I feel bad for not being able to do a solid narrative AAR like everyone else has been doing, but serious real life constraints are going to force me to do a gameplay overview styled one.
Position from the outset is solid, since we saved over the TSC. Previous players concentrated research on land tech and production it looks like. I think government is more important, so I hire a statesman with culture and switch all tech into government, something I'll continue for the next 30 years (unless funding stability or minting). I notice I'm at war with QQ. They have no troops, but the amount of rebels in there is pretty scary.
I start cleaning up the rebels, taking QQ territory, and spamming colonists.
I see that a LOT. 70% seems a bit optimistic, or I'm just really unlucky. Anyway, I eventually take 2 provinces (Azerbaijan and Ajam) and call it quits with QQ. Tims invaded right around the same time, but they're bottlenecked and mostly just fighting Persia, a situation I'm fine with. Then I notice this.
Crap. Thats a war I'm not sure I can win, and don't want to fight. I can only hope the Ottomans get a new heir soon. Doesn't seem like it would be that hard, with a harem and all...
They keep spamming me with alliance offers and I eventually accept. They go to war with Karaman, and I join in... then I get alliance leader. So we're officially stronger than the Ottomans
. Karaman goes down quick and I vassalize them.
I fight with the Tims for a while after Persia peaces out. They're actually really dangerous still and inflict big casualties, but the AI doesn't seem overly committed to the invasion and we just dance around a bit. Vijayanagar somehow got Hormuz and is doing a good job keeping the Tims occupied... I won't complain.
I'm really not sure what I was thinking when I diplo-annexed Hedjaz. Its a decision that was questionable at best and downright wrong at worst. I guess I just saw that it was at maybe and went for it. The provinces aren't great and now that's four more areas to spawn rebels in TSCs. But whats done is done.
Thankfully we lose our claim on the Ottomans. I go to war with QQ again with a full load of colonists. This time I want Mazandaran and Gilan, two more extremely rich provinces.
I have no idea how this happened, but somehow it ends up taking more than two years for my settlers to travel. It only happened with this one guy, the rest took the normal 20ish days.
I fight with the Tims more, preventing them from breaking the seige in Kerman. I really want Vijayanagar to finish colonizing that province so I lose my border with the Tims.
In its infinite wisdom, France declares war on me. Unsurprisingly, I never see a single regiment given our positions. They eventually WP with me a few years later.
First crop of cores come in. Force limits increase and I build up to them.
The Timurids have been outright spamming me with insane numbers of spies pretty much since day one, but at this point its starting to get frustrating and tedius. I've got 30 regiments, all devoted to rebel duty, and I'm still having provinces fall left and right. A lot of the problem is that my troops seem to be at a severe disadvantage.
Generals partially solve the problem, but my generals have the lifespan of mayflies and gold is in short supply, considering the large numbers of troops at max maintenence, the colonies and the missionaries. Inflation is getting increasingly worse and I need to mint significant amounts just to break even each year.
For more than 20 years, I've had the same stupid mission, and the province finally converts for a measly 2 prestige. I cancel another convert mission to get... create a proper fleet. No thanks.
Hunting accident. The 40s something heir dies, replaced by a 27 year old 3/6/6. I'm actually glad, otherwise Kommando's turn would probably be pretty short since his ruler would start in his 50s.
Ottomans go to war with Mamluks. I'm sorely tempted to join in but its been 28 years now and a TSC is coming at any minute. After serious thought, I regretfully decline.
Instead, I go to war with QQ again and take one more province.
Like I alluded to above, the game is in a weird place and I'm glad to be handing it off. Inflation is still climbing, and the rebel situation hasn't improved much even without the TSC. I've taken all the easy valuable provinces in the Persian region, except for Hormuz. To the north is just mostly garbage territory and war with the Golden Horde, to the east is renewed war with the Timurids, and to the west is the Mamluks. No easy answers.
Good luck to you Kommando.