellan President because the war would end on the spot, theoretically.

4. In my opinion, the game mechanics simulate this very well on many levels.

5. Against the Union AI I would say yes - you can catch them off guard and they will begin reacting to your plan, i.e. you gain the initiative. Without a safe supply line you will be doomed though. The South has to try an invasion of Maryland before 1863 if they want the best chance to win outright.

The only thing I have found that does not conform to the my interpretation of the historical conscience of the Civil War is that defeating Lee's Army of Virginia is not the end-all of the South. Although destroying Armies will effect National Moral, The rebs will very likely keep on fighting if they are still holding it together in the West.

3: There is also war weariness  http://www.ageod.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5648&highlight=weariness
 
 "starting Oct 1, 1864 both sides will lose 1 Morale per turn. Then on Jan 1, 1865 the CSA starts to accumulate 10 VP per turn while the US auto-defeat morale level goes up by 1 each turn (the auto-victory level doesn't change)"
 

ORIGINAL: MPHopcroft

I'm waiting for my fiscal situation to be sorted out so I can buy my copy of this game (boy do I want it) and a few questions arose from playing the demo:

1. In the Bull Run scenario, I frequently found it turning into a race to see whether the Union would get to Richmond before the Confederates got to Washington. Obviously, the key to preventing this is to know what's going on behind you, but is it wiser to go right after the enemy army than it is to head for the geographic objective, particularly in the campaign game where losing Washington or Richmond early is an unmitigated disaster?

2. In the Early campaign game, will taking Richmond automatically end the war, or will the Confederacy recover and relocate their capital to a more secure location such as Montgomery?

3. How significant a factor are the presidential elections in the full war game (Jeff Davis had to run for a full term in 1862, and of course the Union election of 1864 was the Confederacy's last chance to secure a negotiated peace by hoping for a McClellan victory)?

4. The American Civil War, in addition to its social and political implications, is notable as the conflict that changed warfare forever -- where harrying the enemy and watching him slowly bleed to death under your relentless pressure became the most viable strategy of all. It was this insight on the part of Grant and, earlier, Winfield Scott (who devised the plan that led to eventual Union victory) that makes the Civil War so significant to future conflicts. How well can you reflect this in the game.

5. Is it EVER advisable for the Army of Northern Virgina to invade the North in the campaign game? Lee tried it twice and accomplished little.

1 - The AI has been improved a good bit in the full version, plus, if you play with some of the settings, (AI fog of war, aggressiveness, and especially strategic activation rolls), you can tailor the AI to be a pretty decent opponent. Not sure what base version the demo is running on, but I think it's an older one. The AI will still sometimes try to strike straight for the capital, but not nearly as much as it used to. And yeah, it is kind of silly, though with the forces the Union usually keeps in Washington, an attempt to take it as the south can be tough.

2 - The loss of a capital as either side is a big loss, but not a killer. You'll have to fight fairly hard to put either side down for the count. Each side has three options as to where to move their capital if it becomes necessary, and it's always better to do that if you think you might lose it.

3 - Elections will definitely have an impact on your morale and such. As for Little Mac ending the war, we had some interesting discussions about that earlier on the AGEOD board. Personally I don't think he would have done it barring a huge swing in the congressional layout. He was a war democrat, who had a peace platform forced on him at the convention. He wanted to run the campaign on the basis that he would be better equipped to end the war than Lincoln due to his military background. Besides, in the historical war, by the time he actually took office (Not when he was elected) the war would have been basically over.

4 - Enjoy, attrition warfare is a huge thing in this game. You can wipe out armies, or make deep strikes, but it's very difficult to do. Grinding is the best strategy to use.

5 - Yes, although I usually make my pushes into the much friendlier western theater. If the northern army is sitting and defending their entrenchments, a swing around their flanks (Learn to use those supply wagons if you're going to do marches away from rail lines or depots) can get them out of their works and into a battle on more favorable terms...just make sure you leave enough to defend Virginia against a quick strike. Though until the North's good generals are in command, the fact that it's nearly impossible to get your generals to activate means that the threat of a solid offensive is low.