I was hoping for a good AAR of this game, and you've delivered. I just finished reading, and am following to learn more.
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Chapter 6 - Peace and Recovery
In October, following the defeat of Russia’s armies, we have finally pushed their war exhaustion high enough to negotiate a peace. I focus on territory in the modern Baltic States, as this is where my land and naval dominance objectives lie. Despite Russia having no war capacity, we cannot negotiate a massive transfer of land. They still have decent manpower reserves, far greater than our own, and our war exhaustion has risen during the conflict as well. For these reasons, although we have the upper hand, the AI rightfully recognising that I am not in a great position to continue the conflict for much longer.
Had I not suffered such crippling defeats which wiped out my manpower, I might have tried to take St. Petersburg. This would really have boosted my war capacity, and by capturing some of the more valuable Russian provinces I would also have dealt their manpower reserves a blow. However, I feel that had I continued the war much longer, they would have rallied, and quite possibly negotiated a peace with Austria.
The map below shows the territory we were able to take. We did secure all our land dominance targets, but the port of Riga was too expensive regrettably. However, our land dominance has risen to 108% following this peace treaty
We have clearly brought war to an end at the right time. Our manpower remains 0, and we require a huge 108,000 to fully reinforce our armies. We are now gaining just 8,000 a month, so we face over a year of waiting until we are full strength again.
We resume building depot’s, this time I am not worried about increasing supply but rather focus on using the ledger to identify any provinces which generate manpower. Although the returns are small, with 0 manpower there is little I can do with money for the time being anyway, and any small increase to my manpower gain is welcome.
By February 1816, I have again accumulated 200 idea points. I choose Army Corps from the Command category. This boosts experience gained from land battles, which although in itself isn’t all that great, does move us one step closer to the better command ideas.
Much of 1816 passes with little to report. Armies have been repositioned throughout the Empire, leaving just 3 stacks on the Russian border. Depot construction continues, and we are seeing a small increase in our manpower each month thanks to this programme. By October, we are again able to choose another idea. I continue with my focus on command, and choose Satellite nations. This improves our ability to negotiate peace treaties, and again is not a brilliant choice, but my next idea will be the final command one which is a decent boost to morale.
Finally, on the 1st of January 1817, I need only 96 men to fully reinforce my armies, and have 12,000 manpower. I now gain 8,700 a month, which demonstrates that depot building is worth it. Although this is hardly a huge reserve, there are only three game years left. I declare war on Bavaria, who are guaranteed by Austria. Since our peace with Russia, Austria has also signed a white peace, but they have remained at war with the Ottomans. Again, the Austrian AI has been unlucky, as they initially opened up a significant lead by capturing land throughout the Balkans and as far south as the Greek coast, but the Ottomans have turned the tide and forced Austria back.
Although weakened, Austria opts to honour the guarantee. As well as taking our land dominance objective from Bavaria (and securing Munich which has over 6,000 manpower), this war will offer us the chance to take more land from Austria. There are no dominance objectives left, but we can still grab many towns and forts on our border to increase our manpower.
We send two stacks over the border into Bavaria, and on the 10th January our 80,000 men meet the 36,000 Bavarian defenders at Munich. We defeat the defenders, killing 20,000 against 10,000 losses of our own. Although no an amazing victory, this is more than enough to effectively end the Bavarian part of the campaign. One army focuses on occupying the city of Munich, while the second chases the retreating Bavarians to ensure they cannot cause us problems elsewhere.
On the 1st of February, we annex Bavaria. The war with Austria continues. Our forces have not yet crossed the border, but we order a general invasion. Our aim is to focus on the rich heartland of Austria, capturing the capital and the surrounding forts as quickly as possible
Like our previous clashes with Austria, there is little action initially. Their armies are all in Ottoman territory, so we face only small stacks of freshly recruited soldiers. Vienna, and much of Austria proper, quickly falls to our forces. I am trying not to lose too much manpower during this conflict, so forces are spread reasonably thin throughout the territory, and I only assault when a breech is made. By the first of May, Austria offers to concede defeat, which is of course refused.
