Wars in America: A 'how-to' AAR

[loki100]

Well for the most part this turn saw both armies disengage (which was lucky for me)

A small group of my Indians are caught moving around Lake Champlain



Down in the south, I have the same dilemna as my last raid, but slightly worse. I can't garrison my gains. So I surrender Savannah, find out that Augusta is too strong and decide to check out Georgetown as an objective.



And in Canada, I can now move safely to Mont Royal and start re-organising my army to make use of the various supply sources scattered around. That English garrison N of Lake Champlain looks like a nice target for later ....



as you can see the siege of Quebec carries on. I have plenty of supply, so presume that Narwhal will evacuate for winter - if I'm very lucky he may freeze in on the St Lawrence ....

[Narwhal]

December 1758 – January 1759 – Naval Battles

Small update. Remember, in January 1759 I am still sieging Louisbourg 

In December 1758, Loki100 tried to force the blocus of Louisbourg… but was stopped dead :


The 3 Brigs and 1 Frigate I lost are those I sent forward. They had not a chance, but the French fleet was still turned away. Not so good ratio of dead for me, though, but at least I am still sieging :



You might remember the “power” of the French last month : 441. It is now down to 350… which means they are starving !
Only at most a couple turns to hold !

Meanwhile, the battle of the Plaisance beach is won by the English team (two battles – I ll show one) :



Fun ! Fun ! Fun !

And in the South, I am sieging some Indian village with my troops, lest they die of boredom as nothing happens in the South anymore :



In January 1759, Loki100 tries to sneak some troops again – but this time all my fleet engages :



In clear, 3 64-guns vaisseaux (ships-of-the-line), one 74 guns and one frigate are sent to the bottom. 6 transports, one 64-guns survived (except if destroyed while retreating). No loss for me. The French (Northern) fleet is out of action.

So, the siege carries on :



Circa 150 in power left for my opponent… Tough.

And finally, I am going to assault that Indian village :



I call that the “Natchez” policy : you burn our cities, we eliminate you as an organized nation.

[Narwhal]

February / March 1759 – Fall of Louisbourg, betrayal of the Cherokees

Well, not much events, but this one deserved a post 

LOUISBOURG HAS FALLEN ! YEAH ! FINALLY !



Now, there is NOWHERE in Canada where Loki100 can be safe. He can be attacked on all fronts, and will have to defend ALL his cities.
Well. “Will”. Because for now my army is in a sorry state :



You have to remember that my army was 6 800 men only for the infantry when the siege started, and you have to add circa 2000 men for the gunners and the dudes pushing the supply wagons (or more accurately pulling the mules pushing the wagons). In clear, I lost between 40% and 45% of my men, and there is no way I recover before mid 1759 given the number of men to recruit back.
I also made the mistake of sending half the fleet to refit in Louisbourg instead of Halifax, which delayed even more the recovery.

Finally, Cusseta is taken :



More Indians Natchezised.

Oups... maybe I should not have (March 1759) :



It all makes sense now - the Cherokees were with the French since the beginning, thus their terrible performance.

Actually, I don't know what trigger the Cherokee change of heart, but the destruction of Cusseta might have a link, as the name of the province Cusseta is in is... Cherokee.

[loki100]

Finally, Cusseta is taken :

...

Oups... maybe I should not have (March 1759) :

It all makes sense now - the Cherokees were with the French since the beginning, thus their terrible performance.

Actually, I don't know what trigger the Cherokee change of heart, but the destruction of Cusseta might have a link, as the name of the province Cusseta is in is... Cherokee.

Given how damn useless they were after you'd got them beaten up ... they really should have stayed on your side ... well apart from their role in the great 'Lets go and burn down New York for fun' expedition.

[Bornego]

Actually, I don't know what trigger the Cherokee change of heart, but the destruction of Cusseta might have a link, as the name of the province Cusseta is in is... Cherokee.

The event always happens. It has no other conditions besides the date (March 1759). You burning that indian village provided a nice connection story-wise but had nothing to do with the Cherokee changing sides.

