For now I'm going to provide another update from my v1.1c game. Still not 100% sure I'll switch it to v1.2 although it's still likely I will.
What I may do is show you what I did with v1.1c first, then re-do with v1.2. Not sure yet.
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Since my energy has ballooned like it has, I'll stop the energy deal I had going with Germany in order to get some money back. I'll build up money again so I can make a go at my Crude Oil stockpile -- it's dwindling, and I'm concerned.
This trading back-and-forth is part of an intentional strategy. I’ll build up one stockpile until it’s sufficient – until it’s a little above where I want it to be – then I’ll let it slip away slowly as I concentrate on something else, hoping I can come back to the other before it’s passed below a level where I can get it back. Eventually, if this is successful, I’ll build up each stockpile gradually without running out of money.
In mid-July, our research pays off by improving our Industrial Production. The 2.5% increase in IC successfully combines with other modifiers to give us 12 available IC, rather than 11. A nice step for a productively starved Portugal!
Portugal’s trading strategy, as well as her spread-out colonial structure, will always require a lot of convoy transports. We’re building more of those with our paltry IC (less than 4 directed toward Production right now). Also trying to build garrisons, and there’s some cavalry on the priority list, but I’m not sure yet when it will get built. There’s a reminder toward the bottom of the queue that we need to build a fort in Macao, as well as our need to build more troops transports too!
Another deal with Romania for Crude Oil will reduce our stockpile loss in Oil from nearly 4 per day to only 2 per day – a reduction in loss is a good thing when we lack the financial capability to build it up just yet.
On the espionage front, we’re reducing Portugal’s neutrality, of course. But we’re also increasing Republican Spain’s threat – this is a hedge against the possibility of her winning the Civil War.
I’m not actually expecting such a win, despite British and French aid (in addition to Soviet, as she had historically). The Nationalists seem to be doing alright. By mid-July, they’ve eliminated a pocket of Republicans up near El Ferrol (northwest Spain) and will have a solid front toward the east and south, and won’t need to worry about their backside.
By the end of August, we’re busy spreading our garrison troops out. Sao Tome will not be a garrisoned island for now – we’ve got other priorities – but many of our troops will pass through there as a way station. The Nationalists have retained the nearby colony of Rio Muni (the province of Bata).
With South Africa so near – a likely opponent – and French colonies too – another likely opponent – we must look to the defense of not just Angola, but also Mozambique (on the other side of Africa) and Cabinda (that small scrap of green Portuguese territory to the north of the Belgian Congo (in purplish gray).
In the next screenshot, you’ll see Mozambique (in the lower left), and Goa (Pangim - way up north). Italy occupies much of the Horn of Africa, but the British and French virtually hold the Indian Ocean and everything that touches it as their own enormous lake! This will be a hostile environment to be crossed by our convoys and troops if we ever go to war against them.
Our research priorities now are Education – to increase our leadership points – and the second level of Industrial Production. There will not be many times when Portugal will not be concentrating on Industrial Production, because we’re desperately in need of more IC.
Why don’t I just increase my economic laws? I probably could by now – our neutrality has been reduced some – but I want to get a decent level of resource stockpiles before I start spending them like water, which is what happens at higher levels of economic mobilization.
I’m researching both, militia techs and infantry techs, slowly. I have both – I need to improve both. I’m only researching Small Arms and Support Weapons for each, though – if I ever face armour, I’m screwed anyway, so why increase hard attack? And toughness isn’t as important to me as my soft attack ratings and my defensiveness. If I have time to focus on those later, I will, but I don’t have a lot of time, relative to my ability to do research and production. This is a rush job, and I concentrate on what’s most important to defend what I have. Even my offense will be “smash-and-grab” so defense will be critical to hold onto those “grabbed” territories.
We’ve got 2 ½ research projects going at a time – low, but tolerable. In hindsight, I should have switched my attention away from spies by this point – the Republicans were going to lose. But I missed that. Wasted leadership – oh well.
By October, we begin to move our infantry away from the border with Spain, as the Civil War is going decidedly in the Nationalists’ favor. We have better uses for those troops in our colonies than here at home. Portugal itself is relatively defensible, and besides if we’re seriously invaded at home as a major-power target, there’s not much we can do to prevent defeat. However, Portugal cannot do much offensively with its troops if they’re not dispersed to defend the colonies – and to use the colonies as bases.
As I’ve said before, this is a “go big or go home” gambit – we win big, or we lose big. Portugal will benefit from both, planning and luck. We’re hoping the great powers will be too distracted to pay much attention to our vulnerabilities, when war actually comes!
In mid-November, we’re finally in a position where we can start rebuilding our Oil stockpile. It’s diminished to the point of 678 units – that’s too low. With 3 Oil coming in from the USA every day, that will slowly build our reserve back, and we’ll be able to maintain our other stockpile-building projects for a while (we’re increasing Metal and Rare Materials, while Energy is in maintenance mode like my Oil has been for a while – I’m losing it slowly, but have enough coming in to prevent wholesale elimination of the stockpile). Note that our Supplies are remarkably low – I’ll need to fix that. And soon.