BMN/FasterThanRaito's Hoi4/Paradox inspired maps

[FasterThanRaito]

It bothered me for a while that I wasn't using the same color schemes for my maps, so I'd been cleaning things up for a while and decided to re-upload everything. Finally, I have a single consistent system, where color parallels politics in a meaningful manner across the map series.
One can imagine the color wheel goes like this:
Blue - more democracy
Red - more communism
Yellow - more autocracy
Browns and Oranges mix the revolutionist red and militarist yellow for fascism
Green and Teal mix autocratic yellow and democratic blue for monarchies and flawed democracies
Pinks and Purples mix socialist red and democratic blue for social democracy, non-revolutionary socialism

In general, deeper colors are more "important".
The main exceptions are the national colors of Great Powers, who follow the above trend to varying degrees of strictness based on their original TACOS colors.

 

[FasterThanRaito]

China has had Muslims ever since the early travels of the Prophet's uncles and cousins into the Middle East and Central Asia. For centuries, the Hui people played a vital role in administering the various empires that rose and fell. Yet, of the Five Peoples of China, the Hui had yet to see an Empire of their own... Until the collapse of the Qing created the perfect opportunity amidst the chaos.

Although Muslim states were secured in the west under Hui warlord generals, much of China abandoned Monarchy, preferring unity under Chiang Kai-Sheck's Republic.
As the 1930's rolled in, the globe fell into increasing chaos. The first burning match on the pyre was the Japanese invasion of China in 1937.

Ma Bufang, leader of Gansu, in his infinite wisdom realized that a Chinese victory would strengthen a centralized, republican government. But if the central government failed, his clique would be there to pick up the pieces. The initial invasion caught the Chinese unawares, but their larger armies pushed the San Ma armies back. However, forcing China to fight on two fronts allowed the Japanese to capture Chunking, and with it the Republic fell.
For a while, there was peace, but then Japan was pulled into an ever-escalating border conflict with the Soviets, which resulted in full-scale war.
The San Ma quickly mobilized, to liberate the country from their foreign oppressors, and also ensure that the country didn't fall into the hands of anti-Muslim communists.

The war was hard-fought, as the Japanese had superior weapons, including tanks and aircraft that the Chinese could not hope to match, but bloody sacrifice and attrition prevailed. Japan, pushed back to its islands, seethed quietly yet nonetheless signed the armistice. Fighting stopped in 1942.

It is as this point that the goings-on of the rest of the world should be explained.

The Italian takeover of Ethiopia was a wakeup call for the West to realize that the fascists posed a significant threat. Germany annexed Austria and the Sudetenland, escalating tensions.
The breaking point arrived when Italy announced claims on Yugoslavia. The British did not back down, and called the Italians on their bluff. War broke out between the Entente and Axis powers. Germany failed to conquer Czechoslovakia and occupied the Low Countries. Germany demanded Memel from Lithuania, who refused, then demanded Danzig from Poland, who refused. Germany invaded Poland, but was quickly turned back. Brandenburg was laid to siege, which would continue for the rest of the war.
At this point the Soviet-Japanese War and Liberation of China began. After the Soviets seized Manchuria, the heaviest fighting was done, so the Soviets turned back west and attempted to seize the Baltics, who were protected by Poland, who was in turn protected by Romania. The Soviets found themselves at war with the Eastern Europeans.
The situation became dire when France experienced a communist takeover, cutting apart the Allied frontlines in western Europe, and cutting off Chinese supplies from Tonkin. A counter-revolution was successful in mainland France, but the colonies fought on. Romania had a fascist coup, which devolved into a civil war.

At this point the global war is a mess.

The Entente are fighting the Axis, who are fighting the Poles, who are fighting the Soviets, who are fighting the Japanese, who are fighting the Entente.
British troops would peacefully cross back and forth between Polish-Soviet no-man's-land, as they were allied with both, fighting their enemies, except each other.
Likewise, the Soviets and Japanese shared friendship and mutual enemies with the Axis, but were too busy fighting each other to be allies.
Eventually, the situation stabilized when Japan signed an armistice, and Germany capitulated.

The San Ma quickly used their Chinese lands to gear up an ever greater army to take on a new mighty foe, one that was already distracted in the West and left the world's longest land border undefended.

Meanwhile, the Latin Americans took advantage of the Gringos being distracted in Europe to strike off their shackles. Seeing that socialist and fascist enemies of the West were being defeated, the future does not look bright for this movement once the USA is no longer distracted abroad and returns to put their neighborhood in order.

Our story closes thus, in their conquest of the Soviet Union, the San Ma rallied the native Muslims against the communists, liberating Asia in the name of the Prophet. Upon his triumphant return home, Ma Bufang declared the establishment of the Sultanate of China, with him as the Great Sultan of the new Ma Dynasty. The great victories the Ma won for China and Islam would no doubt convince the many Turkic and Tartar central Asians of the greatness of belonging to China, and the Han of the glorious righteousness of worshiping The One True God. . . .

 

[FasterThanRaito]

Started with Victoria 2 in 1836, and in 1936 converted the save to Hearts of Iron.

