Blockade Runners

[OldPete]

When do blockade runners appear, do they appear on the Confederate force pool to construct?

[Cardinal Ape]

Brigs are the ship type that you use to do your blockade running. Put them in the blockade boxes to get money and war supply or in the shipping lane box to hinder the Union shipping. If you are after more war supply it may be better to build ironworks.

[Jim-NC]

several appear by event, the rest you must build. they mostly appear in the first few turns (april start). But there are 2 that appear later in the game (maybe more, can't remember exactly at this point).

[OldPete]

Thanks for your help.

[Rod Smart]

There are a few blockade runner events that randomly fire and give you free money and war supplies

And the Matagorda cotton cards.

[John S. Mosby]

What posture is best for a brig blockade running?

[Durk]

Use a two step.
Blue offense, orange defense evade combat to leave port if needed.
Then, take off evade combat if you wish, not essential but seems to provide a few more war supplies.

[John S. Mosby]

Use a two step.
Blue offense, orange defense evade combat to leave port if needed.
Then, take off evade combat if you wish, not essential but seems to provide a few more war supplies.

So it does matter...interesting. As CSA I just don't want to lose any brigs if possible.
Thank you sir.

[Durk]

Once they are at sea, they will simply provide supply and war supply, unless in the blockade box the Union has some well planned leaders and naval assets.
Getting to sea, it does matter.
At sea, does not matter too much.
But also, your naval setting do impact what I have suggested.

[John S. Mosby]

So evading combat enroute to the blockade box advised but removing "evade combat" once there optimizes your intake. Does blue/orange or your posture once at the blockade matter? I wasn't sure a ship should be in an offensive aggressive posture to bring in more. Thanks.

[Gray Fox]

I always have the blockade runners set to Passive Posture/Retreat if engaged (green/green) with the evade combat setting. Thus, each ship element produces approximately the equivalent of $1 and 1 WSU per turn when they are on station in the sea box. They seldom require resupply on this setting, maybe once per year. They are operating as commerce ships, not warships.

[Durk]

Once you get to sea, posture does not matter too much for production. Players do need to intentionally select a naval option suited to their desire to manage the naval war. All options are not created equally.

[John S. Mosby]

All options are not created equally.

Words to live by. Thank you sir.

[Merlin]

Build one transport too. Give it to Tattnal and rotate it through port to the blockade box of your choice (there's no reason to put your brigs into more than one box) every other turn. Tattnal keeps it from getting killed and it will redistribute its supplies to the runners if left in the box for a full turn. 1 turn in port, one at sea, one in the box, repeat until finally caught and destroyed. Your runners will thank you and stay on station almost indefinitely.

[Captain_Orso]

Somebody was asking this once, will a transport pass it's supplies on to friendly ships in the same box, but not in the same stack? So you can confirm this Merlin?

[Merlin]

Absolutely.

If you want to confirm it with your own eyes, send in a transport when there are several other stacks (individual units or not) and check the transport's supplies the turn after it has spent one full turn in the box. It'll often drop from 90% something to less than 10% in a single turn whether you add it to another stack or not. I've actually managed to keep brigs on station for over two years this way.