Maintain the Monarchy: A Russia VIP .301 AAR

[Legosim]

So...how are you completely Muslim

[Herbert West]

Thats only the region of Bukhara

[TheExecuter]

Otto von Bismarck: "You've been a very bad boy!"

Queen Victoria: "You're one to talk!"



Good luck redrawing the map of eastern europe!

[Midge]

Good music to go aloung with the AAR. Long time fan BTW.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbLEVEGQ0Ow

[RGB]

Interesting.

I never played Russia in VIP, and this is fun so far. I'm amazed at the amount of relatively small, indecisive wars you fought. I tend to try to go for the bitter end every time :P

[TheExecuter]

Originally Posted by Midge

Good music to go aloung with the AAR. Long time fan BTW.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbLEVEGQ0Ow

You are aware that that song glorifies the revolution, where the proletariat overthrew the monarchy?



Traitor! Traitor I say!

Ivan Ogareff! Ivan Ogareff!



TheExecuter

[Midge]

Originally Posted by TheExecuter

You are aware that that song glorifies the revolution, where the proletariat overthrew the monarchy?



Traitor! Traitor I say!

Ivan Ogareff! Ivan Ogareff!



TheExecuter

Yeah but if you just listen to the tune its fine. :P

[Brandenburg III]

Leviathan07: I’ll see what I can do

Enewald: I think you guys are overestimating my abilities just a little. I’m still at war with Germany, too.

gianlucad: Yeah, its going to be a fight.

stnylan: You just made me think of something I haven't thought about in years. A horrible cartoon music video. Think Big

Pwn*Star: Probably due to my annexation of Bukhara and general annexation habits.

wilhelm cochise: I'll be happy with a German white peace.

Legosim: Herbert West is right. That’s only the region of Bukhara. Take a look toward the top of the pic where it lists Russia, Bukhara followed by Population Overview.

TheExecuter: I’m going to need it.

Midge: TheExecuter is right. Your punishment is to listen to Barbie Girl by Aqua 100 times in a row. Afterwards, you must then combat a weevil in a fight to the death for our amusement.

RGB: Maybe its from my earlier attempts at Vicki but long wars were never kind to me. In other Paradox games I haven’t learned my lesson but in Vicki I’m a little more cautious.

[Brandenburg III]

The war on the Ottoman front continued smoothly. It was as though they weren’t trying at all. Or maybe their few troops were spread out all across the country. A win came in Pristina and occupations were successful in Urfah and Karbala.

10 January I began my organized retreat deeper into Russia hoping Germany’s units would split and weaken over time. It’d take a few days but I battled through Lodz to begin my victorious retreat from southern Poland.

Eight days after my German retreat plan, the Ottoman capital fell. I decided to continue the war there a little longer considering I had nowhere I really had to be. I was going to let Germany continue to roll across Poland anyway and I didn’t need more troops to watch them.

Still on the Ottoman front, I occupied Trebizon in early February, won in Nis and continued pushing forward.

10 February I began landing troops, 60,000 at a time, in the Netherland’s former provinces. My entire mobilization force is going to be placed in this area.

Meanwhile, in southern Poland a 90,000 man unit got itself into a bit of trouble. They previously fought off a 50,000 German army but now with more than 110,000, things aren’t looking good. They’re on their own.

February 15 the Ottomans offered peace. I turned it down. Bulgaria occupied five provinces on their own and I had about the same. There was no way I was going to accept this.

Two more Ottoman provinces flipped my way. Then on 27 February, Austria joined the war.

No troops were on the Austrian border and to defend the region I had to make peace with the Ottomans. Unfortunately, when I went to the peace screen, I couldn’t demand the Ottomans give up territory to Bulgaria. I thought as alliance leader I’d be able to do that; maybe I’m getting my Paradox games mixed up.

On that same day, 27 February 1876 I made peace with the Ottomans. They paid indemnities and became my satellite.

My war plans will not change. I’m still going to pour men into west Germany and retreat from Poland. However, Austria will not be allowed to invade the Balkans.

[Enewald]

Ottomans satellites?

[Middelkerke]

Interesting war..

[stnylan]

Yea, the Vicky peace screen was fairly basic as I recall. Still, satelliting the Ottomans should help keep them quiet.

[Brandenburg III]

Enewald: 95% war score. I thought about it before I did it, whether or not it’d be gamebreaking and I decided it wouldn’t be. With VIP I’m probably going to have a revolution on my hands later, especially with my policies, and I still have to contend with the Austrian/German alliance. Not to mention to have the #1 navy I might have to knock down both France and UK by 1936.

Middelkerke: They all are when my populated provinces are at risk.

stnylan: I’m hoping.

To all: In an effort to speed this up - because to me, slow AARs are boring projects - I’ll be making each update encompass 5 - 10 years except for wars and decade-ending updates.

[Brandenburg III]

2 March 1876

A month later Germany seemed to be spreading itself out and I began concentrating my troops along the Baltic. Its too bad I can’t move my capital to Siberia...

11 days into April Germany offered peace, which I declined.

