Victory?

[GraniteStater]

OK, I'm lazy. So let me ask it.

What is Victory, anyway? I have a hazy recollection that if it comes down to Jan66, then it's VPs solely -but I could be wrong. IOW, NM plays no role in Victory, unless you get an 'early' Victory on NM.

PbeM context.

[RebelYell]

Well victory is where the border states are part of the CSA, a draw is a VP "victory", PbeM context.

[havi]

Then im allmoust lost then..

[GraniteStater]

Jokers.

I'm just lazy and don't want to look it up. Guess I will.

[RebelYell]

Jokers.

I'm just lazy and don't want to look it up. Guess I will.

Please come back and tell, I am thinking that VP victory is possible and independence with that.. That is behind my caution in game..

[GraniteStater]

Well, if anyone wants i as a reference on the forums; from the manual:

Automatic Victory (or defeat) is achieved when one side reaches its minimum
or maximum “National Morale” (NM) level. However, if the game ends without
reaching an Automatic Victory, the “Victory Points” (VP s) of each side determine
the winner. The side with more VP s wins the war and the level of victory is based
on the VP difference.

Vi ctory Points (VP )
Each side accumulates VP s every turn by controlling important cities and
Objectives or by destroying enemy Units (or their component elements).
The Objectives page (shortcut: F9) shows on the left page how many VP s you
accrue each turn (VP s can be expended during the course of the game, as a
currency, but remember, he who has the most at scenario’s end wins if nobody
achieves an Automatic Victory). On the right page, each Objective is listed with
its worth (this amount is how much NM is gained/lost when capturing/losing an
Objective). Current VP Level is also tallied in the upper left corner of the main
screen and is your main indicator of how well you are doing in the game.

VP Accumulation:
Strategic City – 1 VP /Turn
Objective City – 1-3 VP /Turn depending on the value set by the scenario
Destroyed Units – Per element destroyed
Note: You don’t lose VPs when your own Units are destroyed.
Nati onal Morale (NM )

For both sides in the conflict, the will to fight is tracked by their National Morale
(NM). Above and below certain levels, you instantly win or lose the game. These
thresholds will vary during the course of play depending on the political situation.
Important note: In 1864, the Union is more vulnerable to defeat through
morale loss, as the hard-line candidate, Lincoln must achieve significant
military victories in order to be re-elected President and continue the war.
Current NM is tallied in the upper left corner of the main screen, inside the banners.

The victory and defeat thresholds of both sides are displayed in the Objectives
screen of the Strategic Atlas (shortcut: F9)(and as a tooltip in the upper left corner
of the screen).

NM is influenced by several factors:
• Capturing the Objective regions set by the current scenario will increase the
capturing player’s NM and lower the enemy’s by the values indicated in the
Objectives screen. These include strategic cities and symbolic objectives.
• Winning a battle will boost the winner’s NM while reducing the enemy’s
according to the number of enemy Unit and general elements taken out of
action.
• Promoting junior officers over senior ones or dismissing leaders with political
favor will lower your NM.
• In the late years, war weariness gradually reduces each side’s NM.
• Some Historical Options have an impact on NM, as indicated elsewhere (for
example, raising Exceptional Taxes).

Below a certain depressed level, as long as a side is still in control of its capital, it
will start to regain NM (this is called War Resilience). The Rebels are particularly
enduring in this aspect (Jefferson Davis: “Just leave us alone!” .
Note: This makes it difficult to drive the NM of your enemy low enough to
trigger an Automatic Victory unless he lost his capital.

In addition to triggering Automatic Victory conditions, NM also has an impact on
the following:
• Unit Cohesion (i.e., how fast they move and how well they fight)(so defeats
can become a vicious circle)
• Economic output
• Number of recruits (referred to generally as “Conscripts”

[GraniteStater]

SOME REMARKS

havi & I are probably going to be instructive in this regard. I have narrowed his VP lead significantly, to about 300 in his favor. The net per Turn is about +20 or so my way right now, maybe close to +30. This is in Early October 64.

* The Net/Turn does not seem not be the sole arithmetical difference. The larger leaps, the bigger gaps, probably come from in-Turn battles, etc.

* Roughly, I narrowed a 600+ gap in one game year - essentially cut the margin in half.

* 63 - 64, so far, I have El Paso, Norfolk, Memphis & Charleston taken as 'Real' Objectives. That's all. Am threatening Little Rock and Nashville indirectly, for I recently took Chattanooga (again), the central TN idea being to isolate JJ from RR Supply entirely.

* havi retook Norfolk recently with Longstreet, but I have him boxed in and the Army of Virginia (Butler - ugh) facing him at 2:1 (two Corps and the Armt stack).

* havi recently lost F-burg and central VA is smaller for the CSA. Pretty much isolated in Richmond.

Not unpromising from my point of view.

If one thinks about the calculations, it's not just holding Strat Cities & Objectives, but for how long.

*****************

And if I do lose on VPs, I shan't regret it. It's been a great game. havi & I have learned boatloads. It's been great fun. havi is an excellent opponent and has made me really think.

Thanks, havi!