[Stuyvesant]

The siege of Louisbourg was costly in men, but you do have the advantage when it comes to overall manpower, right? The vise is tightening around Canada...

...well apart from their role in the great 'Lets go and burn down New York for fun' expedition.

New York State (rather ambitious, trying to burn the whole Empire State down), or New York City (which you probably can't burn down, if you can't even put Savannah to the torch - New York has to be bigger-sized than Savannah, right?)?

[loki100]

The event always happens. It has no other conditions besides the date (March 1759). You burning that indian village provided a nice connection story-wise but had nothing to do with the Cherokee changing sides.

thats interesting - I really thought it was due revenge for Narwhal being so nasty to all those innocent Indians

The siege of Louisbourg was costly in men, but you do have the advantage when it comes to overall manpower, right? The vise is tightening around Canada...

New York State (rather ambitious, trying to burn the whole Empire State down), or New York City (which you probably can't burn down, if you can't even put Savannah to the torch - New York has to be bigger-sized than Savannah, right?)?

Its one of the key differences between WiA & RoP. Here as long as you have good supply losses within elements regenerate automatically and you only use your 'replacements' for lost elements. In RoP you need replacements (those depot bns are good) for both within element losses and complete element losses. So in that case, Narwhal's losses will probably do no more than make him spend an extra turn or two recovering.

I'll bring my side of this tale to the end of 1759 and then wait for Narwhal to catch up. The AAR is better for both our views and to be honest from 1760 onwards I'm pretty reactive so we really need his view of what he was seeking to achieve

[loki100]

I can cover Nov-Dec 1759 relatively quickly as not too much happened.

In November I caught his main army falling back in an ambush - the actual battle was pretty even but I lost heavily in breaking off



And thats the overall position around Mont Royal. I want to get my forces there and then parcel them out to minimise winter supply problems





and in Quebec its good bye to our English visitors ... pity they just escaped the winter ice

So December sees a bit of action in the south, at sea:



again I didn't do too badly in the actual battle but lost badly in breaking off

and at Georgetown:



So the city is mine (matches ... quick), but I fell back at the same time ... ummh, I think that ends my sport in the south somehow



and here's Montcalm's army, I managed to grab enough supply to get to Mont Royal with no losses but I need to find supply so my elements can repair - if not I'll take a lot of lost elements in any battles in 1760.

As you can see, I've ordered a new supply wagon - that'll help

[ANO1453]

What would happen if his fleet got stuck in the ice?

[loki100]

What would happen if his fleet got stuck in the ice?

well my hope is they would run down to 0 org and lose elements over winter - but I've had it happen to me a few times with bateaux & they don't seem to actually die off. But at worst, that whole force would be useless for 1760 -- but don't trust my interpretation of the game mechanics

[Narwhal]

April 1759 – All out assault

In April 1759, it is the end of winter already !

My strategy is simple : ALL OUT ASSAULT. I believe I have a chance to knock out Loki100 before the end of the year – as all my objectives (Detroit, Frontenac, Quebec, Montréal) are in range and the faster I win, the better my victory.

Well, so here is the forces I am committing :

- For Detroit, 1820 men led by Braddock and helped by Roger’s Rangers. Some Indians should arrive to scout Detroit.



I hope it is enough, because due to the distance, the only additional forces I can bring is some rangers and Indians.

- For Frontenac, I am preparing a massive landing of a force of 4500 men, led by John Forbes !



The plan here is too surprise Loki, by landing in April, and immediately assaulting and occupying the fort the following turn. Montcalm’s army is not far, so I need to go that quickly. If Montcalm sieges me, Montréal will only be easier to take.

- For Montréal, Murray will led a brutal force of 8300 men.



Montréal should be reached in 2 or 3 months. I might attack l’Isle aux Noix first if Montcalm sits in Montréal, so I can bring more troops by bateaux safely on the Champlain.

In the North, my Quebec forces that is going to land from Louisbourg is not ready yet.

