Mod «Heart of Darkness: An African Expansion» for Hearts of Iron 4 (v1.11.1 - 1.11.9)

Welcome to the Heart of Darkness Mod! I made this mod over the course of several months, complete with research. I tried hard to make it so that it corresponded as closely to Paradox's design values as possible. If you have any questions, bug reports, or recommendations, please let me know!

Heart of Darkness is an expansion pack style mod for the African countries of Liberia and Ethiopia, (and for Italy should they lose to Ethiopia) complete with unique focus trees and events as well as an upgraded historical roster. Where there were no historical facts available (Liberian tanks for example) I went ahead and gave them some plausible sounding names.

Liberia

The small African Republic of Liberia stands apart in Africa as one of only two independent African countries, and the only Black Republic. Founded by America in the 1800’s, Liberia has struggled since its inception against the native population and against the British and French who eye their land jealousy. Only the intervention of the United States has kept this small republic alive. In the Great War, Liberia joined the Entente, only to have their economy decimated as a result. They have only just begun to recover from that economic disaster, but politically they are still reeling from the League of Nations investigation into the possible use of slaves in Liberian rubber plantations. In addition, the Americo-Liberal elites still rule the land, despite only being a small percentage of the population and the Hinterlands of Liberia remain largely uncontrolled by the government. The Liberian Frontier Force, the military of Liberia, is thoroughly corrupt and unmanageable and only recent help from the United States has helped reverse this state. Liberia has a long way to go before they can be considered successful, but with bountiful local resources the future of Liberia could be bright indeed.

Abyssinia

Abyssinia stands as an anomaly in Africa as one of only two free African countries, and unlike Liberia they are not an artificial country created by another. With a long and proud tradition, Abyssinia has managed to keep its independence through a combination of political maneuvering and military might. In 1896 the Italians lost the Battle of Adowa and were forced to end their Abyssinian ambitions. Emperor Haile Selassie I is a reformer who knows the importance of having a modern military force and modern infrastructure. Opposed by reactionary nobles he has pushed through several reforms that have incensed his opponents. This should have been a critical juncture for Abyssinia, where Haile Selassie I would push through his reforms and modernize his country, but the envious Italians, having never forgotten their loss in 1896 have returned. In 1935 the Second Italo-Abyssinian War began. After the initial Italian push, things looked hopeful in December when Ras Imru managed to outflank the Italians and head towards Adi Quala, the main supply point for the Italian Army. Faced with certain defeat, Italian Marshal Badoglio ordered the use of Mustard Gas as a desperation gambit. It worked, and now the war hinges upon the next couple of battles. The odds are stacked against the Abyssinians, as the British and French enforce an arms embargo that really only hurts Abyssinia. Over 10,000 badly needed German guns remain impounded and no-one else has dared defy the British or French. Can Abyssinia pull off a second Adowa?

Italy

The Second Italo-Abyssinian War has most of the population on the edge of their seats as they wait to see whether or not Mussolini can deliver on his promise of a short and easy victory. Many doubt him, and should the war drag on, calls for his ousting may increase.

Updated Minor Nations

This only applies to leaders/advisor ideas, not a full unique idea/focus tree thing
Djibouti (DJI), Eritrea (ERI), Kenya (KEN), Somalia (SOM), Sudan (SUD), Zambia (ZAM), Malawi (MLW), Zimbabwe (ZIM)

KNOWN ISSUES:

In order to keep the game's aesthetic, I will not be using any pictures for portraits, as I feel it always pulls me out. If you wish to offer a portrait that fits in with the game's art style, for any of the characters without a picture, I will happily use it. Sadly my art skills do not go that far.

The map has been edited, this will likely make any other map mods incompatible with this one.