Hello everyone, hope you all had a less busy week than I did. ;) I do apologize for the wait, but life happens, and we are all this much closer to the Early Access release of The Second World War.

Petain is given leave to form the Vichy state in southern France, while the Wehrmacht takes control of northern and coastal regions pending the end of the war. The army finds itself occupied with mopping up straggling brigades and partisans.




As the year turns to 1940, the Empire of Japan is all but defeated on the mainland. The Soviets are surprisingly merciful and accept a request for peace from Tokyo – after establishing the Japanese People's Republic in Hokkaido.




Lithuania decides to throw its (pitiful) weight around and severs diplomatic ties to the Reich.




As the winter comes to a close in early 1940, Germany finds itself fresh out of fuel. With its tanks halted, repeling the British is suddenly an arduous task. From across the channel, Churchill's troops make a second landing and cut off Brittany. In Vichy, armed conflict erupts between Petain's governing and those desiring to resume the war with the Reich.




In old Francia, it is hard to say who has a worse spring: In the north, the trench warfare of The Great War re-emerges as the Germans desperately try to cut off and assault British forces led by tanks, resulting in the mobile brilliance of Rommel and Guderian rendered useless and the virtual destruction of the Luftwaffe. In the south, Commander-in-Chief Charles Nogues proclaims a French Fourth Republic that he is destined to lead to glory much as Napoleon did over a century earlier. It is civil war in the Vichy State.




Farther south, Italy is in all-out war with the British Empire themselves with both sides vying for control of the Suez Canal at all costs.




By the end of April, the Wehrmacht manages to persevere and unexpected naval victories result in His Majesty's Army being driven out of France and Flanders. Sighs of relief echo from one end of the Reichstag to the other as oil starts to trickle back in. However, not everything is well; Charles Nogues is winning the civil war for the Vichy State, and Greece has decided to complicate matters in the Mediterranean. Adolf Hitler finds himself in a precarious position: If he intervenes, Nogues will join the allies and create yet another melee he may not be able to win with such low oil reserves. On the other hand, if he does not, Petain will likely lose and Nogues may join the Allies anyway.




Smaller factions disrupt the balance of power and chaos erupts in Occitania, which is starting to bear an uncanny resemblance to Spain.




In the summer of 1940, Adolf Hitler and his administration believe themselves to be trapped, with the Soviet menace on one end at the defiant British Empire on the other. Unable to effectively utilize his mobile divisions, the decision is made to bring Sealion before Barbarossa, that is, to knock the British out of the war via invasion before turning to the Soviets. This begins by vying for control of the Straits of Dover.




In the second week of August, Sealion begins. Temporary superiority in the channel (even if under duress by the Royal Air Force) results in troops being sent on a perilous mission to capture London and win the war. A fresh invasion comes to the mainland from British and Canadian forces, catching the Reich off-guard, and anarchy from the French Civil War spills north.




The Royal Navy and Air Force assault and badly damage the Kriegsmarine, sending what remains of it in full retreat. Still, the Sussex Landings overwhelm the token British garrison and the Wehrmacht marches north and into London. They find the royal family evacuated along with the government. General Johannes Blaskowitz and a cohort of officers enter the vacated Westminster and, in the Lords Chamber, declare Winston Churchill an enemy of the English people and his government exiled. The German Heer march through the streets in parades joined by British Fascists before beginning their campaign into East Anglia and Lincoln... and there this story ends.





What history will you make in The Second World War?

Hello everyone, hope you all had a less busy week than I did. ;) I do apologize for the wait, but life happens, and we are all this much closer to the Early Access release of The Second World War.

Petain is given leave to form the Vichy state in southern France, while the Wehrmacht takes control of northern and coastal regions pending the end of the war. The army finds itself occupied with mopping up straggling brigades and partisans.




As the year turns to 1940, the Empire of Japan is all but defeated on the mainland. The Soviets are surprisingly merciful and accept a request for peace from Tokyo – after establishing the Japanese People's Republic in Hokkaido.




Lithuania decides to throw its (pitiful) weight around and severs diplomatic ties to the Reich.




As the winter comes to a close in early 1940, Germany finds itself fresh out of fuel. With its tanks halted, repeling the British is suddenly an arduous task. From across the channel, Churchill's troops make a second landing and cut off Brittany. In Vichy, armed conflict erupts between Petain's governing and those desiring to resume the war with the Reich.




