Cosmopoli-Taint; A Blue Within Blue World - France AAR

Enewald said:

Don't the personal unions end when you go republic?
Habsburgs were just too lucky.

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With all republics, short of the Noble Republic, yes... So, until the unions are inherited, Noble Republic it'll have to be. Given the alternative republics early on, that's just as well.

However, you cannot be the Holy Roman Emperor when in any republic, including Noble.

Najs said:

No, with a Noble Republic you retain the ability to form RM's and your PU's. And you get a fair chance to inherit every 8th year

Doing what the Hapsburgs do would take a long time. Better to just annex them.

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Precisely - but this game, the goal is low BadBoy... so military annexations galore is not an option. Even cored annexations cost 3,5 BadBoy, and that'll take a while to get rid of.

Time to tidy up some bits in our backyard, starting with Savoy. For a mission, we need them as our vassal.


To deal with Gascogne, we incite some Patriot rebels. Mind, they're Gascon rebels, so they'll join Foix if they succeed.


Baden pays for their alliance with a province; our BadBoy increases by one point.


We can't well afford six more BadBoy, so Hainaut gets to live a while longer.


With Savoy vassalised, a future mission is secured. We strip them down to one province, just in case we have to go for the military annexation later. It does cost us one more BadBoy point.


A rare moment, we have two whole diplomats. I'll gladly trade a six star advisor in favor of a two star diplomat.


We certainly need them... Our hope was to enter the 1500s with next to no BadBoy points, but we're a fair bit away from that goal.


We're hit with this nasty choice, and since we can regain the stability point with six months of investment, that'll probably be cheaper. We'll not see a stability point as cheap as this in the future...


To aid our new subject, we lift the excommunication we put on their Duke earlier.


In the east, the Horde is cutting Novgorod down even more.


Once more, Aragon drags two nations into a succession war over them - two real contenders this time.


Surprisingly, the war ends after a mere six months, in favor of Scotland.


Bruised and battered after the conflict, Denmark seeks our protection. We refuse.


Connaught shows an aggressive streak, but courtesy of Scottish involvement, it ends in a white peace.


The Gascon patriot rebels did their job. Unfortunately, they now fight Armagnac nationalists, and they're losing. It's time to intervene.


...so we do, at the cost of more BadBoy points.

A hundred years have passed since game start. Time to have a look at the state of the realm. We're the Curia controller and the Holy Roman Emperor. Our reputation is poor, but our two diplomats are attempting to fix that.


We've kept up in Production, Trade and Government tech, but we're far behind in Land and Naval. For the time being, the gap is manageable, since we have numbers on our side. Our slider settings are still a mess. Only the Free Subjects slider is almost in position.


Austria battles us for the Curia, but we still hold a faint grasp on it.


For some reason, the German principalities aren't too happy about Jacques I's performance, so they'll award the title to Friesland next... Guess they'll feel safer with their protection.


In terms of income, France reigns supreme.


In terms of inflation, nobody can beat Castille. However, it appears a thousand percent of inflation is the absolute max the game allows. Future bankruptcies once they reach that level doesn't seem to cause more inflation... but then again, I'd say this level is painful enough. That first war a century ago was a good one.


Tech levels, sorted by Government


The world's largest armies.


The world's largest navies.


Our country is fairly unified - all Catholic, mostly Cosmopolitaine, and largely cored. That... is about to change.

Vesimir said:

Subscribing... Looks like Scotland is on it's way to forming UK.

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...precisely. You noticed what I failed to. I only looked at the 'englishnation' decision, not the one for Great Britain... That had consequences.

Enewald said:

You don't need that sheriff.
You're the richest nation already.

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Much wants more, always.

Besides, there wasn't all that much to choose from. If there'd been a one star diplomat, I'd have taken him instead, but alas...

sprites said:

interesting
you've low tech , land 16 has a bonus to morale if i remember well?

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Land tech adds morale bonuses for several tech levels from 9 to 16, I think - but 16 in +0,25, so it's a solid bump.

Foix is evicted out to the coastline. With luck, somebody else might eat them in a war now.


Though it costs us in BadBoy points, we take one province from Lorraine. The reason is that we want a border with Aslace, for a later mission.


In Africa, Mali is attempting to convert their many Animist provinces. This provocation, combined with the French need to reach further down the African coastline, triggers war. It takes French expeditionary forces quite a while to map out all of Mali territory.


