The might of Brittania, a hoi3 narative

[Nimrod135]

So alright this is my first ever attempt at an AAR so please go easy on me and if you spot any mistake please give me a heads up so I can correct them and avoid the same in the future.

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Also the style I've decided to use is narrative though I'm not completely sure if it is correct so please point it out later if it is or isn't. With all that out of the way let's dive into it.



PRELUDE:

The year is 1936 and tensions are rising in Europe, everything was uneasy after the rise of fascism in Italy back in 1925 and Germany back in 1933, although Germany was still technically under the Treaty of Versailles they have been making bold moves in direct violation to the treaty. In Germany, the re-armament made the allies uneasy because if they continued it on this scale they would have an army powerful enough to conquer France, the trigger for the allies to re arm themselves was the re occupation of the Rhineland in February. France started to re arm its armed forces but on a small and slow scaled which paled in comparison to Germany's but they firmly believed that the Maginot lane would protect their border with Germany and a swing around the low countries would end a complete German defeat in the hands of the combined French, British, Dutch and Belgian army. Britain on the other hand were still debating on the size of their re armament believing the French to be more that capable of handling Germany but ultimately decided to commit fully to re arming themselves after the Spanish Civil War broke in in March 1936. George VI and the Admiralty agreed to expand the size of the Royal Navy as it might also face the Reggio Marina in the Mediterranean, so an order on 3 Ark Royal - class carriers was placed which would be named : HMS Ark Royal, HMS Indomitable, HMS Ferocious and 4 King George V - class battleships named: HMS King George V, HMS Duke of York, HMS Edinburgh and HMS Halifax. Britain also modernized its army and air force with the army receiving brand new equipment in the years to come and the RAF receiving 4 new fighter wings by the end of 1936 which would gradually build up to 3 fighter groups by late 1938. Over the course of the following year tensions continued to build up until the eventual start of World War II in 1939.


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Sorry if it's not that good or something and I'll try to find the time tomorrow to add visuals and design it a bit to make it more visually pleasing.

 

[roverS3]

A new UK AAR, how exciting! I, for one, am looking forward to this. I see you're going all out on the navy, 3 Ark Royals, and 4 KGVs, that's a lot of firepower. (Also, where is HMS Prince of Wales?). Was there any industrial expansion, or are you running on the industry you get at the start?

Welcome, new writAAR, I hope that, like me, you'll find this community to be quite open and considerate.

The style of your prelude would probably best be described as 'historybook'. But, as it is only an introduction it could certainly lead to a more narrative approach. Don't worry too much about style. This is your first AAR. It's format is entirely up to you, it's possible to mix different styles in the same AAR, this has been done many a time, you can be as flexible, or as rigid, in this as you like. Of course it's good to have a coherent framework, but that's about it, and even then, you can probably mutate it over time without too much trouble.

As you asked for it, a few remarks about the text:

it might also face the Reggio Marina in the Mediterranean

The Italian Navy is the 'Regia Marina', the Air Force 'Regia Aeronautica', the Army 'Regio Escercito'.

George VI and the Admiralty agreed to expand the size of the Royal Navy

I don't know if this is a mistake, or part of the premise of the AAR, or maybe I'm just reading too much into it.
Already in WW1, and before, the UK was a constitutional monarchy, meaning that the agreement of the Admiralty and the King would not be sufficient to green-light a shipbuilding programme of this magnitude. The elected government, headed by the Prime minister, would have to okay such a programme, after it is proposed by the 1st Lord of the Admiralty in parliament. I won't go into more detail, as others on this forum know a hell of a lot more about the intricacies of pre-war British politics than I do. If the politics of Military expenditure interest you, I would suggest reading The Butterfly Effect: A British AAR, which is definitely the ultimate deep dive into the politics of pre-war Europe. (I say pre-war, because that AAR is still covering the Spanish Civil War, and it's been going since 2006...
Of course, this is your alternate reality, and it is perfectly possible that, in your alternate reality, the British Parliament has a mere advisory role (as it had when it was first founded). In that case, I would suggest clearly stating this in your setup to avoid confusion. I would like to stress that you're the one who decides the amount of detail you go into, and what you explore. A choice like this could be stated in a single sentence, or it could be introduced by going back in British history, and rewriting part of it to explain in depth how the British Royal Family managed to remain in near absolute power into the 20th century. You can be as short and direct, or slow and pedantic as you like.

Have an excellent day, I'll be following this one closely.

 

[guillec87]

subbed

 

[racebear75]

subbed, of course. A British AAR reminds me of the first AAR, where I posted often and regularly enough to help a bit.

 

[Bullfilter]

Jolly good show! Always pleased to see some new HOI3 work.

 

[Wraith11B]

Most important: have fun with it! Don't do what I did and turn it into a massive project spanning four computers on a LAN game and having to troll through 600 screenshots in order to fully document everything!

 

[nuclearslurpee]

Don't do what I did and turn it into a massive project spanning four computers on a LAN game and having to troll through 600 screenshots in order to fully document everything!

Or, you know, do exactly that if it's fun for you! We the audience always enjoy seeing a good effort!

 

[Wraith11B]

Or, you know, do exactly that if it's fun for you! We the audience always enjoy seeing a good effort!

Oh it's fun... just getting everything down is problematic though.

 

[El Pip]

A new HOI3 AAR always has my attention, but a British HOI3 AAR has my interest.

Others have given you lots of advice and words so I'll not repeat them. What I will say it that those are some funky ships names; Edinburgh has got quite the promotion from light cruiser to battleship, Halifax is something of a throwback while Ferocious is I think hitherto unused and certainly quite the recherché choice. I look forward to seeing what other unusual names are thrown into the mix as this continues.

In any event, good luck and I wish you every success for King and Empire.

I won't go into more detail, as others on this forum know a hell of a lot more about the intricacies of pre-war British politics than I do. If the politics of Military expenditure interest you, I would suggest reading The Butterfly Effect: A British AAR, which is definitely the ultimate deep dive into the politics of pre-war Europe. (I say pre-war, because that AAR is still covering the Spanish Civil War, and it's been going since 2006...

This is an excellent course of action and one I thoroughly recommend to all discerning members of the forum.

 

[stnylan]

Welcome to AAR writing.

My own advice is, fwiw, is to read other AARs, and not to worry if your output doesn't seem to be "as good" - especially at first - as people who have been doing this for years. Personally I also use the game as an inspiration rather than a straightjacket.

 

[Anthonest]

Subbed.