In old Francia, it is hard to say who has a worse spring: In the north, the trench warfare of The Great War re-emerges as the Germans desperately try to cut off and assault British forces led by tanks, resulting in the mobile brilliance of Rommel and Guderian rendered useless and the virtual destruction of the Luftwaffe. In the south, Commander-in-Chief Charles Nogues proclaims a French Fourth Republic that he is destined to lead to glory much as Napoleon did over a century earlier. It is civil war in the Vichy State.




Farther south, Italy is in all-out war with the British Empire themselves with both sides vying for control of the Suez Canal at all costs.




By the end of April, the Wehrmacht manages to persevere and unexpected naval victories result in His Majesty's Army being driven out of France and Flanders. Sighs of relief echo from one end of the Reichstag to the other as oil starts to trickle back in. However, not everything is well; Charles Nogues is winning the civil war for the Vichy State, and Greece has decided to complicate matters in the Mediterranean. Adolf Hitler finds himself in a precarious position: If he intervenes, Nogues will join the allies and create yet another melee he may not be able to win with such low oil reserves. On the other hand, if he does not, Petain will likely lose and Nogues may join the Allies anyway.




Smaller factions disrupt the balance of power and chaos erupts in Occitania, which is starting to bear an uncanny resemblance to Spain.




In the summer of 1940, Adolf Hitler and his administration believe themselves to be trapped, with the Soviet menace on one end at the defiant British Empire on the other. Unable to effectively utilize his mobile divisions, the decision is made to bring Sealion before Barbarossa, that is, to knock the British out of the war via invasion before turning to the Soviets. This begins by vying for control of the Straits of Dover.




In the second week of August, Sealion begins. Temporary superiority in the channel (even if under duress by the Royal Air Force) results in troops being sent on a perilous mission to capture London and win the war. A fresh invasion comes to the mainland from British and Canadian forces, catching the Reich off-guard, and anarchy from the French Civil War spills north.




The Royal Navy and Air Force assault and badly damage the Kriegsmarine, sending what remains of it in full retreat. Still, the Sussex Landings overwhelm the token British garrison and the Wehrmacht marches north and into London. They find the royal family evacuated along with the government. General Johannes Blaskowitz and a cohort of officers enter the vacated Westminster and, in the Lords Chamber, declare Winston Churchill an enemy of the English people and his government exiled. The German Heer march through the streets in parades joined by British Fascists before beginning their campaign into East Anglia and Lincoln... and there this story ends.





What history will you make in The Second World War?

Hello everyone, I am so excited to bring you Part II of Making History: The Second World War BetAAR. Part III will also be along Monday, September 25. This game was played on the Alpha version so some of the screenshots show stand-in art.


Where we rejoin the action, the Republic of China has formally annexed Manchukuo, though Japanese forces continue to resist in the region. Emperor Puyi is taken into custody.




In August, the cry for reunification with the Greater German Reich continues in the Sudetenland, with Czechslovak authorities losing control of the situation and crying foul.




Showing sympathy to the plight of the Czechslovakian government and altogether frustrated with the expansionism of the National Socialists, France issues a formal condemnation of their actions.




Talks in Berlin are inconclusive, and as Autumn of 1938 sets in, reports of violence against German nationals in the Sudetenland have Adolf Hitler losing his patience.




The Czechslovaks dare to issue a general mobilization, and the Reich is eager to respond in kind. Naturally, Italy comes out in support of German claims to the Sudetenland. Stormclouds gather over Europe.




The Soviets request to join negotiations but the British are quick to rebuff them, and for that, Germany agrees to talk a little longer before wiping Czechslovakia off the map.




In the Raj, a rebellion in Bengal has swollen to a full-blown war of independence, a further example of the strained relations between the crown and its subjects.




The Czechslovakian government finally caves in November. The Sudetenland is returned to the German State with a suspension of discussions pertaining to all other territorial claims.




In Memelland there has also been a crackdown on pro-Nazi activists trying to get the strategic strip of land returned to Germany. In response, the Reich embargoes Lithuania. The embargo stings enough to convince the Lithuanians to release the territory back to Germany.




Hungary – a state badly depleted following the dissolution of Austria-Hungary, is next to make claims on Czechslovakia but without German support, their demands are ignored. This ultimately does Czechslovakia no good, however, as Hungary orders a general mobilization in the first week of 1939 and Catholic priest Josef Tiso immediately proclaims a Slovakian state. Suddenly, Czechslovakia is nothing more than Czechia. Rather than launching a token invasion to annex the territory, the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia forms under the German Reich. France and the United Kingdom are aghast.




In February Italy makes its move on Albania, a little nation with a grossly inadequate military to resist the ambitions of Mussolini.




