Games Hearts of Iron IV - W3D Hub showdown 2

[Nodlied]

Hello people! It has been about a year since we've had a game of Hearts of Iron IV, which, at least to me, has been a bit too long. I know that a few of us want to have another go at the game and either have thought of some interesting ideas as how to win the match or have been playing for long enough not to make some of the rookie mistakes we've seen last time.


What to expect

Last year, the Axis won an overwhelming victory by the start of 1941 thanks to a mistake by the Comintern players, allowing the Axis to quickly snowball and overwhelm the Allies. This year we will once again be playing a historical scenario in which teams of players will take on each other to accomplish the objectives and take the title of 2019.

When this game will take place is up to you guys. I propose a game somewhere during the week of 20-26th of October, but if you guys have other ideas, let me know.

Additionally, what should we use for our chat? Teamspeak or Discord?

 

Rules

Of course there are some rules to prevent shenanigans from occuring and ruining the game as HoI IV still has some issues here and there.

Spoiler

• Nations are bound to their historical path. This means that you are not allowed to deviate from the paths specified in the nations list located further below unless stated otherwise. This means, for example, that France cannot turn Communist and join the Comintern.
   
• Boosting ideologies or staging coups in other nations, unless done via focus tree, is not allowed. This is because this mechanic is horribly broken as it can easily break games when ideology boosts or coups result in a civil war.
   
• No manually justifying wargoals until at least two of the major factions are at war. Until then, the only ways to go to war are:
  1. You have claims or cores on territory that you do not own. (example: Italian claims on Yugoslavia) You are allowed to justify war when you have these.
  2. You have a national focus or decision to go to war.
  3. You've gone to war by issuing a guarantee on another nation and honouring that. (example: the UK guarantees Poland before Danzig or War)
  4. You got an event that allowed you to go to war. (example: the Panay incident that allows the US to go to war with Japan... at a hefty penalty)
   
• Players playing puppets have to listen to the orders of their overlord if said overlord cannot be persuaded otherwise.
   
• The Allies cannot deny Germany the Rhineland and either the Demand Sudetenland OR Demand Slovenia focusses.

 

Victory Conditions

Unlike last year, where each faction had to control 2 enemy capitals and Warsaw, this time each faction has a slightly different objective.

Spoiler

For the Allies, this means that:

• They need to control 2 of the following: Berlin, Rome, Moscow, Tokyo.
• Control Warsaw.
   

For the Axis, this means that:

• They need to control 3 of the following: Paris, London, Washington, Moscow.
• Control Warsaw.
   

For the Comintern, this means that:

• They need to control the following: Berlin, Rome, Paris, Warsaw.

 

Additionally, a faction cannot win if one of their major's capitals is occupied. (example: The Axis, controlling Paris, London, Moscow and Warsaw, cannot win if Rome is occupied.)

 

Playable nations

As per last year, there will only be a certain amount of nations that you can play as. Nobody likes a world war 2 when everybody is playing the most irrelevant of minors. Inside each of the spoilers is a list of playable majors and minors in each specific faction. Some nations might have mutually exclusive focus tree paths, in which case, the important ones will be highlighted in the spoiler, with the green option representing the choice you have to go and the red option the one you are not allowed to go.

Allies

The Allies are represented by the many democracies in the world as well as the unfortunate souls that got invaded by the Axis during the war. They are led by the United Kingdom at the start of the game. The playable nations are the 3 majors, the commonwealth as well as nations that can fight on after capitulation.

Spoiler

Majors:

United Kingdom

Paths:
Reïnforce the Empire <---> Revisit Colonial Policy
Steady as she goes <---> A change in course

Additional rules: None

 

France

Paths:
Support the status quo <---> Revise Versailles
Go with Britain <---> Little Entente

Additional rules: A French player is not allowed to jump ship to Vichy France.

 

United States of America

Paths:
Continue the new deal <---> Reestablish the gold standard

Additional rules: The United States is not allowed to progress focusses beyond the ''Reach out for the Ware Group''. The United States is not allowed to pick the following focusses: ''Desegregate the armed forces'' and ''Union representation act''.

