How to fix Manpower as Ottomans?

[Beserker]

I tried out an Ottoman game, and my manpower was pretty much stuck at 0 forever. As non-aligned, you cannot change up from Limited without a war, and Greece, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia didn’t have enough men to let me bump it up...

Do you guys have any tips?
Thanks in advance!

 

[blahmaster6k]

Without exploits, not a whole lot you can do but wait for your leader with the weekly manpower trait. Alternatively you could disband some of your army until you can up your conscription law if you can still win the war afterwards.

 

[Iskulya]

Indeed. You're going to be fairly limited until you're at war.

Thankfully, it's very easy to overrun French Syria. Unfortunately though, even in the beta patch the decision to core French Syria is still bugged. After you occupy it, the decision does not recognize that you actually control all states. For me, the decision did not become able to be taken until I capitulated saudi arabia for some reason. You'll have manpower in spades as you start expanding.

 

[blahmaster6k]

Indeed. You're going to be fairly limited until you're at war.

Thankfully, it's very easy to overrun French Syria. Unfortunately though, even in the beta patch the decision to core French Syria is still bugged. After you occupy it, the decision does not recognize that you actually control all states. For me, the decision did not become able to be taken until I capitulated saudi arabia for some reason. You'll have manpower in spades as you start expanding.

The particular decision to core Syria, also requires Kuwait for some reason. That's why you couldn't do it.

 

[Beserker]

Indeed. You're going to be fairly limited until you're at war.

Thankfully, it's very easy to overrun French Syria. Unfortunately though, even in the beta patch the decision to core French Syria is still bugged. After you occupy it, the decision does not recognize that you actually control all states. For me, the decision did not become able to be taken until I capitulated saudi arabia for some reason. You'll have manpower in spades as you start expanding.

I imagine expanding could be a good way to get manpower, but pretty much all decisions to core former Ottoman land require going to war against the Allies or the Axis (or even the comintern, in the case of Romania). It’s really rough!

 

[blahmaster6k]

I imagine expanding could be a good way to get manpower, but pretty much all decisions to core former Ottoman land require going to war against the Allies or the Axis (or even the comintern, in the case of Romania). It’s really rough!

I'm in the middle of a pretty successful playthrough as the Ottomans. My strategy was to annex Greece then Yugoslavia before WWII, then prepare my forces and declare on Axis Bulgaria (they declined to be my puppet) after Germany goes to war with the USSR. I went up to Extensive Conscription during my war with Yugoslavia, which let me pump out plenty of divisions before war with the Axis. I got good war participation, and was able to annex Italy and Germany fully in the peace deal(i think the peace conference AI bugged out or something, or maybe no one was allowed to release east/west germany because I had occupied Germany during the war and they capitulated to me. The Ottoman leader gives really strong bonuses to compliance gain, so you will get plenty of factories. I joined the Allies to fight the Axis, and then was kicked from them right after the war ended. Right after that, the USSR justified on me and that's where I'm at right now.
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