Germany shifts soldiers to the Polish border, where tensions in the Danzig Corridor are starting to rise. Great Britain and France quickly offer an alliance to Poland as means to deter any further German expansion.




All eyes quickly turn eastward, however, as the Soviet Union jumps in the Second Sino-Japanese War meaning to deal a deathblow to Emperor Showa, whose forces are being driven down the Korean Peninsula anyway.




Demands for the return of the Danzig Corridor fall on deaf ears as the Poles are emboldened by their western allies. Eventually, Germany and the Soviet Union begin discussions as to how eastern Europe might be conquered and divided between the two of them, but the Soviet intervention in the east stops the Reich from committing to a pact with them. Finally the ultimatum is issued: surrender the Danzig Corridor or face war. The Poles refuse to comply. On the 10th of August the Wehrmacht crosses the border and the Second Weltkrieg begins.




German soldiers and armored units surge in to Poland, who are completely unprepared for a war with the Reich.




By the first of September less than half of Poland remains in the hands of its government, while a sudden French offensive over the Maginot Line pushes the German forces out of the Palatinate.




The French offensive scares the Reich, who scramble soldiers from the southern border with Yugoslavia and orders a counterattack through the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. Nobody can figure out why the Maginot Line wasn't expanded along the French-Belgian border, as that was the exact route the ReichWehr took the last time, but, hey.




The Baltic states declare neutrality in the Polish-German war – and for good reason, as by October 1 Polish resistance has nearly been wiped out.




As if things could get no worse for Japan, a failed coup results in Civil War. In the Low Countries Germany has punched a hole right through Belgium.




France soon finds itself in dire straights with the Wehrmacht closing in on Paris by October 17. Holland hangs on by a thread.




France seemed doomed, but a landing of British soldiers enables the struggle there to persist in to November. The German forces are briefly cut off, and chaos ensues as they fight to break the thin encirclement.




With the full might of Germany and Italy bearing down, the French Republic cannot contend. Philippe Petain signs the armistice in the exact train car that the Treaty of Versailles was signed in two decades prior, and with that, the Battle of France ends. Petain is given leave to form a government in Aquitaine that would become known as Vichy France while the northern and coastal regions remained under control of the Wehrmacht pending the end of the war.




Seeing Japan as essentially defeated, the Soviets offer them a peace treaty that is readily accepted. With the British being beaten back from their little foothold in Belgium, the Reich now extends across the continent. French forces have retreated back to Africa and across the Channel to Britain, and some Poles settle in to being a part of another German State while others vow to resist. As of Christmas 1939, the shame of the first Weltkrieg has been more than vindicated, and no force in the world seems capable of defeating the Greater German Reich – but nobody tells Moscow...

Hello everyone, I am so excited to bring you Part II of Making History: The Second World War BetAAR. Part III will also be along Monday, September 25. This game was played on the Alpha version so some of the screenshots show stand-in art.


Where we rejoin the action, the Republic of China has formally annexed Manchukuo, though Japanese forces continue to resist in the region. Emperor Puyi is taken into custody.




In August, the cry for reunification with the Greater German Reich continues in the Sudetenland, with Czechslovak authorities losing control of the situation and crying foul.




Showing sympathy to the plight of the Czechslovakian government and altogether frustrated with the expansionism of the National Socialists, France issues a formal condemnation of their actions.




Talks in Berlin are inconclusive, and as Autumn of 1938 sets in, reports of violence against German nationals in the Sudetenland have Adolf Hitler losing his patience.




The Czechslovaks dare to issue a general mobilization, and the Reich is eager to respond in kind. Naturally, Italy comes out in support of German claims to the Sudetenland. Stormclouds gather over Europe.




The Soviets request to join negotiations but the British are quick to rebuff them, and for that, Germany agrees to talk a little longer before wiping Czechslovakia off the map.




In the Raj, a rebellion in Bengal has swollen to a full-blown war of independence, a further example of the strained relations between the crown and its subjects.




The Czechslovakian government finally caves in November. The Sudetenland is returned to the German State with a suspension of discussions pertaining to all other territorial claims.




In Memelland there has also been a crackdown on pro-Nazi activists trying to get the strategic strip of land returned to Germany. In response, the Reich embargoes Lithuania. The embargo stings enough to convince the Lithuanians to release the territory back to Germany.




Hungary – a state badly depleted following the dissolution of Austria-Hungary, is next to make claims on Czechslovakia but without German support, their demands are ignored. This ultimately does Czechslovakia no good, however, as Hungary orders a general mobilization in the first week of 1939 and Catholic priest Josef Tiso immediately proclaims a Slovakian state. Suddenly, Czechslovakia is nothing more than Czechia. Rather than launching a token invasion to annex the territory, the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia forms under the German Reich. France and the United Kingdom are aghast.