The Austrian Empire emerged from the peace following the Napoleonic Wars as a cornerstone of conservative monarchism in Europe.
However, the rising power Prussia threatened to destabilize Europe with its aspirations on the German Confederation. After a series of knock-down wars, Austria cemented itself as the pre-eminent German state, and unified the North Germans and South Germans into one German Empire. The Hungarians, the second-largest ethno-national group, proved not to be a problem when nationalist stirrings remained dormant and easily placated.

After the founding of the Empire, various powers, envious of the new united Germany fashioned an alliance as a counterweight.
France and Russia in particular suffered resounding defeats, were stripped of border territories and their pride.
Germany, having missed out on the Great Game to colonize Africa and Asia, contented itself with taking over the administration of Dutch colonies as it integrated the West Germans into the united German Empire.
Soon, countless North and South Germans joined the Dutch and Boer immigrants in South Africa.

Thanks to a new vast colonial empire and a strong economic heartland, the industrial revolution brought unprecedented riches and opportunities to people all over the Empire.
However, new developments also lead to new ideologies. In particular, Liberals and Socialists. Liberals wished to create a completely free capitalist society. Socialists wished to be rid of the capitalist and noble upper classes to protect the workers.
These movements gained great traction in Germany, and the rest of Europe. Germany handled the new ideological shift the most successfully, as it passed economic reforms to appease the socialists, and political reforms to appease the liberals.
Soon, the monarchy was a democratic constitutional monarchy, guaranteeing the best public welfare and education for the masses. Violence had been avoided through compromise, and citizens of the Empire were all better off for it.

Other countries did less well.
In Britain and France, the constitutional monarchies allowed liberalization, but did not protect their workers, resulting in massive socialist upheaval. Furthermore, Communist insurrections tore down their colonial empires.
New Zealand, Canada, and India broke away from London, and French Africa from Paris.
Algeria was nearly lost as well, but luckily the Algerians were divided with in-fighting between Socialist Berbers, and Islamist Pan-Arabists. France was able to reassert control after years of local devolution which saw expanded citizen rights for the locals to better integrate them with the European settlers.

Russia suffered from disastrous rebellions which climaxed with a temporary communist takeover, the destruction of the royal family, and descent into civil war, which was won by the Anarcho-Capitalists bourgeois dictatorship.

Now that Germany was guiding Europe into a new era of Democracy, it was hoped that peace would return. However, in 1937, France and Britain attempted to invade Germany. With this final victory, Germany was able to defeat France once and for all, securing mainland Europe under one unified system. The small prince Henri VII was made to kneel before Otto von Habsburg.

France-in-exile, its monarch and homeland captured, was re-invented as a North African republic.

The war for Europe was over. The War for the World, was about to begin. The spark was lit in China. The Qing dynasty had reigned for centuries, but the Chinese Empire was growing weak compared to the Europeans, who forced China into unequal treaties. The rising Japanese Empire backed up local rebellions, and the southern provinces became independent. Russia had also captured Mongolia and the Manchurian homeland of the Emperor.
China sought to rectify their situation and went to war with the Japanese-Persian-Southern alliance. However, the Chinese Empire committed atrocities against the Europeans living in the concession cities along the Chinese coast, and all Western Great Powers declared war on China.

The War became truly global when Latin American border disputes became entangled with the Chinese-Western war. Fascist Peru attempted to recover stolen land from their neighbors. Haiti invaded the Dominican Republic. The Ottoman Empire invaded Yemen and Egypt. India invaded the disputed Kashmir region. All new aggressors were defeated and completely occupied.
Not wanting to miss out on destroying despotism, Germany began a surprise invasion of Russia, quickly and decisively liberating it for Democracy.
At last, only China continued to struggle. Against the might of the world united they raged, and countless millions paid with their lives, but it was not enough.

After the destruction and horrors of the World War, peace is restored, but the world remains divided between nations and ideologies.

Note: Even with a POD in 1836 instead of 1936, Italy is still fascist and a stupidly incompetent ally for Germany. I don't know why I didn't just invade them

 

[FasterThanRaito]

The violence of the 20th Century opens with conflict in the Balkans and Baltic.
The Ottoman Empire in decline, is forced to cede territory to the Balkan League.
However, Denmark is ascendant, conquering Sweden to remake the Nordic Empire.

The First World War breaks out in mid 1914, the Triple Alliance against the Triple Entente. Germany protects Norway from Denmark, which brings the Nordic Empire on the side of the Entente.
The Ottomans join the Triple Alliance, or Central Powers.
Russia succumbs to revolution in 1916 and drops out of the war. In the treaty of Brest-Litovsk, vast territories are handed over to the Germans and Austo-Hungarians. However, the Red army crushes the White movement, and some of the territories lapse back into Socialist Russia's control as the Central Powers slowly loose their grip.
By 1917, a series of naval invasions from the North occupies Prussia, capturing Berlin, and reduces northern Germany to a battle-torn wasteland.
In the Spring of 1918, a Nordic drive through the East liberates Poland and the Ukraine. This loss of territory causes the German war effort to collapse.
Italy returns all captured colonies and territories, including much of southern France, in exchange for amnesty and alliance, betraying the Austrians.
Due to the end of German and Italian resistance, despite not being occupied, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, and Bulgaria also capitulate, ending the war.

