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Hello HoI fans! Synth here with the first Developer Diary for Iran in our upcoming content pack: Graveyard of Empires! It’s good to see you again! Today I am excited to introduce to you one of the nations we have been adding flavor to as part of this DLC - the great nation of Iran. This has been such a fascinating country to work with, and as two great powers loom menacingly over them during the course of the war, it means that there are plenty of fun opportunities to stage a full on defense. But what if you want to play offensively? I am certain there are players out there eager to restore the greatness of the Persian Empire. Well, lucky for you, I am here to talk about both!
This Dev Diary will cover both the historical and monarchist path for Iran which sits neatly on the right side of the focus tree! For the sake of consistency, from here on out, I will be referring to the monarchist path as the imperialist path. First, I will give you a brief context overview of where the country was at the start of the game, and then we will dig into the historical and monarchist branches you can take when playing the Iranian focus tree. Let’s get stuck right in!
(A disclaimer: there may be some placeholder art for the time being)
We have a big ol’ tree for you to explore
Historical Context When we start the game as Iran, there has been just over a decade of Pahlavi rule. The Pahlavi dynasty was created in 1925 after a former Brigadier-General of the Persian Cossack Brigade, a man named Reza Khan, deposed the Qajar dynasty and declared himself as the new Shah (king). This man, who took the name Reza Shah Pahlavi, would signal a great shift in the politics of the country as he shepherded in many reforms, which some groups considered to be controversial and others championed as groundbreaking. It was in 1935 that Reza Shah officially issued a decree that asked foreign delegates to use the term Iran instead of Persia, which was more in line with what the country was called in their native tongue.
The big lad himself
An element of the new policies implemented by the Pahlavi dynasty included reducing involvement with both the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union. At this time, both countries had assets and companies in Iran, but the UK in particular controlled a significant portion of Iran’s resources due to the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company. In an effort to reduce reliance on these two superpowers, Reza Shah preferred to obtain technical assistance from other European countries such as France, Italy and Germany, with the latter being part of the foundation of problems Iran would come to face after 1939. After all, Britain had stakes in Iran, and Germany just became Britain’s enemy.
Despite pressure, Reza Shah would declare Iran as a neutral country and focus on developing the country economically. However, as we all know, their neutrality was not to be respected for long. Eventually in 1941, after Reza Shah refused British demands to expel all Germans from the country, a combined force of British and Soviet troops launched a surprise invasion of Iran. The fighting lasted about a week, before the Iranian government surrendered. With the abdication of Reza Shah Pahlavi and his son placed on the throne, the future of Iran was, for the time being, in the hands of the Allies.
Game Start When the game begins, Iran will always start Non-Aligned with Reza Shah Pahlavi in power, and as is to be expected, you will have a few national spirits that might need your attention. In the 1930s, Iran was a complex country with many moving parts, and at that time, the Pahlavi dynasty was dealing with a number of issues that they felt they needed to solve.
The Anglo-Iranian Oil Company was currently depleting your resource gain efficiency and factory output, whilst increasing the number of resources being put out to market. Until you take action, this company will continue to be a thorn in your side.
Meanwhile, politically, there are a few things to note about Iran. The rural regions still have elements of feudalism present, and will cause issues with your recruitable population and research speed. Religion also plays a major role in Iran at this time as the country has been following Islam for generations. Whilst some members of government want to give more power to the clergy, others seek to reduce their influence. In certain parts of the focus tree, you will have the opportunity to decide how Iran will proceed in relation to their religious traditions.
Within Iran’s borders also lies part of what was known as Kurdistan and Azerbaijan. These areas of the country harbor separatist sentiments and as such, have resulted in pockets of resistance that damages your stability and war support.
The starting national spirits for Iran!
To Stand With Giants Historical Iran is going to allow you to live the fantasy of standing your ground against the might of the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union as both nations loom over you as an ever present threat. However, before you can do that, you must prepare your nation against the storm that is coming.
Reforms galore! The perfect way to prepare for the oncoming storm.
