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Sweboy said:
OK this has probably been mentioned earlier but what has happened to France! Did it just croak and die ;)

Post #194, maps 1 and 5 - France still holds Paris, Brittany and some territory in South America.
 
Austria 1613-19

This will be the last 7-year turn, from 1620 I'll switch countries every 10 years, as both nations have clearly reached enough critical mass to survive any AI mischief (I'd like to think).

The gains from Burgundy and several diplo-annexations have pushed BB to a record 12.61. Luckily the current emperor is a good diplomat, which helps. Releasing Genoa, Sardinia and Navarra brings BB down to 9. Naples has finally been incorporated to the empire. The only downside to the unwanted annexations is having to get rid of all the Navarran holdings in Canada :(

ah1613a.jpg

Stability is back to +1 in September so I push the slider to free subjects, to get a boost to the meagre colonist supply. Efforts continue to establish a city in Damaraland, during last turn the AI was again more focused in the Falklands.

I make sure warnings are in place for Castille, Aragon and Burgundy, but none of them moves a muscle.

Only in 1616 peace is broken by Crete DoWing the Ottomans again. I honour the alliance reluctantly (and no, Crete still doesn't have any fleet, they must have some secret long-range missiles they haven't told me about). I just occupy Thrace and demand some money to finish this silly issue as soon as possible.

ah1616a.jpg

By 1617 I've managed to give away three Canadian provinces to Modena and half Newfoundland to Brandenburg. Then Modena DoWs Portugal, something I wasn't expecting but since it involves Aragon it's my best chance to get Palermo, despite the stability hit.

ah1617a.jpg

I get Palermo quickly enough, and even another Brazilian province off England (also supporting Portugal).

ah1618a.jpg

However the Modenans are slow to react and lose all their American territories, they are no match for the armies Portugal now fields in the new world. What I didn't expect is Modena signing peace separately, on such punitive terms, they even release Ferrara!

ah1618b.jpg

Probably for the best though, I give Portugal my last province in Canada (and eventually sell the other half of Newfoundland to Brandenburg) to end the war and send a warning to Ferrara -this may be my chance to connect all the Italian lands to the empire.

A few months later a rare nice event gives me back the stability point I lost in the war, some good karma after all :D

ah1618c.jpg

That same month Castille forms Spain, quite quick after getting the necessary Aragonese provinces in the last war. They remain peaceful though, they don't even DoW Mali or Morocco.

In the east Qara Qoyunlu get another beating by the Mamluks, there is not going to be anything left for Hungary...

Code:
6 February, 1619 The Mamluks have accepted peace with Qara Koyunlu on the following terms: 
Qara Koyunlu will cede Berbera, Haud, Majerteen, Zeila, Mogadishu, Mosul and Sharizhor. 
Qara Koyunlu will renounce their claims on Iraq-i-Arab, Mus, Basra and Karbala.

In October 1619 Ferrara DoWs Modena. Mantuan troops start the siege but it's the emperor who finishes it and signs peace in less than two months. Ferrara will soon be part of Austria, so that's Italy done. BB is down to 3, Austria is ready for some more Burgundian/Spanish land :)

ah1619a.jpg

In December another Lithuania-Qara Qoyunlu-Burgundy war starts, just in time for Hungary's turn. Dulkadir at least looks like an easy target to start with... :D

Code:
18 December, 1619 Lithuania declared war upon Qara Koyunlu.
19 December, 1619 Lithuania has started collecting War Taxes.
19 December, 1619 Poland joined Lithuania in a war against Qara Koyunlu.
19 December, 1619 Burgundy joined Qara Koyunlu in a war against Lithuania, Poland.
19 December, 1619 Kazan joined Qara Koyunlu in a war against Lithuania, Poland.
19 December, 1619 Candar joined Lithuania in a war against Burgundy, Qara Koyunlu, Kazan.
19 December, 1619 Dulkadir dishonoured their Alliance with Lithuania.
 