The Treaty of Versailles will be a harsh punishment for the most costly war in history. Soon, Austrian and Turkish conspiracies about being stabbed in the back will surface, while rest of the Free West is distracted by the growing totalitarian spectres of Communism from the East and Militarism from the North...

 

[FasterThanRaito]

Ever since the Constitutional Convention, the United States was an irreparable mess of disparate interests pulling apart and ultimately emasculating the federal authorities of the union. When the issue of slavery arose, abolitionists were sorely disappointed in the powerlessness of the government in the face of state's rights lobbies. Liberalist riots turned into a general revolt, which easily overwhelmed the pathetically underpaid army, re-housing the senate with entirely fresh "representatives". Slavery was quickly abolished, at least in name. The Southern states seceded without opposition, as the Liberals turned on each other to create the new perfect republic.At one time, there were five separate governments (Washington/Philadelphia, Richmond, Chicago, Des Moines, Boston), four of which claimed legitimacy over the whole United States.

Despite unparalleled potential for development into a world class power, the political and economic chaos of the 19th Century ruined America's prospects beyond repair.

Things began to turn around when Socialist Communes took over most of the country. While this stabilized life for the working poor and former slaves, the threat of Communist dominance finally galvanized organized opposition under a single, dangerously effective banner - fascism.
For three decades, the fascists lay the groundwork for a future united America. However, there were some who still believed in democracy. The last holdout of the republic in the Boston Government rallied its forces and charged straight to Washington. After a short war, in 1937 the United States was restored, whole again. Exactly 161 years after its founding, the Union was remade like never before to finally have a functioning constitution.

Meanwhile in the rest of the world, the two superpowers of France and Great Britain clashed, to determine which form of democracy was superior, republican or constitutional monarchy.
Great colonial empires and webs of alliances all culminated in the World War, which saw the United States enter on the side of France, to rid North America of monarchism both to the north in Canada, and the south in Mexico.

 

[FasterThanRaito]

Using the Middle Earth mod

At the closing of the Third Age, new peoples rose as old ones faded. The Dark Lord Sauron and his minions threatened all Middle-Earth. Orcs raided and ravaged in the North. Rhunnish and Khandian armies gathered in the East, and in the South Gondor was laid under siege from Umbar and Mordor.

Yet in the West, a new hope was born. For the great wizard Saruman breathed life and beauty in what was once a fallen and disgusting race, one so foul and evil many thought the task forever impossible. Saruman had redeemed the orcs, into a new race, free, and unbound by the powers of Darkness. Although Saruman resisted the seductive promises of the Dark Lord's honeyed voice, he desired greatness in his own right, lands and domain for his new Uruk people.

Rohan was fertile of soil, but already occupied by the yellow-hairs. To the North and West of the Isen river, Dunland and the Rhovanion was largely depopulated, so settlement efforts were focused there. Yet Saruman never took his eyes off the prize of those rolling green hills governed by the Horse Lords. Despite remaining loyal to the forces of Good who rallied against Sauron, Saruman continued to conspire against Rohan. Using his bribed spies, he slowly crippled and took control over the mind of the feeble King Theoden. In order to ensure the loyalty of his inside agent and of the Rohirrim, he had the princess Eowyn brought to the Tower of Isengard, as his guest. Or hostage, as her brother Eomer saw it. During the course of her stay, Saruman used his magic to sway her mind and heart, convincing her of the good in the Uruks where no others yet trusted them. Her fighting spirit of resistance and freedom did impress the wizard, who praised her as worthy of challenging his prized Uruk Captain Lurtz. Meanwhile, Eomer's wife having passed away in a poisoning attempt, wrote letters to Grima, convincing the jealous worm that Saruman intended to give fair Eowyn to his Orc pet. Ever condescending of mere mortals, Saruman did not suspect until too late, his wine was sour, and as he felt the tightening of his chest, he quickly scrabbled to make sure his ultimate creation would endure his own downfall. Rohan had not yet been fully undermined, the armies of Isengard were still too few to rival the armies of men, it was all too soon... Yet he was perishing, and so left the Keys of Orthanc in the care of Lurtz.

As his first Act as Supreme Lord, Lurtz executed poor Grima for his treachery, and drank his blood. He wed Eowyn, and together they kept peace with Rohan, while expanding the Uruk peoples into mostly empty lands.
Meanwhile, Sauron made his war upon the Free Peoples. Although the Elves were not much longer for this world, they honored their alliance with Men one final time, destroying the orc fortresses of Gundabad, Dol Guldur, and Moria. Meanwhile, the men of Dale defeated Rhun. However, the hardest battles were in the South, where a fleet Umbaran Corsairs raided the coasts of Gondor, establishing camps in Belfalas where they rallied armies that approached Minas Tirith from the West while the armies of Mordor advanced from the East. However, the Riders of Rohan arrived to rescue the beleaguered defenders of Gondor. Finally, while Sauron's orc armies were trapped in Osgiliath, an army of elves breached the Black Gates, and took Gorgoroth, allowing a certain group of Hobbits to take the Ring to Mount Doom and destroy Sauron. Relieved, the armies of Gondor rallied around the Returned King, and took Umbar, reuniting the lands of Numenor. Nurn was also liberated, the remaining Ithilien Elves and Nurnians remade Mordor into a free realm of peace.

