Mon Apr 28, 2014 6:59 am
END OF LATE MAY 1864 (GS, Union, versus RebelYell, CSA)
Here's an except from some thoughts at large I shared with my Esteemed Opponent. For context, I have Nashville, just took Memphis, am in Chattanooga. Am threatening upper Arkansas. I have had New Orleans for a while. I have the Far West. RY has Norfolk in VA (he's been rather pugnacious about it) and just riposted sharply to a Charlottesville/Rappahannock flanking maneuver.
Blockade consistently around 85%+.
My NM has been around 105, 100 most of the last game year or so; his, around 115, 120.
My thoughts:
Memphis has fallen.
We are now tied in VPs, just about, but I have a per Turn net gain on you.
This 'new approach' of mine, with a brown blockade and industrializing to the max, is going to be my standard approach for the Union from now on, I think. I don't think any serious Union player has tried it, at least not that I've read in public or in a PbeM of which I know. There seem to be advantages. There is no need to corroborate my feelings, but I think depriving the CSA of some 40% of its port's income and production has merit - I think you might be having to make some choices under slightly straitened circumstances, viz., less $$ to pay for raising troops and buying Replacements, although, in the latter case, we've been pacific compared to most games I've experienced, so haven't had to pay for so many Replacements as you might otherwise be doing.
My Objectives show you at 71% of my Combat Power - down from 73% last Turn. Just for comparison, I didn't Industrialize anywhere near as much against havi as I have here and certainly didn't have anywhere near the navy I do in this game - by this time in the game, he was much closer to 45% of Combat Power and spent most of the game around 55, 50%. His high proportion was 63%, iirc. IOW, I had a bigger army in that game, proportionally.
But the South recovers Replacements at double the rate the Union does and I didn't really hurt him that much economically. Just to let you know, I'm generating about $650 in Turns that are 'normal', i. e., no taxing, issuing bonds, printing money. This last Turn, I asked for free volunteers and that's the first time all game I've felt I needed to look for men. WS are pouring out of my ears. I think you see what I'm saying - the short term sacrifice looks like a very viable proposition, especially at this stage of the game - I'm not really building any ships anymore (I am keeping abreast of naval Replacements, which entails parking in level 3 harbors on G/G) and can keep building new land units with a a prudent eye on land Replacements - these last two Turns have engendered a good bit of infantry Replacements, but, essentially, I can pay for them - and keep building new units, however modestly.
So, however modestly it might be, I can keep growing my army - and I, as a Union player, well, you should know from my posts, I love to press what I believe is a Union strength - artillery, lots of it, especially 20-lbers and Rodmans for Corps arty (i. e., 'loose' arty in a Corps stack). Too bad we don't get a range readout on the BRs so far in CW2 - if you're familiar with AACW, the BRs there did give opening range for the engagement, and it was clear that the Union stacking good arty and lots of it could definitely make a difference in combat - oppo units would just start to get torn up at range 6, range 7, even range 5, because Corps arty targets oppo targets of opportunity and will change targets in the course of the action. In short, if I'm correct in my perceptions and understandings (again, more demonstrable in AACW), high CSA NM in a fight becomes somewhat irrelevant when 15% of the infantry is out of the action before they even level a musket.
I wish certain features from the old BR had been retained - to more than a small degree, if you read it well and looked for why you were winning and losing fights, you could see what you should build and how to use it - tactics, also.
Anyhow, I think my hunches are not entirely amiss.
I'm going to be on my guard - I think you're starting to see what you might need to do and the CSA has got the basic ability to pull some nasty surprises and punish Union stacks that don't cover their brass. The Union narrows the Leadership gap, but never eliminates it, your average Div Commander is still better than the average Union Div Commander. Good stats & high NM can crush Union thrusts.You get VPs and NM for destroying elements - and I don't need to let you have Major Victories - I don't know what AutoVic is for you for NM, but keeping you down to 120, 130 NM (still bad enough) is definitely something I want to do.
[color="#AFEEEE"]"Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable!"[/color]
-Daniel Webster
[color="#FFA07A"]"C'mon, boys, we got the damn Yankees on the run!"[/color]
-General Joseph Wheeler, US Army, serving at Santiago in 1898
RULES
(A) When in doubt, agree with Ace.
(B) Pull my reins up sharply when needed, for I am a spirited thoroughbred and forget to turn at the post sometimes.
move with Milroys Corp from Cairo to Ft Donelson and take it out sweet as a nut Early March 62 then move Wallaces Corp to assault Henry only to have Albert S Johnston crawling all over Milroy. Wallace MTSG and we outnumbered those pesky rebs but we crumbled. Well played JimNC is all I can say. Why is it that my opponents whether taking either the North or South just refuse to roll over. Most ungentleman like is all I can say. Good manners must be dead 
