Nope, that was one of the two brigades contributed to the war effort by the mighty Duchy of Nassau. Their flags just look similar. I haven't yet formed NGF (I have not yet managed to sphere Hanover), so I still have the principalities.
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mbrasher1,
Good analysis! Can't wait to see when you form Greater Germany!
I actually researched steamer as my 1st tech.
Good analysis! Can't wait to see when you form Greater Germany!
I actually researched steamer as my 1st tech.
@paulthebug and Saithis, Germany is on the horizon. First, I need to finish up the diplomatic part of the operation.
Beyond what Prussia already has in her sphere, we need Hanover and Denmark. Luxemburg is optional. In January, the UK bans me from influencing Hanover. I have relations to friendly. All influence is going into Denmark and Luxemburg. The Austrians discredited Prussia in Denmark, so the going is a bit of a slog.
Meanwhile the military action has ceased. Occupation is proceeding on every Austrian province Prussia can get to.
In August, Denmark is added to the Prussian sphere. Queen Victoria is coronated in September 1838. Prussia immediately restarts influencing Hanover. I did not notice whether the coronation stopped the discredited status, or whether it happened to end at the same time. Meanwhile, Austria is being systematically occupied. She now has 9 total points.
You can see that the next powers in line to take Austria's place as a GP are Sweden, followed by Belgium, Switzerland and Bavaria. Bavaria would of course be a disaster. In previous games, Bavaria is a frequent guest on the roster of Great Powers. They can be prevented from doing this by not being called as an ally. If they are not at war, their MIL score does not the the "at war" bonus. Check when you go to war, your score goes up (doubling in the early years of the game). Bavaria being denied this would prevent them from being a consideration.
Note that Austria is not a GP, having been replaced by Sweden. Prussia remains at war with both France and Austria. I am worried about agreeing to peace before Prussia is ready. Why? If Austria gets her industry back and can build an army, they will be a GP again in one year. I just want to be sure.
I add the Add Austria to Sphere wargoal in December.
Since i added to wargoal through Austria, I can make peace with France more or less immediately. France peaces out December 19, 1836. Ironically, the toughest parts of forming Germany (beating Austria twice and France once in a war) are done before my diplomatic actions are done (sphering Holstein and Denmark are done, but Hanover and Luxemburg remain outside my sphere).
Beyond what Prussia already has in her sphere, we need Hanover and Denmark. Luxemburg is optional. In January, the UK bans me from influencing Hanover. I have relations to friendly. All influence is going into Denmark and Luxemburg. The Austrians discredited Prussia in Denmark, so the going is a bit of a slog.
Meanwhile the military action has ceased. Occupation is proceeding on every Austrian province Prussia can get to.
In August, Denmark is added to the Prussian sphere. Queen Victoria is coronated in September 1838. Prussia immediately restarts influencing Hanover. I did not notice whether the coronation stopped the discredited status, or whether it happened to end at the same time. Meanwhile, Austria is being systematically occupied. She now has 9 total points.
You can see that the next powers in line to take Austria's place as a GP are Sweden, followed by Belgium, Switzerland and Bavaria. Bavaria would of course be a disaster. In previous games, Bavaria is a frequent guest on the roster of Great Powers. They can be prevented from doing this by not being called as an ally. If they are not at war, their MIL score does not the the "at war" bonus. Check when you go to war, your score goes up (doubling in the early years of the game). Bavaria being denied this would prevent them from being a consideration.
Note that Austria is not a GP, having been replaced by Sweden. Prussia remains at war with both France and Austria. I am worried about agreeing to peace before Prussia is ready. Why? If Austria gets her industry back and can build an army, they will be a GP again in one year. I just want to be sure.
I add the Add Austria to Sphere wargoal in December.
Since i added to wargoal through Austria, I can make peace with France more or less immediately. France peaces out December 19, 1836. Ironically, the toughest parts of forming Germany (beating Austria twice and France once in a war) are done before my diplomatic actions are done (sphering Holstein and Denmark are done, but Hanover and Luxemburg remain outside my sphere).
