Battle Royale: A WAAr agaist the world AAR.

[Lord Curlyton]

I must admit, I like this idea even better then the previous one of GER vs the World. I'll admit to being a bit worried about Italy as a choice; interesting, but it could go south quickly. You've already noticed some of its main issues; namely, a good chunk of your army is OOS quickly b/c of a closed Med and your divisions aren't so much technologically backward (they aren't great, but few of the nations have fantastic starting tech) as they are organizationally backward, being a bunch of binary divisions, as opposed to much more robust trinary ones like GER. If you can make those extra brigades to flesh out your divs quickly (maybe rush some MIL and then try to cycle/upgrade) you could see a great improvement to your army's capability. Hell, in this scenario being able to churn out stacks of MIL may be a very useful strategy, and MIL techs are cheaper to research than others, so you can get doctrines and equipment up to speed swiftly.

One more thing: did you mod out the nation creating decisions/events like the Spanish Civil War, creation of Croatia, and Menguko ones? And consider a PM sent; I'm thoroughly interested in this concept.

 

[Gormytorysh]

I did create my own decision for this AAR. I also deleted all faction members, alliances, puppets and guarantees. If you would like the code for the decision just 'pm' me. As long as you don't post an Italian AAR ; )

I was about to post that I send you a PM, but geeez you're fast :laugh:. Or I was slow....

 

[Lord Curlyton]

After trying out dutchmagnum's modifications, I can say that it is a very interesting and challenging (and nerve-wracking) scenario! I decided to give France a whirl, and I'm learning a few new ways that the AI seems to react, which hopefully will allow me to survive and prosper. Also noticed an interesting bug which I'm not sure how it happened (maybe because I made a mini-mod out of his changes so I can switch between normal and his version at will).

Firstly, the AI definitely seems to allocate forces based on how much of a threat you are posing directly at that moment. Trying to push into Italy is a great example, as there are a few tasty resource cities in striking distance of the French-Italian and every time you make an offensive push the AI shifts troops over but when you sit still for a week or two they tend to shift forces away. The same applies to Germany, as they pretty much left me alone until I made a serious incursion, which they responded to in force. I'm currently performing an orderly retreat back to the Maginot and am only looking to hold some easily defensible positions beyond it.
Secondly, it seems like the AI might not be prioritizing reinforcements and upgrades as much as me, since it seems that my troops got to full strength faster and my upgrades are rolling out somewhat sooner. This good for me when the Germans counter-attack, as my troops don't get smashed as quickly (they still tend to lose due to vastly better German officers it seems), but that's also a limited advantage once future builds start coming out.
Thirdly, for whatever reason I can't seem to rebase my starting air force. Rather annoying, that, and I have no idea how to fix it. If it persists beyond the original air fleet then I will have to address it, though.

 

[dutchmagnum]

I have been on holiday for the past couple of weeks, so (ironically), now I'm back at work, I should have more time to play and update.

@Lord Curlyton: I'm glad you're having fun with the scenario. I have the same problem with my aircraft not being able to rebase. It worked the first time, then not at all. I can't figure it out either. If you do, please let me know.

 

[Lord Curlyton]

Is that with any new ones, assuming you've played that far ahead? As it is, none of the air forces you or I will face are truly terrifying until they have a year or two to ramp up, so its manageable. But if my new planes can't rebase, it will be an issue.
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On a sudden flash, does the decision you wrote have the country place itself at war with itself, even though that technically can't happen. But could the game be seeing that ghost DoW and saying "your base is an enemy base, so you can't rebase there"?

 

[dutchmagnum]

On a sudden flash, does the decision you wrote have the country place itself at war with itself, even though that technically can't happen. But could the game be seeing that ghost DoW and saying "your base is an enemy base, so you can't rebase there"?

That's certainly a possibility. The decision contains the code for all countries, otherwise I would have needed a special code for each and that kind of defeats the purpose. I will play on and see what happens. I guess it just adds another level of challenge to the game.

 

[red_KLG]

But if you are at war with yourself this means that you occupy your own land? And where do you deploy your forces? That sounds crazy.

Anyway, the scenario is fantastic and I am really looking forward for an update !!!

 

[Lord Curlyton]

Well I know I can deploy troops normally, my first run of 25 4xMIL just finished. Next up is to check on air and naval assets as they are built.

 

[dutchmagnum]

Chapter 1, Part III: February 1936​

As the second month of the conflict begins, I am fighting hard for territory is south-east France. They have better divisions than me, but I’m hoping to
be able to surround their mountain divisions.

