New Player in Need of Guidance

[Scraphound]

Hi everyone.

This is my first AGEod game, and I'm having some trouble grasping it. I've read the manual, which helps, but I guess what I really want is a player perspective. I'm playing the Grand Campaign (1805 - 1815) as Prussia. I begin the game in winter under very harsh weather conditions.

What do I do? Should I keep my armies in structures for the duration of the winter so as to avoid loss? Or should I mobilize and move toward Bavaria, for example?

Also, Saxony. I want to take Leipzig for myself, but they are my allies. How do I do this? Is there a peaceful means of annexation? Or do I need to break our treaty and declare war?

Thanks. Any answers to these questions will be greatly appreciated and beneficial. I think once I know what I should be doing in the very start of the campaign it will be much easier for me to continue intelligently. Right now I'm just frozen with indecision.

[GraniteStater]

I will try to help. I am very new to WoN myself, but have played a good amount of AGEOD's games.

* I'm playing the Grand Campaign (1805 - 1815) as Prussia.

You have gumption. In this case, you're going to have to be very patient and take some lickings, because the French will be fighting you at some point, I would hazard. The French have a Corps structure at the start, and no one else does. On the map, that means they get to support each other in adjacent Regions by using MTSG (March to the Sound of the Guns) - one stack, even from another (adjacent) Region, will, without orders or clicks by the human or AI, automatically travel to the Region where the battle is and participate in the battle - i. e., Corps give each other mutual support, automatically. Now, it doesn't happen all the time, there are restrictions and conditions, but it is a powerful feature. When one army can do this and the other can't - well, be very, very wary of French Corps next to each other. Eventually, members of the anti-French Coalition get to reform their army structures, but it's a long time coming. Incidentally, the best way to attack mutual Corps is at the end, flanking them, where only one Corps (we hope) can come to aid the other.

* Should I keep my armies in structures...

You don't need to be in the town, just in the Region with it to get hot coffee and blankets. Going inside is a tactical decision, which has some defensive advantages, but can be a total loss if you lose a siege or assault inside a town, city, fort, etc.

* Is there a peaceful means of annexation?

Not outright, that I know of, but I've had the game for only a month and it's a loooong Grand Campaign.

[loki100]

Hi everyone.

...

What do I do? Should I keep my armies in structures for the duration of the winter so as to avoid loss? Or should I mobilize and move toward Bavaria, for example?

....

Unless you really need to, don't move in winter - at the very least you will run up heavy cohesion losses. These will recover but in the short term make it impossible to fight. Most likely you will take substantial attrition losses - which will drain your manpower pools.

as above - you don't need to be 'in' a city etc to gain the advantage of the protection, just in the same province. Overall I avoid being 'in' the structure if I can - there is a high risk of being trapped into a siege if you are not careful.

Strategically - I wouldn't rush to do anything. Its a long game, so build up your replacement stocks and once spring arrives redeploy your army. You are probably going to get at least one bad beating off the French so it maybe an idea to plan for that - ie you will need manpower etc spare to rebuild from the rubble.

[vicberg]

As Prussia, I would DOW Brunswick. It's got a major road through it. Holding it makes life difficult for French supply from Hannover into Prussia. The other supply route for France is through Hamburg, but a lot longer and Hamburg is already under Prussian control and protected by a river. The French can also come at your via Bavaria. That's a more difficult route, at least with game working as is, for French Supply.

So DOW Brunswick, hold it and Hamburg and be on the lookout for a southern thrust.

If you are feeling real aggressive, DOW Saxony. They are an ally and you will lose those troops, but if you do it early, you'll gain a significant increase in economy.