This first part of the historical branch is reflective of the kinds of reforms and actions taken by Reza Shah during this time period. Education was prioritized in multiple ways, including the opening of the Abadan Technical School, and the establishment of a number of military high schools. These focuses will allow you to not only get a bit of a technological advantage, but will also result in the advancement of your military infrastructure and traits that your generals can have. This part of the tree also represents the growing international relations between Iran and Germany, as well as the imminent crackdown on communist insurgency through the Trial Against the Fifty Three.
Iran will also have the opportunity to found the treaty of Saadabad in this part of the tree and this is no longer strictly available to Turkey. This could be useful to build up a repertoire of friends to help you out when war comes knocking.
War is coming, whether you like it or not. Will you strike first? Or wait it out?
With your policies established and your military development underway, it is time to think about preparing for the worst. You have two options here. On the left, you can see the writing on the wall: This is clearly an attempt for your rivals to secure your precious resources. In this slightly ahistorical path, you can cause resistance movements to pop up in neighboring countries and bolster your infrastructure before taking a risky pre-emptive strike. This will not be easy, but will give you the chance to hit them before they hit you. If you are successful, Iran can set up buffer states to ensure that the Soviet Union in particular stays out of your hair.
On the other side, you can make more defensive preparations, bolstering your industry and mobilizing your population to prepare for a potential invasion.
If you are playing completely on historical, then you can expect the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom to start knocking on your door. In the case that you are invaded, this branch of the focus tree becomes available. Currently, this branch is available to any ideology so long as you are fighting a defensive war. It’s time to fight for Iran!
Azadi! Fight for the future of Iran!
After taking ‘The Fight for Iran’ you will receive a national spirit that will grant you some bonuses to organization regain, war support and defense against major countries. It is then that you need to decide whether you want to fight your war defensively or offensively. Choose carefully based on the threat you are facing, as each path has their pros and cons.
By choosing to dig in and defend, you will gain bonuses that will help you hold your ground around key points, such as your capital and coastline. However, by choosing to hold off the enemy and stave them off, you will only have access to negotiating peace on the caveat of offering some of your resources to the enemy. On the flipside, if you feel that this war is a fight that you cannot win, then taking this defensive path will allow you to capitulate yourself and continue playing the game as a puppet. Doing so will unlock a new set of branches that will allow you to either play the role as an obedient subject and gain favor with your overlord, or alternatively, resist them and fight for your freedom.
Lose the war? Not to worry, you can continue playing and try to break free if you like!
Alternatively, if you are feeling confident, then you will be able to try and push the invaders back. These focuses will give you bonuses to your attack and breakthrough to give you an upper hand in aggressively forcing the invasion force out of your border. If this war goes well, Iran will be able to force a white peace. If it goes really well, then you will be able to demand war reparations from the belligerent country.
Overall the historical branch is short, sweet and to the point. It is supposed to be a game of survival, as you prepare yourself to fight off those who threaten your lands. However, if you have more of a taste for conquest, then perhaps it is time to turn Iran into a glorious empire…
A Legacy of Greatness If you are the kind of player who loves to invoke the spirit of old empires, then the Iranian imperial path is perfect for you. The rule of the Pahlavi dynasty, even beyond the scope of the second world war, was instrumental in the nationalization of Iran in line with Persian culture and language. As such, the Imperial branch is a ‘what-if’ scenario derived from a world where Reza Shah Pahlavi tightened his rule over Iran and allowed the nation to develop into a major imperial power in the region.
Running an Empire ain’t easy
This branch is separated into three distinct branches: The political branch, the Unification initiative and the War branch. Let’s start with the political branch, which is on the left hand side, starting with ‘A Legacy of Greatness’. You will be faced with a very important choice right off the bat that will shape how your burgeoning empire will progress. By taking ‘The Assassination of Reza Shah’, an assassination attempt (that failed historically) will fire off, resulting in you playing the game as the heir, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi. This path will allow you to follow some of the decisions that Mohammed Reza Pahlavi took after the war, but just a little earlier. You will be tasked with selecting a queen to rule alongside you, before making a choice between becoming an emperor for the people or focusing more on your legacy and dynasty. Going down this path will result in your country being called the Third Persian Empire.
