V2 Beta AAR : France 1836 - A Learning The Game AAR

1841 part 3 of 3

By the late summer of 1841 France was on the verge of accruing the 50 influence that would be necessary to demote Ottoman standing in Tunis from Friendly to Cordial



However, it's important to remember something. Demoting the Turks to Cordial in Tunis' eyes will not remove their current influence level. It takes 100 influence to bring someone into your sphere of influence. Even with the high amount of influence I'm dumping into Tunis, the Ottomans would still get to 50 before I get to 100, and most likely demote my standing in Tunis.

But, there is another, more effective tool that I can use - Banning the Embassy.



With 65 influence, not only can I clear Turkey's influence in Tunis to 0 again, but I also prevent the Turks from being able to build up new influence for one year. Given that I'm puttng about 0.3 influence per day into Tunis, this means I'd reach 100 influence again before the Turks can start building their influence in Tunis again. Check mate.



One more year of careful tending, and the Tunisian pear will be mine for picking.

My diplomatic coup in Tunis was not the only fishing France would begin to undertake in 1841. With Morocco no longer a viable option for French inflence for the interim, I start looking around to see where there might be some openings to expand French influence.




And look what I find, Colombia is not being influenced by any of the Great Powers, not even the United States. This represents a potential opportunity for France to get a foothold in the Americas beyond its meager colonial holdings in the Antilles.

But why Colombia, and not say Venezuela or Peru. A quick perusal of the available decisions France can undertake should make the logic of my thinking quite clear....



So at the start of 1842, this is how the shape of the world looks..



Britain has seized Tibet and is now making war on Burma, creating a massive cordon sanitaire for the Jewel in its crown. France may need to begin thinking about that question of a naval base east of Pondicherry sooner than expected, before the Raj sweeps all the way to the South China Sea.

1842 Part 1 of 3

Something is afoot among the military planners in Paris...



The Army in Algeria in reorganized, with six brigades separated out to form two divisions. Six clipper transports are ordered to be constructed in the ports of Algeria.



The Atlantic Fleet is reorganized, and Admiral Jaures is assigned to the new Escuadre de l'Orient, which is then dispatched to the East, destination not publicly stated.....



When work on the transport ships is complete, the two corps, now rechristened as the 1er and 2eme Corps Expeditionaires, are dispatched to the East, again final destination not made public...

meanwhile the French government, unhappy with the lack of interest by the capitalist class in construction of railways in Algeria, uses its authority to establish the Chemins de Fer de l'Algerie and commences construction of a new line to run the length of the Algerian coast from Tlemcen to Bone.





In mid-1842 research into Muzzle rifles was completed and the time to choose a new tech for research was upon me..



As I was rather under-researched in cultural techs, I decided to research Ideological Thought, as it not only provided a whole slew of inventions that could help improve plurality (helpful in getting a liberal majority, making people aware of their lack of political rights and supporting ideologies that could promote change) but also because it provides yet another National Focus point, which we will be able to use with immediate effect on completion of research given our base population.



And it will take less time that might other wise be needed since France, center of Western culture and civilization, gets a 30% research bonus for cultural techs.

1842 part 2 of 3

While the research establishment got underway with their new work, the political field in France in 1842 suggested some ominous portents for the future...



In the bottom center of the Political ledger page, you can see listings of groups organizing to plot rebellion in your lands. I've got two, Maghrebi nationalists in Algeria and Jacobin rebels in the mainland. Of the two, the Jacobins look to be better organized, having enough support to launch a bridage of rebels upon me.

For now I can only work to try and increase support for liberalism, since that is the only way I'll be able to open the power to pass political reform in the Upper House



unfortunately, in the hot summer of 1842, the frustrations of impatient reformers broke into open revolt....



thankfully it was in Paris, where the four brigades of the Royal Guard were stationed to ensure peace and stability in the capital...



