Location and Building Units

[samwise]

I was curious as to whether anyone has a strong preference as to which state to build units. Playing as the CSA, I have tended to buy units in the states in which the action is occurring, like MO, VA and Tenn. However, I soon run out of units in those locations and have to build elsewhere. My question is as follows:

1. Does it matter in which state you build your units ( other than they might be closer to the place you need them)?

2. Has anyone developed a strategy as to when to build them in a specific state. For example, early in the campaigns, I tend to build the units where I need them. However, after a period of time, I need to build them in more distant states, and it obviously takes time to get my units to the action. Therefore, late in the game, my building requires me to transport ( more rail transport needed) units to the action.

Any thoughts?

[gchristie]

Try not to build units other than militia too close to the action. In MO for instance, I've ordered up non-militia units, only to have them attacked soon after they appear and well before they are ready to fight. Now I wait till I'm reasonably assured of securing the state, otherwise I recruit in an adjacent state that is not immediately in harms way. But when it fits my strategy I recruit militia in the thick of the fight as they are pretty much ready the turn after I order them up.

[Major Tom]

But when it fits my strategy I recruit militia in the thick of the fight as they are pretty much ready the turn after I order them up.

I do the same, but it seems like the last patch might have tweaked militia starting levels of cohesion and health. Maybe it's just my imagination, but it seems like a lot of new militia units are now showing up with incomplete health and less than 50% cohesion.

Still, they're so cheap it's worth the risk to make them right on the front lines.

[Brochgale]

As CSA I tend to build militia in MO as I just hate losing regts of Line Infantry to Feds before they are ready to fight. I will raise regts in ARK which I can then push into MO later on. On the way to St Lious.
I raise regts in Tennessee before Feds come pouring into that State Also MISS to feed to Polk and later ASJ when he becomes active. For the later retaking of Kentucky.
I also tend to raise Regts in VA and NC to beef up the Army in VA and the Corps that I will develop there. If one of my regts ends up being built in Winchester I just reload to a previous save in order to keep VA regts well away from the in your face action.
With the exception of MO I tend not to build militia as we get so many free militia anyway.
As soon as any militia become Active I transport them to Bragg etc for training I found that a rather useful tactic and it also tends to make a good use of a General that I dont particularly like in the front line.

Above applies Against AI on easy and normal difficulty that is, difficulty levels also affect what I do, against a human player I adopt a radically different strategy!

[Beaumanoir]

I tend to build regular units for ANV in NC, gather them at north-central location in NC by rail (like, say, Goldsboro or Garys) to form division with a pre-placed general, and then move them up into VA ready to join a Corps.

It's kind of laborious, but shorter methods have been riskier. I made a division's worth of VA units recently, one formed in Winchester, which while still mine, was essentially way behind enemy lines. Winchester still lingering on, I haven't lost the brigade...but haven't been able to get him down to join his intended division yet either.

Also, once tried directing newly-minted NC untis to head to Richmond, and coalesce them there. One brigade, however, blundered into a marauding Union division which was running amok down south of Richmond (topic for separate thread). Didn't get killed off entirely, but got batted around pretty good, and showed up needing more rest/replacements than would have otherwise been the case.

In my first game, made the mistake of building several KY regular units. Wow, that was dumb. They built in Clarksburg, way the heck up near WV, with a *long* way to go between Federals and mountains to join up with AoT.

So, I agree with others; don't build *too* close to the front. I usually find it safe enough to build in TN for the AoT, with another division or two coming up from AL. NC seems to work for ANV.

In my games vs AI, I've built small armies in LA to defend New Orleans if needed, and in SC to cover Charleston/Savannah. The armies are pretty small element-wise - neither has been as big as an ANV corps. But they proved plenty big enough to do the job, and provided army commands to keep J.E. Johnston and Beauregard happy. Anyhoo, was no problem to build these few regulars right in LA and SC.