EU3 - ready for play yet?

[Habbaku]

The problem here is combining "mostly-united France" and "early", since France can only annex one vassal every 10 years.

You can only diplo-annex one every ten years.  Last I checked, France starts with cores on all its vassals.  What's to stop you from canceling the vassalization and mil-annexing them one after the other?

[Solmyr]

True. It might ring some alarm bells, though.

I should mention that the players of England and Castile haven't played MP before, which is probably why England caved in so easily. I'm sure I will be fine, but I wouldn't mind learning some MP intricacies (and I'm still secretly hoping for a new Languish game).

When do you think France should enter the colonization game? ASAP, or wait a while. Basically, when to take QftNW?

Also, is there any reason to move your NF anymore, with province decisions gone? Other than to help with conversion, possibly.

[sbr]

For France probably, thought large army or increased manpower ones are possible as well. You might also do pretty well with patron of the arts which gives you good advisers.

I would go with the +1 morale or Patron of the Arts, most likely the +1 morale as France.  With that extra bit of morale you don't have to worry about a unit wiping if you are at low maintenance and have a rebel spawn on top of you.

PotA was probably my favorite Idea in HttT, a 6 star Master of Mint gives -.12 inflation, National bank is -.10.  The same is true for every Idea that has a corresponding adviser, so 3 6 star advisers is like 3 extra Ideas.  I don't think I like it as much in DW since you can only have one of each type of adviser, though I haven't decided if that makes PotA more powerful or less. 

[sbr]

Also, is there any reason to move your NF anymore, with province decisions gone? Other than to help with conversion, possibly.

Or colonization.  Or to screw with an opponent, assuming they still get a penalty if an enemy NF is affecting their province.

[Viking]

True. It might ring some alarm bells, though.

It's not like they are expecting you to leave them unannexed. If they are going to object now they will do so later as well, only they will be stronger then (having annexed scotland, aragon, portugal, naples and ireland). Do it now, while these countries as AI can resist England and Castille.

I should mention that the players of England and Castile haven't played MP before, which is probably why England caved in so easily. I'm sure I will be fine, but I wouldn't mind learning some MP intricacies (and I'm still secretly hoping for a new Languish game).

Eurotime game?

When do you think France should enter the colonization game? ASAP, or wait a while. Basically, when to take QftNW?

"If" not "When".

Also, is there any reason to move your NF anymore, with province decisions gone? Other than to help with conversion, possibly.

Settlement policies, income boost etc. RR reduction (iirc). Event related. Many reasons.

[Solmyr]

In between building sprees, you can usually spend magistrates on cultural tradition. The random events from universities and fine arts academies can also give you CT. So I don't think PotA is essential for that.

NF only helps with colonial growth, which is mostly achieved by spending colonists anyway, and you can only move it once per 30 years, so I think it's inefficient for helping colonization. It does reduce tax income by 50% for your neighbors.

[Solmyr]

Eurotime game?

For a Languish game I'm willing to be flexible regarding times. My schedule doesn't depend on early mornings atm.

[sbr]

In between building sprees, you can usually spend magistrates on cultural tradition. The random events from universities and fine arts academies can also give you CT. So I don't think PotA is essential for that.

NF only helps with colonial growth, which is mostly achieved by spending colonists anyway, and you can only move it once per 30 years, so I think it's inefficient for helping colonization. It does reduce tax income by 50% for your neighbors.

Early on you will have more magistrates than money and will need to spend them on CT to avoid wasting them.  After 100 years or so any decent sized country will be wishing for more magistrates so they can build more buildings.

[Viking]

In between building sprees, you can usually spend magistrates on cultural tradition. The random events from universities and fine arts academies can also give you CT. So I don't think PotA is essential for that.

NF only helps with colonial growth, which is mostly achieved by spending colonists anyway, and you can only move it once per 30 years, so I think it's inefficient for helping colonization. It does reduce tax income by 50% for your neighbors.

Early on you will have more magistrates than money and will need to spend them on CT to avoid wasting them.  After 100 years or so any decent sized country will be wishing for more magistrates so they can build more buildings.

Thats what lvl6 government buildings are for.

[Habbaku]

I should mention that the players of England and Castile haven't played MP before, which is probably why England caved in so easily.

When do you think France should enter the colonization game? ASAP, or wait a while. Basically, when to take QftNW?

In this position, never take QftNW.  Instead, vassalize German minors, support Scotland and Aragon and generally make a complete menace of yourself until the whole board teams against you.  It may cause some to ragequit, it may end up with you being obliterated some time in the 1500s, but oh will it be fun.

[sbr]

In between building sprees, you can usually spend magistrates on cultural tradition. The random events from universities and fine arts academies can also give you CT. So I don't think PotA is essential for that.

NF only helps with colonial growth, which is mostly achieved by spending colonists anyway, and you can only move it once per 30 years, so I think it's inefficient for helping colonization. It does reduce tax income by 50% for your neighbors.