If instead, you wish to keep Reza Shah Pahlavi on the throne, you can choose to root out the conspiracies to assassinate him, and then crackdown on these threats by establishing a tighter control over the government. From here, you branch out and continue Reza Shah’s goals of modernizing Iran, by making a choice to either limit foreign influence and expel the major nations that have control over your resources OR you can embrace these industrial powers and use them to modernize your economy. If you choose the latter, then you will also strengthen your ties with Germany, and have a chance to align yourself with them if they start kicking off during the war.
Unity and Order
The Unification Initiative will allow you to start working on dealing with some of the issues that your government faces, including the resistance movements from the Kurdish and Azerbaijani populace. This will lead into deciding how you want to approach religion in your new empire. Each choice comes with their own pros and cons. Venerating islam may not rock the boat too much, but it will keep your people and critics happy. Alternatively, forcing state atheism will cause a significant hit to your stability. Finally, if you really want to be controversial, you can revive Zoroastrianism, which was still practiced by small pockets in Iran during the time. Enacting a change as drastic as this, however, will immediately plummet you into a civil war. You might need to gauge if the modifiers are worth it.
Now let’s get to the juicy part: war. Before you can take a step onto the path of domination, you first need to ensure that your opposition is under control. After consolidating your power through ‘A Legacy of Greatness’, a mission timer will unlock showing your opposition parties starting to work against you, potentially resulting in the beginning of a civil war.
Looks like you’re slightly unpopular. There are ways to fix this!
This crisis initially prevents you from going down the expansion path, and by selecting the ‘Assessing the Opposition’ focus will unlock the ability to clamp down on these opposition parties through decisions. Once all of the parties have been placated and the threat of civil war is gone, you may then start to think about expansion.
So much conquest, so little time…
Firstly, Iran must first make sure that the Soviet Union doesn’t get any funny ideas. By forming the Tehran-Moscow pact, you can hopefully barter a non-aggression pact from the giant to the north. You can also establish the Immortal Legion, a division template with a unique character model! Whilst the Immortal Legion have been named after the Immortals of the ancient Persian empire, these modern Immortals look more suited for the job of fighting on the front lines. No spears and shields here! Maybe look to Crusader Kings for that one.
Your next step will involve making some demands to your neighbors. Iraq and Afghanistan both have territory that look like it should be painted with Iranian colors. If you have the troops to back you up, you can demand some of the border lands from both of these nations.
It’s at this point that the rest of the war path opens up. Before you are three war plans that have each been named after an ancient Persian king. Each of them corresponds to the regions that they played the biggest role in obtaining for Persia.
‘War Plan Xerxes’ leads Iran to the west, allowing for war goals on Turkey with the goal of reintegrating those lands into your empire. (There is a secret path here if certain conditions are met, but I’ll let you guys find that out for yourselves!)
‘War Plan Darius’ is about pushing into the Indus valley, alongside usurping Afghanistan into your territory. This will result in the option to completely declare war on the Indian subcontinent, but be warned! India may have strong allies you will also have to contend with.
‘War Plan Cambyses’ will require you to punch a path through Iraq, taking it as yours along the way, as well as giving you the option of causing issues with the French colonies in the region. Eventually, however, the goal is to make your way to Egypt and use ‘The Memphis Initiative’ to bring it fully under your control.
Keep in mind that you can only complete one war plan at a time, so you must first complete all the focuses in one war plan before moving onto the next. With a new empire under your flag, you will be able to relish in the Glory of Cyrus the Great, which will add a nice new trait to the growing list of accolades your country leader has been gathering.
The Rejuvenation of Iran's Economy To wrap up this dev diary, I am going to talk to you a little bit about our common branches, the industrial and military trees. Let’s start with the industry!
Let’s get this economy boosted, shall we?
The Iranian industrial tree has four distinct branches that each tackle a different part of the economy. Starting from the left, we have the educational branch, which focuses on research bonuses and boosts. During the Pahlavi era, the government started to prioritize education more, attempting to increase adult literacy as well as the completion of the national museum of Iran. Ultimately, this branch culminates in one of those ever coveted research slots.
