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A Manual Regarding

the management of aCountry and Military

During the time

period ofThe Great War


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Chapter one:

Diplomacy

And

Faction overview


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Germany

Germany is an empire with a proud Military tradition,

stemming from Frederick the Great Himself. After the

unification of Germany in 1871, Germany has become a

military and economic superpower under the leadership

of Otto von Bismarck. But when Wilhelm II rose to power

he forced Bismarck into retirement and destroyed thecarefully maintained balance of power, shunning the

British and Russians while making amends with their

former arch-enemy, Austria. Now war has erupted again

in Europe and this war promises to be different from

anything Europe has ever seen, despite the Kaisers

assurances that it will be over by Christmas. Can you

guide this proud country to victory and dominance over

Europe? Or will you follow in the Kaisers footsteps,fail to secure victory, and cause the Empire of Germany

to be destroyed and replaced by the weak and indecisive

Weimar social democrats?


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The United

Kingdom

An empire on which the sun never sets, this is the

United Kingdom. Formed in 1707, this brilliantly

crafted and maintained empire is once again involved in

a war on the continent; this time allied with France

and Russia against Germany and Austria. Victory could

mean greater glory and longevity of the empire, but

defeat could mean the destruction of an empire over 200

years old. The brave men of the UK stand ready to help

their allies defeat the Bosch and save the world

again. Can you save the world or will the empire

crumble, and Germany replace the once proud United

Kingdom.


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France

Still sore after the humiliation suffered at the hands

of Germany during the Franco-Prussian war, France is

ready to take back Alsace and regain its former glory.

With their Zouaves outdated its time for the French to

adapt and use the new technology to beat their age old

adversaries, the Germans. France is under assault, it

will take a great leader to maintain the alliance withBritain; and an even greater commander to repel the

German assault and take the fight to Berlin itself. Can

you rise to the challenge? Can you succeed against the

Germans where Napoleon III failed? Take up arms and

fight for liberty, equality, and fraternity.


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Austria-Hungary

An old empire with a new name, the Austro-Hungarian

Empires heir to the throne, arch-duke Ferdinand, was

assassinated and the resulting conflict with Serbia

sparked the Great War. Austrias troops are very low in

quality, but there are many of them. Their troops are

multi-ethnic; the orders of the day must be made in 15different languages. The empire is ancient and ready to

collapse, it will take a strong leader to lead Austria

out of the impending doom, and make the Hapsburgs the

most prominent family in Europe once more. Do you have

what it takes?


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Russia

An Empire in decline with all democratic elements

meaningless and communist rabble rousers inciting

rebellion: This is Russia. Russias army is massive,

but poorly trained and equipped. Its economy is

backwards, and only recently did the serfs receive

emancipation. While Russias army is greatly in need of

reform, and its economy lagging far behind the rest of

Europe; it is possible, under the guidance of a great

tsar, to transform Russia into the greatest power in

the world. Can you save Russia and make Ivan a feared

name once more? Or will the Communists gain power and

destroy the Tsardom?


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Chapter two:

Infantry


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Although some might regard infantry as little more than cannon-

fodder, they should form the massive bulk of your army. Without a force of

infantrymen, your army is essentially limbless: infantrymen are used toattack enemy positions, and defend your own lines. Without a force of

infantrymen, you will, quite simply, not win the war.

Conscripts

A brave and glorious general might call these soldiers 'useless'. The wise

general will say 'recruit these'. Conscripts might be given only basic

training before being rushed away to the frontlines (and will therefore

never be as accurate, brave or enduring as professional forces), but they

are very cheap, both to recruit and maintain. In the long run, a nation

that relies partly or entirely on conscription is likely to simply swamp a

nation relying solely on professional armies, however, if not managed

properly nations that rely solely on conscripts will find itself wanting

when it comes to fighting more well trained armies.

Rifle Infantry

The rifle infantrymen are professional soldiers, given long-term training

and advanced education in warfare. They are skilled marksmen, hardy

warriors in close-combat and, above all, comparatively reliant under fire

and form the backbone of modern armies. Their skills come at an expense,

however: it takes longer time to recruit a regiment of Rifle Infantry than

a regiment of Conscripts, and at a much higher cost to boot!

Snipers

Although few, snipers are confident marksmen given a special, scoped

rifle. They are especially useful at targeting and destroying enemyartillery crews, or killing overconfident generals. In a bigger fight,

however, it is wise to keep them far away from the front.

Flamethrowers

Flamethrowers are weapons designed to launch a liquid, highly flammable

fuel at enemy strong-points. Consuming their targets in a fire that would

make the Devil himself jealous, flamethrowers are highly demoralizing

weapons that can wreak havoc among your enemy's lines when used properly,

however, their limited range requires a smart general to use them

properly.

SMG (Submachine gun) Infantry

While SMG Infantrymen are unlikely to hit anything at maximum range, theycan unleash a deadly hail of fire on enemies in close-range. This has made

them exceptionally useful at either storming an enemy line, or holding a

position against charging infantry.