In the South, my brave citizens don’t want the Indians to burn Savannah again :





Won’t change much, though.

[Narwhal]

May 1759 – Poor planning strikes back !

Well, here is some updates about my strategy, that has not changed :

In my advance on Fort Detroit, my scouts did not arrive on time (this was expected) so I am going to advance blindly. I just hope Loki100 did not gather all his Light / Indians in front of the fort :



My landing on Frontenac went unopposed (it was a risky move, but I wanted to be as quick as possible) but the forces INSIDE Frontenac are way above my estimation, so I will do it the traditional way : SIEGING.




If Montcalm tries to chase me off, I will happily trade Frontenac for Montréal. ‘cause on Montréal, my troops are going to be one province away next turn :



As for Louisbourg and my Quebec landing, my forces are ready, but the ships are not there.



Moving my ships away was not avoidable (they were too much of a strain on the supplies so if they were in Louisbourg my troops would not have recovered) but sending 2 transport units in New York was a VERY bad ideas. It will take 2 turns for them to come back, delaying my landing further.

I received some reinforcements : Colonel Stanwix and his loyal supply wagons !





They will be sent on the Champlain front, where I have absolutely NO supply wagons for now… A gross mistake, as I will soon see.

[Stuyvesant]

Lots of action on all fronts, highly aggressive, too (I seem to recall that from your Rise of Prussia game as well). I know that Loki's going to slap you around a bit later, but it's pretty clear that he simply doesn't have enough forces to stop all your pushes - I believe it's only a matter of time now.

[Narwhal]

June 1759 –Where is Montcalm ?

In June 1759, I am fairly ecstatic ! I believe I can wait in 1759 / early 1760. If only I knew where Montcalm was !

Well – first the good news.



Détroit. No sign of Montcalm, nor of any relevant defense. I will wait one turn to recover cohesion, then I will assault and surely take the place.

Since obviously I won’t need the siege guns I brought to Fort Henri Bouquet (those are the 1754 siege guns that came with Braddock’s expedition), I send them back to Fort Duquesne, in order to then send them to Philadelphia, and from there ship them to wherever they are needed. I don’t believe I will have the time to use them again.



In Frontenac, divine surprise !

Apparentely, Loki100 tried to coordinate a sortie, coordinating the attack of Guillaume Plantavit de Lapause (even for a French, the name sounds weird) to a sortie by the garrison. It did not turn well for them :



The problem for the French is that Lapause’s force was fairly small, and the garrison – which was about as strong as my army – was hindered by the fact it was sortieing (just image everyone cramped by the gates of the fort), so this was a clear victory for me. I also had the advantage of guns with a good range, too.

Now, the funny part is that the French actually succeeded in their sortie… which means they were away from the battlefield.
Consequently :



And the cherry on the cake :



The French forces are completely disorganized ! Little risk they try their luck again against Forbes !

But still no Montcalm.

Montcalm is NOT in Montréal either :



And I guess he is not in Quebec, as my scouts found out the hard way :



Well, if Montcalm is not in Quebec, and not in Montréal, and not in Frontenac, where can he be ?

Of course, Montcalm COULD be between Frontenac and Montréal but this is highly unlikely, as this would make him very vulnerable : in that situation if I take Montréal his army will melt down due to shortage of supply. In addition to this, he cannot protect Montréal as a long march in the wilderness between both cities would be terrible for his army’s cohesion. I know Loki wants to play safe and last as long as possible, so surely he has not tried this.

Thus, I see only one last possibility. Montcalm is in Trois Rivières, between Montréal and Quebec. This makes sense, since this would allow his army to destroy (with a sortie) any army attempting to land on Québec OR chase any army attempting an attack on Montréal (Trois Rivières is less than one month, ergo one turn, from either). In the most perfect situation for the French, he could even destroy a force landing in Québec before joining Chevalier de Lévis and Montcalm armies and march South.

But in this case, I am 90% sure he is going to move to Montréal to protect it.