In February Italy makes its move on Albania, a little nation with a grossly inadequate military to resist the ambitions of Mussolini.




Germany shifts soldiers to the Polish border, where tensions in the Danzig Corridor are starting to rise. Great Britain and France quickly offer an alliance to Poland as means to deter any further German expansion.




All eyes quickly turn eastward, however, as the Soviet Union jumps in the Second Sino-Japanese War meaning to deal a deathblow to Emperor Showa, whose forces are being driven down the Korean Peninsula anyway.




Demands for the return of the Danzig Corridor fall on deaf ears as the Poles are emboldened by their western allies. Eventually, Germany and the Soviet Union begin discussions as to how eastern Europe might be conquered and divided between the two of them, but the Soviet intervention in the east stops the Reich from committing to a pact with them. Finally the ultimatum is issued: surrender the Danzig Corridor or face war. The Poles refuse to comply. On the 10th of August the Wehrmacht crosses the border and the Second Weltkrieg begins.




German soldiers and armored units surge in to Poland, who are completely unprepared for a war with the Reich.




By the first of September less than half of Poland remains in the hands of its government, while a sudden French offensive over the Maginot Line pushes the German forces out of the Palatinate.




The French offensive scares the Reich, who scramble soldiers from the southern border with Yugoslavia and orders a counterattack through the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. Nobody can figure out why the Maginot Line wasn't expanded along the French-Belgian border, as that was the exact route the ReichWehr took the last time, but, hey.




The Baltic states declare neutrality in the Polish-German war – and for good reason, as by October 1 Polish resistance has nearly been wiped out.




As if things could get no worse for Japan, a failed coup results in Civil War. In the Low Countries Germany has punched a hole right through Belgium.




France soon finds itself in dire straights with the Wehrmacht closing in on Paris by October 17. Holland hangs on by a thread.




France seemed doomed, but a landing of British soldiers enables the struggle there to persist in to November. The German forces are briefly cut off, and chaos ensues as they fight to break the thin encirclement.




With the full might of Germany and Italy bearing down, the French Republic cannot contend. Philippe Petain signs the armistice in the exact train car that the Treaty of Versailles was signed in two decades prior, and with that, the Battle of France ends. Petain is given leave to form a government in Aquitaine that would become known as Vichy France while the northern and coastal regions remained under control of the Wehrmacht pending the end of the war.




Seeing Japan as essentially defeated, the Soviets offer them a peace treaty that is readily accepted. With the British being beaten back from their little foothold in Belgium, the Reich now extends across the continent. French forces have retreated back to Africa and across the Channel to Britain, and some Poles settle in to being a part of another German State while others vow to resist. As of Christmas 1939, the shame of the first Weltkrieg has been more than vindicated, and no force in the world seems capable of defeating the Greater German Reich – but nobody tells Moscow...

The following interview of Ralph Gerth (RG), founder of Factus Games was conducted by Patrick Flynn (PF)


(PF) What is your personal background in the industry?

(RG) I started working in the games industry at LucasArts back in 1993. They hired me to create 3D art for games which at the time, were still all 2D. I stayed 6 years, learned a ton and made contributions to some classic Star Wars and adventure games. Then in 2000 I moved to Europe to work for a Swedish developer UDS. There I led a team of talented artist making a Futurama console game. Unfortunately the company went out of business after 3 years. I returned to the US to take a position as the Art Director of Muzzy Lane Software, the original developers of the Making History series. My role eventually evolved and I became the designer on all the Making History commercial games.



(PF) How did you go about acquiring Factus Games?

(RG) I founded Factus Games in 2017 when Muzzy Lane became interested in selling the publishing and development rights to the Making History games. As an educational focused business, Muzzy Lane was never fully committed to commercial gaming and that’s what I wanted to return to. It was an amicable split.



(PF) Compared to contemporary World-War-era, Grand Strategy games, what sets Making History: The Second World War apart?

(RG) The original Making History game began as an educational product designed for classroom use. In that environment, the game needed to deliver a true historical experience for a wide range of users - most with no strategy gaming background. From that initial effort we created the commercial version of Making History. As the lead designer, my goal was to retain the simplicity of the original gameplay while adding systems to increase the entertainment value. Namely, I wanted the game to be unrestrained by strict historical paths and allow users to carve out their own narratives. History is the theme and the setting. Players navigate the world and change outcomes based on how they behave against a collection of AI nations that also react to the varying activity. Two games will never be the same. As long as the AI makes believable choices, the diversion away from actual history is accepted by the player. With Making History: The Second World War we’ve added many historical events but at each juncture, the player can choose an alternative historical option.



