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My biggest problem in my first playthrough with the Confederacy is getting enough war supplies. I'm EARLY in the game, but while I can bring in a little bit of cash and manpower through political means, I find no solution to the war supplies bottleneck. I understand this was a reality for the Confederacy, but I would like to know if I'm missing any potential strategies that others have uncovered for minimizing this disadvantage.

Currently I am investing a large part of my war supplies in industrial initiatives in NC and AL, 1 level each, each turn. My thinking was that over the long haul the infrequent, but permanent increases acheived through this investment would pay off, but when should the investments stop? Also, I have not experimented with the blockade runners much to this point. Can they bring in enough war supplies from overseas to offset the war supply cost of maintaining a runner fleet?

Any help for this poor, war supply-less Confederate would be greatly appreciated.

Your on the right track. Gradually those investments in industrialization will pay off. I always increase investment in between draft periods. As a new draft period gets closer reduce investment so as to stockpile $ and WS.

Implementong some blockade runners to supplement your gains works for against AI, however, I've yet to play a live oppenent, who would be able to deal with those runners more effectively.

Check out this link for a discussion:
http://www.ageod-forum.com/showthread.php?t=7724

Here is another. (starting at post #7)

I, more often than not, have been able to settle it by being aggressive.

Take cities that produce them. Set yourself up for solid victories in the field and you will often get some WS as part of the combat resolution. Get your VP and NM up.

Obviously all of the above are helpful, and key, to winning. And some easier said than done. I think the most important thing is keeping the WS you have intact, rather than gathering up more to spend. Meaning: Keep your formations in order, place your artillery carefully, and maneuver until you can destroy what is in front of you.

I almost never invest in industry. The North does not need it, and the South would be better off with those dollars and WS in the field/seas than in hoping to get a bonus. Any time I think I want to invest, I buy a brig instead. You get guaranteed results for about the same cost.

Brigs fight back. Factories don't. Attrition can work in the Gulf, where the South can refurbish damaged assets faster than the North.

If the South is aggressive early, they not only receive the WS (and $, and supplies) from cities they capture (for as long as they can hold them) they deny the North those same resources.

Word.

i too suffer the horrible surcumbstances of having the manpower and money to recruit new brigades only to flounder at the amount of war supplies i have.

however as useful tactic is to produce the main bulk of your armies with militia. not only do the cost very little to produce but on mass can deal with the union armies early on in the game.

granted this tactic only works for the CSA within the first 25 turns any more after that the militias simply do not compete against wave after wave of divisions but it does both solve trhe problem with stock piling WS and taking the advantage in seizing cities and holding them as the union (especially in the west) can only muster a few brigades against your 20+ militia elements with support of cavalry and any indians you manage to recruit.

anyway thats my stratagy...

If you pursue the militia strategy don't forget that you can 'brigade' two militia units in the same stack using Ctrl+c, if you get them together before they upgrade.

1. They perform better in a stand-up fight that way.

2. You get some added back to the reinforcement screen and can recruit them all over again.

On the downside:

1. You have less units to work with, temporarily at least.

2. Each unit requires more supplies if sent off on its own through remote areas.

3. Some grognards think this is highly ahistorical and wrong.

The militia thing can continue to work after turn 25, as long as the now mostly upgraded militia is adequately supported by the artillery and other units you can better afford by then.

IMHO, there are really two different phases for CSA.

First phase (+/- 18 months) - bottleneck is WS:
- build industry
- build blockade runners
- build militias (will upgrade to infantery after a few months) and combine two regiment in brigades

Second phase - bottleneck is manpower/money:
- stop industry
- stop building brigs
- build artillery / hopital / balloons / transmission / ...

saintsup wrote:IMHO, there are really two different phases for CSA.

First phase (+/- 18 months) - bottleneck is WS:
- build industry
- build blockade runners
- build militias (will upgrade to infantery after a few months) and combine two regiment in brigades

Second phase - bottleneck is manpower/money:
- stop industry
- stop building brigs
- build artillery / hopital / balloons / transmission / ...

I ve followed a similar idea myself. But personally, I prefer the industry investments just the other way.

So.. My way
- Dont build industry in the beggining ( and use those extra "unspent" WS in some more "WS-costly / Manpower cheap" troops --- arty / brigs / support)

- Start building industry once conscripts get too low---

I believe bot ways are ok... used both in my games against AI... but the kind of troops you can display earlier can be of a better quality (i e some more artilleries)

The return on investment for industries is (a lot) larger the earlier in the game you build the industries, though. So, do you build an artillery unit early on, or do you build, say, 3 units for the same WS'es later on?

Rafiki wrote:The return on investment for industries is (a lot) larger the earlier in the game you build the industries, though. So, do you build an artillery unit early on, or do you build, say, 3 units for the same WS'es later on?

I agree in theory.. i.e. the return of investment of factories is tremendous as designed (If compared with a real investment it is really high... Perhaps as a 50-100% bond?)

Around mid 1862...my conscripts are totally exhausted... no more WS are needed and they start to stockpile... Brigs get more useful as they add money also..


(seems to me) I need to build factories more to upgrade the bullets/normal supply than the WS in the long run.

During 1861 I normally invest only in brigs rather than industry. Its only in 1862 that I start investing in industry. With most of the buildable brigs on the high seas, its easy to gain a lot WS. Union interference is minimal at most times so most of the brig fleets are in operation.