Europa Universalis 4 Thread 2: Comet Sighted!

[VonFenris]

Oh yes! NSFW for HRE minors.

[Leecros]

Speaking of the Hansa, is it possible to get anywhere as Novgorod? It seems like Muscovy declares war on you pretty much immediately, and they have way more soldiers than you.

I seem to recall that i did pretty well as Novgorod once. Granted it was way back around when the game first came out and it was so long ago that I don't really remember how I managed it, nor was it a game that i played very well afterwards. Your best bet is probably to get an alliance with Lithuania, but i don't really know how likely it is for them to be friendly towards you at the start. Other than that you could try an alliance with Denmark, but again I don't know they feel about Novgorod at the start. If you could get an alliance with a horde...you won't get an alliance with a horde...








least helpful post ever

[Flickerdart]

Your best bet is probably to get an alliance with Lithuania, but i don't really know how likely it is for them to be friendly towards you at the start. Other than that you could try an alliance with Denmark, but again I don't know they feel about Novgorod at the start.

My game pretty much followed history - I sent diplomats to butter up Lithuania, and Muscovy dogpiled me before I could cement an alliance. Denmark is too far away to do anything and IIRC also doesn't like you at game start.

[Narkis]

Eh, I think they all have their place. Espionage is really powerful if you have Ottomans/Russia/France/Ming/Other-powerful-country as an angry neighbor. Giving a bunch of revolts, ruining alliances and knowing troop placements can be a very useful precursor to war with major powers.

On the Succession Game front, if people are interested in it, we should start figuring out who to play.

Very important decisions to make:
-Mods? Do we want to use MEIOU & Taxes? Something else? Vanilla?
-Expansions? Looks like there'll be a mini-expansion coming out soon, should we wait for it? Only use specific ones?

Country choices:
-Western country? If so, should be something smaller to add challenge.
-Muslim country? Steppe Nomads? Fight the backwardness inevitable conquests from Europe!
-India? SOme new stuff went into India in the latest patch/expansion, could be neat!
-New World? East Asia?
-Any other cool ideas?

I say we pick a republic and instead of randomly determining who gets to play next, we vote.

[OrcusMcP]

I say we pick a republic and instead of randomly determining who gets to play next, we vote.

Interesting idea, how do we want the process to go?

-4 people throw their hat into the ring (one for incumbent, one each for the ADM/DIP/MIL candidate), offer campaign promises/goals inline with their attribute, and then everyone not running votes?

-Person finishing the last round offers directions for each candidate, then everyone votes?

-Something else?

EDIT: Also, which republic?

[Narkis]

#1 sounds good, though it'll be a bit slow.

As for which republic to play: I looked at the list of nations to find what republics were available. And I saw Switzerland on the list. The ones you least suspect.

[OrcusMcP]

Switzerland would be an interesting start, true. Plus, obvious hilarious callbacks.

Personally, I think Tuscany, Genoa or Milan in 1447 would be an interesting choice.

[Grif]

#1 sounds good, though it'll be a bit slow.

As for which republic to play: I looked at the list of nations to find what republics were available. And I saw Switzerland on the list. The ones you least suspect.

Heh. Callbacks to that would be hilarious.

[Closet_Skeleton]

I restarted about 10 times as Novgorod. Eventually I formed Russia and it just turned into a boring slow expansion game.

Basically you just have to beat Moscovy badly once and get your cores back, then smash them around at every opening you see until you're the top dog and then your rise to global superpower is guaranteed.

They nerfed Ivan's Hundred, back when I tried it that idea was amazing.

I say we pick a republic and instead of randomly determining who gets to play next, we vote.

Well, that was my original plan when I suggested it.

I'd vote for a noble republic, since they had a longer election cycle. On the other hand trade republics are more interesting.

We also need to decide if incumbentwill be allowed to automatically give themselves a limited number of extra terms or if they're have to apply to be re-elected at the first possible circumstance.