(PF) How does Making History: The Second World War differ from Making History: The Great War?

(RG) The Second World War was built on the same engine as The Great War so the game will feel familiar to TGW users. We retained the basic structure and gameplay style but most of the AI and systems code was either rewritten or improved. There are also some key strategic and political differences between the two wars that we needed to differentiate in the AI and game systems. For instance in SWW, ideology has greater influence on AI decisions and the combat is more offensive minded. On the graphics side, we’ve doubled the detail level for the hundreds of new WW2 era unit models. Our aesthetic aim is still to present a simple, uncluttered gameboard experience. The game map has been regenerated and improved over the TGW version. There are a lot of new features and loads of historical and alternative historical events.



(PF) What do Factus Games have planned following its third World War 2 game?

(RG) Our main focus will be on creating a new engine for our future Strategy Games. It’s possible we'll produce a DLC for The Second World War focused on the Korean War, but that has not been officially decided. I’ve also been thinking about ways to make Multiplayer more accessible and easier to play. We'd like to produce some scenarios dedicated to MP play. And after release the game will continue to receive updates and new free content.



(PF) What effort is given to exploring alternate history in Making History: The Second World War?

(RG) Alternative history as gameplay is a core element to the Making history game design. Not only do we allow players to diverge from the path, we encourage it and craft the content and AI to expect it. In The Second World War, Germany left alone will usually go about their business attacking their neighbors as the Germans did in WW2. But the results will never be the same.



(PF) What support for the modding community can we expect going forward?

(RG) Making History: The Second World War will launch with Steam Workshop and a full-featured editor. Beyond that I feel it will be up to the community to let us know what they need. Modding is obviously a good way to extend the viability of a product and expand the user base. So it will be in our interests to continue supporting the modding and the game itself long after release.

The following interview of Ralph Gerth (RG), founder of Factus Games was conducted by Patrick Flynn (PF)


(PF) What is your personal background in the industry?

(RG) I started working in the games industry at LucasArts back in 1993. They hired me to create 3D art for games which at the time, were still all 2D. I stayed 6 years, learned a ton and made contributions to some classic Star Wars and adventure games. Then in 2000 I moved to Europe to work for a Swedish developer UDS. There I led a team of talented artist making a Futurama console game. Unfortunately the company went out of business after 3 years. I returned to the US to take a position as the Art Director of Muzzy Lane Software, the original developers of the Making History series. My role eventually evolved and I became the designer on all the Making History commercial games.



(PF) How did you go about acquiring Factus Games?

(RG) I founded Factus Games in 2017 when Muzzy Lane became interested in selling the publishing and development rights to the Making History games. As an educational focused business, Muzzy Lane was never fully committed to commercial gaming and that’s what I wanted to return to. It was an amicable split.



(PF) Compared to contemporary World-War-era, Grand Strategy games, what sets Making History: The Second World War apart?

(RG) The original Making History game began as an educational product designed for classroom use. In that environment, the game needed to deliver a true historical experience for a wide range of users - most with no strategy gaming background. From that initial effort we created the commercial version of Making History. As the lead designer, my goal was to retain the simplicity of the original gameplay while adding systems to increase the entertainment value. Namely, I wanted the game to be unrestrained by strict historical paths and allow users to carve out their own narratives. History is the theme and the setting. Players navigate the world and change outcomes based on how they behave against a collection of AI nations that also react to the varying activity. Two games will never be the same. As long as the AI makes believable choices, the diversion away from actual history is accepted by the player. With Making History: The Second World War we’ve added many historical events but at each juncture, the player can choose an alternative historical option.



(PF) How does Making History: The Second World War differ from Making History: The Great War?

(RG) The Second World War was built on the same engine as The Great War so the game will feel familiar to TGW users. We retained the basic structure and gameplay style but most of the AI and systems code was either rewritten or improved. There are also some key strategic and political differences between the two wars that we needed to differentiate in the AI and game systems. For instance in SWW, ideology has greater influence on AI decisions and the combat is more offensive minded. On the graphics side, we’ve doubled the detail level for the hundreds of new WW2 era unit models. Our aesthetic aim is still to present a simple, uncluttered gameboard experience. The game map has been regenerated and improved over the TGW version. There are a lot of new features and loads of historical and alternative historical events.



