German Empire, not quite an AAR...

[HerrDan]

The German 6th and 7th armies have began the advance towards London and a serie of bloody battles has taken place.
The british forces fought poorly and the british soldier seems exhausted with the war and the apparent inevitable defeat, the recent humiliating defeat to the americans only worsens the situation, it seems that after one century of dominance in the world affairs, the british empire is crumbling.

[ATTACH]28686[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH]28687[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH]28688[/ATTACH]

Meanwhile in Africa, the fight continues, and the british colonial forces launches a major offensive in South-West Africa.

[ATTACH]28689[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH]28690[/ATTACH]

[Kensai]

Game over for the British Empire. Naughty Wilhelm, he waited for grandma to die to spank his cousin, Edward!

I wonder what can be done after you beat the Brits. My advice is to stay in London for as long is needed to have enough warscore and ask for something big. Unless there is risk Russia or France could attack you...

[HerrDan]

Game over for the British Empire. Naughty Wilhelm, he waited for grandma to die to spank his cousin, Edward!

I wonder what can be done after you beat the Brits. My advice is to stay in London for as long is needed to have enough warscore and ask for something big. Unless there is risk Russia or France could attack you...

Actually, he's not my cousin, but my uncle, uncle Bertie, also known as Edward VII

Well, I don't want to destroy the british completelly as I still hope for a thrilling World War later, (then I guess I'll need your help with the chain, as I've heard it's broken), I just wanted to show the world who is in command now! and if the americans think they can do something about it, I'll put the plan to invade their cowboys country into action!

[HerrDan]

Jokes aside, I was very hesitant to land in Great Britain at first. I thought my armies couldn't face the british in their soil, but it seems the AI Great Britain sent to large forces overseas and forgot to defend their homefront, or maybe they thought I wouldn't dare to land there and I also think that the americans have probably damaged the british a lot before, so that the british were weakened.

[Kensai]

Well, if you had knocked the Royal Navy out of action beforehand, it should have been relatively easy to land and crush them. If you want to see a Great War in the historical era, you need to stop all wars NOW and let the nations build up their forces as soon as possible. But decide for your "reward" first! I would get a nifty African colony!

For a scripted Great War you simply need to think the defensive alliances. Given this alternate reality, I would have put most nations against Germany by now. Certainly an alliance of GBR-FRA-RUS should be there, ready to strike you.

[HerrDan]

Well, if you had knocked the Royal Navy out of action beforehand, it should have been relatively easy to land and crush them. If you want to see a Great War in the historical era, you need to stop all wars NOW and let the nations build up their forces as soon as possible. But decide for your "reward" first! I would get a nifty African colony!

For a scripted Great War you simply need to think the defensive alliances. Given this alternate reality, I would have put most nations against Germany by now. Certainly an alliance of GBR-FRA-RUS should be there, ready to strike you.

Do you think that given the circunstances of my "altarnate reality" it would be more realistical for a world war to start earlier than in 1914? I would love if you'd come with such a scripted Great War for me, setting the alliances and dates and so on, I could provide you with the current diplomatic picture, i.e my relations with other powers etc, but I agree that these three tou mentioned would surely come against me in such a war, what do you say?

[Kensai]

Sure can do that.
Send me the data. I will create something, perhaps tying it with the Balkan crises of circa 1910. But it will be tough, I am warning you. Most nations will be quite hostile to Germany as it disturbed the status quo through war. Start buckling up, they will probably create a Napoleonic-like coalition to put you down...

[HerrDan]

Sure can do that.
Send me the data. I will create something, perhaps tying it with the Balkan crises of circa 1910. But it will be tough, I am warning you. Most nations will be quite hostile to Germany as it disturbed the status quo through war. Start buckling up, they will probably create a Napoleonic-like coalition to put you down...