Poland finally goes aggressive, charging the Ottomans while they are busy on other fronts.


With Mali completely seized, we settle a peace. Since they are Sunni, they cannot be instantly annexed. Since their provinces are nearly all Animist, we leave them with little cash and high War Exhaustion in the hopes Animist rebels will rise - and defect to Animist empires in the vicinity. Mind, the assault did cost us 2,5 BadBoy points.


In Italy, Naples attacks Tuscany. Being the Emperor, we are summoned to defend them - of course, we're more interested in Naples' ally...


Tuscany vanishes from the map, but we are not concerned.


The Polish venture culminates in success.


Not to be outdone, Lithuania charges north.


To preserve BadBoy points, we only take our core province from Brittany.


For the same reason, we peace Naples quickly.


Once in the 1500s, this decision enables. This is why we pushed towards Narrowminded. After this, it's back towards Innovative. Those missionaries had better be worth it.


Scotland charges what's left of England.


...and so the nation ends.


The war went badly for Novgorod... but worse for Sweden, the alliance leader. Finland arrives on the map, fully formed.


A core on Lothringen, a core we can never lose? Yes, please!


...and so, the fun begins. Luckily, they're our neighbor. Protestantism thus gets a bonus for spreading to France for the first twelve years.

Enewald said:

Yays for Finland!
Save them as the last victim.

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...but they become such a nice target, later on...

I've reached 1549 in the game now, and I haven't attacked Finland... yet.

On hearing this news, Jacques I's only comment was... BWAHAHAHAHAHA!


Another decision to gain more missionaries, unfortunately it has a drawback that is tougher to deal with than a mere financial deficit.


Nevers receives the honor of being the first French Protestant province. It certainly won't be the last one.


Scotland pushes on to secure their island.


The result is almost a given.


An almost free slider move.


Sweden is hit square on by the Reformation, and for now, only Stockholm is Protestant... Look at all those Catholic provinces, begging to become French, at no BadBoy cost at all...


Denmark also converts, presenting another prime target.


To our good fortune, Denmark guarantees Sweden. Two for one deal! We accept.


That said... they have a considerable army, combined.


While the Scandinavian campaign is underway, we assault and secure Alsace as our vassal, ensuring a future mission.


Calvinism emerges in Cornwall. This is good; they're no neighbor of France.


The Danish doomstack is not a pushover, but we slowly whittle it down.


Our invasion force coming down through Finland met no resistance. The absense of Sweden's army is revealed as we find them marching along the southern Baltic coast, trying to join a Danish siege in Kurland. With Sweden proper undefended, our cavalry stack spreads out thin and starts sieging.


Sadly, we didn't give sufficient consideration to the fact others might join this feeding frenzy. Lithuania is in no shape for war, busy fighting many rebels - but their ally, Poland, is more than ready for war.


Slider moving time - it's back towards Innovative. If we cannot escape the Narrowminded side, our future colonies will fill with heretics. New thinkers arise, but they're low grade and of no value compared to our diplomats.


Brabant joins the frenzy, and brings along a score of allies. Thuringia also charges in, with more allies. Denmark is soon at war with nearly all their neighbors.


Connaught converts. Can we say 'target'?

The Royal Marriage is broken, and spies dispatched for a Casus Belli.


Time to peace Sweden, reducing them to a One Province Minor. Since the commencement of hostilities, two more provinces of theirs converted, so we do gain two BadBoy points... but for eight provinces. It's acceptable.

Enewald said:

Holy crap!
Can you demand that much land area from Sweden!!??!?!?!?111oneoneeleven?

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Sure you can. 'wrong religion' land, low income value provinces... They're fairly cheap. And I took a lot of cores from them, too! Just after the reformation is an ideal time to go to war. I learned that when the AIs attacked me in a GB game, right after converting. Low stability, no allies...

Vesimir said:

Ekhm... This is Madness!!

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This is one trick I've been longing to use - the Scandinavians in particular seem prone to this. One or more of them build small empires, are hit by the reformation, and convert before the Counter-Reformation occurs. They become easy targets, especially since their lands are low-value.

sprites said:

interesting again
i will think about this ... you plan to convert or to fight the reformation?