Good show so far! I tried doing something similar in an AHD game, but after demolishing Austria in '36 I ran up against a very nasty French/British/Russian/Austrian/Spanish superalliance which reduced the game to diplo micromanagement. Can't wait to see how this goes!
Yikes! I thought that the Spanish would be the worst enemies that Prussia can face alongside France. Why? They have no Prussian territory to attack and generally focus on Prussian armies around Paris. I was fortunately allied with Russia and the UK was not a factor. Fortunately...
In March of 1839, Prussia finally spheres Hanover. Luxemburg is not quite ready, but it's good enough for me -- they can join later. The North German Federation is formed and the next day Greater Germany is declared.
I have never finished in AHD before 1840, as I usually form NGF first and then attack France.
How to improve on this? The limiting factor is not how fast I beat France nor how fast Austria loses its GP status. The last requirement was sphering the little spherelings (especially Hanover and Denmark, where I was discredited by the Austrians several times). It would certainly be faster to influence Hanover until the UK was at Sphere +49 (if you stop influencing so do they, so this would prevent them from banning me). Starting with Friendly +60 or whatever would be an improvement over being banned. Then the moment Victoria is coronated, go for it. Also, I have seen Victoria coronated in August - November. An earlier coronation would obviously be better.
Also, Prussia usually attacks Denmark (I usually do it before France). It might be better to attack Denmark after France has fallen. It's not as if Austria will prove a challenge (so the two could be assaulted simultaneously), and Denmark does not require many troops to knock over. This would require fewer diplomatic influence points, as Denmark is something you have to use influence to fight for (with Austria, which discredited Prussia several times in Denmark). Forming Greater Germany could probably be done by January 1, 1839 if conditions were right.
So now, Germany has risen from the ashes of Central Europe. What should be the next step?
I have never finished in AHD before 1840, as I usually form NGF first and then attack France.
How to improve on this? The limiting factor is not how fast I beat France nor how fast Austria loses its GP status. The last requirement was sphering the little spherelings (especially Hanover and Denmark, where I was discredited by the Austrians several times). It would certainly be faster to influence Hanover until the UK was at Sphere +49 (if you stop influencing so do they, so this would prevent them from banning me). Starting with Friendly +60 or whatever would be an improvement over being banned. Then the moment Victoria is coronated, go for it. Also, I have seen Victoria coronated in August - November. An earlier coronation would obviously be better.
Also, Prussia usually attacks Denmark (I usually do it before France). It might be better to attack Denmark after France has fallen. It's not as if Austria will prove a challenge (so the two could be assaulted simultaneously), and Denmark does not require many troops to knock over. This would require fewer diplomatic influence points, as Denmark is something you have to use influence to fight for (with Austria, which discredited Prussia several times in Denmark). Forming Greater Germany could probably be done by January 1, 1839 if conditions were right.
So now, Germany has risen from the ashes of Central Europe. What should be the next step?
Luxembourgh should be aquired, of course. Past that, no idea.
Nice AAR by the way. I'm amazed how swiftly though put Germany together.
Nice AAR by the way. I'm amazed how swiftly though put Germany together.
awsome job i only managed to form greater germany once. i thik you should clean up your borders and conquer france
German Grand Strategy
Germany has a strong industrial base, with lots of coal and iron. It has a decently well educated workforce (literacy dropped to about 40% after the annexation of the Austrian lands). It has plenty of soldier pops and is quite rich. Germany is wealthy enough to build a decent navy, army and industry.
