• We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
I think you have to edit the files... IIRC (from what I've read), the Grand Campaign .eug file, replace one of the nations abbreviations (like FRA) to VEN, and then name is Venice.eug or something... then you can pick it.

I think this is the way it goes... I remember it vaugely off Oranje's FAQ on his site.
 
In the original board game on which this computer game was based, Venice was a playable nation (from what I read, it usually got spanked). That's probably why it's mentioned so often...and perhaps the original game design (back in the day) had included Serenissima...but, alas, we've got to hack a bit.

------------------
'A set of local sovereign states can be no more than a transitory political configuration.'- Toynbee
 
OK thanks, b/c on the ad in PC Gamer and also on the 'Overview' Section of this site and on EB World as well, it says 'Play as Venice, etc.....' with no mention of file editing. I was kinda hoping it would be playable w/o hacking, but o well, i guess i can handle it :D
 
I think the beta version of EU included a Lepanto scenario in which Venice was a playable nation. Fortunately, to play Venice all you have to do is pick the scenario you want to play Venice in (for example, the Grand Campaign), create a new copy of this scenario renaming it (presumably to Venice.eug), and in the scenario file replace one of the playable countries (for example, HAB for Austria) with VEN for Venice.
 
The beta version included a lot of scenarios in which Venice was playable.
No doubt that the final version will have some too.