Bunch of Learning Questions

[KillCalvalry]

OK, still learning the game, have some questions:

1. RAILROADS: What is the best way to rebuild a railroad? What factors go into rebuild chance, does the amount of troops or presence of engineers make a difference?
2. COMMAND POINTS: The manual is unclear on command points. It says individual units cost between 1 and 4 command points to command. What is the factor there, number of elements?
3. SUPPLY: How does riverine supply work? I understand you can use that in lieu of railroads as Union, saving alot of garrison troops in the rear. How does a line work? Would you need a depot on the river, and a RR to the front from the River Port? Actually, some advice on supply in general would help.
4. BROWN WATER BLOCKADE: How does it really work? To blockade Mobile, for example, do you need get ships past Ft. Morgan into the harbor, or can you blockade outside? If outside, how many sea zones do you need to control? And, how many ships per zone? (the game says 4, so that means alot of ships to shut down Mobile).
5. INDIAN VILLAGES: Is there an advantage to either side to destroy the Indian Villages?

Many thanks in advance!

[Le Ricain]

OK, still learning the game, have some questions:

1. RAILROADS: What is the best way to rebuild a railroad? What factors go into rebuild chance, does the amount of troops or presence of engineers make a difference?
2. COMMAND POINTS: The manual is unclear on command points. It says individual units cost between 1 and 4 command points to command. What is the factor there, number of elements?
3. SUPPLY: How does riverine supply work? I understand you can use that in lieu of railroads as Union, saving alot of garrison troops in the rear. How does a line work? Would you need a depot on the river, and a RR to the front from the River Port? Actually, some advice on supply in general would help.
4. BROWN WATER BLOCKADE: How does it really work? To blockade Mobile, for example, do you need get ships past Ft. Morgan into the harbor, or can you blockade outside? If outside, how many sea zones do you need to control? And, how many ships per zone? (the game says 4, so that means alot of ships to shut down Mobile).
5. INDIAN VILLAGES: Is there an advantage to either side to destroy the Indian Villages?

Many thanks in advance!

1. You rebuild railroads with units. Militia rebuild poorly, normally requiring two turns to complete the task. Also, they have the annoying habit of forgetting what they are supposed to be doing after the first turn requiring you to remember to re-punch their button. Regular units (infantry and cavalry) do a good job especially when combined with Engineer units. Also more units are better than one unit.

2. Command points costs are determined by the number of elements in a unit. However, divisions only have a 4 point command cost regardless of number of elements present. Also some elite units with a BG embedded have a 0 CP cost.

3. Supply works by channeling ammo and supplies from your national supply to your depots, assuming that you have enough RR, riverine and sea transport Depots have a five region range. Within this range they will supply your supply units using your RR, riverine and sea transport points. It is important that your main armies and corps have supply units attached to be able to catch these supplies, especially when operating in enemy territory. To be able to use a region's RR, you need to have at least 25% control. To use a river, it must be free of entrenched enemy artillery units.

Basically you need to build a network of depots and/or supply units. Each needs to be within 5 regions of the next one and connected by >25% controlled regions and/or enemy arty free rivers.

4. For each coastal city (and river city) place your tool tip over the water rectangle (harbour) in the lower right hand corner. This will tell you which adjoining water regions need to be occupied (and with how many units) in order to blockade that city. For Mobile, I believe you need to run the forts in order to set the blockade. Your tooltip over Mobile's harbour will tell you exactly what you need. The basic requirement to blockade a region is four units which can be brigs (as they are cheap to build). If you control the protecting fort the requirement is reduced to two. If you do not control the protecting fort or the enemy moves an arty uniy into the city, your requirement increases to a maximum of six.

5. I can not think of any advantage to either side of Indian villages. They will not protect your units from attrition during the winter months and contain too little supplies to help your units.

I hope the above helps.

[KillCalvalry]

It does, thank you! And here are a couple more, you could say the "Corps" of the issue, as it were.....

1. Is there an advantage or disadvantage to attached a corps to an army very distantly? For example, Fremont commands Western Army in St. Louis. Grant forms a Corps in Cairo clearly out of range. Does that allow Grant to command more troops? How does that effect Grant's ratings? I understand how it might if Grant pulls within range of Fremont.
2. You have an army of 3 Corps, commanded by McClellan. McClellan is almost never active, but you want to get in a fight, so you move all 3 corps and activate ONE, hoping that one attacks and pulls the others in. Valid tactic? I imagine it backfires if all the troops don't march to the sound of the guns.

[denisonh]

It does, thank you! And here are a couple more, you could say the "Corps" of the issue, as it were.....

