A Newbie’s Guide to Minor Nations
Hello, Hearts of Iron (HoI) has many countries in it, but only several that most people frequent with play. When one tries to for the first time to attempt the fray of war as a minor nation (lets say Greece) they can easily become confused by the difference in game play from major nations. Many differences are to be found and many once small things you kind of know about the game need to be realized in full. What I have made on the spur of the moment are some suggestions on how to strike it big with the minor nations. This guide should apply just fine for the various modifications and any country from Mexico, to Siam. I don't of course say that I am right these are just some tips I've compiled in the past and would like to share. I am totally open to opinions. That is what this is just some opinions on how to get past a few of the more annoying asspect os playing a minor nations.
Special thanks to Pro_Consul whom has given some great information to the guide and can be called in all truth a co-author.
1, Diplomacy ~ Most smaller countries in HoI unlike larger ones start off neutral and in need of an alliance or a way of conducting itself. Either go it alone trying to gobble up other neutral nations, or join one of the three alliances based upon ideals. With limited diplomatic influence each move you make should be planned well. Diplomatic influence will come into your hands at a slower rate than major nation, so plan your move well. It is foolish to ask the Untied Kingdom to join the allies during peace for example. A common way to be accepted to a large alliance is to wait until war breaks out then request access.
If you plan upon the first option going it alone then simply keep in mind a few things.
*Relations plummet each time you declare war upon a neutral nation.
*You will have no allied support, or tech sharing for that matter.
*Dissent can be bothersome as many actions the increase it must be preformed several times if one wants to have their would be empire grow in size.
Diplomacy you will find a rather annoying yet needed aspect of the game as many of the weaker nations must exploit their way into an alliance to get much of a payback in the long run.
2, Military ~ One aspect of playing as a minor nation that shocks many of my fellow war mongers upon trying a minor nation is the lack of divisions and low tech levels. These can both be contended with to a decent degree. One object to keep in mind is that both situations will become better as time goes on.
With a small starting budget one is normally only able to invest in either tech or more units. Now this is a quandary as you can lean either way depending upon what you want to deal with later on in the game. Going for tech (see section four for more on this) will give you nicely trained (though nothing compared to major nations) divisions. Once you enter a war what you might find is that you are spread thin though you stand a better chance of victory in battle and thus have the upper hand against some of the AI nations. Now the flip side going for more units will mean just that a large army. Though when a nation following such a strategy enters war they usually have one problem. That being tech. Low levels will cause your units to get blown to pieces. When you plan on playing as part of one of the major alliances, units can be safely focused upon. With tech sharing from your allies you can easily upgrade a large army that is already built. In fact, all the most valuable techs, primarily the infantry ones, don't require any upgrade for your units to benefit - as soon as you get the tech all of your units gain the benefit for free. But if you don't start building your army early, it may be too late in the game by the time you get built up to let you go very far. The earlier you start building your army, the more you will eventually accomplish with it. But this is risky if you are trying to play solo, because then nobody will be giving you any free tech. And then your units most certainly will get blown to pieces.
Which ever way you chose to travel war is a big concern as you need to pick your prey wisely. don't let your prey pick you, either by geography or circumstance. By geography, I mean don't attack a neighbor just because he is adjacent to you. There may be a far more valuable target beyond him, and he might just give you military access to go get it. If it doesn't have something you need, don't attack it. Try to avoid letting circumstance creep up on you, as well. By this I mean, if you know you are in the path of a much larger power, make some accommodation with that power before they decide to come over and accommodate you. This is especially important for Balkan and Asian countries, who are all in a crossfire zone of all THREE major alliances. If you are Yugoslavia, allying with Britain is likely a quick route to your annexation by Germany. Make your accomodation with Germany instead. If you are Ireland (good luck!), don't ally with Germany. Think ahead. When you have decided okay I want to go bashing look around at the nearby nations and consider a few things.
*Position and tactics; In an attack what can I benefit from? Is there a way to time attacks towards the same province from two directions? How will that AI cavalry unit react? Can I block its' most possible route? Questions like these should flutter through your mind as you prepare to go into war. Always have a second plan. Say the cavalry unit does just the opposite of what you want what them? A player needs to think over what might happen and what won't. Then prepare for both. Place units in the way you want and then declare war.