Increased literacy will empower and liberate your people
During the period of 1927 - 1938, Reza Shah Pahlavi directed a major railway building project that would span across the country. This link would come to be known as the Trans-Iranian Railway and would serve the nation well over the years. As Iran, you will have the opportunity to construct this railway through a number of focuses, rapidly establishing a rail network with supply hubs across the core regions of Iran. Eventually, you can decide whether you want to start your fleet of locomotives by ordering trains from either Germany or the United Kingdom, gaining favor with whoever you choose. If you are a fan of trains like I am, consider getting this up and running to ensure your troops will have a good basis for supply.
The first steps of becoming a modern superpower
Historically, the White Revolution was a series of reforms that were actually rolled out by Mohammed Reza Pahlavi in the 1960s, but due to their significance, we wanted to give the Iranian player the opportunity to use these policies to improve their economy. However, if you want to gain access to these rewards, you must first pass a certain threshold of factories to be able to pass down this branch. The focuses provide things such as industrial concerns like the Iranian national bank, as well as a number of female advisors from championing women’s rights and boosting your recruitable population by ensuring your people are well fed!
OIL!!! OIL!!! OIL!!!
Finally the last branch will allow you to quickly get some civilian factories online through rapid industrialization as you modernize Iran’s cities. This leads into an offshoot where the Iranian player can increase oil production and replace the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company with a national Iranian Oil Company that becomes available as an industrial concern. It’s at this point that we start to get a little silly with it.
This branch allows you to establish the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries about 20 years early, building a faction based on controlling that sweet sweet oil. Perhaps they will get along with another version of a country we will mention further down the line. At this point you can greedily become a bit of an oil magnate, or instead use your resources to profit from the conflicts firing off across the world.
The Iranian War Machine So with all this potential for conquest, let’s take a look at how Iran can build its military might through the army, airforce and navy branches! The military development in Iran focuses primarily on boosting your infantry and advancing your tank technology.
Boots on the ground and treads in the dirt
When it comes to tanks, the Iran player must first expand their military facilities before being given a choice between inviting Henschel from Germany or Skoda Armor from Czechoslovakia. This will give you a nice boost to your MIOs and allow you to start building levels in them right away. Eventually you will be able to have the option to establish your own tank MIO and have even more options available for developing hard hitting armor columns.
On the other side, between advancing the skills of your generals and deciding whether to focus on infantry research or licensing artillery from Sweden, the Iran player will be able to increase the viability of their infantry regiments. Once again, there is a narrative element here of starting by using other designs before eventually building up your own military infrastructure.
At the end of this branch, you will have to make a decision between quality or quantity, with each focus: ‘Iranian Military Excellency’ and ‘Every Man Who Can Serve’ coming with their own unique bonuses depending on your playstyle.
Supporting your troops from the skies will be important in dominating the region
The Iranian Airforce branch is fairly simple, and revolves around readying the country to defend its airspace. There is a core feature of this tree that focuses on upgrading the ‘Imperial Iranian Airforce’ dynamic modifier, making it better as time goes on. The idea here is to eventually specialize in either strategic bombing, ground support or gaining air superiority. There is also the focus ‘Legacy of Ozra Gilani’, which is based on the first woman to join the Imperial Iranian Airforce. The focus itself will set the rule that women can become military pilots, as well as modifying the recruitable population factor and ace generation.
Keep your local Persian Gulf safe!
The Imperial Iranian Navy was always the smallest of Iran’s military forces, but in the 20th century, the Pahlavi dynasty authorized the development of the navy to bolster their strength in the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean. The navy branch for Iran might be small, but it will give you an opportunity to secure your coastlines and hold your ground against naval invasions. Like the other military trees, you will have the opportunity to train the skills of your naval officers and gain cost reductions for various naval doctrines.
We’re allowed special projects too y’know!
Finally, we have the special operations branch of the tree, which will allow the Iranian player to develop their intelligence organization and increase the capacity and capabilities of their special forces, including expanding the Immortal Legion if you have already unlocked that in the Imperial tree.
Following this, you can enact ‘The Cyrus Initiative’ which will give land warfare facilities and allow you to get a headstart on special projects! In a similar vein, you have the opportunity to boost your nuclear weapons program, but only after negotiating with the United States of America and improving your relationship with them.
