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Very glad to see Ottos gone and the gold province taken.

Agree that the Polish have been a pain for far too long. Since Hungary is unable to do anything about it, perhaps Austria should take a whack at it. With luck, perhaps the Polish king would end up dead on the battlefield...
 
Jambor - I know, the problem is that Poland is still Lithuania's best pal, otherwise DoWing would be a very tempting alternative.

Rastar - Thanks for commenting! At this stage of the game I would prefer that Hungary managed to sort herself out without Austria's intervention, but if the PU continues for much longer I may ditch any qualms about it.

NorthernFalcon - Thanks for commenting! Good point, Poland is nowhere to be seen in that table. However Lithuania is in 4th position :( Maybe I should start investing heavily in improving relations with Lithuania up to 200 and hope for an alliance with them.
 
Doesn't diploannexing give a centralization hit like in IN? If you really don't want the AI to diploannex like crazy, then you should just cancel the vassalization.

Especially the use of a Corfu vassal seems quite low.

Very nice AAR, and some heavy blobbism!!! And a very good reason to avoid letting the AI play your nation in critical days :D
 
Kami - Thanks for reading! As etepetete points out I don't lose centralization in NA, otherwise as Austria I would have given up on that slider a century ago... Having said that, I do tend to release vassals I don't want at the beginning of the turn (Genoa, Switzerland), maybe I should completely release them, do you get any side effects for breaking vassal ties?

Blob is the name of the game, even Asia is fairly consolidated (never seen such a big Bihar).

ssj18vegeta -Thanks! I'm playing my next turn with Austria, hopefully I'll have an update ready for Saturday.

etepetete - I take Magna Mundi also had that behaviour before IN... it is quite reasonable though.
 
Kami said:
Why don't you want Genoa?

Non-core COT, plus I do want to keep the HRE alive, so Genoa, Mantua and Modena are the Italian states I've chosen to leave in peace.

Kami said:
Cancellation of Vassals will probably cost you 10 prestige. Perhaps a stab hit in NA? The text hints so, but in IN only costs prestige.

Didn't want to try without knowing for certain.

Kami said:
BTW - For your Hungarian emp. Ragusa shouldn't matter to stab anymore... Keep conquering :)

I take you mean Corfu?
 
Austria 1650-59

At first 4 stability points (2 no-CB wars against France and Anhalt) in exchange for 3 Breton and a couple of Brazilian provinces doesn't look a very fair exchange. I'd release Brittany but I can't as the French are sitting on their capital - even down to 3 European provinces France still manages to be a nuisance.

There is also a small war with Sardinia as they declared independence from Modena, I quickly sign peace and max out the stability slider. The first priority is getting out of negative stability.

ah1650a.jpg

Provence has become independent from Spain, Gascogne is now the last Spanish holding in France. One more war with Spain should fix that.

While I recover stability Mantua asks for help against Provence. I'm not interested in the stability hit so I take the prestige hit and refuse. Their ally Modena actually gets to siege and annex Provence before the Mantuans can say Aix-en-Provence.

A few months later Burgundy offers an alliance... I accept just for the sake of using them in the war against Spain.

Stab 0 is reached in 1653 and I can do two things: change focus from stability to government tech, to get a another NI, and start plans to attack Spain. In August spies succeed to get a core in Gascogne.

ah1653a.jpg

Two English provinces in South America defect to Austria, the rebels are giving them a hard time. It is around then I notice that Hungary is at war with the Timurids :eek: Luckily the TE is the aggressor this time, so there is no stab hit and Poland and Bohemia are supporting. Although judging by the current status the support is only nominal.

ah1653b.jpg

I decide to wait for one more year to see if the Spaniards attack me or someone else and save me the DoW, after all several of their 30K stacks are circling Navarra again...

No such luck. In June 1654 I reach government tech 22 and choose Colonial Ventures for the colonist boost. The focus goes now to Land technology, as I notice Austria is a bit behind currently at 17 (Burgundy 19, Spain 20).

ah1654a.jpg

In November 1654, I finally DoW Spain. My troops storm Gascogne, theirs storm Navarra. Although they have rebuilt quite a big army -140K- their manpower is only 36K, so my plan is let them cross the Pyrenees and attrite away.

