Iroquois AAR

Peace, but for how long?

The new year saw peace with England and an immedate benefit of using the reparations to pay for colonial development. Nunavik and Cree both become cities and immediately start work on their forts.

A couple of days later:


3 days of peace? Really.. I mean REALLY? Notice my WE there, it's too high but still not bad as I was reducing it while at war with GB. I have a plan for the French: I hope to lure them into a siege in a scorched province, snatch their two colonies and then allow attrician to wear them down to a Conceed Defeat or White Peace. I do not want to HAVE to destroy that 5/12/1 they have in the Theatre.

The French Theatre:



Luckyily thier army is Split. My small 2/4/0 army in Micmac was already marching to put down some Kespek rebels, sorry I'd forgotten to mention them! This army would scorch the earth!

France starts marching 12k infantry to Kespek. I should just manage to win the battle with the rebels scorch and get out before they arrive.

Their 5/0/1 army is marching forward from their furthest colony and eventually moves into Kewdech, which I can not get to in time to scorch.

My Man 6 general gets assigned to the 3/6/1 in Huron, drops the Art and starts to March hard for Kewdech. My fleet returning from Jamacia moves up to the north.

The idea is to drop the 1/2 it is carrying into the French colonies, after they have started their sieges.

The siege of Kespek started as expected, but my relief army from Huron arrive in Kewdech before the enemy, who then start to march into Kespek. I don't really want that level 2 fort to have to have 12k infantry and 1k artilery and so the relief column is ordered into French Territory, where they win a battle, the Cav and Art retreating into.. Kespek.. Man how the AI cheats....

I sieze the colony and march the army northward. The detachment in the ships I move to reinforce the 1/2 in Ungava.

After siezing both colonies, and once the retreating army arrives in Kespek to generate serious attr. The French AI wonders what it is doing. Her one transport had be caught and sent to Davy Jones'. They accpet a white peace in Decemeber and I lose the French border for very little effort!! WAHOOO



While all this was going on, other's looked to take advantage of the situation.



Fairly obivious this one, but hopefully one that can be dealt with like the French... let them come forward to sieze Labrador and Siege Ungava and hopefully convince them of peace one the border no longer exists as I sieze Innu and Labrador back.

As expected they start to move their 4/12/4 (as it was then) stack northward. This really worries me as there is no way I can allow Ungava to fall and to be siezed by Burgundy. I can't get to them enough to make them give it back if it did.

In April the people are feeling confident of the situation and found a colonial company in Salut. Awesome, but mroe money... and of course I hope to sieze atleast 3 colonies in this mess!




Not to be left out Scandinavia declare war. This is one of those, no borders, no obvious reason wars that I fear will perpetuate my cycle of wars long after the borders are gone.



8 transports could be problematic.

Eventually the Burgundians, having siezed Labrador lay siege to Scorched Ungava. my 2/4 army there having retreated to fortifying Nunavik. Thankfully the AI doesn't press on and instead invests the fortification.



I use my fleet to try to catch small squardons on their own and any transports, things were going well with this for awhile. With Victories against Scandinavia's 2/2 blockade squardons and catching 6 of burgundy's 7 transports outside Innu, unprotected right as they DOWed.

Little happens for the next 6 months, the French Campaign is in full swing and compleates in December. Level two forts were ordered in cree and nunavik in Jan. Colonists are sent as they are available to convert the former French colonies and Innu, which is seized as a 2/4 army moves northward under my man 6 general. I need to get to Ungava before anything else goes wrong.

In the mean time I have been ordering the building of new regiments, another 2/4 to be repeated once complete. I'm way below my support limit and I don't want the AI to think that means I'm weak.

The Burgundians seem to be making a mess of their siege. Despite 4000 artillery the fortress is holding well, and the enemy has to winter in a scorched land. Eventually my 2 2/4 armys trap her in a pincer my strongest (but only man 2 general) taking command just in time for the battle. Her stack had been reduced by Attritian to 2/8/2 so my 4/8/0 would be an interesting match. Unlike France they would not be prepared for a peace that would save thier army.