And with that, we are done with the first part of the Iranian focus tree! I hope you have enjoyed reading about what’s in store for historical and imperial Iran, and I can’t wait to let you all get your hands on it!
See you guys later!
Eilidh
P.S. Here are some models of the Iranian infantry as a wee treat!
If you haven't already, check out the Expansion pass by clicking here, or the picture above!
This Dev Diary will cover both the historical and monarchist path for Iran which sits neatly on the right side of the focus tree! For the sake of consistency, from here on out, I will be referring to the monarchist path as the imperialist path. First, I will give you a brief context overview of where the country was at the start of the game, and then we will dig into the historical and monarchist branches you can take when playing the Iranian focus tree. Let’s get stuck right in!
(A disclaimer: there may be some placeholder art for the time being)
We have a big ol’ tree for you to explore
Historical Context When we start the game as Iran, there has been just over a decade of Pahlavi rule. The Pahlavi dynasty was created in 1925 after a former Brigadier-General of the Persian Cossack Brigade, a man named Reza Khan, deposed the Qajar dynasty and declared himself as the new Shah (king). This man, who took the name Reza Shah Pahlavi, would signal a great shift in the politics of the country as he shepherded in many reforms, which some groups considered to be controversial and others championed as groundbreaking. It was in 1935 that Reza Shah officially issued a decree that asked foreign delegates to use the term Iran instead of Persia, which was more in line with what the country was called in their native tongue.
The big lad himself
An element of the new policies implemented by the Pahlavi dynasty included reducing involvement with both the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union. At this time, both countries had assets and companies in Iran, but the UK in particular controlled a significant portion of Iran’s resources due to the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company. In an effort to reduce reliance on these two superpowers, Reza Shah preferred to obtain technical assistance from other European countries such as France, Italy and Germany, with the latter being part of the foundation of problems Iran would come to face after 1939. After all, Britain had stakes in Iran, and Germany just became Britain’s enemy.
Despite pressure, Reza Shah would declare Iran as a neutral country and focus on developing the country economically. However, as we all know, their neutrality was not to be respected for long. Eventually in 1941, after Reza Shah refused British demands to expel all Germans from the country, a combined force of British and Soviet troops launched a surprise invasion of Iran. The fighting lasted about a week, before the Iranian government surrendered. With the abdication of Reza Shah Pahlavi and his son placed on the throne, the future of Iran was, for the time being, in the hands of the Allies.
Game Start When the game begins, Iran will always start Non-Aligned with Reza Shah Pahlavi in power, and as is to be expected, you will have a few national spirits that might need your attention. In the 1930s, Iran was a complex country with many moving parts, and at that time, the Pahlavi dynasty was dealing with a number of issues that they felt they needed to solve.
The Anglo-Iranian Oil Company was currently depleting your resource gain efficiency and factory output, whilst increasing the number of resources being put out to market. Until you take action, this company will continue to be a thorn in your side.
Meanwhile, politically, there are a few things to note about Iran. The rural regions still have elements of feudalism present, and will cause issues with your recruitable population and research speed. Religion also plays a major role in Iran at this time as the country has been following Islam for generations. Whilst some members of government want to give more power to the clergy, others seek to reduce their influence. In certain parts of the focus tree, you will have the opportunity to decide how Iran will proceed in relation to their religious traditions.
Within Iran’s borders also lies part of what was known as Kurdistan and Azerbaijan. These areas of the country harbor separatist sentiments and as such, have resulted in pockets of resistance that damages your stability and war support.
The starting national spirits for Iran!
To Stand With Giants Historical Iran is going to allow you to live the fantasy of standing your ground against the might of the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union as both nations loom over you as an ever present threat. However, before you can do that, you must prepare your nation against the storm that is coming.
Reforms galore! The perfect way to prepare for the oncoming storm.
This first part of the historical branch is reflective of the kinds of reforms and actions taken by Reza Shah during this time period. Education was prioritized in multiple ways, including the opening of the Abadan Technical School, and the establishment of a number of military high schools. These focuses will allow you to not only get a bit of a technological advantage, but will also result in the advancement of your military infrastructure and traits that your generals can have. This part of the tree also represents the growing international relations between Iran and Germany, as well as the imminent crackdown on communist insurgency through the Trial Against the Fifty Three.
