Automatic Victory (or defeat) is achieved when one side reaches its minimum or maximum “National Morale” (NM) level. However, if the game ends without reaching an Automatic Victory, the “Victory Points” (VP s) of each side determine the winner. The side with more VP s wins the war.
VICTORY POINTS (VP)[]
Each side accumulates VP s every turn by controlling important cities and Objectives, by capturing cities and forts or by destroying enemy Units (or their component elements).
The Objectives page (shortcut: F9) shows on the left page how many VP s you accrue each turn (VP s can be expended during the course of the game, as a currency, but remember, he who has the most at scenario’s end wins if nobody achieves an Automatic Victory). On the Objectives page, each Objective is listed with its worth (this amount is how much NM is gained/lost when capturing/losing an Objective). Current VP Level is also tallied in the upper left corner of the screen and is your main indicator of how well you are doing in the game.
In the above screenshot, 29 Vp have been aquired from holding cities, and 5 from capturing a fort (fort Sumter, to be precise)
VP Accumulation:
Strategic City – 1 VP /Turn
Objective City – 1-3 VP /Turn depending on the value set by the scenario
Destroyed Units – Per element destroyed
Captured cities and forts bring one time bonus to VP tally. Captured forts bring 5 VP. Razing forts and depots cost VP. Various regional decisions cost and bring VP.
Remember to check VP tooltip every turns to see the effects of last turn decisions.
Note: You don’t lose VPs when your own Units are destroyed.
NATIONAL MORALE (NM)[]
For both sides in the conflict, the will to fight is
tracked by their National Morale (NM). Above and below certain levels, you instantly win or lose the game. These thresholds will vary during the course of play depending on the political situation.
Important note: In 1864, the Union is more vulnerable to defeat through morale loss, as the hard-line candidate, Lincoln must achieve significant military victories in order to be re-elected President and continue the war.
Current NM is tallied in the upper left corner of the main screen, inside the banners.
The victory and defeat thresholds of both sides are displayed in the Objectives screen of the Strategic Atlas (shortcut: F9).
NM is influenced by several factors:
• Capturing the Objective regions set by the current scenario will increase the capturing player’s NM and lower the enemy’s by the values indicated in the Objectives screen. These include strategic cities and symbolic objectives.
• Winning a battle will boost the winner’s NM while reducing the enemy’s according to the number of enemy Unit and general elements taken out of action.
• Promoting junior officers over senior ones or dismissing leaders with political favor will lower your NM.
• In the late years, war weariness gradually reduces each side’s NM.
• Some Historical Options have an impact on NM, as indicated elsewhere (for example, raising Taxes).
Below a certain depressed level, as long as a side is still in control of its capital, it will start to regain NM (this is called War Resilience). The Rebels are particularly enduring in this aspect (Jefferson Davis: “Just leave us alone!”).
Note: This makes it difficult to drive the NM of your enemy low enough to trigger an Automatic Victory unless he lost his capital.
In addition to triggering Automatic Victory conditions, NM also has an impact on the following:
• Unit Cohesion (i.e., how fast they move and how well they fight)(so defeats can become a vicious circle)
• Economic output
• Number of recruits (referred to generally as “Conscripts”)