Jambor said:
Why don't you keep the places in Canada? Just to screw Portragul over?

I don't have many colonists, so I'm trying to focus them on richer colonies (even if the AI loses focus every now and then).
 
Hungary 1620-29

First 10 year turn, ready for longer 17th century campaigns. Two Polish kings have come and gone and Hungary is still stuck in this annoying personal union... a batch of insults in quick succession is dispatched to his Polish majesty (Hungarian insults anyone?) to bring relations under 100 :mad:

A previous war I didn't notice in the turn with Austria has brough another Caucasian province into the realm, although it's not connected :)

ah1620a.jpg

The country is not involved in the current Lithuanian war against Qara Qoyunlu, and stability 0 is a few years away, but thankfully I don't have to wait long to get into war; in mid January the OE DoWs Dulkadir and the warning is honoured.

ah1620b.jpg

Candar supports the Ottomans, which is handy. I quickly get one province off them and a new vassal.

ah1620c.jpg

The downside is that I don't get in time to prevent Dulkadir being flash-annexed... A 3-province OE is 124% warscore for 2 provinces + vassalisation, so I just settle for the provinces. I am just to eager to control Anatolia.

The Ottoman Empire is finally an OPM, the Eastern Roman Empire is slowly but surely being restored :D

ah1621a.jpg

The rest of the turn is a long waiting game.

Austria DoWs Burgundy again, with predicable results...

ah1622a.jpg

The Austrians eventually obtain 3 provinces. Lithuania also gets another big chunk off Qara Qoyunlu.

In 1624 finally the Polish king dies... only to be replaced by another Polish king, and quite a bad one at that! I painfully realise that I needed to bring relations with Poland below 0 (not 100) in order to disolve the union :( More insults are dispatched, and this time I really mean them.

ah1624a.jpg

At least Hungary becomes Papal controller for a brief spell, which helps bringing stability up to 0 in May 1626, earlier than expected. As the empire grows stability cost is shooting up, I even start building some temples.

ah1629a.jpg

I send more missionaries, I guarantee Lithuania's independence, in my desperation I even send a warning to the Timurids. Not a clever thing to do as their armies double mine.

Timurid Empire inherits Kazakh. The Mamluks annex Yemen. The AI is clearly playing with me. Both empires are pretty similar in size and manpower, they both field just over 80 regiments.

I start building more cavalry.

The end of 1629 arrives and nothing has happened (maybe I shouldn't complain).

But time is never totally wasted -some religious achievement, Anatolia is becoming Christian again.

ah1629b.jpg

And the HRE is expanding greatly (which is good for Austria), from the North Sea to the Black Sea, from the Baltic to the Bay of Biscay. Hopefully Hungary will be pushing the borders further east in the future.

ah1629c.jpg
 
Those were nice turns for both countries, the Empire is really big now, keep pushing forward. Excellent update!
 
Capibara - Don't worry, I'll keep on pushing. The next front: Spain :D

Sweboy - It would be nice at the end, but it is unlikely, inheritance chances are slim and alliance seems impossible.

Zimfan - Let's hope no one DoWs/annex the OE while I'm away! :mad: Poland is a real nuisance, leaving Hungary in a very delicate situation - relations below 0 means that once the union dissolves Poland is likely to abandon the alliance if the Mamluks or the Timurids attack. Fortunately for Hungary, Austria is guaranteing :cool:
 
aldriq said:
Sweboy - It would be nice at the end, but it is unlikely, inheritance chances are slim and alliance seems impossible.

Seems like Austria needs to learn the Old Hapsburg trick of gain land by marriage and not war. It was then the Hapsburgs went to war it all went to hell in a handcart.
 
Sweboy - believe me, there is no monarchy in Europe I haven't got a marriage with :eek:

etepetete - out and about this week, but hopefully next week I should be able to get back to the game.

mhusoy - thanks for your comments!
 