 

Minors:

Canada

Paths:
Strengthen the Commonwealth ties <---> Patriation

Additional rules: None

 

British Raj

Paths:
Indian National Congress <---> Swaraj

Additional rules: None

 

South Africa

Paths:
Support the policy of appeasement <---> Abandon Westminister

Additional rules: None

 

Australia

Paths:
Support the policy of appeasement <---> Never another Gallipoli

Additional rules: None

 

New Zealand

Paths:
Support the policy of appeasement <---> Never another Gallipoli

Additional rules: None

 

Netherlands

Paths:
Cave to the British <---> Maintain Trade Neutrality <---> Cave to the Germans
Go with Britain <---> Lead the minor democracies

Additional rules: None

 

Axis

The Axis are represented by the Axis and the East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere. Even though these factions are seperate ingame, they're counted as one in this list, as they have the same goals. Beyond the 3 majors, the Axis have a few minor members who either willingly joined, or were forced to join due to outside pressure from either the Axis or the great Communist Thread beyond...

Spoiler

Majors:

German Reich

Paths:
Rhineland <---> Oppose Hitler
Danzig or War <---> Danzig for Slovakia
War with the USSR <---> Alliance with the USSR

Additional rules: None

 

Italy

Paths:
Pact of Steel <---> Italy First

Additional rules: None

 

Japan

Paths:
Purge the Kodoha faction <---> Support the Kodoha faction <---> Strengthen Civilian Government <--> The Unthinkable option

Additional rules: Japan is not allowed to go to war with the Soviet Union unless Stalingrad has fallen.

 

Minors:

Manchukuo

Paths:
Obedience <---> Assertiveness

Additional rules: Manchukuo is not allowed to go to war with the Soviet Union unless Stalingrad has fallen.

 

Hungary

Paths:
Strengthen Fascists <---> Councill of People's Commissars OR Elect a Fascist King <---> Elect a Democratic King <---> Invite the Habsburg Prince
Trade deal with Germany <---> Renew the Rome protocols

Additional rules: None

 

Romania

Paths:
Preserve Greater Romania <---> Balkan Dominance

Additional rules: Romania has to join the Axis, it doesn't matter what government it has appointed. Romania is allowed to either go Fascist or stay Non-Aligned.

 

Comintern

The Comintern is by far the smallest faction in terms of players. They're the Communists centered around Eurasia and have the biggest army in the world at the start of the game. It is represented by the Soviet Union and its few fellow minor nations.

Spoiler

Majors:

Soviet Union

Paths:
The Great Purge <---> Permanent Revolutionary

Additional rules: The Soviet Union has to do the Great Purge before 1938. The Soviet Union is not allowed to go to war with Japan and the Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity sphere unless the European Axis have fallen. The Soviet Union can be Co-Opped by two players.

 

Minors:

None

 

 

Wildcards
There are a total of three wildcards in the game. Each of these has a seperate path it can go down, although all of them come with their own limitations.

Spoiler

Spain

Paths:
Collectivist Ethos <---> Liberty Ethos

Additional rules: A Spanish Player is supposed to go with Nationalist Spain and, if they win the civil war, join the Axis no ealier than the German invasion of the Soviet Union. If the Nationalist Spain player somehow loses the civil war, then the player has to select Republican Spain after the civil war and join the Comintern.

 

China

Paths:
None

Additional rules: A Chinese player is allowed to go down whatever path he or she pleases. However, China cannot join any of the three major factions unless it has won against Japan. China is only recommended for those who have to leave the game earlier than others.

 

Communist China

Paths:
None

Additional rules: A Communist China player is allowed to go down whatever path he or she pleases. However, Communist China can only join the Chinese United front or the Comintern.

 

Sign-ups

So how do you sign up? Well, that's easy! Tell me in this thread if you want to join together with your preferred date and nation. If two or more players sign up as the same major, then the more experienced player will get priority to playing that major. The only exception is the Soviet Union, which can be played by two players.