1. Is there an advantage or disadvantage to attached a corps to an army very distantly? For example, Fremont commands Western Army in St. Louis. Grant forms a Corps in Cairo clearly out of range. Does that allow Grant to command more troops? How does that effect Grant's ratings? I understand how it might if Grant pulls within range of Fremont.
2. You have an army of 3 Corps, commanded by McClellan. McClellan is almost never active, but you want to get in a fight, so you move all 3 corps and activate ONE, hoping that one attacks and pulls the others in. Valid tactic? I imagine it backfires if all the troops don't march to the sound of the guns.

1. Yes, you will get more command points.
2. BAD IDEA. Tried it with McDowell and got my butt handed to me. Unactivated Corps/Armies moving into enemied controlled and occupied territory is an invitation for a @ss whooping. The will engage piecemeal and at a severe disdvatage.

[Rafiki]

1. Is there an advantage or disadvantage to attached a corps to an army very distantly? For example, Fremont commands Western Army in St. Louis. Grant forms a Corps in Cairo clearly out of range. Does that allow Grant to command more troops? How does that effect Grant's ratings? I understand how it might if Grant pulls within range of Fremont.

You cannot form a corps outside the range of an army. You can, however, form a corps, then move it outside the range of the army, where it will retain its corps status (and doubling of command points), at least until it's on board a ship.

[PBBoeye]

3. Supply works by channeling ammo and supplies from your national supply to your depots, assuming that you have enough RR, riverine and sea transport Depots have a five region range. Within this range they will supply your supply units using your RR, riverine and sea transport points. It is important that your main armies and corps have supply units attached to be able to catch these supplies, especially when operating in enemy territory. To be able to use a region's RR, you need to have at least 25% control. To use a river, it must be free of entrenched enemy artillery units.

Basically you need to build a network of depots and/or supply units. Each needs to be within 5 regions of the next one and connected by >25% controlled regions and/or enemy arty free rivers.

Wiki material! That's probably the best synopsis of supply I've ever read. Bravo!! ouet:

[PBBoeye]

2. BAD IDEA. Tried it with McDowell and got my butt handed to me. Unactivated Corps/Armies moving into enemied controlled and occupied territory is an invitation for a @ss whooping. The will engage piecemeal and at a severe disdvatage.

This, right here, is one example of why I think the AACW engine is great. I know of no other game that replicates those types of organizational issues in such an outstanding manner.

You cannot form a corps outside the range of an army. You can, however, form a corps, then move it outside the range of the army, where it will retain its corps status (and doubling of command points), at least until it's on board a ship.

Actually, if you do this (move outside the army command radius), won't the Corps commander retain his abilities and CPs, without any of the negative effects from an inferior army commander (say in the above about Fremont and Grant)?

[Rafiki]

Actually, if you do this (move outside the army command radius), won't the Corps commander retain his abilities and CPs, without any of the negative effects from an inferior army commander (say in the above about Fremont and Grant)?

Yup, that's what I'm saying

[KillCalvalry]

OK then, suppose you had McClellan and a whole bunch of troops ready to form an Army in Cincinnatti. Thomas and some 3-1-1's for corp commanders, for argument's sake. If you form the army and corps and move them as a group, they will all have a strategic rating of "1", i.e. be worthless to attack anybody. What if you form the army though, then march all 3 corps out of McClellan's range; even better, send him and the Army HQ to Buffalo, and the corps into KY. You won't gain the benefit of a 1 to attack and 2 to defense, but at least you'll be able to attack something 50% of the time. Am I missing something, or is that a valid strategy to get away from a bad commander, yet still gain the benefit of a corps organization?

If that works for the Grant/Fremont example, why not here? And what is the consequence of moving the Army HQ out?

[Pocus]

Watch for 1.06d about this little abuse.

[denisonh]

Busted!

Watch for 1.06d about this little abuse.

[Pocus]

I'm the Eye in the Sky, looking at you tada tada tada (old song from APP)

[jhdeerslayer]

I'm the Eye in the Sky, looking at you tada tada tada (old song from APP)

That Devil Pocus.

[gekkoguy82]

so when a corps is placed on a transport it is broken up into it's subordinate units?

[Rafiki]

No, but the units are integrated into the transporting stack

[gekkoguy82]

You cannot form a corps outside the range of an army. You can, however, form a corps, then move it outside the range of the army, where it will retain its corps status (and doubling of command points), at least until it's on board a ship.

ah ok, when i saw this i didn't really understand it i guess. forgive my ignorance . do you just mean it will lose it's bonuses then?

[Rafiki]

If I've got it correct, yes