As an actual battle, it wasn't much of a fight, but 3000 dead civilians and 236 dead soldiers was not a price I would care to pay in the future. The uprising did point out the lack of organized leadership for the garrison in Paris, which was promptly resolved with the appointment of General Exelmans.



But have the political classes in the nation heard the siren song for reform that the riots in Paris have broadcast???



Maybe. Support for reaction fell in the convocation held on 1 Jan 1843, but support for conservativism gained a bit of that shift. Still, over one-third of the Upper Chamber supports reform, hopefully the continued drift towards liberalism will gain pace before any more serious internal upheaval can be launched.

In other news, a couple events fired giving me some increased prestige...



While continuing lack of profitability in the canned food industry would lead the French government to increase its base stockpile in hopes of providing a bit of profitability without having to resort to subsidies.



though by the end of the year the canned food factories remained on the knife edge of profitability.

1842 part 3 of 3

Meanwhile we had to deal with a blight damaging the silk industry



In wake of the disturbances in Paris, I choose to help the silkworm farmers.

Diplomatically, the big news for France in 1842 was the harvest of the Tunisian pear...



Tunisia quickly followed being brought into our sphere with a request for an alliance, which was granted. At least one goal in North Africa has now been accomplished.

With Tunisia now secured, it was time to reexamine my influence allocation to see where else I could make some hay..



I still kept some influence building in Tunisia to ensure the Ottomans don't try to steal it away (watch your spheres as you play, the AI will try and steal your satellites if they think they can!). Influence in Colombia is approaching the level to increase relations to Friendly, if that comes off then I'm just 100 influence away from acquiring a sphere in the Americas. I decide to add Madagascar, the huge island west of my colony of Bourbon, to the list of places to influence. I also decide to make a play a feint in Greece, not so much that I want to get Greece in my SoI as much as get the Ottomans to spend some of their influence there, and lessen the chance they'll try and snatch Tunisia from me.



A look at the diplomatic map at the start of 1843 gives a nice overview of my situation. Belgium, in turquoise, is an ally, while Switzerland, Sardinia, the Papal States, Two Sicilies and Tunisia, all in light green, are in my SoI. My colonial holdings are delineated by the darker green of France crosshatched with gray lines. The Ottoman Empire and I are in a truce that will last until 1846, the status indicated by blue color on the map. Uncivilized nations such as Egypt and Morocco are denoted in orange.



The state of the world in 1843.

And those two divisions of Expeditionary forces sent out from Algeria earlier in the year? They've arrive at their initial destination, with the naval squadron sent from Brest due to arrive in early January 1843





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Once in Pondicherry, the two divisions are assigned leaders, with General Duchene leading the 1er Corps Expeditionnaires, and the 2eme Corps under General Dubois.

But what does the French military establishment plan to do with the six divisions and twelve ship fleet soon to be based in Pondicherry. The answer to that question would be revealed in 1843.

1843 Part 1 of 3

The military command continues to request new units be constructed, first three new infantry divisions from among the French colonists in Algeria, and then more clipper convoys from the ports in Provence



but life did not stand still in France while the nation awaited to find out why ten division had been sent to Pondicherry. Politically, continued effort was made to produce a liberal majority among French voters...





Meanwhile, our research into Ideological thought was completed at the end of 1843, thanks to a random event that gave France a few extra research points.





Next on the research schedule, medicine, one of the essential techs to allow lower the life rating threshold for colonization and gives a boost to POP growth.

(to be continued..)

1843 part 2 of 3

In the geopolitical arena, France kept a close eye on its spheres of influence to make sure they were properly cultivated...



when it looked like the Ottomans were indeed making a play for influence in Naples, we raised our influence targeting to meet the challenge. Once I hit 65 influence I'll ban the Ottomans from Naples. Meanwhile my influence peddling in Athens had drawn the Ottomans ire as well....



I don't really want a sphere over Greece, but if it keeps the Ottomans' influence tied down, I'm ready to play spoiler in Athens.