Iran will also have the opportunity to found the treaty of Saadabad in this part of the tree and this is no longer strictly available to Turkey. This could be useful to build up a repertoire of friends to help you out when war comes knocking.
War is coming, whether you like it or not. Will you strike first? Or wait it out?
With your policies established and your military development underway, it is time to think about preparing for the worst. You have two options here. On the left, you can see the writing on the wall: This is clearly an attempt for your rivals to secure your precious resources. In this slightly ahistorical path, you can cause resistance movements to pop up in neighboring countries and bolster your infrastructure before taking a risky pre-emptive strike. This will not be easy, but will give you the chance to hit them before they hit you. If you are successful, Iran can set up buffer states to ensure that the Soviet Union in particular stays out of your hair.
On the other side, you can make more defensive preparations, bolstering your industry and mobilizing your population to prepare for a potential invasion.
If you are playing completely on historical, then you can expect the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom to start knocking on your door. In the case that you are invaded, this branch of the focus tree becomes available. Currently, this branch is available to any ideology so long as you are fighting a defensive war. It’s time to fight for Iran!
Azadi! Fight for the future of Iran!
After taking ‘The Fight for Iran’ you will receive a national spirit that will grant you some bonuses to organization regain, war support and defense against major countries. It is then that you need to decide whether you want to fight your war defensively or offensively. Choose carefully based on the threat you are facing, as each path has their pros and cons.
By choosing to dig in and defend, you will gain bonuses that will help you hold your ground around key points, such as your capital and coastline. However, by choosing to hold off the enemy and stave them off, you will only have access to negotiating peace on the caveat of offering some of your resources to the enemy. On the flipside, if you feel that this war is a fight that you cannot win, then taking this defensive path will allow you to capitulate yourself and continue playing the game as a puppet. Doing so will unlock a new set of branches that will allow you to either play the role as an obedient subject and gain favor with your overlord, or alternatively, resist them and fight for your freedom.
Lose the war? Not to worry, you can continue playing and try to break free if you like!
Alternatively, if you are feeling confident, then you will be able to try and push the invaders back. These focuses will give you bonuses to your attack and breakthrough to give you an upper hand in aggressively forcing the invasion force out of your border. If this war goes well, Iran will be able to force a white peace. If it goes really well, then you will be able to demand war reparations from the belligerent country.
Overall the historical branch is short, sweet and to the point. It is supposed to be a game of survival, as you prepare yourself to fight off those who threaten your lands. However, if you have more of a taste for conquest, then perhaps it is time to turn Iran into a glorious empire…
A Legacy of Greatness If you are the kind of player who loves to invoke the spirit of old empires, then the Iranian imperial path is perfect for you. The rule of the Pahlavi dynasty, even beyond the scope of the second world war, was instrumental in the nationalization of Iran in line with Persian culture and language. As such, the Imperial branch is a ‘what-if’ scenario derived from a world where Reza Shah Pahlavi tightened his rule over Iran and allowed the nation to develop into a major imperial power in the region.
Running an Empire ain’t easy
This branch is separated into three distinct branches: The political branch, the Unification initiative and the War branch. Let’s start with the political branch, which is on the left hand side, starting with ‘A Legacy of Greatness’. You will be faced with a very important choice right off the bat that will shape how your burgeoning empire will progress. By taking ‘The Assassination of Reza Shah’, an assassination attempt (that failed historically) will fire off, resulting in you playing the game as the heir, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi. This path will allow you to follow some of the decisions that Mohammed Reza Pahlavi took after the war, but just a little earlier. You will be tasked with selecting a queen to rule alongside you, before making a choice between becoming an emperor for the people or focusing more on your legacy and dynasty. Going down this path will result in your country being called the Third Persian Empire.
If instead, you wish to keep Reza Shah Pahlavi on the throne, you can choose to root out the conspiracies to assassinate him, and then crackdown on these threats by establishing a tighter control over the government. From here, you branch out and continue Reza Shah’s goals of modernizing Iran, by making a choice to either limit foreign influence and expel the major nations that have control over your resources OR you can embrace these industrial powers and use them to modernize your economy. If you choose the latter, then you will also strengthen your ties with Germany, and have a chance to align yourself with them if they start kicking off during the war.
