Vassalise the World. A Byzantine Dream.

[jonti-h]

You're remarkably cheerful for someone who is at war with half of Europe. Your optimism may be rewarded.

I am a natural optimist
Either that, or I am just mad!

I will update again when I have vassalised them all!

[jonti-h]

Well, I was lucky!
The EU2 combat engine is very random in the early years, with the battles turning into medieval brawls all the time - and this war was no exception!
I suffered defeats, often in the face of vastly superior numbers, but in the end I managed to win

I took Wallachia from Transylvania, and 6 or 7 provs from Hungary! I also reduced Serbia to their capital!



Following on from that, I decided to mop up the White Sheep Turks - the war in the West had taken about 6 years.



Now that looks better!

[SunZyl]

Jolly beautiful empire there. What year is it?

[jonti-h]

Jolly beautiful empire there. What year is it?

Thanks! It is rather nice isn't it!

It is July 1376.

[Chief Ragusa]

Very neat progress. I thought Tabriz had a core on it - at least in the first picture.
Now you have reached the Andronicus IV revolt.

[SirDaniel]

This will be sweet

[jonti-h]

Very neat progress. I thought Tabriz had a core on it - at least in the first picture.
Now you have reached the Andronicus IV revolt.

Thanks
I thought it was a core too - but it is a city icon instead!

Anyway, I decided to mop up the West some more! I declared war on Bulgaria, as my peace treaty had expired - Serbia, like lambs to the slaughter, joined it too! That was very helpful of them!



While I was doing this, I decided to check my badboy - which I hadn't been looking at for a while.
It isn't pretty! This is from declaring war with CB, and taking or annexing cores only.



After a very short couple of wars - with one division per country, my empire looks like this;



Much better!

Next I will prepare for the inevitable war with Hungary again. Now my BB is higher - over the limit, and Ioccupy more of their cores I am sure they will want a rematch!

Not many cores left now - I have got about 3/4 of them! Soon it will be vassalisations!

EDIT: Forgot about the Mameluks - they're my cores too! I'll go after them soon!

[Duke of Wellington]

This looks great. Just subscribing will come back and read it when I get the chance. Good luck.

[Mr Me]

It looks like it going well although you forceannexed more than I would've done. I can't see the BB number in the diplomatic window screenshot. How high is it now?

[Rocketman]

Why does Byzantium claim Hungary?

[Wtbrg]

Good luck, I will watch my crazy idea bloom in to fruition.

Byzantium has a lot of provinces in this mod. Growing like a weed, too! You may have difficulty cowing various opponents at increasingly greater distances - as I recall, vassals all allow military access.

[Duke of Wellington]

Just caught up. Very good AAR. I like your goal. I once tried a similar one as Burgundy but could never get beyond 14-15 vassals. If I may offer some advice when you do get lots of vassals don't ally with them. I did and what happened was one vassal would DOW another. I would be forced to either break vassalage or the alliance. In the end there were 3 alliances composed entirely of my vassals at war with each other and I had not a single vassal. Will you lose Tabriz to stick to your goals? Can Persia be freed there?

[Walter Model]

All you need is MA and a Coast and then no alliance

[jonti-h]

It looks like it going well although you forceannexed more than I would've done. I can't see the BB number in the diplomatic window screenshot. How high is it now?

Thanks!
I have only taken cores, which was the aim, it is just that Byzantium has a lot of them!
BB is 42 at the mo - I hoped it would have come out on the screenies but it didn't! It is higher than I wanted, but if it gives me free wars it isn't too bad really! It helps with world conquest, so why not world vassalisation?

I am going to let that go down now - but see whether I can make some progress in the West with vassals!

Why does Byzantium claim Hungary?

I'm not entirely sure! I did check with the 1419 senario in case something has got messed up, and it is still there as a core.

Good luck, I will watch my crazy idea bloom in to fruition.

Byzantium has a lot of provinces in this mod. Growing like a weed, too! You may have difficulty cowing various opponents at increasingly greater distances - as I recall, vassals all allow military access.

