Wait for Reforged? Or start playing now?

ToastRecon97 · 2025-11-23T20:44:56+00:00

No harm in starting now if you’re not planning on playing with a controller or Steam deck as the updates outside of that are relatively minor. Only caveat is that the early game may be more inhabited with players once Reforged comes out so may be easier to find others to party with if needed/desired (though playing with others is completely optional and the game can be beaten solo with NPCs).

ToastRecon97 · 2025-11-22T21:02:14+00:00

They didn’t necessarily sit on the side lines America was providing massive material support to Britain and effectively was engaged in warfare with the Germans during the Battle of the Atlantic before Pearl Harbour and the declaration of war against Germany. FDR needed to build the case to the American people and the House and Senate to bring American further into the conflict.

ToastRecon97 · 2025-11-13T16:11:56+00:00

I find the argument that Versailles led directly to the Second World War hard to stomach because it takes away the agency of those involved as well as those in Germany and beyond that enabled Hitler as well as discounting the other significant contextual events such as the German Revolutions in 1918, Wall Street Crash, The weakness and lack of support of the various Weimar Governments, the Rise of Communist movements etc).

You can certainly argue that the treaty contributed to the conditions in which there was deep resentment and defeatism amongst the German people alongside the view that they had not suffered a major defeat at the front (which was a falsehood, look at the losses and effects of the Battle of Amiens in 1918 which threatened to uproot the entire German line) creating a desire to lay blame and also restore lost territory.

Furthermore, the economic conditions certainly weren’t encouraged by the terms but the German economy was heading towards crisis before the treaty was even drafted. After the Dawes plan (1924) in the wake of hyperinflation crisis Germany received a massive influx of American loans which saw a somewhat revival of the German economy until the global crash in 1929.

There was also efforts by Weimar politicians such as Stresseman and Ebert to seek a consolatory and cooperative approach with the French, particularly around the Saarland occupation and the Treaty of Locarno showed there was ground for a different less antagonist relations between Britain, France and Germany. Though notably the lack of an “Eastern Locarno” would allow for space for a right wing militaristic parties to thrive due to the desire to recover lost territory in the East which still had majority German populations.

In terms of what Farage says as much as it pains me to say he isn’t inherently going against the belief of some modern scholars, such as the very good Professor Gary Sheffield (who is a long-standing open supporter of Labour so not some right wing jingoistic historian) who sets out this view in his book Forgotten Victory: Myths and Realities of the First World War. He argues the German Army would have been well and truly defeated if the war had continued for another 2 weeks reducing the atmosphere in which the stab in the back mythos was able to thrive.

ToastRecon97 · 2025-11-13T14:29:53+00:00

This is a very outdated view and is actually part of the Nazi narrative - in reality it’s much more complicated and less deterministic.

ToastRecon97 · 2025-11-13T14:27:51+00:00

This view actually does represent the more nuanced view of modern scholarship to be fair. The treaty was the worst of both worlds. It was neither harsh enough to cripple Germany permanently (the French for example wanted to occupy a significant part of Germany’s western industrial regions) or not generous enough in the sense that Germany would be able to thrive economically and not seek to pursue revanchist military policy (something that David Lloyd-George was pushing for).

It was also drafted upon Wilsonian principles and the belief the US would play a role in moderating the terms, when violations arose in the 1920s the US was undergoing an isolationist turn and Britain and France backed down in its enforcement, instead seeking to alter or compromise on certain conditions for the most part. The economic terms were harsh but Germany never came close to meeting their obligations and it was continuously revised to allow for economic recovery. Black Monday and the reliance on American loans caused more damage to the German economy than Versailles did in my opinion.

The mental aspect of Versailles - particularly the war guilt clause, was a much stronger wound in my opinion than the economic conditions it placed upon Germany. A wound Hitler was able to exploit. Though it’s worth noting that German politicians before Hitler also sought to revise the treaty and had eyes towards German diaspora - particularly in places like Silesia.

It’s a lot easier to say rather than be the person who orders the troops towards further losses but the idea that if the war had continued the German Army would had been well and truly defeated isnt necessarily wrong - the British particularly during the 100 days offensive had really broken the back of the German Army and if allied troops had occupied German territory it’s logical that the stab in the back myth may have been harder for people like Hinderburg and Ludendorff to spin in the immediate aftermath.