*The long run, what will happen as a result of said war? Consider both the negative and positive effects. Common things of value to a player are but no limited to manpower, resources, and strategic position. Is war worth the negative dissent and possible hardships?
*Generals are much more of a necessity as a minor nation. Unlike with the larger nations one can not usually place a Patton like person in charge of an army right off the bat. Remember that you must build up the skill of your leaders overtime. Also recall that putting an unskilled person in charge of you main army group can mean almost certain disaster.
*The plan, always have one and be prepared to change it at a moments notice.
Once in a conflict realize that as a minor nation your divisions are few and precious. Thus, instead of the familiar straight forward bash them back strategy of the USSR try to engage in fancy maneuvers. Move behind the enemy, encircle them, draw the away from the capital to liberate lands. All valid and well used tactics in such a situation. Capital hunting will become a new obsession of yours as in many circumstances capturing a fellow minor nation's capital along with one or two other important areas will be enough to annex said nation.
Adjust to the times and don’t put all your eggs in one basket are the only other tips of advice I can give on the subject. Bide your time and strike fast and steady.
3, The Budget ~ This is what will make or break you as a minor nation. Can you handle the budget well? First things first look at the starting figures, then your stockpiles, and finish off the survey by glancing at what resources you are in excess of and likewise lack there of. Decide what you can trade and what you need. Then go to the world market and offer some deals. Remember the larger and the earlier in the game you make them the better. Also keep in mind that deals will yield 1/2 of what is stated during war time.
Once you are not at a lacking for any resources look about your realm. If you have a production excess of resources then build some industry to fuel the economy. If you decide to do such pick provinces that are sheltered and won't become war torn quickly. Note though, building industry can be even more valuable when you have a resource shortfall, in peacetime at any rate. Putting a province into upgrade mode (building more industry) will lower your current available IC, thereby lowering your CG requirement. This can save you resources in a big way.
Now back to those sliders. If you plan to go on a conquest spree it might be best to invest industrial capacity somewhat to an excess into luxury goods thus lowering dissent. Supplies need to be maintained, or risk having your army disappear. At this time you are left with the quandary of more divisions or better tech as your usually low starting IC will not allow you to have both. Decide based upon your preference in game play. Then make sure to go and pick improvements to head towards in the chosen field. (See tech section for details on subject.)
A final point worth mention is to watch your resource needs if you have chosen to improve industry. The amount of extra materials you have will decrease much faster in comparison to major nations. Always keep your eye on the budget and adjust as best you can to focus upon both your short and long term goals for the game.
4, Technology ~ This part of HoI will become quite the nuisance too a minor nation player for two reasons. First it is dreadfully expensive, and two hard to compile much of. What I suggest one does in such a situation is try to concentrate on a certain field of tech then gradually expand into other fields as the industrial capacity becomes available. Furthermore it should be noted that sometimes the AI will be inclined to share its tech secrets with allied nations.
Do not become overly frustrated over your technology level. It is common for it to lag at first. Invest when you can. Until that point compensate for the disadvantage by looking for every advantage, or superior position you can. Remember that that technology comes hard to all minor nations. Be sure to exploit this, expand your reach. If you are or are planning to be a member of a major alliance, then you should concentrate on the theoretical advances in the one or two key areas that fit your strategy. Infantry will almost always be one of these. Don't waste time researching every little practical application like mortars, anti-tank rifles and so on. Just hit the theoreticals that open up the tree. You want to make yourself a viable target for as many applied techs as possible, and let your allies do the rest. One way to check if you have superior tech levels to a nation you plan to attack is to make like you going to show them something they don't know. (Access the share technology diplomatic option.) Then look at what appears in the box. What is there you know, but they don't.
The Big Picture ~ Playing as one of the minor nations is not going to be a historical game most likely. The point or big picture is to have fun. Therefore set up some goals for yourself. Create a persona for your nations and follow ideals. This will make it more exciting and stimulate the imagination. Above all my recommendations the following is most important.
Have Fun!