Interestingly, after only four months they send the first white peace. I check the warscore and notice how blockading the right sea area can hurt a lot :eek:

ah1655a.jpg

And Burgundy, who joined the war as planned, seems to be doing well in America.

ah1655b.jpg

However later on I stupidly lose most of my fleet against the Spanish navy - thinking I had numerical superiority I didn't realise their 15-strong fleet was all galleons -mine only had 5 heavy vessels :(

I win the first big land battle only just, the game has reached the point where cavalry is no longer almighty and only my 5-shock general saves the day.

ah1655c.jpg

It takes one more year until the final Spanish stack is routed, then it's just a walk to Madrid...

ah1656a.jpg

And America...

ah1656b.jpg

And Brazil...

ah1656c.jpg

The Burgundians weren't much help in Europe but kept the Spanish colonial armies busy.

With Iberia fully occupied and a 48% warscore I decide to start asking for peace.

ah1657a.jpg

A 80% peace is rejected... A 70% peace is finally accepted in July 1657. I get Gascogne and Mato Grosso, plus The Canarias to my ally Mantua. The Burgundians stole some colonies in North America so they should be contented with that.

ah1657b.jpg

The rest of the of the turn is peaceful and I get to concentrate on the ongoing colonisation of South Africa and Mahe, and the creation of tax assessors as I reach government tech 23.

ah1659a.jpg

(What is that French regiment still doing there?!)
 
Kami said:
Try to release. Just reload the save afterwards.

How much trade do you got in non-owned COTS and are you merc or freetrade?

It only seems to cause the loss of 2 prestige...

At the moment I only have merchants in my own CoTs, I'm geared towards mercantilism.

etepetete said:
why dont just fabricate claims on genua?
in your game version you should get a core.
ooh.. now i realize.. could it be you play with magnamundi?
ive never played it so i dont know the game rules there..

No, I'm playing vanilla, it's just that I want to respect a few HRE states, in Italy I'm leaving Genoa, Modena and Mantua.
 
Excellent turns for both Austria and Hungary! While you keep kicking Spain's ass, your about to turn the Black Sea into a Hungarian lake :D Great job!

(Btw, you should find something interesting in my newest update ;))
 
ssj18vegeta - thanks! Hungary will be fine hopefully, we'll see.

Capibara - still undecided between continuing expansion through Timurid or Mamluk lands. I'll warn both and let the AI choose, or if that fails I'll toss a coin :D

Sweboy - I don't think I've married any Iberian nation in this game, so I don't have to :D Not really interested in Spanish provinces, I'd rather continue with Burgundy.

Edzako - Thanks for commenting. No, not yet, I want to keep them separate until the end of the game.
 
Hungary 1660-69

Finally I've got around to put an update together before Christmas :)

Back to our favourite Eastern power. It seems that the Timurids attacked Poland in the previous turn, not Hungary, but it all ended in white peace anyway (wimps!). Now, however, I find Hungary involved in 2 different wars against 2 German minors, Munster and Magdeburg. All to do with Poland and her lovely king, who still sits in Hungary's throne! :mad: :mad:

ah1660a.jpg

A couple of diplomats are quickly rushed to end these silly wars, the rest to insult the king of Poland. I don't think he takes the insults seriously any more...

At least the lack of executive power has made the AI turn its focus towards trade, note the thriving Hungarian commerce in the Caribbean - 3 merchants in St Kitts! I feel brave and send a few merchants to Thrace.

With no power to DoW I'm again locked in a waiting game. Both Timurids and Mamluks are heavily mobilised at my borders, so it's just a matter of time. I warn the TE, since they've proved to be more belligerent.

In 1661 I gain cores in two more Anatolian provinces. When Thrace eventually becomes core I'll try to move the capital.

I invest some money in building up a fleet to match at least the Mamluk vessels in the Black Sea. They currently have 3 fleets, one in the Black Sea, one in the Levant and one in the Indian Ocean, just to show off I'm sure.