Thanks, I hope I will be able to do it!
Distance will be a problem - not for military access, but forattrition. I will have to build up my navy at some point, as long as it doesn't get sunk by transports again!

Just caught up. Very good AAR. I like your goal. I once tried a similar one as Burgundy but could never get beyond 14-15 vassals. If I may offer some advice when you do get lots of vassals don't ally with them. I did and what happened was one vassal would DOW another. I would be forced to either break vassalage or the alliance. In the end there were 3 alliances composed entirely of my vassals at war with each other and I had not a single vassal. Will you lose Tabriz to stick to your goals? Can Persia be freed there?

Thanks for the tip! I hadn't thought about them fighting each other - that would be a pain, 'cos I would have to revassalise at regular intervals. I won't ally with any vassal, and only with free nations if I really need to..

I will try to let Tabriz revolt, or take some provinces that will let me release it as another vassal if revolts fail. If it hadn't been necessary for annexing the White Sheep I could have let it alone! I suppose I could offer it to someone in a peace deal (if I am losing) just to get rid!

[SunZyl]

Bah. What's this?! You should work towards getting rid off it. BTW, what's your opinion on taking provinces and immediately releasing it? I suppose the answer's "No" but...

[jonti-h]

Bah. What's this?! You should work towards getting rid off it. BTW, what's your opinion on taking provinces and immediately releasing it? I suppose the answer's "No" but...

You mean to take a load of non-core territory and then release as a vassal as soon as the ink's dry on the treaty? I might do that actually! After all, I just need to vassalise the world. It doesn't break any rules after all.

If it was world conquest, then I would never release land, but that's a different type of gameplay.

[Chief Ragusa]

The claims of Byzantium on Hungary go back to the Komnenos marraiges with Byzantium's neighbours and Manuel I's success in vassilizing Hungary in 1167.

Naples and Siciliy ought to be cores as well.

I think you will acquire a few non-core provinces that you will not be able to release. If you had some allies you could try to give them your non-core provinces. Now you are over the BB limit, you will fight the rest of the map. No need to worry about CBs!

[jonti-h]

The claims of Byzantium on Hungary go back to the Komnenos marraiges with Byzantium's neighbours and Manuel I's success in vassilizing Hungary in 1167.

Thanks Chief Ragusa!

Naples and Siciliy ought to be cores as well.

Oh right, I won't worry if I take them then!

I think you will acquire a few non-core provinces that you will not be able to release. If you had some allies you could try to give them your non-core provinces. Now you are over the BB limit, you will fight the rest of the map. No need to worry about CBs!

I probably will end up with a few non-cores, but I will try to minimise that.
Some non-cores will be (my) colonies and TPs - I'll need them for landing soldiers and for colonial manpower.

Oh yes! Everyone hates me! They all want to grind my empire into the dust, but I will never surrender. Vassals all of them!!!!

I wonder what my monthly income will be with all the world vassalised?

[Walter Model]

Perhaps if you have some vassals, ally with the strongest ones, and if you other vassals declare war, let your vassals tear them to pieces, and give them EVERYTHING in the peace deal.

[jonti-h]

Update time!

After 10 years of peace, I finally decided to declare war on Hungary myself - I got bored waiting!

As I hoped, they called in their allies Austria, Transylvania, Luxembourg and Poland. Once again I was at war with half of Europe - this time though I was ready!

Anyway, Transylvania fell quickly, and was absorbed into the increasing purple blob. Hungary put up a spirited defence but my armies overcame in the end. Poland and Austria fell like dominoes. Those Foreign Drill Officer events I have been getting really make a difference!

Strangely enough, just when I was crushing my enemies they found 2 new allies! Naples and Sicily - oh the horror

The results can be seen here - I have vassals at last! Four of them!



I took Austria, Sicily, Poland and Naples as vassals, and relieved Hungary of my core provinces - in five years, they will be vassals too!

Byzantium of 1393.


The only sour note is my BB - 47.4! Oh well, no need to worry about casus belli any more!