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Well no drinking was involved in this AAR. It just sort of happened - I started an NF game, it turned out awesome and I thought that it would make a great AAR so I restarted it and the rest is history...
 
Aaaargh!

Bad Antonine! *hits self on the head with a rolled up newspaper*

I really, really meant to get an update up this weekend and I'll do my best to get one up tomorrow evening instead. I'm really, really sorry for the delay, it just seems like real life wants to keep on throwing up things to keep me rushed off my feet.
 
Aaaargh!

Bad Antonine! *hits self on the head with a rolled up newspaper*

I really, really meant to get an update up this weekend and I'll do my best to get one up tomorrow evening instead. I'm really, really sorry for the delay, it just seems like real life wants to keep on throwing up things to keep me rushed off my feet.

Take your time, sir...we'll be eagerly waiting!
 
Right. I have an interview I need to type up this lunchtime but, come hell or high water, I will start on the next update tonight and hopefully finish it tonight as well.
 
The Fall of Darlan

One of the most notable changes in the empire as a consequence of the Tuareg revolt was the sacking of Admiral Darlan.

Darlan had long been a key political figure in both the Fourth Republic and the Third Empire and had even come within a hair’s breadth of being selected as Prime Minister by the Emperor. His record as a veteran of the Weltkrieg, and his position as Amiral de la flotte, effectively in charge of all naval matters, made him a highly influential figure throughout imperial France.

However, despite his position within the cabinet, Darlan had long been at odds with De Gaulle. Darlan was fully aware of the military might of the Commune and feared that De Gaulle’s policy of aggressively expanding the army would only provoke the Communards into launching an attack that the nascent empire could not hope to defeat. Recently declassified documents reveal that Darlan and De Gualle clashed incessantly in cabinet meetings over this issue and there is no doubt that the two men became bitter opponents. Darlan seeing De Gaulle as an impetuous young upstart and De Gaulle seeing Darlan as a cowardly, senile old man.

During the Tuareg Revolt, with Dakar and its shipyards cut off from the capital through Tuareg Revolt on land and the Gibraltar Naval base by sea, Darlan witnessed the weakening of De Gaulle’s position and increased dissatisfaction with him as Prime Minister.

On the 16th of July Darlan made his move.

In a passionate article in a friendly newspaper, Darlan condemned De Gaulle for “recklessness” and made it clear that the “madness of aggressive provocation” could only lead to the destruction of the empire and the triumph of the Commune.

aar26.jpg

However, Darlan had made a critical error. The same morning that his article was published news arrived from the south of a crushing victory over the Guineans. De Gaulle’s position was suddenly strengthened. Moreover, Darlan had fatally underestimated the degree of rapport between De Gaulle and Napoleon IV. The Emperor had long given his full backing to military expansion and so Darlan’s criticism of the government and De Gaulle could only be interpreted as a direct criticism of the Emperor himself.

At De Gaulle’s urging the Emperor sacked Darlan from the government, stripped him of his rank and forcibly retired him from the navy – on a mere Captain’s pension. Darlan rapidly became a persona non-grata within Algiers and was forced to seek refuge in Dakar where his old naval friends were somewhat more sympathetic.

Darlan never truly got over his sacking and still expected that all those around him treated him with all the pomp and circumstance he felt was his due. Up until his death in 1958 he would write letters to everyone from the Mayor of Dakar to the Emperor explaining the treachery and danger of De Gaulle and making ridiculous demands. The archives of the Imperial Household reveal that, on one occasion, Darlan wrote a letter demanding 200 Imperial Guardsmen to escort him on a visit to Tunis.
Meanwhile, the fall of Darlan offered De Gaulle the chance to put someone he trusted in charge of the navy. The Emperor accepted his recommendation and appointed Georges Thierry d'Argenlieu became as the new Amiral de la flotte.


D’Argenlieu was a Naval Chaplain who had been granted special dispensation to become a combat officer by his religious superiors due to the shortage of naval officers in the National French navy. He had risen rapidly through the ranks in the years since the establishment of the Fourth Republic in 1920. He was the logical, uncontroversial choice to replace Darlan and was perfectly happy to go along with De Gaulle’s military strategy.