(PF) What do Factus Games have planned following its third World War 2 game?

(RG) Our main focus will be on creating a new engine for our future Strategy Games. It’s possible we'll produce a DLC for The Second World War focused on the Korean War, but that has not been officially decided. I’ve also been thinking about ways to make Multiplayer more accessible and easier to play. We'd like to produce some scenarios dedicated to MP play. And after release the game will continue to receive updates and new free content.



(PF) What effort is given to exploring alternate history in Making History: The Second World War?

(RG) Alternative history as gameplay is a core element to the Making history game design. Not only do we allow players to diverge from the path, we encourage it and craft the content and AI to expect it. In The Second World War, Germany left alone will usually go about their business attacking their neighbors as the Germans did in WW2. But the results will never be the same.



(PF) What support for the modding community can we expect going forward?

(RG) Making History: The Second World War will launch with Steam Workshop and a full-featured editor. Beyond that I feel it will be up to the community to let us know what they need. Modding is obviously a good way to extend the viability of a product and expand the user base. So it will be in our interests to continue supporting the modding and the game itself long after release.

Hey MH fans, I'm Kanzler and I am pleased to bring you the official Making History: The Second World War Beta AAR (BetAAR). Factus Games has been hard-at-work on the title and are ready to present it to you in Early Access for your feedback and suggestions ahead of full release. I am thrilled to get to demonstrate one of many immersive experiences this title can deliver. This story shall be told from the perspective of the Greater German Reich, or simply Germany.




The Europe of March 1, 1936 is a significantly different landscape than that of March 1, 1914. The German Empire is gone; a Polish state has been restored, Czechia and Slovakia have been merged in to one state, Austria-Hungary has been shattered, France has regained Alsace-Lorraine, and Russian hegemony of the Baltics has ended. The effective monarchies of old have been replaced with both democratic officials and revolutionaries across the spectrum. After a blighted 13 year democracy known as the Weimar Republic, Germany is only now regaining its dignity under the authoritarian rule of the National Socialist German Worker's Party and their Fuhrer, Adolf Hitler. The Germans are now on the brink of Operation Winter Exercise, the remilitarization of the Rhineland.




The French choose to stay their hand, and celebrations erupted across Germany as the most pressing threat to their autonomy is removed. The British offer little condemnation with prominent politician Philip Kerr remarking that it amounted to little more than Germans “walking in their own backyard.”




Even with the triumph, not all are content. Catholics in Westphalia, a demographic that has never been a friend to Adolf Hitler, are making noise and Socialists cause confrontation with the Nazis wherever they dare. The unrest would quickly dissipate, however, as another Great War seems just as far away as ever in the following weeks and months.




In foreign affairs, the situation in Spain continues to deteriorate. By the end of March a Socialist revolt causes the fragile government problems in the south, and in the north the Navarrese declare their own republic.




In April, something of a food shortage (likely spurned by swelling militaries) sweeps the global community. After seeing no opportunity to establish trade for foodstuffs with another country, the Reich sets about infrastructure products in several regions to boost output through mechanized farming initiatives.




Diplomatic relations in the Far East soon come to a fork in the road. Germany has traditionally maintained strong relations with China and even has a military advisor assisting the Repubic of China. However, Mao Zedong's communist rebels have weakened the Chinese state past the point of vulnerability in relation to the expanding Empire of Japan. With the likelihood of a Rising Sun over China increasing by the week, Germany chooses to recall its advisors and establish warmer relations with Emperor Showa.




By late spring Mussolini's conquest of Abyssinia is complete, and Il Duce seizes a rather wicked sum of gold in the process...




The conquest of Abyssinia is divisive, to say the least. The British feel threatened at the growing colonial power of Italy. With Benito Mussolini’s protection policy of Austria the only significant roadblock towards Anschluss, Germany capitalizes on the invasion to butter up Mussolini so that the dream of reunification may become a more plausible reality. The French stay out of the matter as best they can.




Spain restores its rule in Navarra after a spring and summer of warring, but nobody believes their problems are anywhere near being solved.




With the strength of Japan swelling and the Nazis keeping their eye on the real ball, the Anti-Communist International (Comintern) Pact is completed in October, formally signaling the desire of both nations to halt the spread of Marxism. The Soviet Union catches the hint and are none too amused.




1936 ends with officials from Germany and Italy meeting to discuss a formal alliance and permanent deterrent to the global influence of Great Britain and France.




Aside from damaging revolts in Spain, the first half of 1937 is, at the surface, peaceful, though German factories capitalize on the economic boom to skyrocket production, from tanks to consumer goods to research facilities. Germany's industrial capacity has never been better.




