Ohf

Hi ! First thanks for this amazing game, I had a great time. UGCV is gorgeous and the mechanics very elegant. I played a bit with the Union to get a hang of the game (didnt play UGG), and then played CSA once I understood how to manage army/corps/etc. And finally (normal difficulty): . I was defeated on my first try. I think the key to victory is to force the Union in an vertical frontline along the map. If you let the Union grind you from top to bottom their overwhelming numbers will crush you in the end. With a vertical frontline, you can dispatch units on your interior lines to reinforce the centre and then your right flank at the end of the battle. Beware because on the last battle phase the top end of the map disappears, along with your units ! I lost a cav and a inf that way... Artillery is key here to repel the charging blue blobs. All my arty was in the forest on my left to begin with. Then when the Union attacks the center, I move it between left and centre to get flank shots. And finally in the centre at the end. Your brigades should leap from left to center to right as the battle unfolds. I really loved the AI during the battles, and I learned a lot about this conflict (european here). The campaign system is sleek and good for immersion. Although the small engagements should maybe have an effect on the bigger battles ? Now things I don't really like : - Skirmishers (detached): you can virtually double the number of unit you control for free. I have nothing against buying a brigade of sharpshooters (I used one in the middle of my campaign but they died before Antietam), but those detached skirmishers are quite OP against the AI. They act like special forces behind enemy lines, and it feels weird because skirmishers were only there to screen/delay for the mother brigade historically, not to go on a rambo-like rampage against the enemy arty. As a house rule I didnt use skirmishers like this, but I feel like it would be a game breaker in MP for me, where the winner would be the best skirmishers micromanager. Detached skirmishers should not be allowed to venture too far away from their brigade. - Arty : Overachieve in melee. Right now if you pair up arty, even if a brigade charges one battery, the other one can canister shoot the attacker and make them rout. Arty should not be able to stand in combat against a real threat. Due to the arty resistance the best course right now seems to embed them with infantry and have them act like big shotguns on wheels. But overall great experience !