Fulcrumvale - Glad to have you along for the ride. And without further ado, here's more...
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So after much discussion and consideration, I have decided on a National Idea. I fire up the game again (after waiting for what seems like forever - it loads
very slowly on my machine) and head to the national idea slots. Once there I look once more at a few selections thinking about the direction I want to go in. The advice in that regard has been wonderful and I am thinking that long term, France will need to be a colonizer. I don't feel the need just yet to work on naval ideas but I see that Merchant Adventures gives me both a boost in trading which I am keen to get into right now, but it also assists towards specializing in
Mass Colonization.
Will help in more areas than one
In future, I am seriously looking at both Cabinet and Improved Foraging, which also help colonization alongside other nice features. Once Colonial Ventures is added to that mix, I have my four to get specialization. Then I can begin working towards either naval or further land ideas.
Back in the game, it is June of 1454 and I still await stability 0 which I should hit in mid 1455. Until then, I am playing a waiting game. I fiddle with the research sliders to allow for some stability investment alongside land which at this rate will get me to lvl 1 in the late 1460's.
I look around towards all my vassals and alliance parters. Just for the record, the alliance stands as of now with Norway, Scotland, Provence, Orleans, Borbonnais, Auvergne, Foix and Armagnac. Nice to be allowed more then five partners, for sure.
Long about late June, I get the above event which I am sure several of the countries get. It's more flavor from the MM team and gives me a little prestige which is nice. In July, I look around and notice that Bugundy is allied with Lorraine and the Swiss and all are at war with Gelre and Friesland. We'll see how long this lasts as we also watch the continuing war between Aragon and Navarre to our south.
The next month, sad news arrives as Jan Bureau dies. That leaves me with only the one leader in Mr X, but I cannot afford another at present with the budget tightly watched as it is. No matter, there will be time for that in the future as France will have plenty of opportunity for both money and tradition.
The next month, I see that Brittany has a new Duke, Francois II. I am watching them closely as I have a plan for war once I have stability where I want it. Right now they remain allied with Naxos and ripe for the picking so I hope the chance comes soon.
I am also just about ready to begin said merchant adventures. I finally get 4 merchants to work with and send all 4 off to Ile-de-France. 2 make it through leaving me with 4 total merchants at work.
We now have to wait for more interested merchants to arrive, but as I am gaining around 4 a year, this shouldn't be too long a wait. So I sit and watch the calender tick over to the new year. January 1455 arrives and I take the opportunity to change the inflation/minting slider so I can give a bit more boost to research.
In a much better position
I cut back on minting so that I am losing about 4 a month and just under 50 a year. I am making a total of about 83 or so thus a small profit is gained at the price of 19% inflation rate. We'll keep monitoring this as I begin to make more ducats in the trading department and eventually building more troops and ships.
In February of 1455, I see some large meeting of the HRE princes. We'll keep watching this area as well, though I am not going to report on each and every war and event there. I will tell you that this same month England enters a royal marriage with Scotland. This ought to make me a little safer to my north as I don't see too many wars breaking out between the two dragging me as long as they remain kissy kissy. I'll take it, in other words.
In April, my stability finally ticks back to 0 and I am ready to change my domestic sliders for the first time. I would like to go another step towards Free Subjects but I cannot resist pushing towards innovation. I won't go all the way, but I don't want the negative attributes on my research. So, one step towards the middle...
Of course, this drops my stability back to -1 and thus we start the waiting game all over again. I should reach 0 once more at the start of 1457 now. As I sit back and get ready to wait, I see the diplomatic maneuvers event pop up:
Once more I am perfectly fine with going forward with it but as with the last time I received the similar event, I did not have any other pop up for myself. I do notice certain events hitting my vassals and thus I begin to smooth various palms. Slowly at first, as I must watch the budget, but the next few years I see as working towards getting all of them up near +200.
While I am poking around to each of my vassals, I watch a little more of the Aragon/Navarre conflict and see that Navarre holds a lvl 6 garrison. Worried no longer am I, as it will take some strength for Aragon to tackle that.
Aragon going nowhere in the siege of Navarre
I am content to continue watching on the sidelines and hope that Aragon gets tired eventually. As I do, I start greasing said palms with some love to Provence raising relations to +158. But irritatingly, several of my vassals begin proposing trade agreements once more. I don't want to sign any as I said (unless someone can convince me of a reason to) but each refusal (or more like ignoring of request) leads to some negative relations drop. While I say no to trade agreements, I send out a few more gifts, once again to Provence (to +132 now) and Foix (to +79)
By August of 1455, Burgundy has settled their war with Gelre at least by annexing her. I wait to see how long it takes before they give it back to the empire. In the south, Castile gives up their non-existent fight with Navarre with Navarre paying a few ducats. Aragon maintains their siege.
November brings another gift to Foix raising relations to +88. This will be slow going. But the sad news arrives near the end of the month when Charles VII finally succumbs to his depression and kicks the bucket.
He is succeeded by Charles VIII such is the inventiveness of French names and the new king has some decent military stats. Better diplomatic stats should also be a help, but the admin stats are not so nice. Well, we have good advisors. I decide to take advantage of his positive military role and make him into a leader, assigning him to the newly named Royal Army (such is my inventiveness with army names.
)
December of 1455 brings me five full merchants finally and I decide to send 4 off to Ile-de-France once again. I should get 2 more slots the way its been going and so it is soon after. Next step will be to work on Vlaanderen where I still have one. And then I'll look around for another to try and break into (Venice or Genoa perhaps, though they may be too crowded.)
The end of the year also finally brings peace between Navarre and Aragon, the later receiving 1 measly ducat in exchange for peace. It was a rather pointless war but it kept us busy watching I suppose. It had entertainment value.
The waiting game continues for France and we move into 1456. I decide to pause the game and save, taking a few informative screenshots for your enjoyment. Here are the relations with my vassals and others as of January 1456 (as well as BB):
I also look to my stability research and continue to await March of 1457,
It will get there eventually
The plan is to move back to 0 and then commence an aggressive war against Brittany if possible. Once she is vassalized, I can sit back and wait once more, hoping to continue to develop my trade network and build a little onto my army and navy. I want to be strong enough to withstand an attack by the English, Aragon or Burgundy (who we remain married to currently). I also want to get into a position where I can begin pulling my vassals in. Any assistance with that coming MM team? Events and such that pattern the enveloping of France's vassals similar to EUII?
Oh, and surprisingly...Burgundy still hasn't given Gelre back. Hmmm.