In late July, a skirmish along Marco Polo Bridge leads the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan (with its vassal-states) to the Second Sino-Japanese War.




To create a unified state capable of resisting the Rising Sun of Japan, the various Chinese warlords begin consolidating under Chiang Kai-shek, who even issues a joint statement with Mao Zedong declaring an end to all hostilities until the invasion is dealt with.




By the onset of winter the Chinese counteroffensive has shocked the world by overpowering the Japanese invaders and a push into Manchuria begins.




As 1938 begins, the large quantity of motor vehicles both consumer and military put a strain on Germany's oil reserves. Reaching out, the Reich finds a trade partner in the Kingdom of Romania who has ridiculous quantities of it.




In early spring of 1938 Germany begins turning up the pressure on Austria, demanding its government make decisions that pander to the sizable portion of people that desire for the country to be annexed by the Fatherland. In the Far East, a beleaguered Japan finds itself facing a rebellion in Korea.




Tensions in Austria continue to rise. The Austrian SS orchestrates resistance to anti-National Socialist measures by the government. With conflicting reports over the general sentiment towards the prospect of Anschluss, the government calls for a referendum to supposedly settle the matter once and for all. All eyes are on Austria in March.




Instead of seeing the referendum through, however, the German government protests the move as nothing more than a rigged tactic to deny the will of the greater German community. An ultimatum is sent to Austrian officials demanding the referendum be called off and the Anschluss allowed to proceed as planned.




Seeking to avoid a forceful invasion at all costs, Austria submits to Germany and the generational dream of reunification is completed. The Wehrmacht marches in parades through Vienna to the adoration of many. Political opponents now have to contend with the resolution of German authorities directly, and tolerance for Marxism is non-existent.




With the annexation of Austria, morale in Germany is at an all-time high. Elsewhere, however, France and Great Britain simply wonder how things have gotten so out of hand in such a short period of time. Though the larger scale civil war many foresaw for Spain has not yet come to pass, insurrection continues to rock the peninsula. The death toll in northern China and Manchuria continues to mount. The relationship between Great Britain and their Egyptian puppet state grow strained while Germany and Italy's Axis begins to spin. As it turns out, nationalists in the Sudetenland want to return to the Fatherland too, and Czechslovakian authorities are not quick enough to suppress the tide...

Hey MH fans, I'm Kanzler and I am pleased to bring you the official Making History: The Second World War Beta AAR (BetAAR). Factus Games has been hard-at-work on the title and are ready to present it to you in Early Access for your feedback and suggestions ahead of full release. I am thrilled to get to demonstrate one of many immersive experiences this title can deliver. This story shall be told from the perspective of the Greater German Reich, or simply Germany.




The Europe of March 1, 1936 is a significantly different landscape than that of March 1, 1914. The German Empire is gone; a Polish state has been restored, Czechia and Slovakia have been merged in to one state, Austria-Hungary has been shattered, France has regained Alsace-Lorraine, and Russian hegemony of the Baltics has ended. The effective monarchies of old have been replaced with both democratic officials and revolutionaries across the spectrum. After a blighted 13 year democracy known as the Weimar Republic, Germany is only now regaining its dignity under the authoritarian rule of the National Socialist German Worker's Party and their Fuhrer, Adolf Hitler. The Germans are now on the brink of Operation Winter Exercise, the remilitarization of the Rhineland.




The French choose to stay their hand, and celebrations erupted across Germany as the most pressing threat to their autonomy is removed. The British offer little condemnation with prominent politician Philip Kerr remarking that it amounted to little more than Germans “walking in their own backyard.”




Even with the triumph, not all are content. Catholics in Westphalia, a demographic that has never been a friend to Adolf Hitler, are making noise and Socialists cause confrontation with the Nazis wherever they dare. The unrest would quickly dissipate, however, as another Great War seems just as far away as ever in the following weeks and months.




In foreign affairs, the situation in Spain continues to deteriorate. By the end of March a Socialist revolt causes the fragile government problems in the south, and in the north the Navarrese declare their own republic.




In April, something of a food shortage (likely spurned by swelling militaries) sweeps the global community. After seeing no opportunity to establish trade for foodstuffs with another country, the Reich sets about infrastructure products in several regions to boost output through mechanized farming initiatives.




Diplomatic relations in the Far East soon come to a fork in the road. Germany has traditionally maintained strong relations with China and even has a military advisor assisting the Repubic of China. However, Mao Zedong's communist rebels have weakened the Chinese state past the point of vulnerability in relation to the expanding Empire of Japan. With the likelihood of a Rising Sun over China increasing by the week, Germany chooses to recall its advisors and establish warmer relations with Emperor Showa.




