The End of the World

[Straight Arrow]

The rug was just pulled from under my feet.

I guess I won as the CSA, but a confirmation message never popped up.

The game against Athena proceeded normally until Late December 1865. However, I could not continue pass that point. Nor could I load or reload the game. There is only an error message when I try to do so.

However, thinking something might go wrong this far past the historical ending, I recorded some game data before hitting the arrow for 1866.

Here are the goods.

CSA 6,371 VP to US 5,099 VP.

CSA NM 107 - US NM 47.

The South build pool was empty except for a few militia, some sharpshooters, siege guns and lots of ships. I drained the Kentucky and Missouri pools of every possible unit.

CSA inflation was at 10% and the blockade was at 55%.

The South never declared full mobilization.

Games setting were: AI Lieutenant, aggressiveness normal, all behaviors on, no detect bonus, activation bonus normal, easy supply off, historical attrition and naval box handling.



The questions:

1) Is it normal for the game to not post victory messages for point wins?

2) Until June 1865, when I went on the offensive in the East, except for a couple of mild blows launched at Harper’s Ferry, Athena failed to launch any attacks in the East. What’s up with that?

Perhaps this was due to the fact I took a leaf out of Grey Fox’s play book and rather than depend on entrenchments, I used forts and stockades, garrisoned by two divisions each, to create a solid defensive line. This hard shell was backed up by the Army of Northern Virginia and a spider web of interconnecting corps. Except for both flank ends, any attack, if MTTSOTG worked, would have sent 17+ full divisions swarming to the point of attack. I watched Athena mass huge forces in DC and Baltimore, the cities had the maximum amount of green dots, but she never attacked.

[Captain_Orso]

Good game, congratulations .

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1) Is it normal for the game to not post victory messages for point wins?

No, once the game hits the time limit, if you load that scenario, it should immediately jump to the Victory/Loss display.

2) Until June 1865, when I went on the offensive in the East, except for a couple of mild blows launched at Harper’s Ferry, Athena failed to launch any attacks in the East. What’s up with that?

Could be that Athena was measuring her NM and the strength, or lack thereof, of her forces compared to the forces of the South and deciding to remain on the defensive. With a large disparity in NM and power, from my experience, Athena can become very defensive.

If you were waiting on some kind of radical, last ditch effort, to challenge you while she's in her death-throes, you probably won't ever see it. I never have. Generally, if you've done your job well, the game with go out with a fizzle and not a bang.

It's time to think about peace. The men on both sides don't want to go to the slaughter; they want to go home.

Perhaps this was due to the fact I took a leaf out of Grey Fox’s play book and rather than depend on entrenchments, I used forts and stockades, garrisoned by two divisions each, to create a solid defensive line. This hard shell was backed up by the Army of Northern Virginia and a spider web of interconnecting corps. Except for both flank ends, any attack, if MTTSOTG worked, would have sent 17+ full divisions swarming to the point of attack. I watched Athena mass huge forces in DC and Baltimore, the cities had the maximum amount of green dots, but she never attacked.

If there's anything Athena does better than any player, it's book-keeping. If there's not a weak-point in your defensive line, she's not going to attack it if it means a sure loss for her. Athena generally goes with fineness over brute force.

[Straight Arrow]

Thank you Captain_Orso,


I appreciate your shedding light on Athena's behavior and the information about the Victory/Loss display.

The next step will be trying out Gray Fox's defensive tactics on a human player.


By the way, how do you guys manage to keep coming up with all these brilliant ideas?

[Gray Fox]

I spent half my youth in the U.S. Army, so I suppose that I am a student of war. The mark of a great war game is when actual tactics and strategy work as expected.

[Rod Smart]

2) ...except for a couple of mild blows launched at Harper’s Ferry, Athena failed to launch any attacks in the East. What’s up with that?

...I watched Athena mass huge forces in DC and Baltimore, the cities had the maximum amount of green dots, but she never attacked.

Load as the Union and see what's there.

I bet its a lot of junk. The fixed brigades, coastal batteries, random half-filled divisions, loose supply wagons, two separate armies, etc. Its fairly common for Athena to have 15,000 power in DC, only 6,000 of which can actually fight.





Also- congratulations.

[Cromagnonman]

Well done! The Union starts with a ton of 3-element volunteer infantry brigades that contain a light infantry unit, whose "specialness" is covering a retreat. In late '61, they get a ton more of such fixed in the DC and Alexandria fortifications- but they're useless for much else. I haven't seen nearly so prevalent a weak brigade in the rebel ranks