PBEM Results

[mikee64]

After catching up on some of the threads I was wondering about recent PBEM results folks have had. In particular, is anyone still winning as the CSA against a relatively evenly matched opponent?

It seems that the consensus is now that 2 evenly matched players will result in a USA victory most of the time, barring mistakes.

I personally play the South and consider just doing better than historically to be a victory; I'm not talking about VPs here but actual results as compared to history.

I know there are concerns to make the game play well vs. Athena but it also seems such an excellent simulation in pbem now that I'd like to see if that can possibly mirror history.

In the old Victory Games TCW (which AGEOD has acknowledged as inspiration for AACW), I think the internet consensus is now that evenly matched games would be won 65%-75% by the USA (per consimworld). I think that is reasonable.

Just want to try to get a feel for if we have enough data to get a number like that here yet.

thanks!

[Daxil]

In the grand campaign CSA will invariably lose. Knowing this, house rules that involve rewarding the CSA player for surviving longer than historical are one way of keeping it fun. There are many other house rules you could implement.

Right now I'm playing one with "historical" rules. It includes a militia mod that tones down their conversion to line by about 85% and a naval gun mod that makes them almost impossible to destroy by just sailing by witha death star fleet- a gamey technique some players use.

Here's our rules:

House Rules for Historical game

1. No redeployments of leaders are allowed
2. No paper money printing at all. We will not use that option.
3. Partial mobilization allowed for CSA only since second half April 1862.
4. Total mobilization allowed for CSA since second half September 1862, for USA march 1863 (player can select partial instead of total).
5. Union armies will attack in the East in 1861/1862 with Richmond as the ultimate goal at least once in 1861 and twice in 1862. They are allowed to retreat and regroup if defeated in major battle .
6. A number of VPs (15) added for each turn to the CSA player after April 1865
..............
9. No ironclad construction can begin until completion of Virginia and Monitor.
10. River transport points can be used only to transport single units
11. No disembarkment allowed using transport points in regions that display enemy flags.

[Gray_Lensman]

deleted

[Big Ideas]

I only play as the South as well and my results are:
one easy win versus a newbie
one challenging win versus equal opponent in July 63 when USA gave up.
one challenging win versus equal opponent in Jan 64. when USA gave up
one crushing defeat versus Soundoff late 63 (turn 62) I lost by sudden death when USA reached NM 186- when he needed 185
one game is up to early Oct 64 (turn 85) but I have lost ages ago but we are playing to the end which shouldn't be long now as my capital has moved to Charleston SC which is the last big city left. USA opponent had more experience when we started.

BI

[Mickey3D]

It seems that the consensus is now that 2 evenly matched players will result in a USA victory most of the time, barring mistakes.

I get this feeling too.

I see two ways of winning for a good southern player : foreign intervention or drop of northern NM in 1864 (I'm in a PBEM with Redeemer and he managed to get very close to foreign intervention - a few points ! - and now I have to take care of the 1864 loss of NM).

I personally play the South and consider just doing better than historically to be a victory; I'm not talking about VPs here but actual results as compared to history.

Agree with you.

[mikee64]

Thanks for the replies. It sounds like there is at least hope!

Daxil, those are some interesting restrictions. I'm sure it makes for a quite different and probably more historic game. But for me personally I'm just too lazy to keep up with that many house rules.

The current pbem I'm playing against denisonh we started in February. It was the first time I'd played any since last summer (which was only against Athena) and the first pbem I'd done in over a year. So I obviously don't have much personal experience with results under the current version. Thus the question.

I'm going to go ahead and start a belated thread in the AAR folder since I hope to eventually have some pictures up.