I win the battle and swtich out the general so my Man 6 guy can over take them. After all they are falling back to Nunavik. The chase is long, The Burgundians lose in Nunavik, march back to Ungava, lose and eventually die in Labrador.



While our forces were marcing to the relief of Ungava an old enemy try thier hand:



This is why I had split that Stack that had marched from Huron. 2/4 to go north to Ungava and 1/2 to join the other forces in Arcadia against the Irish.

I group my forces in Micmac and draw out the Irish for an attack on Arcadia and destroy them. I then use my fleet to ensure a crossing into Unamakik. While they arrived before a large fleet drove me off, the army marching to Epekwitk does not.

Now Ideally I'd like these two islands from Ireland, but this would no longer get rid of my border. Innu borders Taqamkuk. I'm not sure I want to take that province from Ireland either as it will give me a border with Spain once again, in Beothuk. The price for my earlier lack of confidence at sea. Given a choice. Border with Ireland or Spain, I'll pick Ireland thank you. I need a much bigger navy to defeat Spain, and certainly I'll not manage to take territory from her in the old world or africa for some time to come. I must reduce the number of my enemies so that I can send troops off abroad and ge tthat infernal WE down.

Apologies for the lack of maps in this update!

So far then I've fought the French, taken thier territory and made a white peace.

I've fought the Burgundian's, taken thier colony, detroyed their stack and transports, but they continue to fight, with blockades all over me.

I've won a couple of small naval enagements against Scandinavia but she is still merrily blockading me along with the Burgundian's.

I've destroyed most of Ireland's armies and have a seige in one of her territories. but the fight continues as her fleets blockade most of my territory.

In this wonderfully situation, what we've all been waiting for finally arrives:

The War Without End Pt. 5 (I think)

Sigh I think I have 4 wars on now.. WOHAA.. The whole of the eastern sea board is blockaded multiple times, by Scandinavia, Burgundy, Ireland and soon Portugal. My fleet is strong enough to win single engagements against these guys alone. But I can't win, even fighting them in order instead of at once.

Here is the Portugesse Theatre: I'm determined not to lose a province this time and so my armie's are spread out so I can scorch where I need too. I won't scorch everywhere unless I have too after all these are 'my own loyal subjects' right?



Distribution of forces is thus:

Portugal

Tennessee 4/3/1 : This army starts to march to Tamora, which is a colony, not near to completing to a city and can change hands with no real risks.
Chiaha has a 5/2/1 in it with another 0/1/0 on it's way
Catawba has a 3/5/0 with another infantry in bound
Santee has a 4/5/0

The Iroquois:

Pamlico 0/1/0, Scorches and runs to Cheraw.

Tucarora 3/6/1
Cheraw 2/2/1
Monacan 0/1/1 which moves to Cheraw
Cahokia 0/1/0 scorches and moves to Pennyrile
Cumberland 1/0/0 moves to pennyrile.

The Portugesse move to attack Cheraw and the enemy is driven off. But they retreat to Catawaba which has a strong presence and so I can not chase to overtake. I retreat some units to Monacan hoping to draw another attack on Cheraw's mountain fortres; then I can rush Tuscarora's large army to help with the a last minute defence.

Portugal siezed Tamora on the far western edge and then march on scorched Cahokia. Pennyrile was moving to Tenesse but stops ready to raise the siege of Cahokia after some attr has helped.

My Naval war comes to an end. I tired to slip an army on to Taqamkuk with my fleet covering, from Innu. To help my Irish war score when the enemy moved in:



None of them were there when I started my crossing and with my attention in the south I missed them moving in. I did manage to retreat before all was lost but it still cost me a galleon, caputured by the Scandinavian's and 3 Barques captured by Davy Jones. With this fleet damaged. I can't risk fighting much at sea and so Ireland have got off lightly. Unless I can reduce my numbers of enemies in the short term.

Seeing now no useful peace to be had, with so many wars, I Conceed Defeat to Burgundy and Ireland.