However, when the Rohirrim arrived back home, they found that Eowyn had also returned, bringing her half-orc sons with her. She had herself crowned Queen of Rohan, the first woman to rule. One prominent caste's lord had fallen in the wars of the south, so to replace his loss, Eowyn installed her eldest son as a new castellan in the Eastmark. Luckily for her, almost all her children favored their mother's human looks in their faces, and had a "proper" upbringing, so could have been more easily accepted. Unluckily for her, her eldest was the most Orcish in appearance, and him being a lord over men made many disgruntled. Soon, there were accusations that the Princess had been corrupted by the Orcs, and that her half-breeds were abominations. A mass revolt took place, but by this time Isengard was ready. The revolters, unlike the full muster of the Rohirrim, were disorganized and depleted. Lurtz led his army of professional Uruk-Hai and auxiliary human mercenaries, and crushed the uprisings throughout Rohan, cementing the position of the Queen. She removed lords who were sympathetic to the traitors and replaced their lordships with the rest of her half-orc sons. Lurtz's Uruk dynasty had finally conquered Rohan, as his master Saruman had once long ago desired.

Although low-level warfare persisted in Eriador as the Uruks colonized more land, Middle-Earth had largely returned to peace, and the Elves began their great Departure.

 

[FasterThanRaito]

Millennium Dawn

The POD begins in the USA 2000 elections season, resulting in a presidency for Al Gore. President Gore leads the Democrats to become more liberally progressive, implementing universal healthcare and free university tuition. However, he is also big on peace and non-intervention. His failure to respond decisively the 9/11 attacks was the first step on a slippery slope that led to a total breakup of the Western alliance system that held the peace since WW2.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Russia and China stepped up aggression against their neighbors to take on new territories and spheres of influence.
Unfortunately for China, they overstepped when they attempted to force a reunification with Taiwan, officially declaring war.
The war in Asia, although not cataclysmic as WMDs were not used, did result in many thousands of deaths, and the destruction of much infrastructure throughout east asian countries...
When Allied tanks drove on Beijing, the communists surrendered and the Republic of China retook the mainland.

During the following peace France, Germany, and Italy worked together to bring Europe closer together with the ultimate aim of achieving a truly United Europe. The British were not so keen on this and quit the European Union, however after a few years of economic mismanagement and diplomatic isolation, they caved and re-applied for membership.

Many European countries, however, were not like the British and were not willing to join on their own. Aggressive negotiations had to be employed, and many European citizens had to be liberated from the various fascist, communist, and monarchist governments they had allowed to take over in their own nations.

However, Once Europe absorbed Turkey, the Americans and Russians issued a joint ultimatum, that European expansion was to stop. regions such as Ukraine and Georgia were to remain independent as buffer states.
Although relations are tense between the USA, EU, and Russia, the peace is holding.

 

[FasterThanRaito]

By early 1944, Germany is finally defeated.
Along the way, many Allied countries occupied by the Germans were liberated by Communist Internationale forces, much to the chagrin of governments-in-exile which hoped to return to their homes.
In the meantime, the successful Franco-British Union, forged to fight the Nazis after mainland France was invaded, is living proof that a world state under the Commonwealth of Nations is a viable option to which former European territories should entrust their sovereignty...
With the Axis surrender, there may be chance for world peace, but the Commonwealth and Internationale are at odds in hotspots all over the globe, notably over France, India, China, and Mexico.

 

[FasterThanRaito]

The Rule:
Nations with unique focus trees attempt to change ideology in this loop:
Neutral -> Fascist
Fascist -> Democracy
Democracy -> Communist
Communist -> Neutral
Exceptions: Chinese nations and Soviets, who have limited options and no correct ministers to hire

Result:
As Europe slowly becomes more democratic and joins the German and Italian alliances against the Franco-Soviet Comintern, the global war expands.
The United Kingdom's communists gain much influence, forcing the empire to decolonize, which results in the near-disintegration of imperial control of most colonies, dominions and even Northern Ireland. However, with German aid, the communists do not take over the government, which limps onward.
Meanwhile, the US has flipped communist, fought a brutal civil war against southern secessionists, and secured the Mexican revolution against the fascist takeover. America and Canada attempts to join the war to support the Comintern against the anti-communist alliance, but it is too little too late.
The Soviet Union and France are overrun by the combined armies of Europe. Meanwhile, Japan, having been expelled from China in the first war, comes back for round two, this time with German and British support, defending Korea and freeing Manchuria from communist control.
Although Allied navies are numerically superior to what remains of the Comintern, invading North America and Australia is too difficult, and the battles come to an end.

Much of the world has been liberated, with Africa and Asia decolonizing, and European/Japanese democracy secured. North American and Australian socialism will have no choice but to build their utopia in isolation from the rest of the free world.

 

[FasterThanRaito]

Could you do a Sweden - Fascist one?

My first fan request!

The 1930's are a period of turmoil. With the resignation of the British government and rise of German Nazis, some meek European countries seek to protect themselves, but other more bold ones see an opportunity to finally unite their people into a new glorious empire.