Austria 1630-39

Back in business after a month of not having much chance to resume the game. Where were we? A recent war with Burgundy and some diplo-annexations gave Austria a few new provinces. As usual I release some fellow HRE nations -Genoa and Switzerland- but keep Navarra and the other Burgundian provinces under Austrian rule.

ah1630a.jpg

A trade super-minister is certainly helping in that area, but the AI has got a bit carried away creating 3 new CoTs: Les Cayes, Champagne, Köln. Les Cayes is actually a wealthy centre, but the other two are too close to main CoTs, and therefore too poor, so I dismantle them.

ah1630b.jpg

On the colonial front the AI has finally got the hint about expanding in South Africa. Unfortunately there is some competition looming... amazing how France still manages to be annoying even when reduced to a few provinces.

ah1630c.jpg

Right now the most pressing priority is to recover stability. I max stability investment and keep on building some more temples, it should be back to 0 in October this year.

In the meantime my clever OPM allies do the clever things they usually do: Serbia DoWs Poland, -2 stab if I get involved, good bye Serbia! Crete DoWs Cyprus, likewise, bye bye Crete. At this point prestige is a lot more disposable than stability.

However the next war won't be in the east, South France is waiting. I notice that forming Spain has given the Iberians a big boost, and a core in Navarra -their 15K stacks circle the province like vultures.

ah1630d.jpg

Lookign at the military stats it is obvious that Bugundy is no longer a threat, Spain is the one to watch. Ming's manpower continues to be the stuff of legend...

ah1630e.jpg

It doesn't take long until I get the chance to confront the Spaniards, in December 1631 they attack Granada and I can respond to the warning.

ah1631a.jpg

At first I get overrun by big stacks crossing the Pyrenees, my armies still making their way to the west. But as I start to push the Spanish troops back into their territory Aragon signs peace and the war ends in August :mad: Somehow Arangon kept the leadership of the alliance despite my intervention :confused:

ah1632a.jpg

A bit of a waste of time, but at least it didn't cost stability.

Burgundy is again having a hard time at war with Lithuania while at stab -2. The war ends in status quo but the negative stability takes its toll, Tyrone and the Papal States in Rhodes declare independence.

In October 1633 I reach stabilty +1, 5 months later more good news, I get a new chance against Spain! They attack Morocco this time, my warning is immediately exercised. Burgundy had also warned Spain, so they join in the party too.

ah1634a.jpg

The Austrian armies were in a much more convenient position this time, ready to siege every Frech province. Burgundy's help and Spain having to keep some troops in North Africa to deal with Morocco also help. The Spanish navy presents no major threat and my 6,000 men in Brazil walk undisturbed through unfortified Spanish Brazil.

In 12 months the Spanish are retreating, Burgundy quits the war then, happy to get Poitou.

ah1635a.jpg

It takes another year until I get 45% warscore. I make a few tentative 99% peace offers, rejected. Finally a 98% peace asking for 3 French provinces and 2 Brazilian gold provinces is accepted in April 1636 :) Spain is left with only Provence and Gascogne in France.

ah1636a.jpg

That alone was worth the turn. Nothing else particularly remarkable happens the next 3 years: an average new emperor succeeds in 1638, more public works, more merchants, more colonists... and yes, the French got a foothold in South Africa :mad:

ah1639a.jpg

And a date to remeber, Byzantium is finally restored 12 May 1639...

ah1639b.jpg
 
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Hungary 1640-49

The Hungarian court is still celebrating the recent annexation of Thrace and final demise of the Ottomans. However, the king is in Poland... because the king is Polish! The personal union is still in place, relations are back at +200 :( On top of that the AI chose Humanist Tolerance as third national idea -AI humour I expect, maybe the Polish king thought the Hungarians needed some tolerance to bear with the PU. I start preparing the insults for both Poland and the AI :mad:

Bohemia got Olteria and Bulgaria during the previous turn. I'm glad they get something for a change, they've always been helpful allies and never got anything (unlike Poland, who never placed a single useful regiment in any of my wars and yet grabbed half the Balkans).

ah1640a.jpg

The beginning of the turn is the usual struggle trying to recover stability, building temples, sending insults and checking the Timurid and Mamluk borders. Not that I need to wait long for some action, do you remember that reckless warning I sent to the Timurids? Well, in November 1641 they attack Muscovy and I get the opportunity to fight them...

ah1641a.jpg

The TE has an army double the size of mine, and Muscovy have only 5 provinces. On the other hand Muscovy still has a decent army (just over 20,000) and their border is far enough from mine to create two uncomfortable fronts... this might be my only chance of getting Alania (a gold province) at no stability cost, so I cross my fingers and join Muscovy against TE and Golden Horde.

At first I await within my borders, expecting massive stacks to attack Georgia and Karli's level 2 forts, but it seems the TE is not interested in playing the attrition game with me, they are quite busy overrunning Muscovy. Very well then, I move my cavalry to Timurid lands and easily take the unfortified provinces in my border. I send a 12K infantry stack to siege the only Golden Horde province, their 3K men quickly defeated.

All a bit too easy...

ah1642b.jpg

Of course it doesn't last. By July Timurid regiments start appearing, small at first (1-4K), but growing larger and larger. By October a big 30K stack challenges my forces in Astrakhan, the first big battle that I end up winning, only just. And at a huge manpower cost, as I have to consolidate my troops in hostile land, it's after all the TE who plays the attrition game on me :(

The Muscovite armies seem to be holding, they go in circles recovering whichever province was previously captured by the Timurid stack of doom.

ah1642c.jpg

The victory in Astrakhan was painful for the TE but doesn't stop the flow of new regiments. Some cavalry regiments I had started recruiting at the beginning of the year prove life-saving to hold the new wave. A game of ping pong starts.

By May 1643 Timurid war capacity and manpower finally start to falter a bit. Unfortunately Muscovy can't hold any longer, giving up and ceding Ryazan to the TE at the end of the month.

ah1643a.jpg

Seeing the spare TE armies coming south and after a couple of successful battles I try my luck and send another peace proposal at 9% warscore asking for Alania (20%). Two previous attempts at 8% and 10% had been rejected, but this one is accepted, I can't believe my luck!

ah1643b.jpg

Sure enough, the Timurids took heavy damage... checking the military stats after the war I'm happy to see they've been push right down the list just below Hungary :)

ah1643c.jpg

As consolation prize the TE later attacks and annexes OPM Kazan, but I imagine their days of bullying are counted, now they are sandwiched between Monster Ming, a very respectable Bihar, Lithuania, Hungary and a very successful Mamluk Empire.

Qara Qoyunlu is also reduced to one province by Lithuania. Clearly no room for small players in this continent.

In the west Austria DoWs France (the AI's way to kick the French out of South Africa I guess), France loses two provinces in Europe and three in Brazil.

ah1642a.jpg

A few years later Austria DoWs Anhalt (Austrian stability is of course brought down to -3 after this), resulting in Anhalt becoming a vassal, and France (somehow allied to Anhalt) losing another Breton province.

The rest of the turn is quiet, the Mamluks lurk in the border but make no aggressive actions. I continue recovering stability, manpower, building temples and sending missionaries.

The Catholic faith continues its inexorable push into Asia Minor.

ah1649a.jpg

Relations with Poland are below 0, but of course the Polish king is strong and healthy. Will I ever break free from this PU?! Stability is at 0, but seeing how the AI invested it with Austria I decide to waste it myself, I push the slider towards innovative. At this pace, who knows? I might be able to westernise in 1819.

ah1649b.jpg
 
Man... I think that after you get out of that PU that you kill Poland. And if they somehow inhert the ai, please reload, and then play as Hungary. Also... If the comp wastes you stability anyways, who not just declare war on Poland and end the problem forever?