By the 1st of May we have also again accumulated 200 idea points, and I can finally select the 5th command idea. Squares boost our land morale by 0.5, which is a significant increase. This is our 17th idea in total; we have taken all five Prussian and command ideas, three fire ideas, two shock ideas and 1 supply and land movement idea. Artillery will likely be my next focus, as they have been neglected and form a decent proportion of my armies.
By August, our warscore against Austria has reached 92%. They have only 9,000 manpower reserves and less than 20,000 men in the field. We have faced a couple of small 20,000 stacks, but generally the conflict has been straightforward. Saxony and the HRE have also both made a decent contribution, which has sped up our occupation and reduced the number of small, newly recruited Austria armies we have had to chase down. Our manpower loses have not been too bad either, we have 20,000 in reserve.
Negotiations begin on the 11th, and we are able to demand a significant chunk of Austrian territory. Vienna will be reduced to two isolated provinces, surrounded by Prussian land. Our Empire will extend all the way to the Adriatic, leaving a rump Austria which is effectively only Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia and Venice.
The capture of Munich means we are ahead of France in the race for Land Dominance. We still need to knock them below 100% if we hope to become the dominant land power however.
the war with austia merely forestalls the inevitable. March to Paris then use pontoons to London. The Eagles shall reign supreme!
Great read! I played my first game as Prussia but didn't fight the Russians until they declared on me near the very end. Definitely need to boost manpower to stand a chance against them or France.
Very nice AAR. I truly hope you will win this LP/AAR contest as you really deserve it.
What roplox said^^^^
Possibly my favorite MotE AAR (although Svip's Ulm plays March of the Eagles is rather amusing
)Allways saddened when there is no update :'(
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Very ambitious! You are right that I need to broaden my horizons and clash with new enemies. I will promise you some naval warfare in the next update.
I fear I could easily have been in the same position if I had continued to put off a conflict against Russia. Their manpower reserves are huge, and since they start at war with Persia they seem to gain ideas relatively quickly. I was definitely worried when I noticed that they had the highest army quality in the game.
What roplox said^^^^
Possibly my favorite MotE AAR (although Svip's Ulm plays March of the Eagles is rather amusing
Allways saddened when there is no update :'(
Thank you both for your very kind words! I'd definitely recommend Svip's AAR, and 2Coats as well. Both give an excellent overview of the game, and encouraged me to buy the game. There are several interesting looking Let's Play's as well, which I'm hoping to catch up with as soon as I can. There are
I've managed to finish the Prussia game, and so intend to write three more updates to finish this AAR. The next chapter will be done over the weekend.
WHAT!?!?!? The weekend?!?!? this makes me a sad panda
was looking forward to a nice friday evening read
Nice AAR. Definitely shows MotE as a different breed than the usual Paradox titles, what with its focus on constant warfare (and yes, I know HOI does the same, but this doesn't appear to be as 'deep' as HOI). I'm not sure it's a game for me, but I am enjoying your AAR.
I keep forgetting to leave a comment even though I've been subbed for ages. I like it because it shows off the mechanics and explains what's happened and why it's important which is great for people who don't have the game. I also have Prussian ancestry so that's another aspect of its appeal to me. It's a shame to see it end so relatively soon but that's to be expected with a short-form game like MotE.
I noticed your manpower problems earlier on during your war with Russia. A little something I've discovered while playing as France - it may actually be more to your advantage to make as many satellites as you can, the reason being that uncored territory doesn't provide much in the way of manpower/money. Playing as France, I made satellites of most of Germany until I could form the RHC. Because I had so many satellites, I was able to form roughly five corps (50k+ each) of foreign troops. I believe you do have to pay for the upkeep (which can get rather expensive) but the manpower for them is drawn exclusively from the satellite.
Those lost battles in Russia hurt a lot. At least you learnt something and picked up a lot of idea points.
WHAT!?!?!? The weekend?!?!? this makes me a sad panda
Well I would hate to disappoint...
Yeah, it certainly is different. It's of course a Paradox title, and the general feel of the layout and the map is recognisable, but for me March of the Eagles is what would be playable if Paradox ever made an arcade machine! It's a change of pace compared to HoI, Cursader Kings, Victoria or Europa Universalis - but as long as you don't expect it to be something it isn't its an incredibly enjoyable game. If you aren't sure, Paradox have made a demo available - check it out!
