• 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.

unmerged(5891)

Second Lieutenant
Sep 27, 2001
110
0
Visit site
I'm currently about 40 years into my second attempt at playing an Austria GC. And this is the first time I've really felt challenged playing a major power. In fact, I had such a hard time early on that I couldn't resist going on a rampage when things started coming together.

After establishing the usual alliance with Hungary, I gobbled up Bohemia in a quick campaign, and married most of Europe. Rather surprisingly, England agreed to join our alliance, along with Bavaria and Saxony. But after 10 years, nothing has happened. Zip, zero. No moves on Christian Europe by the Turks. So I DOW on the Ottomans and call in allies. Everyone shows up, and we give the Turks a brutal hazing...for the first few months.

Soon giant Ottoman armies are materializing out of thin air, forcing my allies into separate peace and stranding Ferdinand behind enemy lines and surrounding by angry Turks. His army is eventually annihilated, leaving Austria with almost no military. OUCH!

Well, that was a disaster. I rebuild a small military and try to stick to diplomatic efforts, vassalizing Bavaria and Saxony but being repeatedly frustrated in my attempts to work out such an arrangement with Hungary. Grumble, grumble. A weak economy isn't helping me rebuild the armed forces at all, and right when I am at my weakest, my allies drag me into a war with France.

A huge mixed army of French and Helvetian troops lays siege to Tyrol, where I had upgraded the fortress anticipating such a move. Tens of thousands of them will die to attrition while my army waits for the perfect opportunity to strike. Hehe, the Helvetians are getting a taste of their own medicine. I hit them when they have been whittled away to nothing....and bounce right off them. AAARGH!

The relatively few survivors of the massive army initially sent to capture Tyrol is quickly destroyed as a Hungarian 30k army moves in, the only time my kindness to Hungary will be repaid in the 40+ years of my GC to date. I send my own troops in to secure the province, then march on Helvetia and take it quickly by assault.

And what do you know, it won't let me annex. The option isn't even available for some stupid reason. When ti rains, it pours. The only option I can select is to settle for the contents of their treasury, which was fortunately at well above 200 when their city fell into our hands. France eventually signs a white peace with the morons who pulled us all into this, and the war is over.

Well, twice our armies have ventured forth to defend or expand our kingdom, and we have two embarrassments and some tribute to show for it. And an economy in sad shape. Fortunately, the Reformation has taken place, and a number of states are turning Protestant, leaving them without allies. Hmm... When Thuringen converts, they seem to have a big, fat target painted on their heads, so I declare war. They fall very quickly, and I annex.

Now that I have an army close to their territory, I give diplo-annexing Bavaria a shot. BING! It works, and my jaw drops when I notice how many troops they've raised over the years. A 50k army and an 85k army at now at my command...drool. These guys immediately march on Saxony to help persuade my vassals to follow Bavaria's lead and be diplo-annexed. They accept, and a couple more 50k+ armies are under my control.

These guys are going to be used, I decide, and promptly DOW on Hessen, storm, and anenx, and do the same to Wurttemburg. Now we have a bloodbath and 42 badboy to show for our previous diplomatic efforts and exasperated return to good old military coercion.

I love this game more each time I play it.

BTW, wierdest thing I saw all game was Spain losing two wars back to back to minors. They paid out a 230d+ indemnity AND gave up Holland to Hessen, and paid Lorraine 150d+ for a truce later. Sheesh.
 
Last edited:
You did not do the DoW so you couldnt annex Helvetia.
With Austria I would stay clar of the Turks at the beginning - the hungarian idiots will go to war with them and loose, let them, it makes vassalization that much easier.
I head for Milan and possibly Savoy, followed by Modena and Tuscany, followed by Genoa (though getting to Corsica thakes patience).
Once you have the wealth of Northern Italy secure, you can take Turkey and France(and perhaps partition Venice with hte Turks first).
Germnay can be diplo annexed over time, and if they go Protestant, great, become CRC and get CBs on the whole lot.
 
The DoW on Turkey was to keep my alliance together, mostly. And it was such a fiasco that fair Vienna couldn't make another attempt at military expansion until the war with France. Now that Hessen, Thuringen, Bohemia, Saxony, Bavaria, and the provinces of Holland and Macedonia are all under Austrian rule, and my land armies dwarf those of any other nation in Europe, I'm not concerned about where I go from here.
 
Pretty cool. Last time I played Austria, I took a different approach. I had diploannexed all Bohemia, Hungary, and all of Southern Germany before the reformation. I didn't enter a single war until after the edict of Tolerance and had managed to diploannex the rest of Germany except Hannover and Brandenburg, who I took in a war after the edict of Tolerance. Then I conquered all of the Balkans from Turkey and the Dutch, along with their Indonesian empire. Sadly, after I annexed Hannover, Brandenburg and the Dutch, I went war mad with the Arabian nations and conquered all of North Africa. I soon had massive wars and revolts ripped through my provinces and after all my armies were gone and a bunch of new nations formed, I gave up.
 
Austria had become a vast kingdom, but still needed a center of trade for a taste of the treasures coming back from the New World. So I picked a fight with the Hanseatic League and annexed them shortly thereafter.

The badboy war which followed pitted us against most of the western world, caused untold casualties on either side, and lasted nearly a decade. For the first time, I took two loans to finance a war effort, and needed every ducat. In the end, Holland, Munster, and Eastern Pommerania were ceded, but we retained the Hansa and prospered economically following the war.

Milan has just revolted and declared independence from my ally Hungary, and I'm being called on to honor the alliance. This would cause another BB war before my preparations are completed, so the alliance is history. Actually, I may hang up this GC and play again, now that my nation is very strong but has a lot of pesky wars to fight.
 
It didn't take you long to become the most hated man in Europe. :D

I've always found it easier going west into France and such myself, espically when they are busy in their normal wars against Spanish agression. Gobble up France in 3 or 4 bites, and then have fun assulting the HRE without much resistance...One thing I never do as Austria is ally with Hungary....let them be a shield against the Turks. Interesting to see how you handled them...did pretty damn good. :D