Those of you who follow the Hearts of Iron development cycle will likely know that a new expansion is imminent. Götterdämmerung is the long-awaited revamp of Germany, last updated way back in Waking the Tiger—an add-on so old it was recently integrated into the base game. Introducing new features including special project research, strategic raids, and an "Inner Circle" mechanic modelling internal politicking, it looks to be the most substantial update since No Step Back.

In addition to reinvigorating my modding drive (Special Projects specifically are directly relevant to the long-neglected DYOSmod, among others), it's encouraging me to revive plans for a Downfall Parody interactive after-action report. The textual precursor to "Let's Plays", AARs are a type of gameplay journal; some are like their real-world namesake and largely analytical play-by-plays, others are embellished narratives. I chronicled my first foray into HoI4 in an off-the-cuff point form, but this would be a bit more structured—not to mention audience-driven.

Way back on the short-lived IOT ProBoards forum, I'd attempted a Rise of Nations Downfall Parody conducted through in-character sockpuppets, but that collapsed when Tanicius' adlinking drove everyone off; a couple years later, I'd planned to revive it on DeviantArt with a WWII total conversion mod, but that wound up shelved when I accidentally overwrote my custom edits with the official update. The next year I pivoted to HoI4 and even started prepping a cosmetic mod, but a combination of Sisyphean struggle to keep third-party mods compatible both with each other and later game updates, and a general deterioration of free time, ended up postponing that indefinitely.

Now, however, there's a break in the clouds and I think I can pick this up again; some of the original "immersion mods" have been superseded by official DLC, and the remaining custom tweaks are stable enough that compatibility patches shouldn't take too long to sort out (though this will probably take a couple weeks to start as I wait for the usual post-Release modding updates).

The AAR itself will be conducted in chapters of as-yet indeterminate length^*, commentated in-character by the Downfall personas, with you, the audience, dictating the course of events! It will run on the Mature forum, partly for being a wargame but largely in anticipation of colourful language by the cast. I have never actually played Germany in the base game, so this will be a (mostly) blind experience.

The main pre-game consideration, which I'm not sure is better to decide here or in the main thread, is whether to run with Historical Focuses, or custom rules: while the player always has full agency over their country, the AI can be instructed to follow historically accurate decisions, or veer into alternate-history paths. Those who know the game can also recommend useful mods here; I fell off the Workshop months ago and don't have an updated roster on-hand, but there are several balance and QoL patches still earmarked, such as Zee's Balanced Ship Refits and Expanded Designers.

And, if you're feeling especially ambitious, I could mod in committed participants as in-game characters...

* Hearts of Iron runs in real-time so outside of active war there can be long stretches of "going through the motions".