Hidden gem countries with great sliders.

[DDRJake]

No, Free Trade works fine even on your own centres of trade. You must be thinking of earlier versions when FT was much weaker; now it's best 90% of the time.

Infamy kills free traders though, as do non-cored CoTs. -15% compete chance for each one.

[simon chatfield]

No, Free Trade works fine even on your own centres of trade. You must be thinking of earlier versions when FT was much weaker; now it's best 90% of the time.

im thinking of +4 free trade holland/netherlands where gaining 4 BB kills your compete chance.....

[grommile]

I'm willing to bet Sweden has great starting sliders

Mediocre. 1 step Aristocratic, 3 steps Decentralized, neutral Innovative/Narrowminded, 3 steps Mercantile, neutral Offensive/Defensive, 1 step Land, 2 steps Quality.

[Iwanow]

Which of all, only quality and land is not so bad. Being 1 aristo is just bad. Better is to be max aristo or full pluto.being near the middle mean you have to move the slider, and this slider is not good for moving first.

[kings4]

i found sicily had really good sliders if you start off as dipolmacy royal marriage personal union and slowly vassle all of italy

[brifbates]

Which of all, only quality and land is not so bad. Being 1 aristo is just bad. Better is to be max aristo or full pluto.being near the middle mean you have to move the slider, and this slider is not good for moving first.

I generally don't get fussed about the aristo/pluto slider, just let it drift around the start point through the events until I have everything else where I want it. The benefits/penalties just aren't there to focus on it before several of the others.

[CyberEagle]

They are tiny countries (Duchies?), after all.

Doesn't keep many other minors from being decentralised.

[ajsciri4]

When I pick a new country to play, I go to the initial sliders page on the wiki and sort by free trade. I'll play countries with high free trade, I don't really like mercantilism. It gives you early money, which is vital. I've tried to play Navarra (who has AMAZING sliders) but I always get vassalized by Aragon early and decide to quit.

Centralized is also pretty important, followed by free subjects. The rest, I don't care about too much, but I prefer land and quality.

Holland and Navarra are the best to me. Also, Sweden is pretty balanced for a medium power, I think. I might be biased for being Swedish, but whatever.

Also, Bar is good, but I wish they weren't in the middle of Burgundy. I like Brittany too.

[Iwanow]

Well being vassalized, does not keep you from becoming a power, so you should consider it just a minor annoyance, And sweden is pretty awfull(big country with little income from provinces... I mean... i think it is possible that holland got better income that sweden. And holland is tpm.

[Slym]

Lorriane has 2 free trade, I think -4 cent, or something like it, and everything else is towards the middle. It is also in the HRE, has no cores on it other than its own, and has a level 2 fort on its capitol.

[sprites]

Well being vassalized, does not keep you from becoming a power, so you should consider it just a minor annoyance, And sweden is pretty awfull(big country with little income from provinces... I mean... i think it is possible that holland got better income that sweden. And holland is tpm.

Of course , if you count in trade , swedish trade = 0 until they get their hands on a CoT!

[Iwanow]

Of course , if you count in trade , swedish trade = 0 until they get their hands on a CoT!

Well best sweden province got tax 5, and it is their capital. And whole finland is worth 6 in tax? Compare it with for example poland. And being mercantilist, doesn't help either.