Confederate Strategy

[lightbrave]

I decided to give this game another try after getting frustrated with it so I will probably have a lot of posts. My first question is, Should I pull my confederate forces out of Clarksville WV. It seems useless and costly to reinforce them and it seems inevitable that they will be eventually crushed. The only reason I see to keep them there is to keep the rail line out of Union forces, any ideas or suggestions on this thanks one more question, I try to save my game sometimes so If I mess up I can correct it but I save the turn then push next and when I load the game it goes to what happens after I pushed next turn, how do I fix this thanks guys

[DrPostman]

I always pull back. I could use those men elsewhere, and it's not easy for the Union
to come down that way without plenty of supplies. I might detach one or two units
to take a few small towns and cause trouble. Usually garrisons don't appear that
early so you can get by with it for the smaller towns. Cut rail lines and take as
many towns as you can before they catch up to them. But only one or two of the
smaller units.

[BattleVonWar]

Not sure about your save issue. You can reload last turn and that should take you back to where you were with your orders. Have you tried that?

Also as far as West Virginia is concerned it is really really hard to move in a wild area. the supply is terrible and the Union has a lot more forces here than you do later. Though you can fight here if you want. It just means building a lot more supply and deploying more troops here. Also, you have to consider if you're not fighting them here you will be fighting them in Harpers or somewhere else. You have a few advantages... Good defensive terrain and can threaten a Strategic City on the rail line Morgantown. Though it would require the Union to be real passive in defense and active in other areas and not bring up massive reinforcement. So scout with some Cav, find your opponent and decide. Is it worth the trouble? Maybe use Jackson down the rail line steal Harpers then push over to threaten Pittsburgh. If you have a fine Union opponent and who pushes you with numbers you can leave a little later than normal. I usually will take cohesion hits(but bring over that supply ranger General and a fair General and make the Union work for every territory) plus you don't need so many supply wagons in the Eastern parts of Virginia. Then raid like heck with your Cav all over with Passive Posture on and you can tie up 2 Divisions in the Mountains with your native born force ... and rail out when you're bored or in danger ... (against a great opponent you will likely not get away with this mind you) my last game 2 victories to 1 loss West Virginia took till end of Summer at least till its surrendered.

(Lovely to have fully entrenched Militia with a 3-2-2 General in wild Hills) Tough to beat that :P

[Gray Fox]

Union partisans can be placed in WV with RGD's starting in 1862. These can infiltrate VA and damage your depot system, especially the choke point of Garysburg NC. So it might be better to withdraw from the deep parts of WV and prepare to swat these partisans.

If you consult your manual, page 12 describes how to reload up to 24 previous turns, depending on how you have your game set up. Good luck!

[Captain_Orso]

In the game under Options => System there is a setting for how many backups each scenario you are playing is maintained. The highest you can set through the Options menu is 12 turns; you can manually set it higher in the .opt files.

Each time you click the 'Proceed to next turn' button a backup is immediately made before anything else happens, so you don't have to click 'Save' before 'Proceed'.

You can turn the game back to the newest 'Save' by going into Main menu => Load => select the scenario => click on the computer chip in the upper right of the window => click on the 'Restore a previous turn' (U-Turn) button.

Caution!! this will turn the scenario back to that turn irrevocably. The last turn execution will be deleted.

[Captain_Orso]

In the game under Options => System there is a setting for how many backups each scenario you are playing is maintained. The highest you can set through the Options menu is 12 turns; you can manually set it higher in the .opt files.

Each time you click the 'Proceed to next turn' button a backup is immediately made before anything else happens, so you don't have to click 'Save' before 'Proceed'.

You can turn the game back to the newest 'Save' by going into Main menu => Load => select the scenario => click on the computer chip in the upper right of the window => click on the 'Restore a previous turn' (U-Turn) button.

Caution!! this will turn the scenario back to that turn irrevocably. The last turn execution will be deleted.

[Rod Smart]

Is there a way to manually change the name of the save file?
Example: If I wanted to set things up in 1861 for both sides, and then return to that optimum setup repeatedly for later games.

[Cardinal Ape]

You can play the plunder RGD on Clarksville for some extra cash. I usually run away with Floyd's army. The cavalry gets sent out west, and the artillery goes to an army in Virginia. Those two big guns are pretty valuable.

You can rename the 'Save' by going into Main menu => Load => select the scenario => click on the computer chip in the upper right of the window => click on the 'Rename the game' (Pencil and Paper) button.