By late spring Mussolini's conquest of Abyssinia is complete, and Il Duce seizes a rather wicked sum of gold in the process...




The conquest of Abyssinia is divisive, to say the least. The British feel threatened at the growing colonial power of Italy. With Benito Mussolini’s protection policy of Austria the only significant roadblock towards Anschluss, Germany capitalizes on the invasion to butter up Mussolini so that the dream of reunification may become a more plausible reality. The French stay out of the matter as best they can.




Spain restores its rule in Navarra after a spring and summer of warring, but nobody believes their problems are anywhere near being solved.




With the strength of Japan swelling and the Nazis keeping their eye on the real ball, the Anti-Communist International (Comintern) Pact is completed in October, formally signaling the desire of both nations to halt the spread of Marxism. The Soviet Union catches the hint and are none too amused.




1936 ends with officials from Germany and Italy meeting to discuss a formal alliance and permanent deterrent to the global influence of Great Britain and France.




Aside from damaging revolts in Spain, the first half of 1937 is, at the surface, peaceful, though German factories capitalize on the economic boom to skyrocket production, from tanks to consumer goods to research facilities. Germany's industrial capacity has never been better.




In late July, a skirmish along Marco Polo Bridge leads the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan (with its vassal-states) to the Second Sino-Japanese War.




To create a unified state capable of resisting the Rising Sun of Japan, the various Chinese warlords begin consolidating under Chiang Kai-shek, who even issues a joint statement with Mao Zedong declaring an end to all hostilities until the invasion is dealt with.




By the onset of winter the Chinese counteroffensive has shocked the world by overpowering the Japanese invaders and a push into Manchuria begins.




As 1938 begins, the large quantity of motor vehicles both consumer and military put a strain on Germany's oil reserves. Reaching out, the Reich finds a trade partner in the Kingdom of Romania who has ridiculous quantities of it.




In early spring of 1938 Germany begins turning up the pressure on Austria, demanding its government make decisions that pander to the sizable portion of people that desire for the country to be annexed by the Fatherland. In the Far East, a beleaguered Japan finds itself facing a rebellion in Korea.




Tensions in Austria continue to rise. The Austrian SS orchestrates resistance to anti-National Socialist measures by the government. With conflicting reports over the general sentiment towards the prospect of Anschluss, the government calls for a referendum to supposedly settle the matter once and for all. All eyes are on Austria in March.




Instead of seeing the referendum through, however, the German government protests the move as nothing more than a rigged tactic to deny the will of the greater German community. An ultimatum is sent to Austrian officials demanding the referendum be called off and the Anschluss allowed to proceed as planned.




Seeking to avoid a forceful invasion at all costs, Austria submits to Germany and the generational dream of reunification is completed. The Wehrmacht marches in parades through Vienna to the adoration of many. Political opponents now have to contend with the resolution of German authorities directly, and tolerance for Marxism is non-existent.




With the annexation of Austria, morale in Germany is at an all-time high. Elsewhere, however, France and Great Britain simply wonder how things have gotten so out of hand in such a short period of time. Though the larger scale civil war many foresaw for Spain has not yet come to pass, insurrection continues to rock the peninsula. The death toll in northern China and Manchuria continues to mount. The relationship between Great Britain and their Egyptian puppet state grow strained while Germany and Italy's Axis begins to spin. As it turns out, nationalists in the Sudetenland want to return to the Fatherland too, and Czechslovakian authorities are not quick enough to suppress the tide...

Making History: The Second World War is preparing to release as an Early Access title. This offers many advantages to both our development team and the SWW community. For us it's an opportunity to get the game in front of a wider sample of users and systems. The feedback we receive during this phase will help us identify potential issues. This is also a chance for the community to offer ideas on existing features and make requests for additional ones.

At present, the game is feature complete. There's still some content to add and game balancing to complete. We believe an Early Access version should be ready sometime in the next few weeks. I'll post announcements once we have a reliable target date.

Making History: The Second World War is preparing to release as an Early Access title. This offers many advantages to both our development team and the SWW community. For us it's an opportunity to get the game in front of a wider sample of users and systems. The feedback we receive during this phase will help us identify potential issues. This is also a chance for the community to offer ideas on existing features and make requests for additional ones.

At present, the game is feature complete. There's still some content to add and game balancing to complete. We believe an Early Access version should be ready sometime in the next few weeks. I'll post announcements once we have a reliable target date.