Sweden's king involves himself more in politics, however instead of being able to take control of the country, a group of fascists hijack his government and rule in his name, quickly declaring war on Denmark. Having prepared no defenses, the Danes are quickly annexed and united to Sweden. The Norwegians are bit more wary and have prepared an army, but Sweden strikes a deal with the Germans and they invade. Sweden's united nordic realm is now part of the Axis, ready to take on Germany's ambitions in europe... However the Czechs, with French support, refuse to be bullied. Yugoslavia, Romania, Poland, and Lithuania are one by one are brought into the Entente to contain German aggression. When their need of their ally is greatest, the German armies off holding all fronts... they are betrayed. After all, Scandinavian peoples can not be fully united until German Slesvig-Holstein in taken back from the Prussians.

Thus Germany is finally subjugated. Sweden considers an alliance with other fascists, but Imperial Manchukuo is already doomed, and Italy's ambitions to conquer a victorious France is suicidal. Using diplomatic machinations, Sweden manages to annex Finland by pitting France against Great Britain, then deftly using a much smaller but more specialized fleet, Sweden is able to capture a few ports in North England, and lands its army there. Purposefully imitating the Great Heathen Army of old, the nordic tanks drive down Britain, conquering the land for the vikings once more.

Now, the Swedish army and navy is quickly expanding and fuel use is becoming a major problem. Indonesia is the answer.
Luckily, Australia has quit the British commonwealth, and is plying away the rubber and oil-rich colony from the Netherlands. Australia is a worthy ally. However, not only will the Dutch defend themselves, but do so with Japanese support, who also covet the oil, but are on better terms with the democracies. The Swedish navy is rushed across the world and wins a series of stunning victories, sinking Japan's prized aircraft carriers and breaking Japanese plans for hegemony in Asia. From now on, they will play second fiddle to the greater Americans.
At this point, in late 1941, the Soviet Union invades Poland, to liberate the oppressed masses who are held down by their authoritarian government. Thus begins a titanic struggle, by itself the largest war in history, greater even than the Great War of their father's generation. It is a slow grinding crawl of trench warfare, only magnified to a scale never before seen. It rages for years, the frontlines shifting back and forth.
By mid 1943, revolts, coups, and mutinies are breaking out in Europe, despite the ground gained in the East. The Japanese and Americans have also failed to keep their beachheads in China and Korea.
The World War is deeply unpopular with all the countries waging it, yet no side wants to admit defeat.
However, when Greece foolishly attempts to invade Turkey, the fortunes of war finally change. Although Sweden has been materially supporting the Soviets and Chinese as the underdogs against the Europeans and American/Japanese alliances, Sweden now defends Turkey, which brings Sweden into the war against the Soviets.
Diplomatically and logistically cut off, the Soviets come to the bargaining table, and the exhausted Europeans, who are dangerously close to running out of manpower, follow. In Asia, India declares its support of China against the overseas aggressors while the last Japanese soldiers evacuate from Busan.

The Christmas truce of 1944, unlike the famous Christmas truce of the previous world war, results in peace negotiations. Though really, there isn't much to negotiate, other than recognizing the facts on the ground.

 

[FasterThanRaito]

Since you’re taking requests, what about a monarchist game where you have the following rules for the AI countries using the new custom decisions from MtG:

Germany: Restore the Kaiser
Hungary: Restore Austria-Hungary
Netherlands: Oranje Boven
United Kingdom: The King’s Party
Japan: Neutrality
Manchukuo: Independence

A world of extremes; the rising tide of revolution and progress, and the rallying of counter-revolutionary reactionaries to oppose them.
At first, it seemed the confluence of capitalist militarism would produce the counter to socialism. However, despite the early successes of fascism, the surviving antebellum elites managed not just a comeback, but a spread of the distrust in republicanism and populism. Monarchist plotters set forward in their grim task.

First, the assassination of Hitler. From there, lack of German support allowed the Spanish enough time to recruit french help against the franco-ist rebels.
The British king defied his court and government to marry a commoner of his choice, managing to twist the political chaos into a fresh set of government appointments of men more loyal to the god-given ruler.
In Japan, the Emperor attempted the same, but the army was ready for political struggle and takeover. A prominent general became Prime Minister, and rewrote the constitution to wrest away all trappings of power. In essence, reviving the bakufu system of military governorship of the country behind a ceremonial puppet.

Due to the split between monarchists and fascists, socialists were able to triumph over the fascists in Southern Europe.
The next battleground would be the Balkans. The King of Romania had been divorcing himself from responsible kingship, creating an atmosphere of regime change. Germany, which was attempting to integrate all of conservative europe into an anti-Soviet alliance, discovered a plot to depose the king. The German army, with the help of Austria-Hungary intervened. In response to the invasion, Romania appointed a soviet-friendly government. Germany's fears were realized, and the dominoes began to fall. A fascist coup in Bulgaria triggered a Greek invasion. The lines were drawn, and the armies of Europe began to move...
Germany could have had a larger alliance, but ever resentful and distrustful of the English, kept their alliance as a continental Central Powers. This isolation from the largest other imperial power would prove to be a fatal mistake.