Well I have an alliance with Austria (very close) and another with Italy (triplice alliance, specially because the french hold Tunisia and it's a CB the italians have against them). Finland also has a defensive treaty with me as I liberated them and they see me as their "protector". I have also very good relations with the Ottomans (specially because I opposed Russia, but I see that every time I close with them this reflects negatively with the italians). With Spain I have a cordial relantion at the moment because I supported them in their war with the americans, so this makes the americans not very fond of me, although still neutral I guess because we both were at war with Great Britain at the same time (relations were poor before). Netherland, Switzerland and Sweden have good relantions also, specially because of our commercial agreement and support (the swedish, albeit neutral, were happy with my war with Russia). I have bad relations with most balkan states, only Rumania is a little closer because of family ties and the fact that they almost entered the triplice alliance years ago and a commercial agreement survived, so it's neutral, but positive, I have very poor relations with the other balkan states (probably because I support the ottomans and Austrians). Belgium is a neutral-bad relation and they fear me (who doesn't? :king , although we have a commercial agreement and Denmark is cordial toward us (also with commercial agreeement, probably out of necessity as I could easily crush them, but I'm also the most apt to defend them. With France we always had very bad relations (and some crisis in the past years), so they're sure to come against me. In the far east Japan probably see me as a competitor with control of many pacific islands, but at the same time I could serve to weaken russia, so it's up to you to decide their stance, China is neutral towards me. The Russian Empire I think I don't even need to mention, they hate me, and any other power close to them will probably hate me as well.

Tell me if you need any more information, most of this informations I provided you with can be found in this AAR in any case, but I'm here to help, you know I love challenges (but reasonable ones of course, that's why I like the idea of "blocks")

[Kensai]

Alrighty. I will start preparing. I hope you don't process turns too quickly, I will have it ready in a week or two.

[Christophe.Barot]

Oh my God! I was just going to test an event to force the AI to build a navy, and before I was going to write the script I went to check out my ally Italy naval bases and then at their largest naval base of Campania and LOOK WHAT I JUST FOUND THERE!!! They were already building a modern (well not that modern, but anyway surprised me a lot) steel battleship themselves!

[ATTACH]27926[/ATTACH]

Hi Herrdan

I may have missed something, but would like to check

first time I heard about AI building ships in an AAR... very interesting

what is your feedback of Royal navy actions ? in my experience, not only AI does not build navies, but their fleet doesn't show concentrated (I meen even the semi wodden ships at start)

in my Russian game British fleet "protected convoys" but failed to send a signifiant fleets in my shores (they attacked Alaska though) - had a victory against a very limited French squadron in black sea - Japan never built a fleet

in my german game, looked for British fleet (which was once in great numbers in southern china fleet fighting pirates I guess - had to open britain to find it) - then lost track - except convoy duties british fleet never showed up anywhere (may have created a blockade around China - my silk no longer arrived in hamburg during war) - no Hiome fleet and I landed unopposed in British isles (nothing serious, just had to take Nigeria cities which remained British in spite of me getting a protectorate there and 100% control - blocks building anything -and took New guinea where, by event, british beat me to the clock - were already very much german colonized)

what is your feedback of AI use of fleets (especially British, but interested in others ) ? I want to corroborate or infirm my observations

as anectode, built by event some japanese fleets (tested far east script in my game) - japanese AI sent it starve around madagascar/la Reunion (noticed it when my small Tanganyka cruiser squadron made a sortie to raid British trade and protect mine)

[HerrDan]

Hi Herrdan

I may have missed something, but would like to check

first time I heard about AI building ships in an AAR... very interesting

what is your feedback of Royal navy actions ? in my experience, not only AI does not build navies, but their fleet doesn't show concentrated (I meen even the semi wodden ships at start)

in my Russian game British fleet "protected convoys" but failed to send a signifiant fleets in my shores (they attacked Alaska though) - had a victory against a very limited French squadron in black sea - Japan never built a fleet

in my german game, looked for British fleet (which was once in great numbers in southern china fleet fighting pirates I guess - had to open britain to find it) - then lost track - except convoy duties british fleet never showed up anywhere (may have created a blockade around China - my silk no longer arrived in hamburg during war) - no Hiome fleet and I landed unopposed in British isles (nothing serious, just had to take Nigeria cities which remained British in spite of me getting a protectorate there and 100% control - blocks building anything -and took New guinea where, by event, british beat me to the clock - were already very much german colonized)

what is your feedback of AI use of fleets (especially British, but interested in others ) ? I want to corroborate or infirm my observations

as anectode, built by event some japanese fleets (tested far east script in my game) - japanese AI sent it starve around madagascar/la Reunion (noticed it when my small Tanganyka cruiser squadron made a sortie to raid British trade and protect mine)