In the Americas, our cultivation of the Colombian coffee bean continued on track. Our opinion in Bogota was raised to Friendly, and once we get 100 more influence, our influence over the Isthmus of Panama will be secured, quite possibly under the very noses of a Washington distracted with other influence targets.

But it would be in Tunisia that the greatest challenge to our local dominance would rise, when rebels launched an uprising in Tunis against the Bey...



We quickly arrange with the Bey to authorize our troops access to Tunisian territory..



And send a cavalry division under General Gouraud from Bone to Tunis to crush the uprising....




to be continued...

1843 part 3 of 3

So what was happening with the forces the French High Command had ordered to Pondicherry?

At this point, perhaps a word about infamy in V2.

Infamy is to V2 what Badboy was to V1. Go around raping and pillaging your neighbors too much and eventually you'll be hated and, quite possibly, gang-banged.

Want to know your infamy level? Go to the diplomacy calendar, click on your national flag, and look about halfway down.



As you can see, I'm still working off that infamy I earned when I conquered Algeria. Going over 25 infamy is going to make you very, very unpopular. You lose 0.1 point of infamy every month you remain at peace. Full conquests create the most infamy, other casi belli produce less, so sometimes it is best NOT to try and take over a nation all in one go.Sometimes a death by a thousand cuts is less bloody than a beheading, and the last thing you want is your nation to look like Leatherface in Texas Chainsaw Massacre

In the summer of 1843 the 3e Corps Expeditionnaires, raised from the Francophone units called to the colors in Algeria at the start of the year, arrive in Pondicherry, raising the total number of brigades to nine.

The plans of the High Command, however, are given further impetus when news arrives from our diplomats in Southeast Asia in September 1843...



Having annexed Johore and Acheh, the Dutch now apparently want to secure their control of the Straits of Malacca by annexing the Siamese part of Malaya. It should be pointed out that the Netherlands is in Britain's SoI, so this policy appears to have the blessing of London.

In mid-November 1843, the order is given for the nine divisions to board ship...destination the Gulf of Siam.



So was the plan for France to play hyena to the Dutch lion and take a piece of Siam for itself? No, the High Command had other ideas...



The Mekong Delta, with its dense population, excellent harbour potential at Saigon, and strategic location on the South China Sea, would be the perfect base from which France could potentially project its power in East Asia and the Western Pacific

Dai Nam had formed an alliance with Burma and Siam in wake of the British invasion of Burma, but when the Dutch invaded Siam, the Vietnamese refused to honor their alliance agreement. Would Burma, still recovering from the British attack, have the will to help Dai Nam now that it was under attack. Dai Nam also held Cambodia as a satellite, how much that will affect the course of conflict is hard to gauge.

Anyways on 26 November French ships shell the Port of Saigon, initiating hostilities.





On 8 December French forces land at Saigon and commence securing the region. Burma failed to honor its alliance with Dai Nam.

The plan for the war is fairly straightforward...



Once Saigon is occupied, French forces will secure the rest of the region. As the wargoal only requires a warscore of 14 to secure, it is hoped that a combination of securing territory and defeating any attempts to liberate Saigon will provide the margin of victory. To ensure the Vietnamese can not send troops by sea to the delta, the Escadre de l'Orient sails northward to the coast off Hue. Finally, if needed, a division from France will make landings in the north at Haiphong to open a new front.

Of course that is the plan, what the reality of the battlefield will be is only known to Mars and Nike.

Meanwhile back home...



the discovery of Secret societies took me aback, suggesting that the situation in France might be getting a bit too overheated. At the convocation of the Upper House on 1 Jan 1844, Liberals had gained just over 4% in their membership....



And a 50% majority of voters now identified themselves as Liberal, suggesting that the 1844 elections could very well be won by the Liberals and the Orleanistes returned to power...



But there was something very ominous in all the growing agitation. Our secret police were reporting that the Jacobins were becoming very well organized, with over 180K members by 1 Jan 1844. France, internally, was becoming a tinderbox, one that if I was not careful over the next couple years could explode in full revolution. There is a fine line between reform and revolution, had I pushed across that line?

