Against Entente AI

[Randomizer]

With Compiegne you're a major threat to Paris but winter combat can be costly so good luck with that. I generally prioritize Bulgaria over Romania for diplomatic effort, their army is slightly better quality and once Serbia is gone, it completes the overland route to Turkey.

-C

[Metalist]

The Russians did not have a chance to fortify their position in Königsberg, and the city returns to the Reich.

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Austria-Hungary manages to relieve Krakau.

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The Serbs fail to break out, and their attempt to capture Foca ends in disaster.

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In the West, the 1st Army wrests Compiegne from the Russians (!) and moves one step closer to Paris.

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,

With Compiegne you're a major threat to Paris but winter combat can be costly so good luck with that. I generally prioritize Bulgaria over Romania for diplomatic effort, their army is slightly better quality and once Serbia is gone, it completes the overland route to Turkey.

-C

My aim is just to keep Romania out of war for a little while longer, as Austria-Hungary is already not doing good.

[Metalist]

An Interphase occurs after the normal turn each May, August, and November–December. During this phase, parliament, strategic warfare, and instability tests are conducted; political actions are implemented; and the national budget is calculated.

The parliament mood represents the extent to which the population supports the war effort. As the war drags on, support typically declines, which makes it harder to enact political actions and increases the risk of instability. As seen below, the German parliament is currently at its highest level of fervor. For Germany, I attempt to improve the war economy twice, as the nation can absorb the resulting hit to National Will.

National Will (NW) is a crucial element of the game. It directly affects combat morale. For example, because Germany currently has high NW, the army receives a +1 bonus during morale checks. Heavy casualties and the loss of important cities reduce NW, while victories and conquests increase it. Once NW falls below a certain threshold (20, to be precise), social unrest—strikes, mutinies, revolution, even surrender—begins to pose a serious threat.

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I have to be economical with screenshots since each post is limited to four attachments. So you can't see it here, but I also adopted the submarine warfare political option, which has a high chance of success (75%). Another interesting option is that Germany can send an Expeditionary Force (the XI “Süd” Army) to one of the following fronts: Italy, the Caucasus, the Near East, or the Balkans. Currently, only the Caucasus and Near East are eligible (50% chance each). I’m a bit confused here: Bulgaria grants passage rights thanks to diplomatic efforts, but Serbia is still on the map, so it seems odd that I can send an army to assist the Ottomans. In any case, Germany can send one additional army to one of those fronts, but with a difference: the XI Army transfers immediately upon successful adoption of the political order and may command foreign troops, while the extra army must be moved manually on the map.

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For Austria-Hungary, I choose not to expand the war economy, as its National Will is already low and the empire is more fragile overall. Instead, I take the diplomatic action aimed at Italy, “D’Annunzio,” which provides a diplomatic bonus if successful. If it fails, the Entente then attempts it automatically, and the sides continue rolling until one succeeds. I also attempt to raise National Will. Austria-Hungary can also send an expeditionary army—France and Russia have this option as well. The United Kingdom, however, does not require any political action and may freely deploy its armies across Allied fronts.

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For Turkey, my choices are more limited. I simply attempt to increase National Will, though the chance of success is low.

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[Metalist]

Good news first: Antwerp surrenders. Germany successfully adopts submarine warfare, though this pushes the United States further away. German industry gears more towards the war effort (from 7 to 5). Austria-Hungary succeeds in stirring war fervor in Italy; this will need to be followed by a diplomatic mission in the appropriate game phase. You can also see my reasoning for not adopting a full war economy.

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Now the bad news: France played an event card I had no idea was this powerful. Mutinies erupt across all Austrian-Hungarian armies, the Commander-in-Chief is dismissed (and he was actually a solid general), and National Will suffers a massive 6-point blow. The numbers in the boxes indicate how many corps in each army have shifted into “wounded” status.

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Ever more trouble for Austria-Hungary

[Randomizer]

Fortunately Austria's parliament remains at Sacred Union; that might buy enough time to weather the mutinies without a government collapse. Getting rid of Conrad cannot hurt either. Good Luck!

-C

[Metalist]

I'm afraid I have to put this AAR on hold. The Entente just stopped making any diplomatic missions. They are sending ambassadors, but no missions. This actually happened in my previous game too, I thought maybe it was just a rare occurrence but no. In fact, I found this thread mentioning the same problem, but no solution: http://www.ageod-forum.com/viewtopic.ph ... on#p181229

I will try to find a workaround. I was hoping to show that the game is playable, but apparently I did the opposite Of course later scenarios may work fine.