The Portugesse take the bait in Cheraw and get a good smashing:



In the East my army moves to rasie the siege of Cahokia as the Portugesse are recieving only minimal attr.



They retreat to tenesse and my army moves to over take.

In the west the Portugesse retreated from Cheraw to a heavily defended spot: it is very frustrating that I can't overtake them, but forcing them to fight mostly attacking me is keeping WE down.. well if it weren't for all those blockades.

A 4k infantry army has moved into Cherokee trying to flank my army in Cheraw and was being reinforced. We attack first but have to fight the reinforcements as they arrived. Superior leadership holds the day:



This army retreats to undefend Chiaha where they are beaten again.

The Portugesse attempt another offensive this time into Tuscarora.



A good victory but my forces have little morale left and are beaten back a few days later:



The enemy retreating from Tuscarora were caught in Catawba by another victorious stack of mine.



apart from that stack in Tuscarora, almost all of Portugals forces are in retreat. That stack turned around in an attempt to relieve the siege of Catawba, were they met the same forces they had just defeated, (my other stack had moved on chasing the Portugesse). Honour was restored with another good victory and all Portugal's forces are in retreat.



In Jan 1636 the Portugesse are in full retreat, I've not lost a province and my armies have mostly split down into small seige forces and a few fighting armies for finishing Portugal's war effort.



Unexpectedly Scandinavia offer me a WP. I jump at it, I certianly don't have a fleet big enough to get any better peace from them! They wont even accept a Conceed Defeat peace from me!



Now I can regroup my naval forces (I'd finished building some more ships) and challenge some of Portugals blockading fleets!! I finally get my first Captured ship at the cost of a Barque...



I hate how close these fights are 5/2/0/5 verse 2/2/0/0 and I lost a ship and my morale held by a hairline.

My sieges continue, until the New Year.

The New Year Review Jan 1637

Ok, so lets review;

I've fought many nations in the lat 5 years:



If I can get a peace from Portugal i'm almost guarenteed some peace for a year... YAY for my WE!

The war with Portugal goes well:



By Jan 1637 the Conquest of the South was almost complete. It's time to start thinking about a peace settlement. Portugal is at -3 stability from taking stab hit peace offers.



So it is time to think about what I do want from Portugal this time.

The Patriot/nationalist sentiment events will fire if over 80% but much less often if below 100 or 125%. My current infamy is at 20.7 on a limit of 18 so I have a good 1.8 before I hit the 125% limit. So do I want to take any provinces at all?

I have the conquest mission against Portugal for Tenessee, but as I didn't DOW it's 3 infamy to take it now! I'm thinking having survived with so much infamy before I could take a couple of provinces only. Maybe Cherokee and Tuskogee to cut Portugal in half.

I could then use teh Conquest CB and actually start a war once the truce is up!

Alternatively I could just take money, but she has no cores I could make her give up.

Suggestions please? If this was Irish territory I think I'd definately take two provinces, the two islands. It would be nice to actually push them back so it is very hard for them to attack me at all.

I still have very many colonies to maintain, and my money is running thin!

At the moment Portugal would accept a 6 value peace, which would give me a few ducats and the two provinces above. I'll certainly wait until the sieges complete before making peace but I need some advice. Should I continue to nibble at her Navy, or even try to land troops in the central america's? (she has little there) The only effect would be to get mroe ducats from a peace. Or should I take the peace asap, and get my WE and thus RR down a bit before the next cycle?

After all I've lost borders with two europeans in this war and gain three provs in the north. The Next cycle should be simpler! I also think Connetticutt is do to core soon, so that means more ships!!

Suggestions please. And sorry for such a long update!

I did try to rasie native revolts in portugals territory but the option simply doesn't appear.

Chief Ragusa; i'm not sure how quickly i'm burning it, lvl 8 dip i think on top of my diplomats and antipiracy act... so about 1.5 a year at best? hmm. Not sure whether I want to expose myself to troop dessertions and stab hits again... I'll think on it. Ireland has recolonised where I burn her out in the last year. The colonies are only at 200 people each so they will probably still be colonies in 5 years time. I decided I'd rather Ireland colonise those territories than someone like Burgundy, Scandinavia (who has them in the Caribbean now) GB etc. Ireland is still small fry. I just need a few years and a few more costal cores and I can run a navy against her.