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As stated in the first post in this AAR, the goal is to make the biggest possible Protestant France, without crossing the BadBoy threshold. So yes, I do plan to convert to Protestantism - once a good portion of France has been converted by the 'spread of..' event, and I've 'trimmed down' the first batch of Protestant empires.

GhostWriter said:

kebzero: ...The Mamelukes, tired of fighting, accepts the surrender of Alexandria, awarding France with their fourth Center of Trade.

splendid ! !

kebzero: ...Nevers receives the honor of being the first French Protestant province. It certainly won't be the last one.

and, so it begins ! !

kebzero: ...To our good fortune, Denmark guarantees Sweden. Two for one deal! We accept.

hey, every BB point saved...

kebzero: ...While the Scandinavian campaign is underway, we assault and secure Alsace as our vassal, ensuring a future mission.

what are the effects of that 'mission' ? ?

kebzero: ...Denmark is soon at war with nearly all their neighbors.

LOL ! !

kebzero: ...Time to peace Sweden, reducing them to an OPM. Since the commencement of hostilities, two more provinces of theirs converted, so we do gain two BadBoy points... but for eight provinces. It's acceptable.

awesome ! !

magnificent updates ! !

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Given that I seem to have to trigger the wars I want myself, getting them both was a good deal.

The Alsace mission is the same as those for most of the French vassals; you get a core and a -1 Centralization move. France starts with four such missions, and if they can vassalize Savoy and Alsace, they get two more. So, for a warmonger that doesn't care about BadBoy, France essentially has six free moves towards Centralization - and another two through the 'L'etat C'est Moi' decision. In effect, France should never have to worry about Centralizing, if they accept the 40+ BadBoy points from eating all six minors by force.

Time to fight Connaught and their trusted ally, Brittany.


Poland secures a piece of Denmark. Our intervention was not quick enough to prevent them securing sieges, and this is the result.


For the cost of one more badboy point, Brittany is reduced to a One Province Minor and a vassal. However, they are also in an old war with Naples, and they are eventually annexed.


We make our peace with Denmark, securing much land for no cost. However, we are not quite done with them.


The small kingdom of Friesland happens to be guaranteed by three Two Province Minor archbishoprics - and Denmark. Sadly, before we can get this conflict started, Mecklenburg intervenes on Denmark, and the race is on to secure sieges.


Their alliance doesn't have much to stop us with.


Finland seeks revenge on their old masters.


This event leaves us no choice - we cannot stomach the BadBoy point, so loss of stability it is.


...and then, the serfs cause waves. With this stability hit, France is left at -2 stability, thanks to our quick succession warmongering.


This, however, is the news that truly ruined Jacques I's day. Scotland's earlier expansion had been tolerated as we knew they couldn't form England without Kent. However, Great Britain does not require Kent... and a big, quite likely colonizer power shows up. A small mercy is that they do not have Conquest of the New World, and two slots are already filled with Scottish military National Ideas. If we are fortunate, they'll pick both Bill of Rights and Superior Seamanship before they pick Conquest of the New World. Perhaps we can stay far enough ahead in colonizing that military intervention will not be necessary.

To say this ruined my carefully made plans is an understatement. That'll teach me not to check all data files.


We peace out Friesland for money, but we take land from Cologne and Wurzburg, adding two to our badboy tally.


In Italy, another One Province Minor disappears. Mantua is gone, and good riddens.


Mecklenburg secures their prize. That they take Slesvig is bad. That they release Gotland is much, much worse.


Sweden vanishes under Finnish cavalry.


The Pope calls a council in France, adding to our prestige. Good thing the Pope does not know of our plans...


While nearly all other Catholic nations immediately embraces the Counter-Reformation, France does not. Protestants and Calvinists grow rapidly in number - though the Calvinists are fought back at every turn.


Sadly, Jacques I did not live to see the result of his careful labors. France loses the title of Emperor. Charles VIII, however, is a superb administrator, and before you know it...


He utters the magic words. France goes straight to Absolute Monarchy, and does not pass go.


A second peace with Denmark ensures even more cheap lands in terms of reputation loss. However, given the spread of Protestantism and Calvinism, choices are limited. The Baltics have gone Protestant, as has Skåne with their Center of Trade. Thus, they become too expensive right now.


The last bit of that war is brought to a close with the acquisition of Mainz.