Well, I had to use events to create a good navy for my AI adversaries, the russians used it well, concentrating it in the baltic and gulf of finland, I had fought some battles where my still superior navy won most of the battles, but they surprised me with a raid into the gulf of danzig and in this raid they sunk many ships of mine, so I can say that the russians knew how to use their navy well, not the same could be said about the british, Great Britain sent most of its ships to MTBs around the world and retreated from the North Sea to their ports with what was left of their navy, (some harbour defense monitors that were made for that), the AI most of the time use its navy terribly and it wasn't such a challenge to land in Great Britain as I thought it should have been, I fought a few battles with the british fleet around the seas, but they didn't concentrated theyr navy in any single moment, despite having a few dreadnoughts I gave them through event (the Loki event for naval builds, as I'm lazy i used the event without altering the dreadnoughts there, even though I didn't have dreadnoughts myself as the technology hadn't been discovered yet), they could have given me a headache with their navy, but as I see the problem is the AI tendency to send its fleet to MTBs.

Is there a way to change this behavior?

[HerrDan]

Alrighty. I will start preparing. I hope you don't process turns too quickly, I will have it ready in a week or two.

Ok, I can wait. And as you said it should happen around 1910, right? So I think I won't be there yet in a week or two of game play.

Thank you very much! I love the thrill of the challenge

[H Gilmer3]

I really want to see the word arrayed against the Mighty German empire. Too bad you can't go back and be their prime minister or something. Ahh, but then history would be different. No, that's not a good idea. Scratch that.

[HerrDan]

I really want to see the word arrayed against the Mighty German empire. Too bad you can't go back and be their prime minister or something. Ahh, but then history would be different. No, that's not a good idea. Scratch that.

Oh how I wish I could , then no USSR, no Nazism...oh..ok let's go back to the game!

[HerrDan]

Our glorious navy was able to intercept some british warships trying to broke out of our blockade, Tirpitz is always alert!

[ATTACH]28720[/ATTACH]

[HerrDan]

The british tried to raid our coast, but Tirpitz saved the day, sinking more english ships, it seems the british command should have read more of Mahan's book to learn how to use their naval power properly...

[ATTACH]28721[/ATTACH]

In London, the siege continues, but the british are completelly isolated, sooner or later they'll have to give up their arms. It's just a matter of time now.
While this the Swedish embassor visited me asking me if I wanted to redrawn the map of Europe, well I said no, we only want to take our place in the sun, nothing else and if it needs to be taken by force, then so be it. The british were the agressors here, we're merely defending our interests.

[HerrDan]

The Battle of Britain is still in course, Great Britain is bleeding to death with all this fights, and now they have raised armies of partisans and volunteers to defend their country, I pity them, I didn't want to make them suffer so much, if only they surrendered to our terms it would be all over right now. Ah...the british pride...

[ATTACH]28722[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH]28723[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH]28724[/ATTACH]

[HerrDan]

The german forces commanded by Prinz Leopold von Bayern have assaulted London and defeated the last british defenders in a bloody battle that lasted through several days, in the end the german superior forces captured the british capital putting an end to the british hope of resisting until reincorcements could arrive to the island saving their empire from the defeat.

The German Empire victory over the british has a deep simbolic meaning at the turning of the century, after a hundred years of world dominance, this defeat made it clear that a new age has begun and that the British Empire cannot hope to challenge the new emerging powers of The United States and The German Empire. "The battle is won, the English have been utterly defeated." Says the Kaiser Wilhelm after the triumphant victory at London.


The Battle of London
[ATTACH]28726[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH]28727[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH]28728[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH]28729[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH]28730[/ATTACH]

[HerrDan]

I have sent the strong 2nd army to deal with the british forces in West Africa, now I expect to halt the british advance into my african colonies.

West Africa Front
[ATTACH]28739[/ATTACH]

South-West Africa Front, where the situation has deteriorated a lot.
[ATTACH]28740[/ATTACH]

East-Africa Front, where the british are weaker and our forces perform brilhantly
[ATTACH]28741[/ATTACH]

The british Front, after capturing London our armies are now marching north, towards Scotland!

[ATTACH]28742[/ATTACH]

[HerrDan]

A british army came down from the Highlands! Probably a british ship pased through my blockade in the north, it's looks like the british last card!
[ATTACH]28747[/ATTACH]

[H Gilmer3]

There's going to be no one to face you in WW1.

[HerrDan]

There's going to be no one to face you in WW1.

