Sorry for the delays - I've been working on the EU3 Combat simulator, which I will use for this AAR in the future.
Maybe in early starts, but I'll still be surrounded by major and medium powers unless I get really, really lucky.
Good point! Forgot to mention you have to beat France 100%, release minors, and cripple them for a century or two. But somehow, they always come back and blob.
The only way this AAR could get any better is with more regular updates (not so subtle hint) .
The analysis leaves cavalry at this stage only useful for support/chasing. The manpower preservation point is particularly vital, more so in longer wars (and I'm sure you'll have some of those with Russia or France eventually).
Fiddle, fiddle, breakSadly, life and my new computer has decided to be a pain. I will reinstall EU3/NA/IN and the patches this weekend to see if I can get EU3 working again. I think I inadvertently killed a necessary file while poking around.
Absolutely, against a 10 province Milan (all in the Italian Penisula) I was 7 wars from annexation in 1800!With a late game start, provinces have higher base tax, and are thus more expensive to take in peace settlements (look at PrawnStar's late game romp through Europe).
I gave up on a WC with Castille, because it was booooring.
I'll try a shorter timeframe - namely, I will try and unite Germany starting with the ascension of Friedrich the Great on May 10, 1668.
Goals:
* Form Prussia (I start as Brandenburg, and can form Prussia as soon as I get 20 prestige)
* Connect the Prussian Lands
* Form Germany
* Become Holy Roman Emperor
Bonus goals:
* Take the Austrian provinces from Austria
* Humiliate France
* Make inroads into India
What will not happen:
* Taking land in America. The cost of doing anything in America outweighs the utility of anything I could gain there against major powers.
* Any aspirations to naval greatness. Again, cost issues.