Early on you will have more magistrates than money and will need to spend them on CT to avoid wasting them.  After 100 years or so any decent sized country will be wishing for more magistrates so they can build more buildings.

Thats what lvl6 government buildings are for.

More magistrates?

That is the level 5 Government building and there are a few problems with that.  You can only have one level 5 or 6 building in any province and I would much rather have almost any other branch, outside of Naval, than that.  Also where do you get the magistrates to build that many buildings?  Are you building nothing but Gov buildings anywhere?  The +0.05 mags fro level 5 don't seem to be worth it.  You are also losing a lot of income ignoring the Production and Trade buildings.

Gov:

Level 5:

local_revolt_risk = -2
      local_spy_defence = 0.25
      spies = 0.05
      officials = 0.05

Level 6:

stability_investment = 10
      local_spy_defence = 0.25
      local_missionary_placement_chance = 0.01
      missionaries = 0.05

Land:

Level 5:

regiment_recruit_speed = -0.3
      local_manpower_modifier = 0.3

local_manpower = 5
      land_forcelimit = 5

Production:

Level 5:

local_tax_modifier = 0.5

Level 6:

tax_income = 5   #increase tax with 5$

Trade:

Level 5:

global_trade_income_modifier = 0.01

Level 6:

trade_efficiency = 0.01

[Viking]

More magistrates?

That is the level 5 Government building and there are a few problems with that.  You can only have one level 5 or 6 building in any province and I would much rather have almost any other branch, outside of Naval, than that.  Also where do you get the magistrates to build that many buildings?  Are you building nothing but Gov buildings anywhere?  The +0.05 mags fro level 5 don't seem to be worth it.  You are also losing a lot of income ignoring the Production and Trade buildings.

Gov:

Level 5:

local_revolt_risk = -2
      local_spy_defence = 0.25
      spies = 0.05
      officials = 0.05

With Russia I got to 15ish magistrates per year. Maxed the crappy provinces to 4 in everything, then switched the high level government buildings to other stuff. But that is a short term cost for a long term benefit. 

[sbr]

More magistrates?

That is the level 5 Government building and there are a few problems with that.  You can only have one level 5 or 6 building in any province and I would much rather have almost any other branch, outside of Naval, than that.  Also where do you get the magistrates to build that many buildings?  Are you building nothing but Gov buildings anywhere?  The +0.05 mags fro level 5 don't seem to be worth it.  You are also losing a lot of income ignoring the Production and Trade buildings.

Gov:

Level 5:

local_revolt_risk = -2
      local_spy_defence = 0.25
      spies = 0.05
      officials = 0.05

With Russia I got to 15ish magistrates per year. Maxed the crappy provinces to 4 in everything, then switched the high level government buildings to other stuff. But that is a short term cost for a long term benefit.

Could you give me more info on this because it seems pretty far-fetched to me, especially considering my experience with Russia in my current MP game in which it is the mid 1600s?

So you are saying you built nothing but Gov buildings until you had Colleges (level 5) in every province, which sounds impossible to me but whatever, then started building the other buildings with the few extra magistrates you got?  Each College gives you +0.05 magistrates.  To get an extra 10 per year, which still wouldn't get me to 15, you would need to build 200 Colleges.  I am at about the historic borders for Russia and only have ~140 provinces, but that isn't important.  Each College would require 5 magistrates, for a total of 1000.  Now assuming you were collecting the magistrates at the 15 per year max you claim that might be possible, but remember you needed to start at the beginning.  I will give the benefit of the doubt and give 3 per year to start, which is really high but makes the math easier.

Each College takes 6 years to build, again to make the math easier we will go in groups of 20 (each group of 20 would give you +1 magistrate).  The first group of twenty would take about 40 years (240 months total and building 3 per year).  The next would be around 30 years.  I don't want to continue the math but I suppose it is possible to get there in 400 years.

You then destroyed those Colleges and started building new Trade and Production buildings? 

Just to get back to the original topic, you then had extra magistrates to increase Cultural Tradition?

EDIT: My math on the number of year to build 20 is really wrong give me a minute or two.

EDIT EDIT: Maybe it is right, I have confused myself.

[Viking]

I had russian borders plus 6 scan provinces, Baltic coast down to east prussia, Lithuania, all GH and steppe nomad provinces, Iran, Caucasus, North India, Inland SEAsia provinces China and Korea plus colonizing the entire corridor by 1650, when the holy war CB ran out. So, I had well more than 200 provinces. I beelined for magistrates.

Once I got caught up with the basic four levels of buildings (not forts and remember most provinces in inland asia get ports) I trashed the colleges and started building other buildings. I didn't play out the game though, too much of a hassle running all of asia.

Edit: At some point I also stopped building MP buildings, I had much more manpower than I could spend or use. Colleges take 24 months to build, not 6 years.

[Shade]

Eurotime game?

For a Languish game I'm willing to be flexible regarding times. My schedule doesn't depend on early mornings atm.

I am young and would be willing to play at anytime I was not working.....