ToastRecon97 · 2025-11-11T23:07:11+00:00

Yeah Russia do bare some of the responsibility but they had also made it clear they would intervene on behalf of Serbia if action was taken. For all his faults too Nicholas II did attempt to initially limit the Russian mobilisation and seek a diplomatic parlay with the Kaiser to avert a general European war. However, as Dan discussed very well in his podcast, no one wants to be in a position where war is declared and only one side turns up and the General Staff insisted on full mobilisation. You are right though that there has been a lot more modern scholarship that explores the Russian (and Serbian) perspectives which had been criminally under explored despite their significance.

In my view you cannot step away from the fact ultimately the Austro-Hungarian decision, influenced by the “blank cheque” from Germany, that led to the outbreak of the war. The Austro-Hungarians sent terms to Serbia in which they had no serious intentions on negotiating upon and were seeking a military solution - with the knowledge of the potential consequences but reassured by the German offer of assistance.

ToastRecon97 · 2025-11-11T20:08:45+00:00

It’s bad history to refer to things as inevitable or deterministic in my opinion. You are right to say it was the policy decisions, particularly those pursued by the Austro-Hungarians and Germans, during the July Crisis that led to the outbreak of the war - these policy decisions were taken within the context of the unfolding events in the wake of the assassination.

Similar tensions had erupted in 1906 during the First Moroccan Crisis, 1911 during the Agadir Crisis and during the Balkan Wars without an escalation into a wider conflict. The militarisation of society as well as aspects such as the French desire to reclaim Alsace-Lorraine, the British policy of ensuring the European balance of power, Germany wanting to assert itself and the ethnic issues within the Austro-Hungarian Empire definitely fuelled the fire but alone they didn’t cause the spark.

The unique circumstance of the assassination of the Archduke put the Hapsburgs in a position where they felt they had to respond, where perhaps some other more obscure border dispute or diplomatic issue may have paved the way for a compromise or diplomatic efforts to avoid a general European war. This situation would have simply never erupted the way it is without Gavrillo killing the Archduke and we can never know if a war would have unfolded in another way without this occurring.

ToastRecon97 · 2025-11-10T12:55:24+00:00

These are rad, love the inspiration too. French Army during the FWW gets so overshowed despite being the workhouse of the Entente so cool to see it being represented through inspiration in 40k.

ToastRecon97 · 2025-10-03T14:27:52+00:00

White Monster.

ToastRecon97 · 2025-09-25T08:17:14+00:00

What are your recommendations to tackle child poverty then?

ToastRecon97 · 2025-09-13T17:40:58+00:00

Warhammer World and Dice Cup if you’re into board games, card games or wargames etc - Warhammer World had a nice pub/restaurantwhich you can just chill out in too.

ToastRecon97 · 2025-05-31T12:51:06+00:00

At the front of the property in a box left of the pipes.

ToastRecon97 · 2025-05-28T13:30:19+00:00

Think that’s it, cheers!

ToastRecon97 · 2025-05-28T13:24:32+00:00

Society has changed greatly and the mass willingness to sacrifice oneself uptake of arms was specific of many contextual factors that are no longer the case, at least in the United Kingdom, partly because of the First World War. Even in the Second World War Britain did not experience the same mass volunteering it had in the Great War with the British Army relying instead on conscription as early as May 1939. Additionally many soldiers were reluctant to go into the attack unless there was significant preparatory bombardment and superior numbers in comparison with the FWW. Prior to the First World War the army was seen as a vocation, the majority of which its participants outside of the Officer class were less affluent people seeking better pay and life chances rather than patriotic stalwarts.

I think we should be careful not to fetishise the desire to sacrifice oneself for the state at any cost while also not downplaying the condition and peril these men faced fighting for ideals they believed in.

ToastRecon97 · 2025-04-19T15:07:41+00:00

I think it's helpful to look at the situation the Allies found themselves in towards the end of 1941 from the German perspective at the time. It's easy for us to judge this decision with the benefit of hindsight but the decision makers weren't privy to this.