What sets naval force limits?


sprites;Portugal's territory is all fortified. She has colonies way down in central America but i'm not sure they'll be useful. I certainly can't afford them yet..

Iwanow said:

Nice work mate i didnt saw playing natives would be interesting anyway... the problem is that you can't convert to christianity...

Click to expand...

Yes the inability to convert is very annoying, that the bad guys can always seize any prov they take makes me want to scream!

I've checked my infamy situation, my leader is a level 5 and so I'm losing 1.1 a year (2 lvl 5 diplomats the level 5 leader and antipiracy act)

I'm at 20.7 which is below my 1.25 limit of 21.50. If I take two provinces it will be 4 to 5 year before I get down to this infamy level again. In other words I'm not sure that I should take territory from Portugal. sigh...

I need to get the infamy down below the bad levels and then take provinces, that way i'm growing without risking those events. If I take them now, sure I'll have worked it off by the next war cycle, but only to add them on again! I'll perperually be over my infamy limit...

Not sure what to do.

I could demand Portugal give up her treaty with spain. If I DOW for my conquest of tenessee, I don't want Spain coming in with call to arms!

The other alternative is to keep fighting... I could use my fleet to hurt hers... she has 9 big 20 light and 1 transport. if she keeps trying to blockade me I can kill that fleet inpiecemeal.

However, my WE is over 16... I think I need peace ASAP...

Thinking on a page... sorry...

I think the best thing is to complete those sieges, take whatever naval victories I can and then take as much cash from her as possible, and cores and maybe annul that treaty. This way Land can be what I'm after next time, maybe even complete a few colonies so I can seize the Irish ones in the south. I have 7 at the moment and 3-4 of them should be complete very shortly! (they'll need forts, Innu, and Labrador beign two of them...)

Chief Ragusa: Thanks for the info on force limits. With Labrador and Innu about to become cities (and having been converted to Iroquois Culture and Religeon) this should help! I need a bigger fleet, not that I can get mine to the limit yet! The prov north of Moose Cree cored a year back so i can now build 3 ships at once!! But big ships are taking between 900 and 1000 days due to the WE.

Conn should core later this year too.

As for infamy and my leader... I did not have the choice of keeping my diplo 8 chap. when the election came the option wasn't there, I went for a diplo leader again, and got Mr Naff. With my 2 level 5 Diplomats that makes for 1.1 infamy lost a year. I still have one minter as this is the only way to keep my ecconomy floating along with so many colonies. I'm between 6 and 7 inflation and so far I've not had to let it rise further.



I'm rebuilding my culture tradition so I can get another lvl 5 diplomat shortly. Once it is high enough I will go for it. I should have managed to complete another 2 or 3 colonies by then and so ease the burden on the treasury.

I hear what you are saying about taking some land now but I must look after the economy and lower BB means more trade. I've been lucky no one has tried to force me out of Mohawk or this would have got messier very quickly!

Now I know about the naval force limits I'll be pressing for those southern colonies from Ireland. they may not be connected by Land yet, but I will need to ensure they don't become permaent wrong culture, wrong religeon, provs.

I also now see how important it was to move towards Narrowminded... I need missionaries! And they'll start in the costal areas.

Ygor: I knew I should have grabed defender of the faith at some point, but 500 ducats is always a lot of money! The holy war CB would massively reduce infamy. But any CB isn't worth jack if I can't cancel Portugals treaties which cost 10% warscore. At the moment she'll only accept a peace worth 6% on a warscore of 33% I think. However, the supply lines to her blockades are broken with the fall of her eastern seaboard provinces. When she lifts thems due to attr. the war score will rise alot. Maybe I'll hold on a month and see. I can get more then. One note on removing cores. Why should I do this? All these nations have the colonial conquest CB on me anyway and all it does is mean I can't raise troops there until I have cored the province?