It is important to note that we prefer having the Majors filled before the minors. That said, you can always sign up as a minor, even though you might be asked to play a major if we have a lack of players.

Allies

- Fraydo (France)

 

Axis

-

 

Cominterm

-

 

Wildcards

- 

 

That said, all rules and such are open for debate.

[Voe]

Ready as always

[Liten]

>Buy musket for home defense

>Finally one night I hear a crash

>Dawn my powdered wig and petticoat, musket is ready to fire

>My home surround sound is also primed and ready to play "The Royal Hussars"

>Hit play

>"TALLEY HO LADS!"

>Run downstairs and into my European Sphere

>Two Axis Majors are carrying away Czechoslovakia

>Put a basketball sized hole in Italy

>Germany attempts to drop Czechoslovakia and run

>"AFFIX BAYONETS GENTLEMEN"

>Charge after him.

>Jam my bayonet into his anus as he tries to climb back through the Sudetenland

>Call America

>Have tea ready for them.

[Voe]

I have a feeling I know who the first Britain candidate is.

[FRAYDO]

So are we putting all the good players on one faction and the other gets curbstomped or what

[Nodlied]

2 minutes ago, FRAYDO said:

So are we putting all the good players on one faction and the other gets curbstomped or what

There's a reason I haven't picked a nation yet. Although I'm assuming Liten goes for the UK, judging by his post.

[FRAYDO]

Can I bring back the Mexican Empire

[Nodlied]

1 minute ago, FRAYDO said:

Can I bring back the Mexican Empire

Look at the list of nations and see if you can find Mexico.

Mexico would be fine for a ''whatever a-historical shit you want'' game, which could be the next one. This one is supposed to be semi-historical though. And in that case, Mexico didn't do shit, nor is its focus tree clear enough to present a good and clear path.

 

That said, if people want to know some tips regarding some nations, let me know, I'll try my best to help you out and answer questions regarding strategies and counters.

[FRAYDO]

7 hours ago, Nodlied said:

Wildcards
There are a total of four wildcards in the game. Each of these has a seperate path it can go down, although all of them come with their own limitations.

 

7 hours ago, Nodlied said:

Found it.

[FRAYDO]

France

22 October, 24 October, 26 October

[Nodlied]

15 hours ago, FRAYDO said:

France

Noted

[Voe]

I see no problem including mexico as an available to play minor. It's a pretty fun nation, especially with human US and UK not fricking you up.

[FRAYDO]

I suppose we would need more players before allowing Mexico as a playable Minor/Wildcard nation.

[Nodlied]

Welp, it seems that we haven't reached any sort of public.

 

I'll leave the thread up for a while to delay the game until a later date. That said, @FRAYDO, you still up for a game tonight? Perhaps we can cook up a way to get this out there while we're at it.

[Category 5 Hurricane]

I would play. I'll have to get back to you on when I would be available.

[FRAYDO]

On 10/19/2019 at 5:38 AM, Nodlied said:

I'll leave the thread up for a while to delay the game until a later date. That said, @FRAYDO, you still up for a game tonight? Perhaps we can cook up a way to get this out there while we're at it.

Sorry that I wasn't around this weekend! Had the weekend shift.

[Retaliation]

I really need to look at the other forums more D:.

[Category 5 Hurricane]

I won't be available for this through at least November 3rd.

[Nodlied]

14 hours ago, Retaliation said:

I really need to look at the other forums more D:.

Last time, I put it in the forum games subforum and got the question to move it to off-topic to reach more people.  Guess that didn't work out as well.

 

4 hours ago, Category 5 Hurricane said:

I won't be available for this through at least November 3rd.

Chances are that I won't be either. We'll have to plan this well in advance. Currently I believe that we have at least 6 people willing to join if I'm correct. (You, Retaliation, Fraydo, Liten, Voe, and Myself. Although if Pluk joins, we'll have 7. Just a few more and we'll have a grand old time.)