1 May 1876

The secluded German troops would be extinguished along the Netherlands border but eventually the region got too bloody and I had to remove all units from the area.

1 June 1876

I continued to push successfully along the Baltic thanks to superior numbers but in late June I lost a battle for the Austrian capital.

Then, 4 July, Serbia declared war upon the Ottoman Empire. Montenegro went to their aid while the Ottomans requested I help. I decided against it because I misread which side the French joined. Oops.

One week later Sardinia-Piedmont signed an alliance with Germany and entered my war. They’re not going to be a factor but going to war against another nation when I already have my hands full with one is never a good thing.

1 August 1876

In August I decided to make a dash for Berlin but was stopped in the capital. As the month wore on and it’d look like I’d lose about 10 regiments, I decided to settle for peace. Without the 100,000 man army, I’d be in a hard spot anyway.

I ceded Kielce, Krakow, Lodz, Kalisz, Plock and Skierniewice. 1 coal, 2 livestock and 2 grain; no factories.

Casualties

Russia: 522,486

Germany: 215,917

Austria: 128,972

Ottoman Empire: 29,552

A few months after the war I had to take care of a few Socialists. They’re doing nothing but causing problems.

April 1877 I offered the Ottomans an alliance, an Ottoman Empire who was still at war with Serbia... and losing! The Ottomans were at war with Serbia and Montenegro.

After one month of war and no battles, I successfully occupied the Serbian capital and made peace. Serbia was to pay indemnities and become my satellite. Two months later the Ottomans annexed Montenegro.

4 September of 1877 I decided to build a string of forts. Not along the German border since I would lose those provinces and would have to fight to get them back. No, instead I’m building them to my “Retreat Zone” as a kind of final defense, should I need it. Forts will be built in these provinces:

Valmiera, Dinaburg, Vidsy, Glubokoye, Minsk, Mogilov, Vitesk and Polotsk.

To end the year, another assassination attempt arose and I created the secret police. In the next update I’ll post the 1880 update and finish up the 1870's.

[Enewald]

Somehow that is line is resembling the Stalin line a bit...
Nothing worth of something was lost in that peace deal?

[RGB]

Wow, that's a lot of casualties.

Europe is a constant bloodbath in your universe.

[Leviathan07]

Ok so the conclusion of the war was not as terrible as it could have been... but I still think your defensive line is very cautions! I would actually check the topography of the provinces directly at or really close to the border, then build a line that has as many forest/hills/swampland provinces as possible, and put two divisions into each one. At 100 entrenchment, terrain and level 2+ fortification bonus they can easily stop twice their number, and if reinforced more than that. You would not need to place the line so far in the rear...

[stnylan]

Losing territory to Germany ... not a good precedent that

[Brandenburg III]

Enewald: Of course But that doesn’t mean I don’t want those worthless provinces back.

RGB: Well, the casualty war went better than the last war but I was getting overwhelmed. These wars with Germany are the only significant wars in the entire world so we both have a lot of manpower to spend. I just wish France would take advantage of Germany when she’s at war with me. It’s the only hope I have to beat the Germans, though to be fair to me, I did have to fight the Ottomans, Austrians and Germans almost all at the same time. That’s a big front to cover and a lot of troops to spend. Fortunately, by the looks of it and the battles, it felt as though I had a technological advantage - military wise - over the Austrians.

Leviathan07: The topography is one of the main things I look at before going into battles and before building forts. The problem with the Polish region is that most of the provinces are clear/plains or something of that nature. I think only one or two of the provinces has forest, marsh or mountains; no Polish province has both. So with Germany’s militarily superior units, they’re going to blow by my initial group unless I stack the border with everything I have.

I would’ve placed the forts directly on the border if I thought my troops present could stop the Germans. Also, in future wars I’m going to have to let Germany grow and if Austria joins them at that time, I’m going to need to establish a defense somewhere. This amount of room will allow both the Germans and Austrians expand in various directions - except in the way of my capital - until they either 1. Run into my fortified troops or 2. Thin themselves out to allow for a Russian counterattack.

stnylan: My dream is to not make a habit of it. After these few provinces, my industrial base awaits.

[Brandenburg III]

At the start of 1878 I placed 60,000 troops along the German border, the beginning of my reconstruction. And the support for strategic industries hit me in Savolax. I decided to spend the money, establish the factory (steamers); to get clerks and craftsmen into important factories I closed a glass factory in Kyjiv and the Lumber Mill in Norrland (the only factory in Russia-owned Sweden.)

Meanwhile, people still aren’t happy with Alexander II.

Beginning in 1879 I traded a few techs with the Ottomans.

Feeling safer on the Ottoman side, I moved 70,000 troops from Georgia/Armenia to the German border in April 1879. In the same month, my steamer shipyard in Savolax filled and I spent the interventionist money to expand it.

Finishing off the decade I expanded the small arms factory in the capital, Austria pushed relations up to +146 - I pushed it up another 30 - and I placed 120,000 troops: 60k along Germany, 30k near Austria, 10k in Scandinavia and 20k to protect the capital.

1880 Update