Nice to have you here Sirk! Yeah, it is certainly a shorter game, although there is as always a bucket load of reply value. I also see that the first patch has been released today, so I'm looking forward to trying a game with that.
This is definitely good advice. Satellites have to provide you with armies if you ask for them, and so a better strategy to maximise my manpower would have been to create and acquire more satellites. I've not really taken advantage of Saxony and the HRE in this game, but rather let tem do their own thing. The only drawback of having setellites is that you don't get the satisfaction of painting the map!
Yeah, there were some pretty heavy defeats there. Largely due to poor leadership (both in game generals and on my part!) The idea points are some consolation, but there are definitely lessons to be learned about army composition. Had I been playing against humans, rather than the AI, I would have lost that war heavily.
Chapter 7 – A Naval Adventure
It is November 1817, and that means we have just 25 months left before the game ends. My manpower has still not quite recovered fully, although I am regaining at over 10,000 per month thanks to the Austrian conquests. Depot contrction continues in all provinces which generate manpower. France and Britain, although back at war, are relatively inactive. Although I’d like to strike, now is not the time.
A tempting target lies to the north. Denmark are struggling, having lost much land in Norway to Great Britain. They are currently fighting Sweden, and losing, with the Swede’s having taken the capital. On the 11th November, I declare war.
The invasion plan is relatively straightforward. Taking advantage of the military access I negotiated with France, 24,000 men will march and siege the Danish fort at Hamburg. A further 20,000 will be transported by the enlarged Prussian navy to attack the Danish fort Fredericia, which lies on the Jutland peninsula. This plan is put into action in December 1817, and we do not encounter any resistance at land or sea.
By December, we have also again accumulated 200 idea points. These are used to select the first artillery idea, Preliminary Bombardment, which gives our units a 25% increase to defence. Artillery has long formed a significant component of our armies, so it makes sense to strengthen them now.
The war in Denmark proceeds without any difficulty. Our forces spread out and by July 1818 capture most of the Danish homeland, with only the fortress at Fredericia, and the Danish held Kobenhavn not under our control. Our manpower has also recovered in this time, we now have a minor reserve of 29,000. I also repay one of my two loans. I decide that the time is right to launch stage two of our naval adventure. On the 7th July we declare war on Sweden, and our forces advance to Kobenhavn.
For some reason, the Danes perceive this attack on Sweden as a call to action, and their navy finally venture out to challenge our control of the seas on the 23th July. We suffer a heavy defeat at the Battle of North Oresund, losing half our fleet including three ships of the line. We are only able to sink a single Danish transport – clearly the gulf in ship quality and technology was too large. This effectively ends our capacity to engage in overseas warfare, although we still have two armies in Denmark who can take the fight to Sweden if the strait is clear.
As our fleet returns to port, our forces concentrate on taking the remaining Danish fortresses. Manpower is quickly recovering, with our reserve now up to 37,000. This is despite recruiting an additional 50,000 soldiers in the Prussian homeland. By August, we again have 200 idea points, and chose to take the third idea in the shock category; Pure Elan. This increases the prestige we gain from land battles by 50%.
In September, we finally capture Fredericia, and our army advances toward the strait which separates Sweden and Denmark. Great Britain also regains naval dominance, and Spain forms a coalition against them. Hopefully this will signify an increased activity in the war between France and Britain, which we will look to capitalise on.
On the 3rd September, Kobenhavn falls to our forces, and our 40,000 men cross the strait into Sweden. France have taken a state from Sweden in a previous war, which means we can easily advance along the narrow corridor of Swedish land in the south. Kobenhavn and a town in the south of Sweden are naval dominance objectives for us, capturing both these means that by the 20th December we get the notification informing us we are close to victory. We need must relieve France as the dominant land power, and Great Britain as the dominant naval power. Overall, we have 92% dominance score, far greater than any other country.