Expansion is very expensive in terms of infamy against neighboring civilized states. An Acquire State CB costs 11 infamy, and it nearly impossible to get through the process without gaining infamy (the base chance of being discovered takes about 240 days, with a 1.5% chance of discovery each day). A Demand Concession CB costs 5 infamy, and is much more commonly attained without any infamy (as it takes only 120 days). As I recall, there is a 2% chance of getting the Acquire State CB infamy-free, while there is a 16% chance of getting the Demand Concession infamy free. The Acquire State CB is about 3x as costly in infamy as the Demand Concession CB (due to the higher chance of being discovered, and the greater length of time it takes to get the CB). Acquire State CBs are useful against mortal enemies (in Germany's case, France). Any weakening of mortal enemies canonly help Germany. But the Demand Concession CB costs Since I plan to stay under the infamy limit, I will be using alot of Demand Concession CBs.
The Grand Plan is to
(1) dominate continental Europe by keeping France subjugated. France cannot be reconciled, as Germany owns its cores. Russia can be beaten in a war, but every province costs alot in infamy, and is sparsely populated with illiterate Russians. There is simply not much upside there in attacking Russia, unless one of their oil producing states is a legitimate wargoal. However, Russian oil states are also sparsely populated, and better uncivs with oil can be found. So friendship with Russia is a subgoal, but the chief goal is dominating France, and any combination of nations France allies with.
(2) colonize Africa, by Germany exclusively. This monopoly on Africa will provide numerous natural resources and soldier POPs to the German Empire, all infamy-free. In order to do this, Germany needs bases in West Africa and East Africa, from which to expand, along with the technology required to colonize. This will provide Germany with the lion's share of the world's rubber, which will permit Germany to dominate world industry in the coming decades.
(3) seize strategically or industrially important resources and provinces. This would include the world's rubber producing provinces owned by uncivs (parts of Egypt, Johor Bahru, Siam, Cambodia, and Dai Nam), and the large silk and tea RGOs of China and Japan; if cheap CBs can be found for Dutch Jambi and British Singapore, those rubber sources will also be looked at. Needs also include a base for colonization in West Africa (preferably the Danish, French, Portuguese or Spanish provinces rather than British ones!) -- for whichever Germany gets A Place in the Sun CBs first. Alternatively, this is so important to the cause of dominating Africa that Germany would accept the 9 infamy and attack one of these powers if I do not have it in place by say, 1867.
(4) expand the German sphere of influence to include all civilized nations that produce rubber (Brazil, Bolivia, USCA), and other large sources of resources (Persia, Korea, Spain, Portugal, the Ottoman Empire, etc.).
(5) build out the German Army and Navy. Prime importance will be attached to the Army, which will permit Germany to dominate Central Europe. The Navy will gain increased importance as new technologies are gained, and an overseas empire is founded.
Germany has a strong industrial base, with lots of coal and iron. It has a decently well educated workforce (literacy dropped to about 40% after the annexation of the Austrian lands). It has plenty of soldier pops and is quite rich. Germany is wealthy enough to build a decent navy, army and industry.
Expansion is very expensive in terms of infamy against neighboring civilized states. An Acquire State CB costs 11 infamy, and it nearly impossible to get through the process without gaining infamy (the base chance of being discovered takes about 240 days, with a 1.5% chance of discovery each day). A Demand Concession CB costs 5 infamy, and is much more commonly attained without any infamy (as it takes only 120 days). As I recall, there is a 2% chance of getting the Acquire State CB infamy-free, while there is a 16% chance of getting the Demand Concession infamy free. The Acquire State CB is about 3x as costly in infamy as the Demand Concession CB (due to the higher chance of being discovered, and the greater length of time it takes to get the CB). Acquire State CBs are useful against mortal enemies (in Germany's case, France). Any weakening of mortal enemies canonly help Germany. But the Demand Concession CB costs Since I plan to stay under the infamy limit, I will be using alot of Demand Concession CBs.
