The Bolshevik Crusade, part 4

Well, started getting bored with the in-character write-up, and frankly, the army’s would be boring. Aside from the Moretsu and Akhibara divisions, there isn’t that much for me to congratulate my self on being so cool for. As if. Well, the Mechanized Infantry divisions are named “Mecha” instead. And unlike the AI, I build Garrison and Military Police (occupation) units. This enables me to keep the peace with ersatz “Shinobu” divisions attached to a special People’s Imperial Secret Service command. Nyuk, nyuk.

But I really didn’t feel like writing another post on those lines. Well, since I’d already written a comment that was as long as a post… why not expand it a bit, and add pictures…

Since I started writing these posts last week, I’ve played two more years into the game, and my fleet has gotten way bigger. I’ve had to resort to keeping ANN’s encyclopedia open to research last names — when I bother.

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HOI 3: The Bolshevik Crusade, part 3

In the Navy, In the Navy!
We want you for a new recruit!

Enh, a couple of random lines I remember from that Village People song. It’s appropriate, because tonight’s the Naval report, but I’m lazy. If I really cared, I’d go look up the lyrics. This is a fairly short report because I didn’t have the game writing battles to the log. If you want to amuse yourself, name the anime the various ships are from. Shouldn’t be too difficult… I also included the Air Force report, because it’s so short. There isn’t any kind of record kept for the damage they do.

First article (prologue) here.
Second article (history) here.
Third article (geopolitical) here.

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HOI 3: The Bolshevik Crusade, Part 2

In which we return to bizarro world and report on the last three months of geopolitical / military happenings.

First article (prologue) here.
Second article (history) here.

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HOI 3: The Bolshevik Crusade, Part 1

First article in the series is here.

The date is March 31, 1941. Nazism has failed to capture the imagination of any major nation except Mexico. The world is now a struggle between the forces of the decadent running dogs of Uruguayan capitalism, and the forces of revolution led by the glorious People’s Republic of Nihon (PRoN), — as ruled in his infinite wisdom by Comrade Emperor Hirohito. The crusade to liberate the world from slavery to capitalism and bring the enlightenment of Bolshevism to the world has begun….

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Hearts of Iron 3

Well, this isn’t exactly a review, but it sure fills my need for original content. I just haven’t been that interested in writing about anime the last few weeks — none of the shows are exciting me right now. I’m watching plenty, but nothing’s really worth it, except maybe Sword Art Online — and last weeks episode was pretty meh.

So anyway, HOI3 is the (obviously) 3rd installment of Paradox’s WWII grand strategy game. Like other Paradox titles, it continues to be supported as long as the public is interested in buying add-ons; I’m current through the For the Motherland (USSR) expansion, and plan to get the new expansion when it comes out, whenever that is. Once nice thing about the game is that it’s very customizable, and there’s an active mod community making alt-history versions (South won the American Civil War, etc.), technology mods, or even randomizers. The mod I’ve been playing uses all the countries involved in WWII and a few post WWII nations, but generates random country borders, governments, resources, population centers, technologies, histories, fortifications, infrastructure, air bases, ports, and leaders (both military and civilian). Certain objectives retain their importance, but otherwise, you can have high populations and industries north of the Arctic Circle, or Los Angeles can be a barren wasteland. I mean, besides culturally.

In the world the randomizer has generated for me, I am playing a communist-ruled Japan (faction: Comintern), which is located in the eastern Siberia. (See map 1). I did a little editing of the starting files — Japan had individually prospered but in four tries, its faction had gotten trounced within two years, so I boosted its manpower, starting force levels, and leadership to help. I also used a cheat code to allow me to attack as soon as I was able.

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And More Heuristics

Well, I’m watching a fair amount of anime this season, but I haven’t had much motivation to write about any of it since Campione! started getting stupid. (Erica is the only thing saving that show for me right now). I was thinking about an article about the game I’ve been playing most lately, Hearts of Iron 3, which is strategic scale WWII. I wasn’t that thrilled about it, but then, I noticed this unfinished article from 2009 (eep!), and so I decided to complete it.

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Aesthetics of an Antihero (rogue hero, maverick hero, whatever)

SubDESU is not exactly covering themselves with glory here; some of the translations were pretty….stilted. But beggars can’t be choosers and its not like I”m going to learn Japanese.

Anyway, this was fairly average. Definitely not as fun as Campione, nor as tense. One thing I finally realized was that the “too raunchy for YouTube” preview was just a joke. There are some breasts in the show, but they’re Miu’s. The fighting scenes were all versus a maid army (isn’t that trope getting a little old now?) and Amatsuki, ‘the maverick hero’, dealt with them by stealing all their underwear (isn’t that trope getting a little old now?) before meeting with their boss, his love-struck hero-summoning princess who didn’t want him to go home. (Isn’t that trope getting a little…. oh you know.)

Whereupon getting home, he’s forcibly inducted into a school for ‘returnees’, people who have accidentally traveled to another dimension and made it back. He (and we) are forced to listen to a boring expository recording about how these gates have popped up over the last thirty years, always grab children, and only half make it back — but they make it back with whatever powers they gained in the alternate reality, be it magic or sword skills. This place, Xavier’s School for Gifted Students (whatever) has been established to teach them how to manage their powers and become good, upstanding citizens. Or, to judge by the Absurdly Powerful Student Council (wait for it…. wait for it…. “Isn’t that trope getting a little old now?”), it’s to keep all the evil bastards in one place for simplified bookkeeping.

Great, I travel to faraway dimensions, kill demon lords, and what do I get? Stuck rasing a little sister.

Miu, being a demon king’s daughter, entrusted to Amatsuki as the king’s dying act, was hauled out of her home dimension, naked, in a bag, and finds herself in the role of his ‘recently-rescued younger sister.’ Oh wait, was this another imouto-in-a-bag trope? Naked imouto-in-a-bag? (Isn’t …. Oh never mind.)

Anyway, she is way the hell more than the school expects, but cute and shy despite being the daughter of a demon king,. And also able to pass for human. They’re keeping it a secret that she’s actually an illegal alien, hence the sister act. Japan’s stuffy about things like that; they don’t get free medical care and fast tracked to citizenship in the land of the rising sun. How rude. Amatsuki on the other hand, is apparently the subject of an ancient prophecy that can’t be more than thirty years old, unless it was found in one of those alternate dimensions.

Despite her power, and his, I just don’t get the power scale vs. Amatsuki, Miu, and the Council President, who wants to steal his power, his imouto, and his cool style, in that order. He definitely needs the last.

Whatever, I’m just waiting to see what trope shows up next. Not quality entertainment at all, maybe not even a decent time killer.

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