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MARE NOSTRUM - ITALY'S QUEST FOR GLORY
v. 1.0, February 1997
by Paul Leone
Lancer4120@aol.com
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BACKGROUND
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The year is 1939 and the stage is set for the most bloody conflict in
human history. Hitler's madness will soon consume Europe, while far in
the east, Japan's imperialists are mired in China and looking greedily
at the colonially managed resources of South East Asia. In the 
Mediterranean, Fascist Italy has taken the first steps towards its own
fate.

Mussolini's dreams of empire have already resulted in the annexation of
Albania. Now, his forces stand ready to sweep down into Yugoslavia and
Greece. In the long term, Il Duce covets the rich lands around the 
Black Sea, in the Levant (Syria/Jordan/Lebanon/Israel), and on the 
north shores of Africa. With these territories in hand, perhaps the
Roman Empire can truly be reborn - and after that, who knows? Maybe
it's time to take southern France back into the fold. It was an
integral part of the Empire, after all....

Historically, Mussolini secured his doom by declaring war on Britain
and France in September, 1939. His ambitious invasions of Greece and 
Egypt became costly failures and by 1943, Allied troops had landed
in Sicily. Germany, horrified at the opening of a southern front, 
quickly seized control of Italy. Mussolini's days were numbered and
he was killed by partisans two years later.

NOTES
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Only Italy and the Western Allies are intended for play. While it 
might be interesting taking on the leadership of Greece, Turkey,
Yugoslavia or the Neutrals, there's no much chance of survival, let 
alone victory.

I've tried to be as accurate as possible in terms of city placement,
but there are some minor mislocations, esp in the Balkans and North
Africa. Nothing serious, I hope.

Militarily, I've given Italy a fairly strong navy with no carriers (
Mussolini forbade their construction, thinking Italy itself could
serve as a giant carrier. This was just one of many stupid decisions
that you should avoid) and a sizable army. Your first goal should 
be to wipe out Yugoslavia or Greece (with luck, you'll do better than 
Mussolini), then get rid of the Neutrals and Turkey. Taking on the
Allies immediately is a very stupid idea - they have a far larger 
military and a critical technological edge. Bide your time, then
strike once you've built up a larger navy and air force.

The Allies have the largest navy and army in the scenario, but it
is spread out over a huge area. They're also the wealthiest and
most advanced civilization. Nobody except Italy poses a serious
threat, but you'll find it difficult conquering them. Build up a bigger
air force and a transport fleet before even trying it.

Turkey and Greece both have small armies and miniscule navies. They're
more of a threat to each other than to Italy or the Allies, but can
be useful as a delay or buffer between Italy and the Allies.

Yugoslavia has a medium sized army and the benefit of being a 
physically large country with easily defended terrain. Securing an 
alliance with a stronger power should be their first priority.

The Neutrals also have a fairly small army and a tiny navy. The cities 
of Monaco and San Marino are sitting ducks and will quickly fall to 
Italy in a war. They should watch their position in the Balkans -
Turkey might take advantage of a war with Italy to seize a few cities
along the Black Sea.

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This is a first version, so there are probably some glitches. If you
notice anything while playing, let me know so I can fix it.

I am aware of the bug that names the Italians "Romans", but the cheat
menu won't adjust it. Besides, Romans is appropriate enough for this 
scenario.

Make sure to back up your original files! There are adjustments in
the rules file that might cause trouble, even if you're using the
regular Fascist Patch (I've given all units more mobility, and
greatly increased the range of aircraft to take into account the 
scale of the map.)

Special thanks to Steven Strayer for designing the Fascism Patch, which
makes scenarios like these much more realistic.

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The End
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