Austro-Hungarian Empire underpowered?

[76561198051514398]

By the time I reform much of the empire, my manpower is completely diminished. I even made use of puppet armies and expedtionary troops.

Am I doing something wrong or is this just the way it is? Keep in mind, I haven't even taken a million casualties.

[BrigadierBill]

Hungary at the start isn't doing very well on manpower; Austria isn't much better, although they don't have the Treaty of Trianon penalty. Czechoslovakia tends to have a lot of troops, so that eats your manpower as soon as you annex them.

In my own experience, most of my troops came from Austria and Czechoslovakia, so the idea that you're out of manpower isn't surprising at all (with no more core territories after Czechoslovakia and Austria, you've hit your peak as soon as you've formed the empire).

[76561198051514398]

Originally posted by BrigadierBill:

Hungary at the start isn't doing very well on manpower; Austria isn't much better, although they don't have the Treaty of Trianon penalty. Czechoslovakia tends to have a lot of troops, so that eats your manpower as soon as you annex them.

In my own experience, most of my troops came from Austria and Czechoslovakia, so the idea that you're out of manpower isn't surprising at all (with no more core territories after Czechoslovakia and Austria, you've hit your peak as soon as you've formed the empire).

That's pretty silly, why don't all of your claims get cored? Surely the Austro-Hungarian Empire should at least have the manpower to stand up against Germany or the USSR.

[KriegerKR]

Originally posted by JohnTheGreat:

Originally posted by BrigadierBill:

Hungary at the start isn't doing very well on manpower; Austria isn't much better, although they don't have the Treaty of Trianon penalty. Czechoslovakia tends to have a lot of troops, so that eats your manpower as soon as you annex them.

In my own experience, most of my troops came from Austria and Czechoslovakia, so the idea that you're out of manpower isn't surprising at all (with no more core territories after Czechoslovakia and Austria, you've hit your peak as soon as you've formed the empire).

That's pretty silly, why don't all of your claims get cored? Surely the Austro-Hungarian Empire should at least have the manpower to stand up against Germany or the USSR.

there's a decision to core more land after you take parts of yugoslavia and parts of romania

[BrigadierBill]

Originally posted by JohnTheGreat:

That's pretty silly, why don't all of your claims get cored? Surely the Austro-Hungarian Empire should at least have the manpower to stand up against Germany or the USSR.

Austria-Hungary collapsed for a reason; the empire was a product of medieval dynastic alliances and 1800's imperialism, and nationalism was breaking the empire into no less than four distinct pieces (ignoring Slovakia, Transylvania, Istria, and the regionalistic nationalism inside Yugoslavia). That the Austrians might rejoin a reborn Austro-Hungarian Empire is at least believable, but it's already rather odd that the Czechs would, considering how powerful they are to even Austria and Hungary combined in 1938 (or whenever you reunite the core empire).

Of the remaining portions of the empire, it's possible that coring Transylvania is at least feasible, but Yugoslavia was a dream long before the empire fell (although the original dream was of a Croatian-led slavic kingdom within Austria-Hungary); coring the bits of Yugoslavia that you annex is hard to justify, when those regions would all remain fiercely-nationalistic (just as the Soviets don't get cores on Bessarabia, Finland, the Baltic States, and eastern Poland, despite all those being part of the former Russian Empire). Galicia-Lodomeria is a lost cause since Polish nationalism trumps any Polish loyalty to Austria, particularly if Poland is almost as large as Austria, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia combined (larger technically but less powerful initially).

Even in WWI, when there was still loyalty to the empire from the Poles and Croats, Austria was pretty badly outnumbered by their various opponents, and leaving some of their outlying territories uncored also represents the inherent lack of enthusiasm for a multi-ethnic empire in a time of nationalism. At best, Austria-Hungary reborn should be able to match Italy, which is closer in industry and population (but is far more homogenous).

If you disagree, you can always use the console or the transfer states mod to core extra stuff. At most, I'd core Transylvania, Slovenia, Istria, and Croatia, if you want to be realistic.

[frobisher]

Hungary:

Go to war with Austria ASAP, using a focus tree.

Do not use PPs until you are at war - or use Hapsburg focuses and get Silent Workhorse first.

The very moment you are at war, spend 450 PP to go for Extensive Conscription.

Core AH land via focus, then do everything in your power Czechoslovakia accepts annexation.

Manpower issues? What manpower issues?

[UR ESTROGEN DEALER]

a lot of these minor nations really require a MP game to shine, it's extremely difficult in SP to hold the austro-hungarian empire without joining Axis or having a MP buddy playing another major