With Sweden occupied in a conflict against Denmark in the north, we are able to leave our forces occupying their southern towns and review the game situation. The Country comparison reveals that no power enjoys a decisive advantage. We have the largest army, with over 350,000 men. Russia are a close second, with 310,000, while France and Britain have fallen away a little with 299,000 and 239,000 respectively. Our army quality is also the highest in the game; 191% versus our closest competitor France who are rated 174%. Note that Russia have fallen away majorly, when I fought them their army quality was above 160% but it has dropped to 121%, one of the lowest among major powers. However, our advantages are significantly qualified by our poor manpower. We have 30,000, while France and Russia have over 170,000 each. Great Britain and even Spain have four and three times the manpower reserves we have respectively. We also have a further 9 brigades currently being recruited.
Income also paints a less positive picture. We are third with 1,970, this compares poorly with the Ottoman’s 2,800 and even worse when compared to France with their monstrous 4,020.
Of the two powers that remain, France pose the biggest threat. However, we stand to gain far more through a war with the French. To knock them off their perch as the dominant land power, we will require only 1 of their objectives. Thankfully, four are within relatively close grasp; Arnhem in the Netherlands lies right over the border, a province in Hanover borders our territory in Oldenburg and our core lands in Prussia, Brussels in Belgium is only a few provinces away, and Basel in Switzerland also looks vulnerable. If we can capture any of these four cities, we will become the dominant land power.
So, do you win if you take French land dominance away from them? If that's all it takes, you could wait till close to the end of the game, attack/besiege one of those objective cities and hopefully bring down the curtains before the French use the 170,000 people they have in manpower.
Anyway, nice progress on opportunistically taking over almost half of Europe.
Anyway, nice progress on opportunistically taking over almost half of Europe.
There will be a few twists in the next year, I'd hoped for a relatively exciting end and it's played out that way thankfully.
Thanks, I'll need it!
So, do you win if you take French land dominance away from them? If that's all it takes, you could wait till close to the end of the game, attack/besiege one of those objective cities and hopefully bring down the curtains before the French use the 170,000 people they have in manpower.
Anyway, nice progress on opportunistically taking over almost half of Europe.
Haha that did occur to me, but I thought it would be a little gamey, and also not particularly entertaining for readers either I'd imagine, watching 11 months of nothing then a dash! I certainly have crept about and been very lucky that no one has challenged my steady expansion.
Thanks all for the comments, penultimate update on its way.
Endgame part 1
On the 7th January 1819, with a year left of the game we decide to act. We cancel our military access with France, and stop recruiting. We still have another 8 brigades on the way, and our manpower has reached just under 40,000 in reserve. France are at war with Britain and their alliance, which at this stage consists of just Cyrenaica, and are in a separate war against Russia.
As we progress into February, our armies are almost in position. Britain have just launched a large offensive against France in Hanover, and are succeeding having defeated the first wave of French and Dutch armies. By the 20th February, they Brits have captured the city of Hanover, which reduces French land dominance below 100% - making us the dominant nation!
This fortunate turn of events presents us with a few options. We can proceed as planned and take the war to the French, which given their current predicament looks an attractive option. Alternatively, and this is given very real consideration, we can attack the British and seize there territory around Hamburg. The problem with this is it would aid France in regaining their territory in Germany, and we would be vulnerable in Scandinavia to British attack. Finally, we could conceivably sit on our advantage, and just try to defend our position for the remainder of the year.
After a few days of deliberations, we opt to proceed with the original plan and attack France on the 23rd February.
We face France and their allies, and our war with Denmark and Sweden continues so the diplomatic map is worryingly red. France bring Switzerland, Italy and the Netherlands to the war who all share a border with us, as well as Tuscany, the Papacy and Sicily. Initially, there are no French or allied forces close to our border, and our armies are able to advance unopposed. We have a two armies who will take care of the Dutch, and a solitary force in the South to contain the Swiss and Italians, while the bulk of our forces will be concentrated on the French Rhineland.
At the start of March, we have the necessary 200 idea points, as so we choose 'Coordinated Moves' from the Land Movement Ideas. This increases the evasion of our armies by 25%, although this is not a tactic we have used so far.
IT doesn't take long for French forces to begin to show up, and we are soon engaging with smaller French and Dutch stacks around Arnhem. A large French force is assembled in the south, and they attack our besieging forces at Strassbourg. We pull together three armies to repel them, which is just as well as the French are fantastically led. General Louis de Saint-Hilaire commands less than half the number we poor into the battle, and yet inflicts huge losses before withdrawing. We lose over 40,000 of the 98,000 who engage, while French losses are less severe at 22,700. Despite winning the battle, we actually gain more idea points than the French due to these losses. A number of smaller French armies swarm around the Strassbourg/ Colmar region.