In Asia, Japan attempted to invade China. When the offensive stalled, the Manchurian court betrayed their Japanese handlers, and after a quick internal purge, were able to strike off the shackles of the Kwangtung Army, and could have joined the Chinese in nationalist liberation... if only Puyi hadn't also declared war on the nationalist government due to his claim of the Dragon Throne. Japan joined the Central Powers, thus the Soviets intervened to rescue China on behalf of the CCP.

Meanwhile, Mexico had a communist rebellion, which attempted to takeover central America. On the short-term this was unsuccessful, as combined Anglo-American intervention crushed the uprising. However, the result was a unified central America, and the spread of a bolivarian communist ideology that took hold in South America, converting nearly all of Latin America. In Mexico itself, a fascist counter-revolution occurred. However, nationalist fervor saw them attempt to retake the Mexican sessions from the USA, which went predictably poorly.

As the Americans and their fellow Commonwealth democracies settled down into hemispheric defense and reintegration of Mexico, Great Britain and the Netherlands went about reconquering Africa and Asia. Also, the Netherlands managed to reunite all the Low Countries, finally achieving the borders originally intended in 1815.

By 1944, Europe is in reconstruction mode, while the war drags on in China. Japan, despite being propped up by the British, is loosing its grip on China, and has since lost the north, including manchuria and Korea, to the communist advance.

The Anglo-Dutch have called to mediate a ceasefire between the Japanese and Sino-Soviets. Will the Southern Chinese be able to retain their independence? Can Tibet remain a neutral buffer? Only time will tell, once either Japan or China has recovered enough to rekindle adventurism...

 

[FasterThanRaito]

Play Communist Tibet

It seems that mexican politicians have a potency to them them that makes them irresistible. Even after loosing a war to Guatemala, the entire American hemisphere was thrown into chaos when Mexican propaganda convinced almost all countries to participate in the Latin American Uprising. After a few years, the revolutions were crushed, and both the conservative and liberal powers took the fight to the source... Russia.

Meanwhile, a scandal saw the toppling of the Tibetan monarchy, replaced by the paradoxical rule of a communist monk class who managed society not just through labour, but through worship. The monastic communist party sought to enlighten as much of China/Himalayas as possible. Unfortunately, Nepal and the Islamic SanMa put up stiff resistance, resulting in bloody trench warfare in the ravines between the high mountains. Then, there were the long slow marches across parched deserts, where equipment broke down before it could even be used in battle. And finally, the KMT had mostly unified the rest of China under the model of western secular democratic reform, precluding support for a true revolution, religious or communist. Still, the borders between Tibet, the Republic, and the Shanxi Soviet remains heavily guarded on all sides...

However, not all was bloody struggle, as India did join the ranks of Tibet, securing their diplomatic access to the rest of the world...
Plus there is always the chance that the Japanese Empire might change its mind about invading China, giving Tibet an opening. But ever since the Soviet capitulation, Japan seems content to feast upon its Northern Resource Area.

 

[FasterThanRaito]

I forget what path it was since I've not played as South Africa, but IIRC you can bring in Edward VIII to rule South Africa assuming he's abdicated from the British throne. That could be an interesting campaign, with the goal being to unite Africa.

A Democratic Germany run could be fun as well, especially if you set Hungary to still go down the path to restore Austria-Hungary so they can be one of your main allies.

Fascist South Africa

[converted from a victoria 2 ENG campaign]

After the end of the Napoleonic Wars, and the restoration of the Bonapartist dynasty to France, relations between the British and French suddenly turned around for the better. Rather than compete they divided the world (and Germany) between themselves.
However, four other powers emerged. The Americans, with their failed democracy. The Russians and Japanese, with their modernizing empires. and Germany, resurgent and angry.

Though the British did democratize their monarchy and parliament, movements to integrate natives from the empire backfired in South Africa. Rather than allow equality with the colonized, the local upper classes organized a separatist movement. They imported a disgraced king to be their own rival crown, and set about the conquest of Africa. The British were distracted with their cataclysmic war with Russia, and France the same with Nazi Germany.

Unfortunately for the South Africans, their industry simply was not prepared for the realities of modern warfare. Also, racist policies unsurprisingly prevented them from using local manpower to their full advantage. The Democracies triumphed in Europe and Latin America, although the USA, Japan, and SAF managed to hold a stalemate in their respective continents.

 

[FasterThanRaito]

A Democratic Germany run could be fun as well, especially if you set Hungary to still go down the path to restore Austria-Hungary so they can be one of your main allies.

Germany, isolated at first, slowly grew into its position as defender of European freedom. First, with getting rid of Hitler, then guaranteeing Poland, then allying with various others to take the fight to the communists, who were distracted in the Commy-Japanese Circum-Pacific War.
Unfortunately for the Germans, economic mismanagement and the devastation of the civil war with the fascists meant that the war economy was not ready in time. Furthermore, the Americans had gone and turned the Roosveltian New Deal into a total restructuring of American society towards anti-capitalist leftist democracy. The USA gave much aid to their new Soviet allies. Consequently, Germany and all its allies could only evenly match the endless red hordes. Back and forth the frontlines crept over Ukraine and Belarus, but the fighting had no end in sight. It was a total repeat of the First World War Western Front, only multiplied by the magnitude of Russia.

In the meantime, France replaced Italy as the dominant militarist power in Southern Europe. The British imposed their new monarchy on the empire, except for India and Australia, the former having gone independent during the confusion of the dissolution of Parliament, and the latter taking up a new ideology under Japanese protection.