Merchants trade, missionaries preach, diplomats insult... Hungary is becoming such a stable kingdom. In 1663 stability 0 is reached. More troops pile up in the Mamluk and Timurid borders...

ah1663a.jpg

I don't have to wait for much longer though, in 1664 the Timurids DoW me directly, their core in Alania too hot to resist. Unfortunately Poland assumes leadership in the war :confused: (I guess this is to do with the PU? Otherwise given relative size I should be the leader).

ah1664a.jpg

Never mind, I'll try to make the most of it. A couple of average-ish generals are recruited, armies regrouped. As in the previous war, I let the Timurid Stacks of Death (henceforth TSoD) enter and get attrition in the Georgia-Crimea corridor, while I focus on the northern ex-Kazan provinces. I leave a mid-sized army in the Balkans and another one in the Caucasus to strike back as soon as opportunity presents.

However Poles and Bohemians don't rush to the front, in fact they take a year to show up :( Eventually Poland helps out in the north while the Bohemians besiege the Golden Horde only province.

ah1665b.jpg

By October 1665 the TSoD has finally crossed the Crimean corridor, and I make the mistake of confronting it too early and with hardly any cavalry. Needless to say, the Hungarians get the beating of their lives by Babur IX, a really mean king-general. Retreat ensues.

ah1665c.jpg

Luckily the TSoD gives me a break and moves to Polish territory. That'll teach those pesky Poles to take wars with the TE a bit more seriously.

Elsewhere things look a bit better. By Jan 1666 the Golden Horde has been occupied and taken out of the war by the Bohemians. Unfortified land changes hands back and forth north of the Caspian, and sieges in the north start to succeed. Manpower totally drained though, a few mercenaries are called to make up the shortfall in the home front.

ah1666a.jpg

In April the TSoD continues its advance west and splits.

ah1666b.jpg

The north TSoD stays in Poland, and in a lucky turn of events, gets attacked by some Polish rebels :eek:

ah1666c.jpg

The south TSoD pushes into Hungarian territory, eventually stopped in a big showdown in Silistria :eek: :eek: :eek:

ah1666d.jpg


Which is won only just, and at a great cost. But at least the Hungarians got their own back :D

ah1666e.jpg

And the south TSoD is totally routed by Bohemians and Poles in Greece.

ah1667a.jpg

In the meantime my marauding cavalry in the Caucasus has sneakily made its way to the unguarded Timurid capital and besieged it. It falls in May 1667, although it doesn't give me the warscore edge I was expecting. At least it'll starve the Timurids of revenue. Somehow I feel a bit uneasy with all those Ming troops lurking around...

ah1667b.jpg

As the Timurids counter-attack and get back their northern provinces I keep fighting to recover some of my Black Sea provinces...

ah1667c.jpg

And try to grab as much unfortified Timurid land as possible to maximise warscore.

ah1668a.jpg

In February 1668 I notice that Bohemia has signed peace forcing TE to release Korashan. Good and bad, it is a race against the clock to get something out of this war before Poland ends it :eek:

ah1668b.jpg

I cling to my gains and start sending peace offers to the Timurids. With 18 to-23% WS the CoT in Ashtrakan (42%) is well out of limits, although I try just in case. I try asking for Sarai plus the core in Alania. They reject. I try Sarai plus 50 ducats, they reject :(

ah1668c.jpg

Eventually in October 1669 they accept peace: Sarai and 25 ducats, yes! It seems that holding the capital was worth it after all. Good luck with that TSoD, Poland! :D

ah1668d.jpg

No time for much else in the turn, other than worry about Ming crushing through the now weakened TE. I really don't fancy a confrontation with Ming just yet.
 
hey! an update right before christmas. :cool:

you have done well against this despiteous Stack of Doom.
Babur IX indeed is an intimidating general.

and next time you should send back those impertinent poles to where they belong. leader of the PU AND leadership in your war, thats too much.
the balkans shall not be pink any longer.

mfg etepetete