If you want to create a base start save that you can keep going back to, you could manually copy the save game folder and paste it somewhere else on your computer. Then copy and paste it back when you want to start a new game.

[DaddyRess]

Have only gotten to play against athena, but in my game i have kept the army there with a few reinforcements. Mostly cav and horse art. I also upgraded the area to have a depot and have sent raiders out to burn nearby level 1 towns and destroy railroads. It's not much but i figure it will hurt some of the supplies generated in the region until I'm forced to fall back.

[DrPostman]

I have a shortcut link on my desktop to the folder where my saves are, and
if I am rolling back a turn but not too sure about it I will go there and copy
and paste the save folder onto my desktop.

[BattleVonWar]

Athena isn't much of a challenge. You should try a human opponent soon as you are learned up on the 101s. West Virginia is a tough territory to fight in for the CSA without Rail Lines/and too much money for the actual return. I have held it for 4 or 5 months against an actual human about..I considered that a good job. I think my supplies were down to nearly a turn of GS. The Supply Wagons were going in and out every turn though. Well worth tying up 200-300 combat power of the Union for a few militia : ) Get out before you get starved out is all...

Have only gotten to play against athena, but in my game i have kept the army there with a few reinforcements. Mostly cav and horse art. I also upgraded the area to have a depot and have sent raiders out to burn nearby level 1 towns and destroy railroads. It's not much but i figure it will hurt some of the supplies generated in the region until I'm forced to fall back.

[DaddyRess]

Trying to find a human player to play wi:th, hint, hint. Use to love pbem in the original game. Playing with a human player was the only time i was able to get foreign intervention. Managed to get it in the summer of 62.

But to the matter at hand, I am sure it would be different with a human. But as you've made clear, it is good to keep forces in the area. It keeps the union having to focus there and prevents easy movement westward.

[DaddyRess]

Battlevonwar, looks like your advice was wise. Supplies ran out just as a stack of 700 cp showed up from the East and 200 from the west. Now my forces are fleeing for their lives through the mountains.

However do to the events in wv and Shenandoaha the union pulled forces from Alexandria leaving it open for the army of Northern va to lay siege to it.

[BattleVonWar]

DaddyRess,

Yes I tend to be a bit of a cross between a Longstreet who ends up caught up in Pickett charges in this game. Too defensive and it's just not a payday to give up real estate that is wild/mountain/hill : ) The Union can take West Virginia for Free if the Union does not take it and leaves you to move in, you have covered your flank into the Shenandoah. Any offensive out of there is too expensive for a CSA vs a Great Unionist.

When your ready for PBEM if nobody writes you after a week I will give you at try... Play Athena a lot, watch Charles Missions AARs, and read Buckeye and Arrow's ... I am not a great CSA but so far I consider myself almost intermediate.

~The only valuable real estate for the CSA is Missouri/Coasts/Fortress Virginia/Recruiting out of Missippi and Strategic/Objective towns...(West Virginia has 1, not valuable)

Battlevonwar, looks like your advice was wise. Supplies ran out just as a stack of 700 cp showed up from the East and 200 from the west. Now my forces are fleeing for their lives through the mountains.

However do to the events in wv and Shenandoaha the union pulled forces from Alexandria leaving it open for the army of Northern va to lay siege to it.

[DaddyRess]

I've actually watched all of Charles Missions AARs and look to be starting a game against Buckeye here shortly. Thanks for your tips, after the game with Buckeye I'll message you and see if your up for a PBEM game.

[BattleVonWar]

General Buckeye Aye :P Watch out, he's deadly ... If playing the South sell all your mules!

I've actually watched all of Charles Missions AARs and look to be starting a game against Buckeye here shortly. Thanks for your tips, after the game with Buckeye I'll message you and see if your up for a PBEM game.

[DaddyRess]

Thanks, he seems to be a very aggressive union player. But since he is a native
Ohioan and I'm a native kentuckian we make lable it a border war lol.

[FightingBuckeye]

My ears are burning . .. looks like I need to start whacking some skulls over here!

And Battle, don't sell yourself short. Yes, you had some (literal) holes in your game when we played our first game. But it was a learning experience for both of us. And you my good friend have learned a good deal in a short amount of time. As DaddyRess says, I do have a natural inclination to attack. But our game 3 is REALLY pushing me and I find myself short of good targets to attack. I'm stuck either pressing a dubious offensive or sitting back and waiting for better numbers which is exactly what a southern player should be striving for.