Author’s notes So, why write a strategy guide for Hearts of Iron 3? It’s certainly not because it doesn’t have one. Hearts of Iron 3 had a guide released with it back in 2009. Written by Ed Hanks, it was a good document that helped get new players set up with what is a fairly complicated game. As any player who’s been playing since the beginning knows, Hearts of Iron 3 has been through some real changes over the years. Yet, while Semper Fi and For the Motherland expanded game mechanics substantially, the fundamentals of land combat remained relatively the same. With the release of Their Finest Hour, even basic assumptions about how to play the game have changed enough to justify another strategy guide. Combined with differences in unit statistics, modifications to aircraft stacking penalties, and a complete reworking of the combined arms mechanic, it seemed like it was about time to write a new one.