10) A complete Strategic Plan

Learn how to create a complete strategic plan in Hearts of Iron IV. Understand terrain, objectives, and opponent's forces to ensure successful warfare and achieve your goals.

Many players begin wars based on general impressions of national strengths, economies, and alliances. While these factors are important for deciding *if* a war is wise, they are only the starting point.

Before declaring war, pause the game and study the map of your territory and your opponent's. Consider these seven crucial questions to formulate a battle plan:

1. Which provinces contain Important Terrain, and how many are there?
2. What are the Border narrowing terrains?
3. Which terrains are Easily Defendable?
4. Which terrains are Easily Attack Launchable?
5. Where and how are the opponent's armies concentrated?
6. What opportunities exist for encirclement?
7. What is your specific objective?

These questions are not optional; they are essential for creating a pre-written scenario for your war. Focusing on a selection of objectives, rather than trying to prepare for every possibility, allows for better preparation and execution.

For example, as Czechoslovakia, I once targeted a single Polish province (Cracow) rich in energy. Despite Poland being a stronger nation, I joined the Axis for protection, then left in June 1939. Two months later, as Germany and the Soviet Union invaded Poland, I declared war, quickly seized the energy-rich province, and achieved my objective. Even though I couldn't have held it under normal circumstances, the larger invasion by Germany and the USSR meant Poland was defeated, and I secured my valuable resource.

If your objective is annexation, you must conquer all important terrain provinces. You can do this through a total victory or by focusing solely on these key provinces, even holding one for just one day can be enough to annex your opponent.

Choosing your objective wisely makes war efforts more affordable, executable, and retainable. Important terrain provinces are critical during peace treaty negotiations and are the sole factor for annexation. Understanding their location and difficulty to conquer provides a significant advantage. However, if you only aim to capture a single resource-rich province from an enemy you cannot fully defeat, you might need one or two important provinces to gain enough warscore for a favorable peace treaty.

A nation's original capital is also highly important, often seen as a symbol of independence. Nations may trade almost any other province to regain their capital, which can be exploited by restarting a war to capture it.

After considering important terrain, examine border-narrowing terrain. Every such location in a potential theater of war must be remembered and can be considered as a secondary strategic element.