These smaller armies do not attack us at this stage however, so we are offered the opportunity to capture some of the border towns. On the 26th April, we sign a treaty with Sweden who cede a town in Scania. This will allow our armies in Swedish to capture the French territory to the north. Despite our heavy losses, we still have over 40,000 manpower remaining, although all our armies have suffered some attrition.
Northern front against Denmark following the Swedish Surrender
Throughout April we record some success, as the remaining French armies are scattered and several smaller stacks beaten, even those led by de Saint-Hilaire. The Dutch also prove unable to resist, and we have soon wiped out their forces and laid siege to the forts on our border. On the 6th May, we receive some disappointing news; Great Britain have decided to end the war with France. They take Hanover and some territory in Siciliy, but since there are only 7 months left by this point and so this ends the British contribution to the wars against France. This also disbands the coalition against France, which means someone could potentially form one against us.
The fighting against France remains of a low intensity, but steady, Small stacks are continually passing through Switzerland and attacking the Saxon forces, who are doing a relatively good job of subduing Italy. The massive level three fortress there arrests their progress somewhat however.
We lack sufficient forces to prevent the Dutch from recruiting, but their armies and swiftly dealt with when they travel into Westfalen. By the 21st May, French war capacity has fallen to 30%, lower than our 51%. They also have a dangerously high war exhaustion of 11.29 – clearly their forces are suffering greatly on the Russian front. The French are also now fighting the Ottomans, although the Turks are also fighting the Austrians and the Russians. The Balkans are a real mess right now.
In the northern theatre, France have no men or ships defending their Swedish land and our forces advance unopposed to Göteborg. In what is a strange move, the Italians choose to neglect the defence of their home territory and send 16,000 men to face us in the frigid northern battlefields. One of our stacks can only muster 13,000 due to the effects of attrition. However, George von Pirch leads this wearied force to a massive victory over the larger Italian force. We lose less than 3,000 while Italian casualties number over 11,000. The retreating army is chased down and routed after a few attempts at a defence.
More battles like this please!
By the 24th June we are managing to grind down the Dutch resistance. The Fortress at Utrecht has fallen, as has the town of Nijmegen, and our forces siege the town of Amsterdam and the fortress of Maastricht. Much of the French Rhineland has fallen as well, and our armies have reached Liege with Namur just the next town over.
Situation in the Dutch theatre in June
In the Swiss theatre our forces have advanced about two provinces deep, and have captured the major French border forts. In Italy the Saxons hold the occasional province, but without capturing one of the towns or forts these revert to Italian control as soon as they vacate them. A quick glance further south shows that relations between France and Spain have broken down, giving France yet another theatre to divert men to.
As we approach the end of June, our advance remains promising. However, we are badly strung out and French troop numbers are increasing. On the 30th June, we receive very unwelcome news; the Tsar has surrendered to Napoleon. Russia release Greece and the Grand Duchy of Warsaw. Not only does this free up the soldiers engaged in the east, but also gives France a useful ally on our eastern border. We instantly begin recruiting as many infantry brigades as we can with our remaining 19,000 manpower in case they should join the conflict.
Throughout the first part of July, our sieges proceed, but France and the Netherlands also must two armies and begin sieges at Strassbourg and Utrecht. We may have to limit the number of concurrent sieges and concentrate more men on dealing with these small hostile forces. Then on the 23rd July, the French call Warsaw into the war. Our forces will not be ready for a number of days, but thankfully the new state have not yet managed to recruit any armies to threaten us.
In 50 days our six infantry brigades will be ready; this will hopefully be enough to hold Warsaw at bay, and perhaps even capture some land. We attempt to open negotiations with the French, demanding all the western border provinces. Regrettably they are unwilling to agree to these terms, the peace offer is worth 30 war score, while our score in the conflict is just +27%. Meanwhile the French and Dutch are slowly increasing their troop numbers in the West, and we are rapidly reaching a point where we will be unable to advance any further without our forces becoming far to isolated.
Only five months to go...
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