After a decade of non-stop war, the economies of both Germany and the Soviet Union collapsed. A tentative armistice was reached, and the future remains uncertain...

 

[FasterThanRaito]

Play Communist China and Fascist Yugoslavia

This is my first playthrough that I consider a real failure.

I tagswitched between PRC and YUG every year. The result was that China badly messed up the japanese war while I was away. Luckily, Yugoslavia managed to not get itself into too much trouble, staying nice and subservient to Germany. However, this also meant that I didn't achieve the goal of uniting the Balkans, settling for just reclaiming Tsargrad from Turkey after a long brutal struggle against the Soviet commintern, which ironically included PRC until their capitulation when an incompetent field marshal moved all units out of the Xi'an base area defenses, allowing a single Japanese cavalry division walk right in and capture the leadership of the CPC.

If only Mao had been left in charge (as the Spirit of the Nation intended), things could have turned out very differently...

The war between the Axis and Allies has not concluded, but has reached a point of factory, army, and naval parity where no one can gain an advantage. So we've reached yet another stalemate, NAAW style.

 

[FasterThanRaito]

Try any fascist nation with all nations decolonized

Do Colombia > Gran Colombia

I hadn't forgotten your initial request, it was just a little too vague for me. So I combined these two together, plus a little extra.

All nations decolonized, all focus trees fascist, with Colombia aiming to restore Gran Colombia.

The first surprise was when France joined the Axis in early 1937. More and more of Europe joined Germany, preparing for the great crusade against Soviet Russia, which had already lost half of its territory and population to independence.
When the Germans and their various european allies of all ideologies (except Socialists, of course) ivaded, it looked like Russia's days were numbered.
The next major surprise was when MacArthur's Loyalist faction gave lend-lease to the Commie Russians. He had launched his own civil war against Roosvelt to get rid of leftists and progressives in his own country, yet he also wished to annex Canada, which was allied with Germany. So MacArthur supported the underdog, hoping they would bleed and distract Germany before the final confrontation. He was dead wrong.
The last major surprise was when the Russian Red Army stopped the German/European advance, launched a coup in Finland, which trapped many fascist soldiers in Leningrad. With this act, the momentum of the war took a decisive turn, and the Russians slowly pushed back into Ukraine and Estonia. Then, the German war effort collapsed, and the Russians buldozed their way to Berlin, then sped their way to Paris, Madrid, and Rome.

By the end of 1945, the Russians had liberated all of Europe (except Britain) from fascist influence.

Meanwhile, China saw extended fighting between the Easterners (Japanese, Koreans, Manchus), the Communists, and Nationalists. The Easterners aimed to assert their independence from China, along with their anti-communist crusade against Russia. The Communists allied with Russia to liberate all of Asia. The Nationalists sought to reclaim the territories that rightfully belonged to China, under a non-communist, non-imperial, government. After 10 years of bitter struggle, the frontlines have barely moved, mostly due to the balanced three-way dynamic of the war, and the occasional expansion of the war through new participants as a pressure release.

Meanwhile, the Colombians let the allied Americans be distracted in Mexico and Central America, while they waged a gloriously successful reunification against short-sighted Venezuelans. However, the famous Colombian jungle cavalry managed to sneak around enemy lines and quickly captured Venezuelan cities before they could respond properly. Once they had the combined industry of both countries, Colombia turned towards the other peripheral territories, taking over Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, some neighboring Caribbean islands, and the Guianas. Peru resisted the most ferociously. In the battle of Lima, over 300,000 Colombians and many more Peruvians perished in the 6-month long struggle that saw intense month-long artillery bombardments and huge air battles over the besieged city. After the epic struggle, final victory in Latin America was achieved for the American-Colombian alliance, and the new Bolivarian Empire of Gran Colombia was proclaimed at last!

 

[FasterThanRaito]

Converted from Victoria 2

The conservative, imperialist Octoberists guided Russia through continental domination, secularization, and limited democratization. Expansion West into Eastern Europe came at the expense of Germany, Austria, and the Ottomans, who collapsed in a communist revolution. Expansion south through Persia, then along the African coast led to the start of a colonial empire. Expansion East saw the acquisition of much of oceania for coaling stations for the global Russian Navy.

The main competitors were the Germans, British, and French. Japan managed to remain a steady friendly power, reaching agreements on how to divide chinese spheres of influence. Other great powers, such as the USA, kept to their corner without stirring trouble.

However, the world order was dreadfully unstable. The beginning of the 20th Century saw the rise of fascism in countries who had been sidelined out of their glorious position as previous world leaders. After a series of bloody wars between Germany and France, the German Empire was forcefully turned into a peaceful democracy. However, what remained of Austria prepared for revenge...
China went from the tyranny of the Qing, to the dystopian Christian tyranny of the Taiping Dynasty, to warlord anarchy, to unification under the even-more-dystopian Nazbol tyranny of the KMT.
In 1920, the rise of monarchial power in Britain led to discontent in commonwealth countries. Canada declared full independence to preserve their democracy. A rebellion in New Zealand was crushed. The resurgence of militarism and authoritarianism lead to the establishment of a fascist regime.
The Netherlands, crushed under the weight of colonial rebellions in Indonesia, was quietly incorporated into the British Empire following an Act of Union in 1936.
Then, in 1940 Austria and Italy went to war over border disputes. Italy drew the USA and other allies into the war, while the Austrians sided with their fellow British fascists.
The war took place mostly in Austria and Africa, as American Liberia drive the British out of Ghana, and the Italians defended Nigeria from British Chad.
However, Eventually the British position was weakened, and the Near East Union invaded British Egypt, ending the war. The British lost most of their African holdings, but not much else as their navy held strong compared to their enemies.

