As reminder, conscription option is available in the official AACW from start, which is unhistorical, both sides relying on volunteers for very deep cultural and social reasons.
In SVF 2.0, this conscription option will not be available at start. But it may be enforced from the start. You will choose any turn from the start to pass a bill about conscription.
But things aren’t so easy. First, you will have to wait some turns before the option will appear, to simulate the legislative process. Then you will lose NM, especially when your NM is above 100. Yes, lower NM will produce smaller losses, because low NM is signifying defeats. When defeated, your population is less hostile to conscription because of its necessity.
Unfortunately, once conscription chosen, you will suffer for the whole game conscripts losses. Your conscripts are deserting, like in RL, and more yet when your NM is under 100.
Of course, conscription will cause you more NM losses each time you will use it. So expect part of your conscription effort to go over the hills. Sad but true, as in Civil war…
You will may fire conscription 2 times a years and conscripts will not cost money, like volunteers.
So why not using volunteers only, especially when you have a lot of money?
Volunteers will cost more and more money with the years. in 1861, enthusiasm fills the ranks. After, the grim experience of death will replace enthusiasm with a more cautious attitude toward war, and the cost of volunteers will rise. … Hence the necessity of conscription…..