They can rebuild their forces, just like in real life. It may take some time for them to recover from their losses, but they'll have a force to face me, besides that, the british have plenty of forces fighting overseas, that's how they have captured my Qingdao territory in China and most of my SüdwestAfrika and Lome, with armies as strong as this one in the isles, the problem they faced was that I planned my assault on the Islands very well, I concentrated my navy on the North Sea and defeated their home navy so that I could land 2 powerful armies on the Island, I guess I took them by surprise as they had only one army in the home front when I invaded them, so it was more a case of taking them unprepared than utterly destroying them, in the meantime with my blockade they couldn't land troops to reinforce their defenses on their home front (i.e I intercepted their transport ships as I surrounded their island etc), if they had concentrated their forces since the start of the war I would have a hard time capturing London like I did. But still they can recover from their losses even if I managed to defeat them all I guess.

[Kensai]

Do not worry, I am taking everything into consideration. I might add a couple of scripted units to start being recruited when the time is right. Focus on defeating the British at the moment. I hope to have your plugin script ready in a few days, before July.

Imagine the shock of having troops in the British capital. First time after Normans or so. Now, defeat the Scottish force and accrue warscore to get something beefy. Perhaps you could use it for war reparations or demanding the Brits to limit their forces. Otherwise, a nice colony overseas might be in order.

[loki100]

my experience was that between wars the British did indeed rebuild, and then kept most of their new army in the UK. But, as with other states, the new army tends to be more basic than the old, so mostly line corps giving you a potential qualitative advantage.

I'm not sure that reparations are that valueable in the late game (cash is too easy as it is), nor forcing them to destroy units and ships. Tends to mean they can then build shiny new stuff to replace it.

Go for colonies and let the remaining Warscore give you better relations?

[Kensai]

True, all the above. But I tend to suggest the most "realistic" offer always, cause there are literally too many gamey ways to cheat the AI. Generally though, it is a shame that money does not play a role after mid game or so. If ever a Gold version came up, there should be a normalizing algorithm that kicks your inflation to the top (or outright consumes money/capital) if a nation hoards resources of any kind. I have never seen a single game where a nation is not able to finance any kind of project by the later stages, including all current F7 R&D.

Takes part of the challenge away.

[HerrDan]

...

[HerrDan]

I'm still considering which colony should I get, I'm between getting a nice african one or gettig several islands around the globe to serve as naval bases for basing my naval operations overseas, making Germany somehow replace Great Britain as the ruler of the sea, as I think it would have been Kaiser Wilhelm's choice, as he was kinda fascinated by the naval power ideas and maybe in this rather agressive (and most successfull) version of the German Empire I'm roleplaying here this choice would be ideal? And about relations, I'm not really caring that much about having good relations with the british anymore, they declared war on me and in this game as I stated before, I'm roleplaying a very agressive welt politik. By the way which of the colonies ideas do you all think would be more fitting to the situation?

In any case, thank you very much Kensai for thinking about making my game more challenging and realistic, I'm very eager to see the chain of events you're creating for me!

[HerrDan]

My Austrian allies felt "threatened" by the expansion of the military in Rumania and a crisis went out of control and Austria declared war. Am I the only one thiking that my allies were envious of my military success and wanted to have their share of "glory" as well? Now a problem lies before me, as I'm supposed to support the Austrians, but that could then lead to a reaction from another power (who?)

[ATTACH]28753[/ATTACH]

Changing from one region to another, this british army is a bit scary isn't it? Specially because they only suffer 17% of penalty at the difficult level I play, so I think I'll wait for them to attack first.

[ATTACH]28754[/ATTACH]

[HerrDan]

The Austrian forces preparing to cross the borders into Rumania, this war really changes what I told you Kensai, about Rumania being in friend terms with the Central Powers...I guess the Austrians will crush Rumania in little time if no one intervenes...

[ATTACH]28756[/ATTACH]

The Battle of Wales

[ATTACH]28757[/ATTACH]

[HerrDan]

The british surrendered in Gibraltar! This is a great day for the nation! The british morale is crumbling and their forces are fighting poorly in all fronts, they have also attempted to assault our fortress in Angra, SüdwestAfrika, but failed miserably, in OstAfrika we achieved another victory pushing the british forces further back, we shall give them no relief. Only Scotland remains on our way!

The Surrender of Gibraltar
[ATTACH]28758[/ATTACH]

The Battle of Kazembe in East Africa
[ATTACH]28759[/ATTACH]

The failed british assault in Angra Fortress
[ATTACH]28760[/ATTACH]

Moltke (Junior) winning another great battle in England
[ATTACH]28761[/ATTACH]