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Do you mean playing as another country and then clicking on a National France region?

Yes, if you encounter that same problem because of it, it might because a picture file may be corrupted. It happened to me in a HoI2 playthrough, and I had to use another picture as replacement.
 
Yes, if you encounter that same problem because of it, it might because a picture file may be corrupted. It happened to me in a HoI2 playthrough, and I had to use another picture as replacement.

Nope. Not that. I just checked and I get the same crash when I try to load another country from the same save. I played another game as Qing Empire and the exact same problem cropped up there as well. So sorry everyone but you're going to have to give me a little while to upgrade to 1.02 and to recreate the AAR. I now have a whole load of screenshots to go and delete :(
 
Sorry for the prolonged silence. I've managed to recreate the AAR and I'll be back with another update tomorrow. Only minor retconning will be required.
 
excellent!
 
The Civil Wars

While National France was busying itself with Liberia, the American Civil War was dragging on. While the emergency military administration of the USA had made peace with the California-centric Pacific States of America, in exchange for recognising the territorial gains made by the Californians. This treaty effectively acted as de facto recognition of PSA independence - in the process giving birth to what would become one of the most prosperous nations per capita on earth.


The rest of the USA was not so lucky. Militias and troops loyal to both the syndicalists, the old government and the Union State engaged in brutal and fluid conflict. With territory rapidly changing hands it was impossible for any one side to attempt to restore law and order for any period of time - not even in their core territory. This led to widespread anarchy throughout the continental United States and, with civilians unable to safely choose one side or another, combatants with all sides relied on naked and often barbaric force in order to ensure the obedience of civilians they encountered.

Complicating this situation further were the various unaligned militias and gangs roving the country, each with motives ranging from political ideologies (such as the anarchist cells) to racial prejudices (such as the White Power movements in the southern US) to the purely criminal (such as the mafia). The net result of all these factors was the theft and destruction of food supplies, leading to mass starvation, widespread and routine rape, the violent settling of grudges and frequent massacres of civilians by the hands of one armed group or another. The only part of the USA to entirely escape the carnage was the newly independent and Canadian backed Republic of New England. Overall, it is estimated that as many as two million people died in the Second American Civil War - the vast majority civilians.

It was in this complex and bloody situation that volunteers from National France arrived. Though not alone or especially numerous amongst the various foreign forces, both official and unofficial, that took part in the civil war, the French volunteers proved especially useful to the US army - both in the French speaking Cajun regions around New Orleans and in the northern states where they were to show exceptional single-minded brutality in dealing with anyone they considered communards - especially any volunteers from the Commune of France.


But as far as the National French junta was concerned, the conflict in America was simply a distraction. Of far greater importance was Spain - which had just erupted into its own three-sided, brutal civil war.

Following the death of the King, the centuries old, catholic and monarchist Carlist movement - led by the pretender to the thrones of Spain and France, Xavier de Borbón-Parma - seized control of rural northern Spain and began a war to place Xavier on the throne of Spain. Within the space of only a few weeks, mutinies and strikes by soldiers and workers around Barcelona led to the proclamation of the Anarchist Federation of Iberia (FAI) by the syndicalist CNT-FAI - beginning proper the Spanish Civil War.


With Spain controlling African territories bordering National France, as well as the strategic port of Gibraltar, a hostile regime in Spain could prove fatal to any attempt to regain the French motherland.

After much deliberation, the Marshal's government decided to back the Carlists. Their promotion of traditional patriotic and Catholic values appealed to Pétain who had himself changed the motto of the Fourth Republic to "Travail, famille, patrie" ("Work, family, fatherland").


And so the decision was made that National France would publicly back the Carlists. The volunteers and resources from National France, along with those from the Papacy, would prove vital to Carlist war efforts and are considered by many military historians to be the primary reason for the eventual Carlist triumph.

Meanwhile, in the east, political forces were building which would ultimately lead to the end of Russia as even a concept...
 
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Apologies for the more international tone of this post but a lot of interesting stuff has been happening elsewhere in the world and I wanted to give a flavour of it. The ultimate fate of Russia will be revealed in an interlude a bit later on in the timeline (it will involve a drinking game).

