EU3 Modification Question

[alfred russel]

Alfred - you're playing as England.  It's one of the most powerful countries out there.  You shouldn't be facing existential crises as England, and you can and should be able to walk over any smaller nation.

All I can tell you is I'm having a fun but frustrating time playing as Venice.  I've expanded only cautiously, but now further expansion is blocked.  I'm squeezed between a Papal States that owns much of Italy on one side, Austria on another, HUngary, and a quite powerful Ottomans (haven't conquered the Mamluks, but have consolidated much of the Balkans).  If I try to pick off a small neighbor like Ragusa I get multiple DOWs.

I think England should be having existential crisis--in real life it had the Spanish Armada, the threat from Napoleon, and arguably the threat from the War of Spanish Succession. It also lost the American colonies and had at least 3 governments fail (Charles II, the Glorious Revolution, and the commonwealth under cromwell).

[Barrister]

I think England should be having existential crisis--in real life it had the Spanish Armada, the threat from Napoleon, and arguably the threat from the War of Spanish Succession. It also lost the American colonies and had at least 3 governments fail (Charles II, the Glorious Revolution, and the commonwealth under cromwell).

Spanish Armada and Napoleon - those were two incidents over the entirety of the time period.  So yes, if you play an entire game beginning if it were to be true to history you would face massive threats to your existence exactly twice.

I won't give you Spanish Succession.  England was involved in a number of wars where important issues were at stake, but England's very survival was not in question.  Spanish Succession is one of them.

If you play the game the entire way through you will get some revolts and civil wars if I understand it correctly.  But again that's only a handful through the entire game.

As a counterpoint I started playing a 1399 game as Scotland last night.  I was doing well but I attempted to stop England from swallowing the Irish minors - and got my ass handed to me.  It was a hard game...

[Queequeg]

I think England should be having existential crisis--in real life it had the Spanish Armada, the threat from Napoleon, and arguably the threat from the War of Spanish Succession. It also lost the American colonies and had at least 3 governments fail (Charles II, the Glorious Revolution, and the commonwealth under cromwell).

It won both these wars as no one was able to beat the English Navy, which is exactly how it works in MMP.  Fail to see the problem. 

[Barrister]

Been replaying a couple of times as Scotland - not sure how the hell I can expand at all...

[alfred russel]

Been replaying a couple of times as Scotland - not sure how the hell I can expand at all...

Yeah--the AI seems better than in other Paradox games. I was thinking that Scotland might be hard--if you can't fight England, and the HRE is closed off now, I can only think of three strategies: assemble an alliance to beat down England with you, pick off Ireland, and/or colonize. Colonizing would seem like a good idea, but the world seems to be getting colonized faster than historically, so with a late start scotland may be screwed.

[alfred russel]

It won both these wars as no one was able to beat the English Navy, which is exactly how it works in MMP.  Fail to see the problem.

a) Both of you are ignoring my point that the ruling government completely collapsed three times (Charles II, the Commonwealth, and the Glorious Revolution) and was threatened many other times during the period from internal problems (often funded from France.

b) It is true that the Spanish Armada failed. But if I bought a game recreating the Spanish Armada, I'd be disappointed if my first time with the game I crushed the Armada on the hardest difficulty setting.

[crazy canuck]

Been replaying a couple of times as Scotland - not sure how the hell I can expand at all...

Scottish expansion = not becoming a vassal of the English.

[DisturbedPervert]

Colonizing would seem like a good idea, but the world seems to be getting colonized faster than historically, so with a late start scotland may be screwed.

Yeah, my first game I'm playing as Portugal, and colonization is going super fast.  At first I thought it was going to be really slow, as I'm only getting 1.1 colonist per year.  Then I noticed my colonies in Brazil, the Caribbean, and South Africa are growing at 80 people per year, rather than a few percent, or even negative percent, in EU2.  No need to pile on settlers, just send one and in a few years it's a city.

[Barrister]

If I restarted as Scotland I would if it is a viable strategy to try and suck up to England as much as possible, and get into an alliance with them.

Is there some risk they can then vassalize me against my wishes?  Or would their inevitable offer to become their vassal, once I reject it, kill off whatever good relations existed?

[alfred russel]

Yeah, my first game I'm playing as Portugal, and colonization is going super fast.  At first I thought it was going to be really slow, as I'm only getting 1.1 colonist per year.  Then I noticed my colonies in Brazil, the Caribbean, and South Africa are growing at 80 people per year, rather than a few percent, or even negative percent, in EU2.  No need to pile on settlers, just send one and in a few years it's a city.

Superfast colonization is a problem. In the game I'm playing, NA has almost filled up to the Mississippi by about 1575 (i started my game in 1493). I have most of them--I wouldn't have wanted to go so fast, but Portugal had already taken the southern US so I felt I had to go quickly to get the rest. Conquering the Cherokee and Iroquois was a big help (Plus when you convert those provinces, they not only become your religion but also your culture, and I've converted all of them).

[alfred russel]

To add on, something kind of funny: I bought a conquistador who I landed in North America with 4 regiments. With him and those 4 regiments, I completely conquered the Iroquois and Cherokee and explored every single province north of the Aztecs with the exception of a few pacific coast provinces (he was about half way up the pacific coast when he died in 1550 or so).

[saskganesh]

Conquering the Cherokee and Iroquois was a big help (Plus when you convert those provinces, they not only become your religion but also your culture, and I've converted all of them).

I imagine Neil would be very happy if this EU2 carryover happened just once in real life.

[alfred russel]

Conquering the Cherokee and Iroquois was a big help (Plus when you convert those provinces, they not only become your religion but also your culture, and I've converted all of them).

I imagine Neil would be very happy if this EU2 carryover happened just once in real life.

Sadly not, as their converted culture was English, not Ethnic Albertan.

[crazy canuck]

Is there some risk they can then vassalize me against my wishes?  Or would their inevitable offer to become their vassal, once I reject it, kill off whatever good relations existed?

The only way they can vassalize you against your wishes is as a peace offering and even then you dont have to accept it.  They cannot make a diplomatic offer unless you have only 3 provinces.  IMO being close to England is the only way to survive since the French AI cant figure out how to land in England to help defend you as an ally of France.

[Barrister]

Is there some risk they can then vassalize me against my wishes?  Or would their inevitable offer to become their vassal, once I reject it, kill off whatever good relations existed?

The only way they can vassalize you against your wishes is as a peace offering and even then you dont have to accept it.  They cannot make a diplomatic offer unless you have only 3 provinces.  IMO being close to England is the only way to survive since the French AI cant figure out how to land in England to help defend you as an ally of France.

Good to know.

In what situations does an inheritance/personal union situation happen?  If I'm at +200 relations, alliance, and royal marriage can a James I/VI situation happen?  And what happens in my gameplay?