Activation rule on or off?

[Haterwillhaters]

What is the optimal/recommended setting for solo play? Also, what's a good, easy scenario to learn to play (besides tutorials, including the DLC)?

[Durk]

If you are just learning, the second notch from the left, unactivated leaders will have a movement penalty, will provide a nice take on leader initiative without causing heartburn. The complications of Veteran activation is one additional factor you can learn later.

Most players I know love Veteran activation for regular play, solo or PBEM.

Any of the single theater grand campaign games would work well for learning. Probably the 1862 West Theater campaign is the easiest playing as the Union.

[ArmChairGeneral]

I will second the 1862 West scenario. Not only do I recommend it for starting players I think it is the best scenario in the game overall.

You dive right into the action, with top quality generals on both sides and corps formation (and thus MTSG) available on turn one, with major battles occurring (typically) within the first three to five turns. The forces are pretty concentrated, so the turns play much faster than in the Grand Campaigns, and you can get through the entire scenario in less than the time it normally takes just to get to Corps formation, yet it is satisfyingly comprehensive, giving the grand-scale feeling that the single battle scenarios lack. The sides are balanced on a knife edge, quite winnable as either side, and it is the only scenario in which winning the Far West can actually affect the outcome of the game. There is very little naval game, so new players can focus on learning how to win in the field without the distraction of a second set of mechanics, while amphibious maneuvers and riverine supply considerations still come into play.

The AI also manages a more effective game in this scenario, since it does not face the possibility of instant defeat through misplay around the capitals, and the map setup constrains her often reckless attacks on unimportant backline VP producing cities that occur all too regularly in the GCs. Similarly, the scenario features focused goals for the human player, so it is easier to figure out what you should be doing from turn to turn compared to the GCs, which can overwhelm (and distract) new players with too many choices.

Because of these factors, new players can progress along the learning curve much more quickly than in any other scenario. Play this one through once as each side (win or lose) and the full campaigns will be a much more enjoyable and comprehensible experience.

One major downside, though, you do not get to play with Lee.

[ArmChairGeneral]

As far as the Activation Rule goes, I would recommend even new players to use the middle setting, the one where you suffer full penalties but cannot become fixed in place. IMO the Activation mechanic is the most important part of the way leadership is modeled in AGEOD games, (the combat bonuses and special abilities are not as important to outcomes as they appear) and without it you miss a lot of what makes AGEOD games interesting, and a lot of what balances the two sides in CW2. The game plays dramatically differently under the different Activation settings. The learning curve is steep already, but anyone playing this game is probably going to be ok with that, so you might as well learn it with the full set of rules from the get-go rather than have to unlearn and relearn later. By the same logic I also recommend using historical attrition and complex supply.

I find reducing the penalties for inactivity unbalances the game in favor of the Union, since by design they have a lot of early leaders with low Strat rating, so reducing the cost of inactivity gives them a freer hand at the beginning of the game. Conversely the two right hand settings (inactives can become fixed in place in both) can cripple the Union AI since it is bad at dealing with being fixed-in-place so needs to be balanced by giving it some level of Activation Bonus (the two settings could probably use names that differentiate them a little better) so that it doesn't happen as often. In my games I play with Hard Activation Rule (second from right, fixed-in-place but Activity is known) though I have enjoyed my games with Veteran (where you don't know if you are active or not, but can still be fixed in place). I am not convinced the AI knows how to deal with the Veteran rules, however. I usually grant the AI a +2 or +3 Activation bonus for either of these settings, but I am a pretty good against the AI and want it to have all the advantages it can usefully have (both Aggressive AI and too high of a Detection Bonus can lead Athena to underperform).

If you want the AI to be very passive, give it low Activation Bonus: Union stacks in particular will be almost unable to make two offensive moves in a row until Grant comes on the scene.

[Haterwillhaters]

Thanks a lot, I'll give that scenario a try.