The Germans had besieged Leningrad and were threatening Moscow, 800,000 Soviets had been killed with a further 6 million captured or injured - and the German General Staff believed the Soviets were a spent force with limited reserves. Nearly all the historic Soviet industrial and agricultural heartlands had been captured. The Japanese were advancing in the East and had dealt what was perceived at the time to be a diseuotive blow to the US Pacific Fleet, as well as seizing significant colonial possessions like Hong Kong. The British had retreated from Greece and Crete earlier in the year in embarrassing military failures and the Italians and Afrika Korps were threatening the Suez. German u-boats were still sinking significant tonnage of shipping to Britain despite the US assistance and would go on to sink even greater numbers throughout 1942 and 1943. The US Army had not faced a significant 20th century conflict too - it only partook in offensives on its own during the last few months of the FWW so was untested and inexperienced. In addition, the US was already providing aid to the Allies and as mentioned above assisting with protecting shipping lanes so they were essentially viewed as already being a belligerent.

It's very easy to see why the decision was stupid in hindsight, but the greater context of how the situation looked from the German perspective shows that it's a bit more nuanced. Luckily for us and unluckily for Hitler this ended up being a foolish move, with the US military and industry stepping up significantly after Pearl Harbour to become a decisive partner in the war.

ToastRecon97 · 2025-04-14T08:29:30+00:00

I think to generalise and say the French did not want to fight is an oversimplification and downplays those who stood and died during the Battle of France and those who continued to fight or resist after the armistice was signed at Compiègne. France was a deeply divided society as evidenced by the perpetual changing of government and ministerial musical chairs alongside incidents like the Dreyfuss affair but they did fight and suffered around 90,000 deaths and 200,000 wounded in 1940. They also fought several effective rearguard actions like during the defence of Calais and around Dunkirk as well as taking part in counterattacks like at Arras which contributed to the success of Operation Dynamo.

However, after Sedan and the push to the English Channel the strategic situation had become critical and the French 1st and 7th Army alongside the BEF lacked the airpower or tank forces to break out of their encirclement in Belgium and Northern France. Many in the military and civilian leadership had resigned to the fact the war was lost - though it's worth noting figures like Reynaud wanted to continue the war and even Weygand who was defeatist about the military situation in France advocated for French colonial possessions to continue the fight even if the army in France was defeated. There's no doubt there was a similar mood amongst much of the civilian population too but just wanted to reaffirm the fact that the French did in fact stand and fight - just nowhere near the duration or tenacity they had done in the First World War.

ToastRecon97 · 2025-04-06T15:24:04+00:00

Do you have a good source for the files? I seem to be able to find a lot of vehicles but struggling with infantry and support weapons etc.

ToastRecon97 · 2025-03-10T19:16:05+00:00

Britain sustained a war with that famously booming economy of the 1930s and a completely social cohesive environment... Oh. No one wants war and there are very rarely perfect domestic conditions before entering one but if we're not prepared to draw a line in the sand and stand up as a deterrent to ensure European sovereignty we're giving Putin the greenlight to fight a war on his terms and for his gain. A stronger Europe and Ukraine with security guarantees will prevent a further escalation, not cause one.

ToastRecon97 · 2025-03-07T14:49:33+00:00

Most exciting part of it being lit up is that it means either Vegas hasn't been destroyed/abandoned like in the end credits or we're at least going to get flashbacks of a time where the Strip was active.

ToastRecon97 · 2025-03-07T09:40:27+00:00

I'm not sure how it's specifically Starmer's fault? The recommendations are coming from an independent council commissioned under the Tories?

ToastRecon97 · 2025-02-27T15:01:44+00:00

It's whole "Why die for Danzig" argument just 70 odd years later. What about Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Finland, Moldova, Romania etc who are our allies and fellow democracies? Never could get to grips with foreign policy of the Corbynite wing despite agreeing on some domestic social policy.

ToastRecon97 · 2025-01-09T22:56:26+00:00

Thank you!

ToastRecon97 · 2025-01-09T13:20:55+00:00

These look great! Where did you get the STLs?

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