With the help of a bomber wing, I attack the French in the province of Barcelonette. Despite the numerical advantage, the battle is a tough one. The
enemy has also brought reinforcements into play and my left and right flanks are forced to retreat. At this time, I lack the strength to face the French
division for division.

In Switzerland, an Alpine division takes the capital city Bern. The Swiss launch a counterattack, but are unable to dislodge my division. I need to stabilize
this front, before trying to push on towards Zurich. Taking Switzerland will give me a border with Germany, but I don’t want these border forts in enemy hands.

In Austria, my attack on Innsbruck is failing. The Austrians have too much of a defensive advantage at this time.

Luckily, the Austrians begin a general retreat across the front, possibly in response to threats further north. This allows me to take Innsbruck unopposed.
One Austrian division did push into my territory, but they are no longer receiving supplies and are therefore not much of a threat.

Yugoslavia also brings reinforcements to their border with us. I don’t have any plans for this theatre at the moment, so I retreat to a more defensible line.
I will try and hold onto Ljubljana though.

In Africa, a French motorized division advances into Libya. I move some divisions from Southern Italy into Tripoli and will try to hold the line here.

Further east I have 3 divisions pushing towards the Suez canal. However the British get the first victory and I fall back to reorganize.

The British try to capitalize and the Battle of El Alamein begins. With two of my divisions at full strength however, the enemy soon wears itself out and
fall back in turn. Now it’s my chance to capitalize on the situation. The march to Alexandria and the heart of Egypt begins.

One of my strengths in these first, difficult months is my navy. I have three fleets on patrol throughout the central Mediterranean to protect my supply
routes. The Regia Marina has been in action with the Royal Navy and the French navy, but most engagements are inconclusive. Luckily, I sink one French
destroyer on 6th February.

News of the World​

On February 6th, Yugoslavia annexes Albania. Later in the month, on 24th February Peru takes control of Bolivia. Peru could be a dark horse for domination
in South America.

In North-West Europe, Belgium still hangs on, while the Germans have almost completed the conquest of Holland. France is also in a good position, pushing
past the German Siegfried line.

Germany has also set its sights on Denmark. It’s a good strategic decision, securing their northern flank and then sending troops elsewhere. Sweden is
pushing west into Norway.

The Soviets are also starting to get into the action. I thought they would have been quicker off the mark, but it seems their troops are heading into the
Baltic states and Poland. The Soviet juggernaut may be unstoppable. We’ll see.

In the Middle East, Iraq continues to do well, while British Indian forces march into Afghanistan. I’m really interested who will come out on top here. A
regional power could be an interesting opponent for the traditional major powers.

In North America, Canada isn’t long for this world as the US invades. The US army is really weak in 1936, but they should easily be able to conquer their
hemisphere.

Finally, in China, three factions seem to be most dominant, namely the Communists, the Nationalists and Yunnan. I’m not sure who will win this fight. Could
the winner defeat Japan and distract the Soviets?

Next time: March 1936​

 

[Lord Curlyton]

It seems like a lot of these situations are repeating themselves in my game with France. Not that I'm terribly surprised; its rather easy to tell from the starting point who will likely get the advantage over others in specific areas. Out of curiosity, what have the Spanish been up to? I noticed they were pretty aggressive in expanding into my colonial territory as France, and there wasn't a helluva lot I could do to stop it.

 

[dutchmagnum]

As far as I've played, the Spanish have taken Gibraltar, almost taken Portugal and are defending against the French (who have taken Barcelona) in the north-west. They have expanded into the French colonies too.

 

[Hardin]

Loving this. Would be interested in how the world ends up even if you lose...

 

[Belgiumruler]

Loving this. Would be interested in how the world ends up even if you lose...

Agreed

 

[Lord Curlyton]

It'll be interesting to see how things go, especially if the Russians get the rich LS from the German heart lands. And for the meanwhile, it will be an interesting three way battle for the Med between France, UK, and Italy, who all have good naval assets in the region. Ironically, I've watched as smaller nations like Greece have been amphibiously landing without getting caught, probably because the big fish are biting each other. At least he has the Alps to be a good defensive area, and at least in the beginning Russian IC isn't that great. I wonder if the LUA files will still basically make the US and USSR build mostly IC for the first few years.

 

[dutchmagnum]

Loving this. Would be interested in how the world ends up even if you lose...