Panopticon : Welcome!! Better late than never! anyway the big bad boy events certainly made life a little more interesting for a while!

I think i agree not to take territory: Chief Ragussa will be disappointed!

thanks for the tip about the coast line, I'll apply this to Portugal and on others when the time comes.

Again thank you for the tips about the fleets.. Galleon's it is, i had stopped light ship production anyway, as the next unit is availble with the next tech but now I may not bother at all. Though a few fast ships could be good for luring out the enemy.

I'm not sure the 'Sieze my province on a whim' thing is my idea of fun, but you are right in that it makes each war a little more scarey!

Pirates, blockades and battles are the main WE problems. I can avoid attr most of the time; though sometimes you have to have a stack where it is inconvenient. I try to make sure my leaders are in the right places to reduce the effects.

PrawnStar : Money it is! And maybe that treaty with Spain if i can get both. How useful is annull treaty? i'd always assumed the ai would remake them almost immediately?

Chief Ragusa :You are dead right, taking Spain out was worth it! But right now I need to sort the economy out, as well as infamy, and all the rest. I think territorial growth will have to wait a cycle of wars. I can't wait to see what the next cycle brings... GB? Scandinavia? Burgundy? Scotland? Ireland for sure, Portugal for sure, SPAIN?? GULP! It would be nice to steal some of Portugals costal provinces, and thus make her ships sail further before being able to blockade... but I think the 'Doves' in the council will have to prevail this time...

FRUSTRATION!!!

CatKnight : I think I may wait a month or two and see if the ships melt away to repair.. then I can get the best peace. Thanks for joining in! At the moment if I settle i'll get maybe 200 ducats for my efforts! I want something out of all these wars!

If the Blockades melt off the WE should slow. But I will have to make that peace quick so I get my fleet out to stop the pirates, or atleast stop them raking my WE up higher too!

A Longish Peace.. with a terrible end

I decided to fight on for a slightly better peace.

I have one more naval engagement where my fleet tore up a 2/2 of portugals. All the enemy were sunk, for no loses.

The enemies fleets started to withdraw thier blockade and so I started to patrol in force to prevent pirates or an enemy opportunistic attack.

I try to get a better admiral with my 35 navy tradition but get a 2/0/3... not sure which is more important at the moment fire or shock!

On 28th Jan there was an election, a diplo candidate was selected and a A5 M3 D7 leader appeared! This lifted my infamy limit a bit but not enough to tempt me into takign territory.

18th Feb another siege compeltes in the south and I've driven off all of Portugal's small armies.



I make peace for 1100 ducats and the revocation of Portugal's core on Cheraw.

Peace at last and it should last for a few years! I upgrade Chipenyas and Swampy Cree's forts to lvl 2 and send a colonist to Stadacona to remove the French culture and protestant religeon. Sadly he failed.

March sees Ottawa revolt in the name of Huron independence, This encouraged other malcontents sigh:



September 1637 my navy tech completes:



Now I'm unsure what I want to do, continue with Navy tech so I can build shipyards (but at 500 ducats how many am I going ot build) or put it all into gov tech to slowly make my way to the next NI slot. A little tolerance or improved naval force limits or reduced navy construction costs could help a lot.

October Monanhoac becomes self sustaining a level 1 fort is order immediately

I endores culture, I want this high so I can replace any great men that die. Perhaps I should replace the last minter with a diplomat but my economy really can't support my army. I order 4 more regiments to round out my stacks.

Micmac revolts... no idea why!

In jan 1638 Seneca revolts too. Here is a review of the army and navy:



I have no more regiments under construction and my 3 costal cores are working on galleons, none will finish prior to 1642.

In March Innu become self sustaining and a level 1 fort ordered..
Powhatan celebrate with Patriotic Sentiment.

In April Labrador completes her city and a fort is ordered... I'm buring through those reps quickly.

I get another Colonist sent off to Stadacona this one is sucessful and the culture and rel convert.