Meanwhile, Russia was continuing the process of Democratization. This effort was spearheaded by democratic socialists, who the conservative Octoberists despised. The conservatives attempted to launch a coup, to reinstate Czarist power. They convinced the majority of the navy to mutiny, ruining plans to intervene in the British War. But the army stayed loyal to the people, and Civil War was largely prevented. However, the Indians did take the opportunity to rebel, turning traitor on those who had freed them from the British Raj. Eventually, they were subdued.

The world has returned to an uneasy peace. In the Americas and Europe, the Russian American Democratic powers and Britain are settling to a Cold War, from which the French and Scandinavians remain blissfully neutral. In Asia, Japan continues to exert influence on the anti-colonial revolter states with one hand, while keeping China out of their concession cities with the other. In Africa, colonialism continues undisturbed. Only in the Near East Union is there any hope or justice for marginalized peoples... so long as the oil continues to flow into Turkish hands.

 

[FasterThanRaito]

The rise of the Omani Caliphate began with the simple decision for the then sultanate to not give up sovereignty over zanzibar. From there, interests in east Africa and the Indian ocean grew. Oman rushed to capture the makran territories before the British could. However the British did take over Punjab, forcing Oman to look in other directions. Oman was able to incorporate local soldiers into the army, inflating it rapidly, allowing Oman to move from one conquest to the next. Soon, the needs for military reform trickled down into general societal reform.
Oman became a Westernized Nation, and took control over Egypt after it broke free from Ottoman control. With the resources and manpower of Egypt available, the Omani Sultan was taken to Cairo and declared Caliph. The Ottoman Empire was quick to respond, but after a series of costly wars, Oman proved its superiority and right to rule the Middle East.

From there, European Africa and India was liberated, taking advantages of the Revolutions and Great Wars that the European powers inflicted on themselves. That should have been lesson enough, but then Oman became a Great Power, and asserted itself on the world stage, which meant intervening in those European Great Wars. After 1900, each decade saw a massive conflict between Germany and its neighbors that saw millions of deaths. After the the third such war ended in 1934, the people of the caliphate used their increased voting rights to demand that the government adhere to a more pacifistic policy, in line with the "religion of peace" that Islam idealized in the minds of these modernists.

Therefore, further plans for expansion and conflict were shelved, and the caliphate was merely an observer to the round of wars of the 1940's that saw the Soviets expand their control over the fringes of Europe, and the Japanese conquest of China. Now, only the Ma Clique stand for an independent China. When the decade of the 1950's comes with it's own cycle of violence, will their common Islamic and geopolitical interests be enough to convince the Caliphate to protect them from the encroaching enemies of liberty?
Will the Europeans learn to set aside their grievances once and for all?
Only God knows...

 

[FasterThanRaito]

Try a US Global Hegemony scenario. I've seen that tree, but never tried it ...

Maybe you could do a "Democratic Germany, Showa Restoration Japan, and Fascist America with all Dominions seeking independence (with Canada and South Africa being Fascist, Australia being independent democratic, India and New Zealand being Communist), and Poland being into the ideal of an Intermarium" scenario next?

Global Hegemony was very interesting, as it gives endless free events to takeover all American countries and colonies around the world.


Unfortunately, before the USA could embark on global manifest destiny to rule the world, much of the world was united under a victorious fascist britain. Democratic Germany was taken over and neutralized, and the Soviets were ground down. The resulting alliance was so strong that efforts to take the war beyond south america was laborious.

However, with the introduction of nuclear weapons, the USA managed to strike the snake's head, and successfully invaded the British islands. However, this exhausted the naval and air forces of the USA, which would take too much time to recover strength to continue to subdue the rest of the Allies. Plans of invading Japan also had to be shelved. However, the fear of nuclear weapons has brought the French to the table, creating a chance at a peaceful resolution to the current frozen conflict. Now that London is occupied, what will happen to the British Empire (plus other unwilling "allies" such as the Scandinavians and Russians), is the question that will determine the fate of this new peace.

 

[FasterThanRaito]

Another American playthrough? I know, but I originally wanted this to be the US global hegemony playthrough, but since it was converted from vic2 I couldn't get the national focuses to work properly, so I gave up and did that one from a vanilla start.
So instead, I went with New England.

Ever since the end of the World Wars, which saw the destruction of Eastern Europe and Eastern China, the world was largely peaceful, aside from some mishaps in the Balkans and and Mexican Civil War, New England guarded itself. After impressive industrial and technological expansion, New England was looking to expand territory and population to fit the growing economic needs of the state, so for the fun of it they violated their own neutrality to invade canada, incorporating them easily enough.