So a war halfway around the world, an election campaign, and growing rebelliousness in the population threatening to explode, 1844 should be interesting.

1844 part 1 of 3

So who are all these Jacobin rebels that threaten to cause all this mayhem. Well, to get that answer I go to the Population ledger and sort the POPs by kind of rebel influence they are under (the waving rebel flag)



So I've got over 170K Parisian artisans under the Jacobin spell. Sounds like I'm about to experience a playout of Les Miserables in the heart of the kingdom.

Anyways, to prepare myself for what might be a dangerous situation in the capital, I order the Garnison du Nord to Paris to supplement the Royal Guard.



While the situation in Paris remains tense, there was also a war French forces were fighting in Southeast Asia. Saigon fell in Feburuary, however the warscore generated was not enough to convince the Vietnamese to accept our terms. The Escadre de l'Orient was ordered to blockade the coast off the Dai Viet capital, and the Saigon forces were split to occupy the neighboring provinces of the delta.



By mid-1844 all of the delta was occupied, and Dai Viet seemed incapable of organizing armed resistance, perhaps due to their capital being blockaded from the world market, making organizing new forces likely near impossible. The Vietnamese accepted my demands, and France had a new colony, Vinhlong, soon to be rechristened Cochinchina.

Almost before the ink was dry on the peace treaty, construction of a naval base at Saigon was ordered, as was a fort at Qhi Nhon to guard against any Vietnamese revanchist war.





Our new colony is quite a nice prize. 418,070 households represents a sizable new market for our manufacturers, and the agricultural wealth of the delta will bring in additional revenue.

While the conflict was ongoing in Southeast Asia, one thing I had to focus on in the early part of 1844 was assigning the new national focus point I gained after researching Ideological Thought.



I decided to shift the Algiers colonial immigration focus to something else for now as well. Seeing as my artisans are not able to make much of a living as artisans, I assign one NF point to promoting basic industry in the Ile de France, which should hopefully provide new jobs. The other NI point I assign to creating capitalists in Brittany, hoping that will produce the kind of industrial class that I was able to create in Provence.

(to be continued...)

1844 part 2 of 3

With elections for the Lower House in 1844, it was an encouraging sign that by March polls indicated the Liberals were now the majority among the electorate in the country.



I decide to call elections three months early, hoping to catch the continuing swing toward the Liberals and perhaps enhance it further.

Unfortunately the summer of 1844, during which the election campaign would be fought, would be even hotter and much more violent than the previous year.

First came revolt in Avignon in July...




but as bad as the Rhone turned red around the Pont d'Avignon, the emute in Avignon would pale in comparison to the firestorm that broke in Paris in early September 1844





Nearly 27000 dead in Paris after a week of bitter fighting on the Rive Gauche. And this in the middle of an election campaign. What would the voters make of this tragic upheaval. Would they vote for reform by sending a Liberal majority in the lower house, or would they dig in their heels and call for a firm hand?

The results came in on 9 October, and could not have been more conclusive



yet in the end it is the Upper House that calls the shots in terms of political reform. Would the landslide to the Liberals in October be matched by a changing of the political balance in the Senior chamber?



Nope, not quite yet. Getting closer, but still not there yet.

1844 part 3 of 3

While France was consumed by its own internal dramas in 1844, it did not exist in a vacuum, and on the geopolitical stage it still had important interests to look after.



In Madagascar we improved our opinion to cordial from neutral. No other powers seem interested in the island, so we might yet get another strategic piece of the global pie.

As far as our existing Spheres of Influence were concerned, the focus now is more on making sure no other great power tries to crash in undetected and try and sneak our spheres from us



Thus Spanish fishing in Rome and Turkish fishing in Naples have been stopped with one year bans on their respective embassies. I also will try to demote the opinion of Spain in Rome over the next year to keep the Spanish firmly subordinate in terms of their influence over the Papacy.