Aug 1638, Ireland has a 2/5 in Taqamkuk and so I order my units in the colonies about. I leave 1/2 armies in Labrador, Stadacona and the other former french col and a 2/4 in Innu to discourage the Irish.

Oct see Monahoac's fort upgraded..

And we are in Jan 1639... this peace is holding!!



i have a slider choice and opt for Narrowminded two more moves to go before I start to get missionaries! I get a stab hit, which should be repaired by June.

Portugal sends an Insult. I don't think she'll break the truce but she already has two 7/4/0 stacks in the south.

March I order the level 2 fort in Innu and in April in Labrador.

May sees Conneticutt core and another Galleon ordered.

Micmac revolts again.

I order my patrols up from 1 ship in each to a patrol in force, where each has 2/2 or atleast 4 fighting ships. This is possible only because Ireland and portugal are 'helping' patrol some of my waters against pirates.

Late in the year there is a revolt in Erie.

1 Jan 1640 rolls round and I think that is as much peace as I've had in the last 50 years all together.. WE is down to 11.something. Man that comes down slowly! I wish I had more troops pulled back before I'd made peace with Portugal.

Atikantu becomes self contained and I order a fort. Stadacona should be only 2 months behind... soon all my costal colony's will be safeish..

i'm getting worried about Portugal so order more troops to the border:



Her stacks are as follow Tennesse 9/0/1 Chiaha 4/8/0 and Santee 10/2/1 I have a 2/4/2 in Pamlico, a 3/6/1 in Cheraw and another 3/6/1 in pennyrile.

However all this made a mess off...

I really need help now, and whatever happens it has been a good run!

on 8 Janurary 1640 The Iroquois are told that their fun and games are over... and I really think they may be this time...




21 transports! I'm not even sure my whole fleet could beat them if they were stacked up! Ok so her strength in armies isn't what it could have been, she been fighting particularists all over the place. But I can't fight her fleet and she can land 21 regiments where she likes..

I Inflitrate her Administration for more info and I can not find a transport anywhere in the world.. they must be at sea. There are thousands of 1 reg armies in Andlucia all many marching to sea so the trasports are there.

She has large armies in the Caribbean too.

So fighting her will be hard, very hard, but not impossible... the problems are how to keep my WE down while doing it. I want to immediately regroup the fleet, but that means pirates will spring up and start my WE increase before the Spainish Blockade arrives. Wait for teh blockade and my fleet will probably get a kicking!!

Advices??

Other than this, the worry is that I have only a year or two before Portugal's truce is up. She is sure to attack me AT ONCE if i'm at war with Spain!

There is very little in Beothuk, 1k infantry and a 1/5 fleet. I could try to take it, certianly I could slip a 1/2 on to it, or maybe a 1/4 as i have 5 transports... but this will weaken the army's in the Quebeck area and thus risk exposing my new city which has a year to run before she gets even level 1 walls.

In fact I have a few months before Innu and Labrador's level 2 forts complete. At least it is winter and an early siege here is unlikely.

I don't really know where to expect Spain to land, at her old cores? or more opportunistically where my colonies have barely started on their walls.

I'm halting colonial maintance to 0 growth. Stadacona is about to become a city (in feb or march) but I'm not sure I have the money or men to hold her while her forts complete. This way if she does fall I can seize her back.

Same goes for Tamora in the West, it will compelte in about 8-14 months (I can't remember exactly) and I don't want to tempt portugal with an easy city.

Anyway, any advice on fighting the big bad Spain, or on any other matter?

Should I regroup my fleet and strike at Beothuk now? I only have two generals right now too, so I'd better buy some more, though my army tradition is only around 50%ish.

I also only have 300 ducats left in the account. So I will probably have to mint, but I need the money.

I could try to raise a few revolts against Portugal, to try to keep them out of it. But I don't know if this is a wise use of treasure, she has armies easily big enough to destroy any rebels.

Should I spread some regiments out, ready to scorch the old Spainish colonies coast line?

Anyway PLEASE HELP!