Hansa is cool but I vote for somewhere Italian or Switzerland. As long as it isn't weak and hard to get a port with like Ulm or Frankfurt. Friesland would actually be ideal but that start is hard thanks to Burgundy.

[Leecros]

Bah, I keep seeing you all suggest Western Republics.


Go for Broke: Tibet.

[OrcusMcP]

Bah, I keep seeing you all suggest Western Republics.


Go for Broke: Tibet.

Are you sure it's a republic? The wiki says so, but I thought it was a theocracy in game?

Edit: Plus, there'll be a lot of "OH GOD IT'S MING!" or "OH GOD IT'S MANCHU!"

[Leecros]

Are you sure it's a republic? The wiki says so, but I thought it was a theocracy in game?

Edit: Plus, there'll be a lot of "OH GOD IT'S MING!" or "OH GOD IT'S MANCHU!"

Nope, it's definitely a Noble Republic at the start of the game. they have the option a bit later to turn into a theocracy which i presume the AI usually does.

Spoiler

Show

As far as Ming goes...who cares about Ming? They're a glass cannon. If they get beaten up in a couple of wars, they'll fall apart. Even if they don't, it's no more dangerous than having to worry about Austria or France...Possibly even less so, because they tech slower than their neighbors. The real danger will be mid-game when Russia comes over to say "hi"

[Narkis]

Well, that was my original plan when I suggested it.

Wow, your actual first post completely slipped my mind by the time I answered Orcus. I knew a voting game was a great idea, but I forgot it wasn't my idea. I wonder if I'll be able to remember my own name in 50 years...

[OrcusMcP]

Nope, it's definitely a Noble Republic at the start of the game. they have the option a bit later to turn into a theocracy which i presume the AI usually does.

Spoiler

Show

As far as Ming goes...who cares about Ming? They're a glass cannon. If they get beaten up in a couple of wars, they'll fall apart. Even if they don't, it's no more dangerous than having to worry about Austria or France...Possibly even less so, because they tech slower than their neighbors. The real danger will be mid-game when Russia comes over to say "hi"

Hmmm. That could indeed be interesting! I'd be down for Tibet.

[Closet_Skeleton]

Well, that was a long war.



Managed to get Luneberg and Stade back from the HRE.

I doubt there will be enough time after the truce runs out to retake Hamburg and Danzig

[Flickerdart]

So, in honour of the date, who's all starting up MURRICA campaigns?

[Guancyto]

I'm kinda surprised that there isn't a sale on the MURICA DLC for MURICA day.

But then, Paradox is Swedish, so...

[Terraoblivion]

That's quite the map. A gigantic, reformed HRE? Norway eating most of Sweden? Riga having grown? A huge, independent Ukraine? Scotland, Ireland and Albania independent? Algeria conquering most of North Africa? Crimea surviving? How did you get this?

[IthilanorStPete]

That's quite the map. A gigantic, reformed HRE? Norway eating most of Sweden? Riga having grown? A huge, independent Ukraine? Scotland, Ireland and Albania independent? Algeria conquering most of North Africa? Crimea surviving? How did you get this?

Five imaginary dollars say it's a CK2 import.

[Guancyto]

CK2 conversion wouldn't have Albania, nor Riga, nor Ukraine, nor generally the Ottomans.

My bet is that Lucky Nations (and therefore all bets) are off.

[Closet_Skeleton]

Its Ironman, so lucky nations is guaranteed. I don't see how Austria would have got that powerful without it. Only Lucky nation that isn't incredibly powerful is Sweden and that got integrated into Denmark, revolted with only some of its provinces and then Norway eat it.

How did I get that map? By not interfering in Europe at all and seeing how big a colonial Empire I could get with just the Hansa's starting provinces + Stade, Luneberg and Danzig (not getting launberg or holstein was a bad idea since it cuts you off from several decisions and missions but I stopped doing well in this game once I let Austria pass too many reforms). Can't say its an achievement since I've been playing so badly and had very few options, Reformed is powerful sure but it isn't worth having no friends.