I adapt my plan accordingly :



Of course, I COULD attack Montréal which is not well defended. But I prefer not too because
- Either I assault the position and give the order structure, in which case I could be sieged and starved by Montcalm’s army in Montréal – the last thing I want since I have no supply wagons in my army
- Or I could assault and not enter the structure, in which case my army would keep its “assault” posture, would assault Montcalm’s force as he moves in Montréal, and thus have no defensive benefits and actually be on the attack against Montcalm. Remember Montcalm has 5 in defense and a fresh army… In addition to this, my army will be weakened by the assault.
- Or I could move in in defensive position, in which case I will battle Montcalm, probably lose and not even get Montréal.

[Remember the Montréal province is 100% French, so Montcalm will not have the “crossing under fire” penalty]

None of this solution is satisfactory, so instead I prefer to secure the Champlain and wait for reinforcement. I will assault the two remaining French structures on the Champlain and come back to my original place.

Meanwhile, my supplies are coming :



Finally, in Louisbourg, my army is ready, but my fleet is not large enough to carry everyone. Actually, it is not HALF large enough.




Unfortunately, my transport fleet has been delayed (this can happen if a fleet has no admiral), so it won’t arrive before TWO months… Part of it will arrive next turn, though.

Finally, as a reminder, everything is quiet in the South :

[Narwhal]

Lots of action on all fronts, highly aggressive, too (I seem to recall that from your Rise of Prussia game as well). I know that Loki's going to slap you around a bit later, but it's pretty clear that he simply doesn't have enough forces to stop all your pushes - I believe it's only a matter of time now.

That was exactly my plan - I saw 4 separate fronts and Montcalm could only stop me at one place. So at least 2 were bound to fail in my plan (since Quebec had a strong garrison on its own, and MIGHT survive without Montcalm).

Of course, my Louisbourg mix-up did not help.

[loki100]

That was exactly my plan - I saw 4 separate fronts and Montcalm could only stop me at one place. So at least 2 were bound to fail in my plan (since Quebec had a strong garrison on its own, and MIGHT survive without Montcalm).

Of course, my Louisbourg mix-up did not help.

excellent pair of updates.

This really makes the point about how the game changed at this stage. From 1755-8 you have the feeling that the entire map is in play and its all very freewheeling. Given the I'd written Detroit off, in effect its now a tussle over 3 places with, on my side, one mobile army. I still think I could have won at this stage, but I effectively need to take out 2 of Narwhal's columns (& deal with his substantial reserves around Albany et al), but it was very tense with lots of pretty bounded decision making going on

[Narwhal]

excellent pair of updates.

There were three of them The last one probably explains why your attack on Frontenac worked so well.

The good news is that from 1760 onward, the AAR will be much more quick, since ALL the action is between Quebec and Montréal

[loki100]

There were three of them

The good news is that from 1760 onward, the AAR will be much more quick, since ALL the action is between Quebec and Montréal

ah but only 2 are excellent ... the third is just very good

yes it gets a lot simpler, especially after you steal all my food and outstay your welcome

as to the idea of hiding Montcalm at Trois Rivieres that occured to me - my fear was you wouldn't ever get around to attacking Quebec and I'd lose Mont Royal waiting for the chance

[Stuyvesant]

Oh my, that sequence at Frontenac must've been a real kicker for Loki...

Narwhal, besides watching your actions unfold, I always enjoy seeing your reasoning behind your moves. The example here is how you decide that Montcalm must be hiding out at Trois Rivieres. I don't remember if you're right (though Loki's response seem to indicate you weren't), but regardless of that, it's a nice way to learn why you make certain moves.

[Sir Garnet]

That the sortie coordinated with a relief force would lead to the besieged losing the fort and fleeing the region comes as a surprise. One might have thought they'd just be forced back in with lower morale. Is it always this way if you lose a battle involving a sortie order?

I suppose that if you have a small garrison, you don't take the risk of a sortie and just let the relief force do its work, and that the alternative for a large army in the fort is to do as you discussed earlier - leave a garrison and then drag the rest out into the region in their own attack, not a sortie coordinated with a relief army?