Bolstered by the removal of his rival, and the final crushing of the Tuareg Revolt, De Gaulle had a free hand to press on with his military expansion plans, announcing the creation of two new divisions of the Légion étrangère shortly before Christmas.

aar27.jpg

This was to prove a wise decision – for the world was beginning the ever quickening march to war.
 
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Who needs Darland anyway? De Gaulle will lead us to Paris!
 
Who needs Darland anyway? De Gaulle will lead us to Paris!

I have to confess to being tempted with Darlan - if you choose the right chain of events then you can end up reforming National France into an emancipated democracy and then have Darlan become Prime Minister and expand the navy and build Mediterranean fortifications using events. I'm certain there must be interesting potential there for a French speaking North African Republic.
 
Just a little french correction: Admiral in French is Amiral.
 
Just a little french correction: Admiral in French is Amiral.

Ah, thanks - serves me right for trusting wikipedia. I'll correct it momentarily.

In game-terms (skills) of tech-team and minister/leader, do you lost something?
I don't really remember from my last Nat France game.
Thanks for the update!

Darlan's basically automatically replaced with d'Argenlieu - pretty much identical minister/leader wise but as a tech team, despite having the same specialist areas as Darlan, he's got a slightly lower value in each of them.
 
Your aar has made me consider wanting to play as National France in Kaiserreich. What are the pros and cons and do you have any tips for a first time National France player?

Glad it's had a positive impact :)

My main tips would be to station some troops in the south (a division or two) right from the beginning. But mainly just build factories - preferably well beyond the reach of any internationale strategic bombers. You can worry about building infantry in the last year or so before the second world war. Your research focus should be on industrial and infantry/land doctrine techs as well. Also, if you go to war with the internationale, watch out for british amphibious invasions on the west african coast. If you decide to try and retake France then my advice would be to time it very carefully so as to be able to swoop in just as the germans have crushed the french military but haven't yet occupied most of france.

The pros are that the National French have got a lot of different ways you can take them, and NF has plenty of time to build itself up in relative isolation. You're also part of a major alliance right from the start.

The cons are that you have a small industrial base and a small military. Mind you, most of your neighbours are in the same boat.

I guess my main tip would be to make lots of different saves - that way you'll be able to explore all the different paths until you find one you like.
 
Sorry guys, I was planning on writing the next update tonight but all my writing energy got sucked out of me by writing a massive ranty blogpost :(

(Yes, I have a blog - please don't judge me! It's actually pretty popular in its field and it does make me a non-zero amount of money)

((I am aware that I probably have more apologies than actual updates up now - I'll try and fix this soon))
 
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Blog link!

I should warn you, it's a british political blog so it probably won't be of much interest to you...

http://thepotterblogger.blogspot.co.uk/

Also I'm afraid I'm currently in the middle of a spat with another blogger so my posts at the moment aren't especially the stuff to set hearts afire.


On a completely different note, I'm on a long train journey tomorrow so I should be able to get the next update written. Out of curiosity, what would everyone reading this prefer? Less pictures and more narrative (as uploading the pictures is what takes the longest amount of time) or more pictures and less text?
 
Well I like your style but I would recommend putting in some more pics and have the amount of text be equal. You could pace up a little if possible. The pre-war years are mostly boring save for a couple of events that have an indirect or direct influence on National France (e.g. the coronation etc.) but you have covered those in a good manner. Therefore I would propose to speed up a little to war things, like the inevitable war with the Syndicates or before that, some more conquering to expand your bases :)

Tim
 
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I should warn you, it's a british political blog so it probably won't be of much interest to you...

http://thepotterblogger.blogspot.co.uk/

Also I'm afraid I'm currently in the middle of a spat with another blogger so my posts at the moment aren't especially the stuff to set hearts afire.


On a completely different note, I'm on a long train journey tomorrow so I should be able to get the next update written. Out of curiosity, what would everyone reading this prefer? Less pictures and more narrative (as uploading the pictures is what takes the longest amount of time) or more pictures and less text?

I'm a brit :p

And on topic, I like it as is. I tried that North African republic thing but had a drive failure and lost the game :!
 
I never tried the north african republic. How does the event chain work?
 
I never tried the north african republic. How does the event chain work?

It's a mixture of events and imagination.

The event pathway is Petain choosing the guy to restore democracy, him then implementing all his reforms, then losing the election to Darlan, then Darlan's events and then acquiring Libya and Morocco and Liberia through standard military methods of your own initiative.
 
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