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There have been a few fixes to KY, but the newest one creates a completely unrealistic situation and needs to be fixed.

Kentucky, unless one side chooses to intervene, will not open until January, 1863. When that fires, the actual event looks fine; the Rebs get a few volunteers around Bowling Green, and the RR is cut heading north (The Louisville and Nashville was owned and operated by Unionists). That part works.

But Jan 1863? No way.

I attend church with a Professor of American History, and I asked him casually if he thought KY could have stayed neutral. He said not a chance; when Polk grabbed Columbus, many felt that the State Legislature, which had a very strong Unionist majority, was heading toward ending neutrality. Camp Robinson was a clear violation of that, yet nothing happened. In the elections of 1861, 9 out of 10 US Congressmen elected were Unionists, the exception being the pro-Southern region around Bowling Green.

In his view, KY was going to "Open" in the Fall of 1861 regardless, somehow. Civil Wars force all to choose sides, and this was happening in KY. Unionists were enlisting, and so were Rebel sympathizers. At some point, Shooting would have started in KY, and would have inevitably let to war, and the end of neutrality. Any idea of neutrality in Missouri ended quickly when shots were fired. "Missouri Neutrality" lasted about 5 minutes after the Camp Jackson affair.

In Game, the penalties are too harsh for the Union to voluntarily select "end KY Neutrality" to do so, and the South player would be nuts to open it; it's a perfect shield.

I would like other's opinions, but KY neutrality needs to end in Dec 1861 at the latest, IMO.

Absent this change, unless KY seceeds (which is absurd, and would not have happened), games will not have any 1862 campaigns in KY or Tennessee. Which is not good.

Agreed.

Agreed, It also leads to way stronger forces than historical in Virginia and Missouri since there is a theater missing... So it does play a central role in the debate on whether the game is properly balanced or not. To know if the game is properly balanced in 62 one has to be able to play the campaign season with a fully active West theater.

There should be series of rolls with the odds being overwhelming at the end, leading to Kentucky joining the union on average in October/november 61 I think. One could add a few variations as to then number of militias such and such army receive for example, but that should be the general framework.

When the Union and the south have to slug it out in Tennessee/Kentucky in 62 as well, then we will have a better idea of whether the Game is properly balanced. It will also lead the union player to want competent generals in the west, where strategic rating and movement speed are at a premium, so less of the Grant going east in late 61 type of scenario.

Yeah. In one of my games I played it. Really, It's mid 1862 and I can't let the South have the shield.
 
Looks like it's a turn delay before either can enter.
 
I found that I can build Kentucky troops though w/o penalty. I don't recall if I could move them out or not though.

Just FYI Kentucky has joined the CSA in my game against Marquo in July 1861, through some event. Can't recall what now.

ORIGINAL: Michael T

Just FYI Kentucky has joined the CSA in my game against Marquo in July 1861, through some event. Can't recall what now.

Kentucky Seceeded in your game; there is a fair chance of that happening. Unlike real life.

The June 1861 elections saw 9 out of 10 congressional seats occupied by Unionists. Unioinists had a 2/3 majority in the state legislature. It was a wipeout, made worse by a boycott of Southern voters because they knew they were going to lose. The Governor was a Southern sympathizer, but his veto was overridden continuously by Unionists in the legislature. The idea that Kentucky would have voted to join the CSA in this environment is plain dumb; that's another thing that needs to be fixed.

But whether you think KY was pro-Confederate or not, for the sake of gameplay Kentucky needs to open in 1861