Unity and Order
The Unification Initiative will allow you to start working on dealing with some of the issues that your government faces, including the resistance movements from the Kurdish and Azerbaijani populace. This will lead into deciding how you want to approach religion in your new empire. Each choice comes with their own pros and cons. Venerating islam may not rock the boat too much, but it will keep your people and critics happy. Alternatively, forcing state atheism will cause a significant hit to your stability. Finally, if you really want to be controversial, you can revive Zoroastrianism, which was still practiced by small pockets in Iran during the time. Enacting a change as drastic as this, however, will immediately plummet you into a civil war. You might need to gauge if the modifiers are worth it.
Now let’s get to the juicy part: war. Before you can take a step onto the path of domination, you first need to ensure that your opposition is under control. After consolidating your power through ‘A Legacy of Greatness’, a mission timer will unlock showing your opposition parties starting to work against you, potentially resulting in the beginning of a civil war.
Looks like you’re slightly unpopular. There are ways to fix this!
This crisis initially prevents you from going down the expansion path, and by selecting the ‘Assessing the Opposition’ focus will unlock the ability to clamp down on these opposition parties through decisions. Once all of the parties have been placated and the threat of civil war is gone, you may then start to think about expansion.
So much conquest, so little time…
Firstly, Iran must first make sure that the Soviet Union doesn’t get any funny ideas. By forming the Tehran-Moscow pact, you can hopefully barter a non-aggression pact from the giant to the north. You can also establish the Immortal Legion, a division template with a unique character model! Whilst the Immortal Legion have been named after the Immortals of the ancient Persian empire, these modern Immortals look more suited for the job of fighting on the front lines. No spears and shields here! Maybe look to Crusader Kings for that one.
Your next step will involve making some demands to your neighbors. Iraq and Afghanistan both have territory that look like it should be painted with Iranian colors. If you have the troops to back you up, you can demand some of the border lands from both of these nations.
It’s at this point that the rest of the war path opens up. Before you are three war plans that have each been named after an ancient Persian king. Each of them corresponds to the regions that they played the biggest role in obtaining for Persia.
‘War Plan Xerxes’ leads Iran to the west, allowing for war goals on Turkey with the goal of reintegrating those lands into your empire. (There is a secret path here if certain conditions are met, but I’ll let you guys find that out for yourselves!)
‘War Plan Darius’ is about pushing into the Indus valley, alongside usurping Afghanistan into your territory. This will result in the option to completely declare war on the Indian subcontinent, but be warned! India may have strong allies you will also have to contend with.
‘War Plan Cambyses’ will require you to punch a path through Iraq, taking it as yours along the way, as well as giving you the option of causing issues with the French colonies in the region. Eventually, however, the goal is to make your way to Egypt and use ‘The Memphis Initiative’ to bring it fully under your control.
Keep in mind that you can only complete one war plan at a time, so you must first complete all the focuses in one war plan before moving onto the next. With a new empire under your flag, you will be able to relish in the Glory of Cyrus the Great, which will add a nice new trait to the growing list of accolades your country leader has been gathering.
The Rejuvenation of Iran's Economy To wrap up this dev diary, I am going to talk to you a little bit about our common branches, the industrial and military trees. Let’s start with the industry!
Let’s get this economy boosted, shall we?
The Iranian industrial tree has four distinct branches that each tackle a different part of the economy. Starting from the left, we have the educational branch, which focuses on research bonuses and boosts. During the Pahlavi era, the government started to prioritize education more, attempting to increase adult literacy as well as the completion of the national museum of Iran. Ultimately, this branch culminates in one of those ever coveted research slots.
Increased literacy will empower and liberate your people
During the period of 1927 - 1938, Reza Shah Pahlavi directed a major railway building project that would span across the country. This link would come to be known as the Trans-Iranian Railway and would serve the nation well over the years. As Iran, you will have the opportunity to construct this railway through a number of focuses, rapidly establishing a rail network with supply hubs across the core regions of Iran. Eventually, you can decide whether you want to start your fleet of locomotives by ordering trains from either Germany or the United Kingdom, gaining favor with whoever you choose. If you are a fan of trains like I am, consider getting this up and running to ensure your troops will have a good basis for supply.