If the great nation of Italy is unsuccessful, I'll let the AI fight it out and see what happens, so the AAR won't be over straight away.

 

[dutchmagnum]

Chapter 1, Part IV: March 1936​

As March kicks off, I’m still waiting for new infantry divisions to be deployed, so I can fill in a few gaps in my lines. The French however start to abandon
their mountain strongholds on our border (I assume they are pushing back the Belgians or Spanish). I’m not going to let this opportunity pass so, where
possible, I start an advance into South Eastern France once more. I manage to overwhelm French forces at the battle of Gap.

The battle takes a little longer than I expected, but by the end of the month I am on the move. I have the port of Toulon in my hands and should soon
occupy mountainous provinces further north. I aim to reach the Rhone before the French start moving reinforcements to the area.

March was a great month for the Regia Marina. They demolish the French Mediterranean fleet, sinking 2 battleships (including the French ‘pride of the fleet’),
1 heavy cruiser, 1 light cruiser and a destroyer flotilla. This just leaves us and the British vying for control of the sea.

In Switzerland, I need to be very careful where I advance. I don’t have the strength to attack fortified Swiss positions, so I choose my battles carefully.
For example, on 14th March, two Alpini divisions take on a regular infantry unit in Lausanne. I want these border fortresses for myself.

I manage to take Lausanne and neighboring Neuchatel. A little further east, I bypass Swiss infantry and try to head for their makeshift capital Zurich.
If successful, Switzerland will be no more soon enough.

In Austria, not much is happening, as both armies are content just to sit there, occasionally launching brief raids. The Austrian unit behind my lines in Bolzano
runs out of supplies eventually and is disbanded.

As expected, my three infantry divisions in Egypt are also successful and I manage to take Alexandria. If I can take control of the Suez canal, I’ll be able
to destroy the British navy much easier.

By 1st April, Cairo and the west bank of the Suez are in Italian hands. I hope the British are unable to send reinforcements, as I have none to spare at
this point.

This will be the last screenshot of East Africa for a while, as the out-of-supply remains of a once powerful army surrenders to the French. I’m not
particularly worried about this, although it would have been nice to get those troops back to the mainland.

News of the World​

Two more countries were eliminated from the Battle Royale this month. Germany annexed Denmark and Poland annexed Lithuania. When Denmark lost its
struggle for survival, I realized I forgot to delete the decision allowing Britain to take control of Greenland and Iceland. I guess this doesn’t matter much
though in the grand scheme of things.

In North West Europe, Belgium is still surviving. Also, the Germans are pushing the French back towards the Maginot line. I think the Germans are the
favorite here, but what will they do when/if the Soviets turn up in the East?

In the Balkans, Greece is making the most of being able to concentrate their forces, pushing north at a nice pace. They will probably meet Romania
pushing south, with Bulgaria being squashed in the middle. I’m not sure where Turkey want to go.

In Central Africa, a new scramble is underway, as Belgium colonial forces push northwest into French terrain, but ignoring the British pushing west. I fully
expect Britain to paint the rest of the continent red eventually.

One country I didn’t know what to expect from is Japan. Over in the Far East they should easily overcome Manchukuo, but where do they go from there?

Finally, with Canada gone, Mexico will be next on the menu for the Americans. I’m guessing Mexico will advance a while, then get turned back eventually.

 

[Belgiumruler]

haha, I am wondering what would happen when a million soviets are on your border...

 

[Lord Curlyton]

It won't be quite a million. Remember, the Soviets aren't going to get GPW for a long while at best, and their NU is probably still piss poor without the purge to boost it, and they lack the raw industrial might at start. If they can get their techs up and not drop too badly on the officer ratio, though, they will be a challenge to take on. I can say that once Manchuko is taken the Japs will gleefully start to advance into Soviet lands, so at least they will draw attention away. I just shudder to think of what will happen if the Soviets take the IC and LS rich sections of Germany for themselves, though...

 

[dutchmagnum]

My aim is to stay away from the Soviets if possible. Hopefully, I can get annex France and then take Western Europe, while keeping the Germans at bay. My techs are really poor though and I need to outnumber my opponents to win individual battles. This is certainly much more of a challenge than my previous AAR.

 

[Zorro]

As a great fan of your previous AAR I will of course be following this one. Playing as Italy is a good choice. If worst comes to worst you will only have to fight on one front. A good AAR so far, keep it up.

Perhaps you should focus on acquiring strategic resources?