I've honestly hit a writer's bloc of biblical proportions with For the Emperor?! right now, and have several ideas for other AARs I've been keen to try out. This being the HOI2 AAR forum, I thought it would be the most appropriate place to pose a few of the ideas and get some feedback. I'd like to figure out what people think is the most interesting or unique ideAAR of the list. At the moment, I'm considering:
1. New Chinese warlord - Not just a new Chinese warlord faction, but one with ancestry tied to the Ming dynasty, as well as the noble Fujiwara family of Japan (who married daughters into the imperial line to gain political clout). There's already a long history of how this nation has survived so long independently against the Qing Empire and western expansionism, but it's too long to put in this breif description. What makes this idea more unique is that the faction is pretty much a Chinese amazonian faction; the courtiers and people of influence who fled to the area were largely women with daughters and young, if any, surviving sons. Because of this, the government and military are female-dominated. The faction's goals would likelt be to try and re-establish the Mandate of Heaven over China, possibly claim Japanese lands, etc.
2. Reformed Qing Empire - Suggested by KiMaSa, this'd be kind of Freedom Rises With the Sun with an Imperial Chinese twist. Basic idea involves the Empress Dowager's coup being crushed by the Emperor late in the 19th century, and reforms going forward. By the 1930s or so, there would be only one heir to the throne, a daughter of the Emperor and his favorite concubine. Probably less democracy than in FRWTS, and having to face off with the Japanese Empire instead of playing as it.
3. A united Kingdom of Benelux - Or maybe a surviving United Kingdom of the Netherlands? This is an idea that occured to me after playing around with a reformation of a united Central American Republic. Being of Dutch descent myself, I got to wondering what would happen if Holland were a bit more capable of defending itself around WWII. This led to the idea of uniting the Netherlands with Belgium and Luxembourg, creating a small but industrialized state that might be able to be a bigger player in things. The government would be dominated by Dutch and Flemish ministers, as a good deal of the Walloons from OTL's Belgium fled to France after a failed Belgian revolution. As for the ideology of the government? That'll wait until (or if) I write it. Definitely some political maneuvering between France and Germany, for sure, though.
4. Ukraine - Not sure how to set it up, but playing as an independent Ukraine has struck me as a very intriguing idea of late as well. Possibly they declared independence from Russia after the Bolshevik Revolution, then fended off a Soviet attempt at reconquest. An independent Ukraine would likely be a major player in southeastern Europe, and possibly an alternative influence to Russian/Soviet and German influence. They've got decent industry and tech teams, so I'd have a fighting chance if paired with shrewd politicking.
So those are the ideas as of the moment. What's your pick amongst 'em?
1. New Chinese warlord - Not just a new Chinese warlord faction, but one with ancestry tied to the Ming dynasty, as well as the noble Fujiwara family of Japan (who married daughters into the imperial line to gain political clout). There's already a long history of how this nation has survived so long independently against the Qing Empire and western expansionism, but it's too long to put in this breif description. What makes this idea more unique is that the faction is pretty much a Chinese amazonian faction; the courtiers and people of influence who fled to the area were largely women with daughters and young, if any, surviving sons. Because of this, the government and military are female-dominated. The faction's goals would likelt be to try and re-establish the Mandate of Heaven over China, possibly claim Japanese lands, etc.
2. Reformed Qing Empire - Suggested by KiMaSa, this'd be kind of Freedom Rises With the Sun with an Imperial Chinese twist. Basic idea involves the Empress Dowager's coup being crushed by the Emperor late in the 19th century, and reforms going forward. By the 1930s or so, there would be only one heir to the throne, a daughter of the Emperor and his favorite concubine. Probably less democracy than in FRWTS, and having to face off with the Japanese Empire instead of playing as it.
3. A united Kingdom of Benelux - Or maybe a surviving United Kingdom of the Netherlands? This is an idea that occured to me after playing around with a reformation of a united Central American Republic. Being of Dutch descent myself, I got to wondering what would happen if Holland were a bit more capable of defending itself around WWII. This led to the idea of uniting the Netherlands with Belgium and Luxembourg, creating a small but industrialized state that might be able to be a bigger player in things. The government would be dominated by Dutch and Flemish ministers, as a good deal of the Walloons from OTL's Belgium fled to France after a failed Belgian revolution. As for the ideology of the government? That'll wait until (or if) I write it. Definitely some political maneuvering between France and Germany, for sure, though.
4. Ukraine - Not sure how to set it up, but playing as an independent Ukraine has struck me as a very intriguing idea of late as well. Possibly they declared independence from Russia after the Bolshevik Revolution, then fended off a Soviet attempt at reconquest. An independent Ukraine would likely be a major player in southeastern Europe, and possibly an alternative influence to Russian/Soviet and German influence. They've got decent industry and tech teams, so I'd have a fighting chance if paired with shrewd politicking.
So those are the ideas as of the moment. What's your pick amongst 'em?