The first steps of becoming a modern superpower
Historically, the White Revolution was a series of reforms that were actually rolled out by Mohammed Reza Pahlavi in the 1960s, but due to their significance, we wanted to give the Iranian player the opportunity to use these policies to improve their economy. However, if you want to gain access to these rewards, you must first pass a certain threshold of factories to be able to pass down this branch. The focuses provide things such as industrial concerns like the Iranian national bank, as well as a number of female advisors from championing women’s rights and boosting your recruitable population by ensuring your people are well fed!
OIL!!! OIL!!! OIL!!!
Finally the last branch will allow you to quickly get some civilian factories online through rapid industrialization as you modernize Iran’s cities. This leads into an offshoot where the Iranian player can increase oil production and replace the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company with a national Iranian Oil Company that becomes available as an industrial concern. It’s at this point that we start to get a little silly with it.
This branch allows you to establish the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries about 20 years early, building a faction based on controlling that sweet sweet oil. Perhaps they will get along with another version of a country we will mention further down the line. At this point you can greedily become a bit of an oil magnate, or instead use your resources to profit from the conflicts firing off across the world.
The Iranian War Machine So with all this potential for conquest, let’s take a look at how Iran can build its military might through the army, airforce and navy branches! The military development in Iran focuses primarily on boosting your infantry and advancing your tank technology.
Boots on the ground and treads in the dirt
When it comes to tanks, the Iran player must first expand their military facilities before being given a choice between inviting Henschel from Germany or Skoda Armor from Czechoslovakia. This will give you a nice boost to your MIOs and allow you to start building levels in them right away. Eventually you will be able to have the option to establish your own tank MIO and have even more options available for developing hard hitting armor columns.
On the other side, between advancing the skills of your generals and deciding whether to focus on infantry research or licensing artillery from Sweden, the Iran player will be able to increase the viability of their infantry regiments. Once again, there is a narrative element here of starting by using other designs before eventually building up your own military infrastructure.
At the end of this branch, you will have to make a decision between quality or quantity, with each focus: ‘Iranian Military Excellency’ and ‘Every Man Who Can Serve’ coming with their own unique bonuses depending on your playstyle.
Supporting your troops from the skies will be important in dominating the region
The Iranian Airforce branch is fairly simple, and revolves around readying the country to defend its airspace. There is a core feature of this tree that focuses on upgrading the ‘Imperial Iranian Airforce’ dynamic modifier, making it better as time goes on. The idea here is to eventually specialize in either strategic bombing, ground support or gaining air superiority. There is also the focus ‘Legacy of Ozra Gilani’, which is based on the first woman to join the Imperial Iranian Airforce. The focus itself will set the rule that women can become military pilots, as well as modifying the recruitable population factor and ace generation.
Keep your local Persian Gulf safe!
The Imperial Iranian Navy was always the smallest of Iran’s military forces, but in the 20th century, the Pahlavi dynasty authorized the development of the navy to bolster their strength in the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean. The navy branch for Iran might be small, but it will give you an opportunity to secure your coastlines and hold your ground against naval invasions. Like the other military trees, you will have the opportunity to train the skills of your naval officers and gain cost reductions for various naval doctrines.
We’re allowed special projects too y’know!
Finally, we have the special operations branch of the tree, which will allow the Iranian player to develop their intelligence organization and increase the capacity and capabilities of their special forces, including expanding the Immortal Legion if you have already unlocked that in the Imperial tree.
Following this, you can enact ‘The Cyrus Initiative’ which will give land warfare facilities and allow you to get a headstart on special projects! In a similar vein, you have the opportunity to boost your nuclear weapons program, but only after negotiating with the United States of America and improving your relationship with them.
And with that, we are done with the first part of the Iranian focus tree! I hope you have enjoyed reading about what’s in store for historical and imperial Iran, and I can’t wait to let you all get your hands on it!
See you guys later!
Eilidh
P.S. Here are some models of the Iranian infantry as a wee treat!
If you haven't already, check out the Expansion pass by clicking here, or the picture above!