Then in the autumn of 1844, reports came in from Cayenne of some sort of fracas on the border between Dutch and French Guiana...



while its nice to get a casus belli, one look at The Netherlands current diplomatic situation makes it clear acting on the casus would be suicidal.

Finally, as bad as France may have had it in 1844 in terms of domestic upheaval, it pales in comparison to some other nations.



Bosnia breaks free of the Ottomans...



...and Norwegian nationalists seize Christiansand in defiance of their Swedish rulers.

1845 part 1

1845 would start fairly quietly and calmly for France. As I'm still digesting my Cochinchinese banh mi, not really thinking about any further expansion this year, and with the events in Paris last September still fresh in the collective memory, perhaps a bit more focus on internal conditions is warranted.



I do a bit further rearranging of my National Focus, as Normandy now has a nice component of Capitalists, I shift that focus to building up the Capitalists in neighboring Picardy.

Meanwhile, the Ideological Thought tech is producing a number of inventions, including collectivism



The boost in plurality is more than welcome. Not only does it help get my population more engaged in the political process (which seems to be getting the Liberals ever closer to majority status in the upper house) but the greater the plurality, the more research points are generated per day. An open society is an inquisitive society, and if France wants to remain a leader in Western civilization, it needs to be at the forefront of research.

Speaking of research, Medicine tech research was completed in the Spring of 1845



time to go back to the industrial field, and with clean coal increasing coal and (in particular for France) iron productivity, this would be a good tech to move to next.

Politically things seemed to have calmed down a bit. The Paris uprising last September seems to have calmed the growth of Jacobin rebels. The only ripple in the increasingly placid waters came from Alsace...



I could choose to either repress the poet, and give my S German POPs in Alsace a +4 MIL boost, or let him publish and increase CON by +3. I choose CON, which in a region that is gaining Liberal support, will be more constructive than turning the POPs hostile toward the state.

Then in June 1845 news came in from the East that would have great import on the future direction of France...



Liberals in Prussia had convinced the King to undertake systematic reforms and claim leadership among the North German states, with the result that northern Germany was now unified as a liberal constitutional monarchy.

(in V1 terms, Prussia chose to take the crown from the gutter offered by the Frankfurt Assembly, though in this case only the North German states in Prussia's SoI have unified.)



Needless to say, the unification of the North German states under a liberal Prussian leadership opens up all sorts of possibilities for France. With Austria having been aggressive in recent years, and a force challenging French dominance in Italy, a single liberal Germany could represent a powerful new ally with which to contain the Habsburgs. At the moment the Habsburgs have not yet reacted negatively toward the new structure of power in Northern Germany, and by showing our good will to the new German state, perhaps France will show Austria that we might take a negative view towards any attempt the Habsburgs might make to restore the old order on the North German plain.

And perhaps, a liberal, constitutional France in the process of further reform in cooperation with the new liberal Germany could become the beacon for reform in Europe against the defenders of the old order erected after 1815. In any event, the possibilities for France in this new diplomatic environment are endless, provided I play my cards right.

Alas, what the future will hold for France in this geopolitical environment will not be known, as I had to abandon the AAR at that point.

One of the cardinal rules of Paradox games is that whenever there is a new patch, it is always best to start a new game because there is always the chance that changes made in patches will make the game you currently are on either bizzare to the point of unplayability or simply not work.

Unfortunately, that process tends to happen even more frequently in a beta process, where you can get new patches to test on as frequent as a one per day basis.

I pressed my luck on this AAR with a couple patches, but I eventually hit a point of incompatibility due to changes in gameplay brought by later patches. Combine that with a 40-hour/week full time job, and the result is simply that this AAR eventually found its end, though an end that I would consider a natural transition between one phase of the game and the next.

But in the end I do hope that this AAR can serve as good starting point for players who have little or no experience in the game to get their feet wet with strategies and tips to help them understand the basics of gameplay better so that they too can carve out their own place in the sun in this game.