Patriots

Revolutionary Russia can field a special unit of patriots, known as the

patriotic levy. These die-hard patriots can be quickly raised and are

useful at swarming an enemy line, as the boast 1,000 men per unit.


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Chapter Three:

Artillery


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In The Great War, artillery is likely to be your most decisive weapon. A

single battery can lay down a withering and continuous fire, destroying

everything within the target area - be it buildings, infantry, cavalry or

even other artillery batteries. As such, it is important to build and

maintain a great number of artillery pieces on all fronts, but also to

have a massive force of infantry large enough to defend them.

Field Artillery:

Your standard, all-round artillery battery. Should you need a heavy and

persisting barrage somewhere, these are your units of choice. A commander

would be wise to base his artillery department on these heavy guns.

Experimental Howitzer:

the Experimental Howitzers form an interesting part of your artillery

force: they can launch deadly canisters of gas at the enemy, poisoning and

crippling his troops in their advance. Gas is especially effective against

stationary units, such as enemy artillery batteries.

Mortars:Mortar batteries fire shells in high trajectories, effectively rendering

your opponent's cover irrelevant. Do note, however, that this comes at a

cost: mortar shells are less effective than other shells, and have shorter

range.

Machineguns:

A machinegun position is your most effective medium- to close-range

defense. Able to lay down a long-lasting, but inaccurate, suppressive fire

on enemy infantry, machineguns will gradually grind down any infantry

attack. Machineguns should form the strongholds in your defensive line,

while offensive armies will do better without them: being heavy weapons,

they are, just like other artillery equipment, practically immobile on the

Great War battlefield.

Machine Guns in Action


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Chapter Four:

Cavalry


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Chapter Five:

The Navy


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Some countries are completely dependent on trade overseas - an

obvious weakness that other nations will try to exploit. To

prevent your nation from falling into starvation due to

blockades, or to isolate another nation from the rest of the

world, it is strongly suggested that you build a strong and

committed navy.

Heavy Ships:

Dreadnought BattleshipThe dreadnought battleship is the newest innovation in naval warfare:

rather than having many different types of guns aboard, this vessel relies

on a few very heavy artillery pieces. This, combined with a strong hull

and comparatively high speed, has made the dreadnought battleship the

factor that defines which nations are superpowers, and which nations are

not. They are, however, extremely expensive - both to construct and

maintain - and throwing your country into an ambitious naval building

programmed can prove to be a both costly, and time-consuming, venture.

Pre-Dreadnought Battleship

Before the British invented the dreadnought; most nations had heavily-armored, slow ships that boasted a wide assortment of guns of different

calibers. The problem with these ships today, however, is that the

splashes from the smaller guns will obscure the splashes from the bigger

guns, thus greatly limiting the abilities of the observers aboard a pre-

dreadnought battleship to correct their aim. Thus, the accuracy of a pre-

dreadnought battleship is much less than that of a modern, dreadnought

battleship.

Battle cruiser

A battle cruiser is, quite simply, a 'fast battleship'. Sacrificing armor

for speed, these ships can still inflict the same 'punch' as adreadnought, but not survive for quite as long in a heavy engagement.

Battle cruisers are therefore excellent at raiding enemy merchant shipping

and convoys, but should not be ordered to participate in large-scale

engagements unless supported by heavier ships.


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Light Ships and

TransportsLight Cruiser

The light cruiser is an intermediate-class vessel, with low- to medium-

caliber guns and some minor armor plating to protect the ship from

incoming shells. Light cruisers are intended for raids on enemy trade

routes: although not superior to the dreadnoughts and battle cruisers, a

light cruiser can operate very well on its own against enemy cargo ships,

but will generally need the support of other cruisers to defeat heavily

defended convoys. With a long campaign movement range, high speed and a

comparatively low price tag, the light cruiser is exceptionally suitable

for hit-and-run missions and patrolling distant waters.

Destroyer

The destroyer might have a thin and fragile hull, and low-caliber guns,

but its high speed and powerful torpedo armament make it anything but a

weak weapon in naval warfare. Destroyers are cheap, built fast, and can,

if grouped together in sufficient numbers, take on any opponent in close-

range combat. These ships are excellent convoy escorts, coastal patrollers

and raiders, but will do better if kept away from large-scale engagements.

Transport

Transports are military vessels built for a single task: to carry troops

overseas. These vessels are very cheap - both to construct and maintain -

while at the same time also having a long campaign movement range and very

high speed. Transports should avoid engagements entirely, however -

although having some armor plating for protection, these ships are

completely unarmed. If you need to bring in troops quickly to a far-off

theater, or ferry forces across minor seas and canals - while at the same

time in need of a naval force presence elsewhere - a transport is your

ship of choice.

Cargo Ship

A cargo ship is a civilian vessel assigned specifically to carry precious

goods and war materials overseas. They are both cheap and easy to build -

and do have some light guns aboard - but should, due to their fragility

and importance to any trading nation, always have an escorting vessel

(such as a destroyer) or two nearby.


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