More generally, so far things in the recreation have unfolded pretty much the same. The only differences are that in this one Portugal sold their colonies to Mittelafrika - which can be worked in somehow - and that the italian crisis and Swedish conquest of Norway happened a bit later that they did in the original.
 
Glad to see this back. International events are interesting and I am happy to see them Looks like the US is in a bad way. They should have let MacArthur take over. ;)
 
Remarkably, the US actually survives. I was very surprised as, at various points, both the AUS and the CSA seemed on the verge of total victory. Clearly the French pilots are almost as good at winning the civil war as MacArthur ;)
 
I might be able to get a new update for you tomorrow. In the meantime, here's a question: Restored French Empire invading the US to regain Louisianna - plausible?
 
Honestly I don't think so, only if the CSA wins the civil war and the French decide to invade it and even so it remains a bit far fetched imo.
 
Fair enough. In fairness, I only came up with the idea because I suddenly realised that my military was as big as the US's. Anyway, that's a long way off from where we currently are in the AAR.
 
Just out of curiosity, how do you plan on retaking France ?

I tried a few NF games, but I never could gain ground in France, the communal Army is just too big and the difference in manpower and CP too important. And CoF usually declare war on Germany in 1939, is annexed and dismembered/pupeted in one or two years, so you are also running against the clock.
 
In my own, I used this war as a diversion, gaining southern France before the annexation. It easily double your population and IC and is a good way to interfere in the puppets regime after.
 
Just out of curiosity, how do you plan on retaking France ?

I tried a few NF games, but I never could gain ground in France, the communal Army is just too big and the difference in manpower and CP too important. And CoF usually declare war on Germany in 1939, is annexed and dismembered/pupeted in one or two years, so you are also running against the clock.

Generally my strategy is the same as Hoth's. I once did exceedingly well by waiting until the Germans had just started to breach the French borders and then launched an amphibious invasion which had an infantry column to seize Lyon (high IC) and lots of cavalry that was able to quickly maneouveur and capture most of south and western france before the commune could react. It looked like there was even a chance that I might be able to beat the Germans to Paris. Unfortunately, that happened on a save game that got corrupted and I've been unable to replicate it since :(

In this AAR I've actually managed a little worse than usual but fortunately Events salvaged everything for me :)
 
Generally my strategy is the same as Hoth's. I once did exceedingly well by waiting until the Germans had just started to breach the French borders and then launched an amphibious invasion which had an infantry column to seize Lyon (high IC) and lots of cavalry that was able to quickly maneouveur and capture most of south and western france before the commune could react. It looked like there was even a chance that I might be able to beat the Germans to Paris. Unfortunately, that happened on a save game that got corrupted and I've been unable to replicate it since :(

In this AAR I've actually managed a little worse than usual but fortunately Events salvaged everything for me :)

Just small notification.
In order to gain cores upon 1936 Commune of France you need to - control Paris, Marseilles - and obviously Commune must not exist.....
 
Speaking realistically I'd imagine France would be best re-taken by making an alliance with a triumphant Germany, which naturally (and unfortunately) makes you beholden to them...

Honestly, I don't really think any scenario where NF stages an invasion and is victorious would be realistic, but here's hoping.
 
Well, one of the options for the Germans after the conquest of the Commune is to return france to the National French. It's only a 20% chance they'll decide that though. Usually they just partition it.

Personally I'd like to see an event for some sort of conference should more than one nation end up conquering significant parts of France. It'd also be nice if that 20% chance went up a bit if NF is a monarchy and if they've successfully conquered parts of France. It'd also be nice to see an option for more balkanisation of France but which also gives a significant chunk to NF (e.g. Aquitaine, Normandy, Brittany and Vichy France, for example). I've been asked to suggest some event ideas for Nat France once I've finished the AAR actually so, with a bit of luck, the next version of KR might give NF a slightly better chance of a happy ending :)

On another note, currently typing up the next update. Title: The Death of the Republic
 
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