I almost always see Ireland independent, England just never goes for them in any of my games. Albania gets released a lot too because its very low war score and Ottomans don't win all the time.

Ukraine and Riga just comes from rebels and then blobbed. As did Norway after Denmark integrated them, I think Iceland is still Danish.

The Austria got a PU on Hungary and when it unites the HRE there's no real stopping it blobbing. France doesn't have a chance.

Scotland got released in a war against France a few years ago.

Castille only formed Spain like 10 years ago.

Rest of the world maps since people showed a minor interest.

[Flickerdart]

A British Kamchatka? Now that's weird. How did they get all the way over there?

[mythmonster2]

It's almost always Britain, Portugal, or Spain who gets Kamchatka and Hokkaido in my games. Russia takes too long to reach there, so by that time their colonial ranges from the west coast of the Americas or from Indonesia let them colonize it, and so for some reason they must.

[Leecros]

All things considered, Lucky nations doesn't give that huge of a bonus. I've certainly seen Austria do very well(get close to reforming the HRE) without it.
...
and then i crush them, because I've had some bad experiences with reformed Holy Roman Empires in EUIII.

Natural luck can often be a better advantage than just the Lucky Nations buff.

[Closet_Skeleton]

One achievement got, one more to go for this game.



Did a stupid trick to get Uzbek culture for Mughals and now I've somehow kept my Nomad ideas anyway so don't need to.

Hopefully dat France won't get in the way.

Hilariously, Persia is Sikh.

[Flickerdart]

Are you Westernized? Because France+Spain is scary stuff.

[Leecros]

That's about as far as i got in my Khazan game when i realized that they weren't eligible for the Great Khan achievement. Then i got sad.

Silly pompous Golden Horde/Mongol Horde. Thinking you're better than the other hordes....

[Flickerdart]

I tried a Norway game the other day, thinking that they could be good at reaching America first by hopping through Greenland. Everything went well at first - I allied with Sweden, who promptly broke both of us out of the Kalmar Union and helped me partition Novgorod. I also made alliances and royal marriages with Lithuania, England, and Scotland. Things were going great until I realized that Greenland was out of my reach - before 7 diplotech, Norway's colonial range is only 160, boosted to 240 from the +50% from Exploration. Greenland's provinces are 324 and 328 away.

Before I could get 7 diplotech, Sweden announced that I was their rival, broke royal ties and alliance, and declared a war of conquest on me. All of my allies refused to heed the call, and poor destitute Norway was trampled by an army double her size.

Is it better to start as Denmark with this route and form Scandinavia before colonization? Or can Norway into America?

[Terraoblivion]

It might be a good idea to make sure the Kalmar Union holds until you're ready, actually. Because then Sweden can't do **** to you and as a whole the Union is strong enough to shield you from a lot of enemies.

[Closet_Skeleton]

You took exploration with Norway? Have you like, actually checked what their ideas do? Norway has a thousand problems but Diplotech shouldn't be one of them. Don't even try and be friends with Sweden, they start with cores on you, helping them win wars is just a terrible mistake, you should be destroying them as quickly as possible.

I've tried Norway -> America, both before and after the patch. The patch made it easier by moving Expansion to Administrative so it isn't conflicting with diplomatic tech for power.

The sad news is that without a monarch with really high admin monarch to complete Expansion you just can't get to America before Spain and Portugal. You need to take a military idea group first to free up admin points to unlock the second idea group but even that's not enough with a stat of 1-2 like you're probably going to have.

Norway's explorer idea just unlocks way too late (after the second idea group is available) to compete with other atlantic nations that just pick exploration with their first group. So yes, Denmark actually colonises early easier than Norway because Norway's ideas that make exploration redundant also hurt you early.

To be honest, starting with Scotland and using the 'Shetlands' mission to attack Norway early and stealing Iceland will get you colonising earlier.

I'll try Norway again next patch with national focus solving the admin problem and naval being moved to military.

Are you Westernized? Because France+Spain is scary stuff.

Just finished. That was the first achievement. Great Khan is next.