The Grand Plan is to
(1) dominate continental Europe by keeping France subjugated. France cannot be reconciled, as Germany owns its cores. Russia can be beaten in a war, but every province costs alot in infamy, and is sparsely populated with illiterate Russians. There is simply not much upside there in attacking Russia, unless one of their oil producing states is a legitimate wargoal. However, Russian oil states are also sparsely populated, and better uncivs with oil can be found. So friendship with Russia is a subgoal, but the chief goal is dominating France, and any combination of nations France allies with.
(2) colonize Africa, by Germany exclusively. This monopoly on Africa will provide numerous natural resources and soldier POPs to the German Empire, all infamy-free. In order to do this, Germany needs bases in West Africa and East Africa, from which to expand, along with the technology required to colonize. This will provide Germany with the lion's share of the world's rubber, which will permit Germany to dominate world industry in the coming decades.
(3) seize strategically or industrially important resources and provinces. This would include the world's rubber producing provinces owned by uncivs (parts of Egypt, Johor Bahru, Siam, Cambodia, and Dai Nam), and the large silk and tea RGOs of China and Japan; if cheap CBs can be found for Dutch Jambi and British Singapore, those rubber sources will also be looked at. Needs also include a base for colonization in West Africa (preferably the Danish, French, Portuguese or Spanish provinces rather than British ones!) -- for whichever Germany gets A Place in the Sun CBs first. Alternatively, this is so important to the cause of dominating Africa that Germany would accept the 9 infamy and attack one of these powers if I do not have it in place by say, 1867.
(4) expand the German sphere of influence to include all civilized nations that produce rubber (Brazil, Bolivia, USCA), and other large sources of resources (Persia, Korea, Spain, Portugal, the Ottoman Empire, etc.).
(5) build out the German Army and Navy. Prime importance will be attached to the Army, which will permit Germany to dominate Central Europe. The Navy will gain increased importance as new technologies are gained, and an overseas empire is founded.
Looking forward to seeing your plans in action! Question; does releasing states lower infamy like in DW? if so you could potentially release parts of Italy and the Balkans to level out any territorial acquisitions in Europe...
Even better: release a German minor, which will immediately petition for reannexation!
Hi mbrasher1,
Yup, once Germany is formed you are at a crossroad for what to do next. May I suggest you try out an ambitious plan of bashing everyone, or get as near to world conquest as possible?
I'm not sure if it'll be released into your sphere; you'll have to have it sphered to annex it.
It's like Luxembourg: if you sphere it after forming Germany, it will ask to be annexed. Same as with Texas.
@arosenberger14, I knew that worked in other Paradox games, but I never checked it in Vic until you posted it. But yes, you do get a reduction in infamy of 5 points per minor released!
@calvinhobbelisk, What a great idea! However good an idea it is, that is gamy beyond belief. I like it but I am trying to play Germany straight, ie, as realistic as a 19th century German statesman would.
Maybe in some future game, I would have Germany eat up the entire expanse of Russia and keep its infamy down this way. But that is such a breathtakingly gamy operation! Especially if they immediately reintegrated into the Reich.
@sprites, thanks. My main reason to try it was the fact that ever time I fought France after waiting for the extra troops from NGF, they get slaughtered easily. Anyways, I figure it might be possible to do one before the end of 1838 if everything broke right.
@calvinhobbelisk, What a great idea! However good an idea it is, that is gamy beyond belief. I like it but I am trying to play Germany straight, ie, as realistic as a 19th century German statesman would.
Maybe in some future game, I would have Germany eat up the entire expanse of Russia and keep its infamy down this way. But that is such a breathtakingly gamy operation! Especially if they immediately reintegrated into the Reich.
@sprites, thanks. My main reason to try it was the fact that ever time I fought France after waiting for the extra troops from NGF, they get slaughtered easily. Anyways, I figure it might be possible to do one before the end of 1838 if everything broke right.
Interesting! Perhaps you could use this to pay for infamy from forcing Russia to release Poland and Ukraine by releasing Austrian Slavic lands... That would be fairly realistic and give you a nice buffer zone to the East.