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Subscribed! And I say turn your attention and armies towards Johore and those ah-so-tasty gold mines. What are you going to do with a batch of Burmese jungle? You have enough of that sort already!
MINI-UPDATE
I'm going to do a very small update, here, based on the question I left you with from yesterday's update.
Burma has just been territorially slashed, having lost 2/3 of her states to foreign powers. My strong natural enemy is now a weak natural target.
What should I do?
Here's how I considered all the options and possibilities, and decided not to do anything... yet.
1) my army is a little bit torn up because of the war. I lost alot of soldiers to attrition in the mountains of Luang Prabang. I'm not at tip-top shape to follow up with an immediate war.
2) as Miscreant and FJ44 noted, I'm not sure I want Burma's one remaining state. It would put me in the path of territorial expansion for China, at least, and very possibly for UK too. My goal is to actually try to remove myself from the UK's list of targets, and so I don't want to get in their way. China is going to expand no matter what I do. I may have to fight them down the road, but I don't want that to be right away, before I've civilized.
3) I could certainly gain Prestige from a war, and knock Burma down further, but having made my decision on #2 (that I don't want the land), I now actually want Burma to have a little fight in them when UK and/or China come knocking in 5 years. I may still decide, later, they're easy pickings for some quick Prestige, but I'm not going for that right away because of point #1.
4) When China invaded the province shown -- Taunggyi -- they started with 24,000 troops, and ended with 12,000 troops. Sure, it's possible they split off part of their army to attack north. But I'm reasonably sure at least part of that reduction was Attrition from the mountains there, and the low Supply Limit.
5) And while we're thinking about it, look at that Supply Limit! Only 3, which means basically one brigade or else you're facing Attrition. I don't care how small their army is, one brigade is vulnerable to a retaliatory attack, and if I want more than one brigade, I'll have to accept Attrition.
All these things soured me on such an invasion until later.
My plan became to wait for my brigades to replenish their troops, wait for my economy to stabilize, and wait for my infamy to subside a little.
Thanks for your input, folks, and for your readership! Now I'm going to go play a little more...
I'm going to do a very small update, here, based on the question I left you with from yesterday's update.
Burma has just been territorially slashed, having lost 2/3 of her states to foreign powers. My strong natural enemy is now a weak natural target.
What should I do?
Here's how I considered all the options and possibilities, and decided not to do anything... yet.
1) my army is a little bit torn up because of the war. I lost alot of soldiers to attrition in the mountains of Luang Prabang. I'm not at tip-top shape to follow up with an immediate war.
2) as Miscreant and FJ44 noted, I'm not sure I want Burma's one remaining state. It would put me in the path of territorial expansion for China, at least, and very possibly for UK too. My goal is to actually try to remove myself from the UK's list of targets, and so I don't want to get in their way. China is going to expand no matter what I do. I may have to fight them down the road, but I don't want that to be right away, before I've civilized.
3) I could certainly gain Prestige from a war, and knock Burma down further, but having made my decision on #2 (that I don't want the land), I now actually want Burma to have a little fight in them when UK and/or China come knocking in 5 years. I may still decide, later, they're easy pickings for some quick Prestige, but I'm not going for that right away because of point #1.
4) When China invaded the province shown -- Taunggyi -- they started with 24,000 troops, and ended with 12,000 troops. Sure, it's possible they split off part of their army to attack north. But I'm reasonably sure at least part of that reduction was Attrition from the mountains there, and the low Supply Limit.
5) And while we're thinking about it, look at that Supply Limit! Only 3, which means basically one brigade or else you're facing Attrition. I don't care how small their army is, one brigade is vulnerable to a retaliatory attack, and if I want more than one brigade, I'll have to accept Attrition.
All these things soured me on such an invasion until later.
My plan became to wait for my brigades to replenish their troops, wait for my economy to stabilize, and wait for my infamy to subside a little.
Thanks for your input, folks, and for your readership! Now I'm going to go play a little more...
So, I was close, but you resisted the temptation to invade. I certainly did not think about the supply limit as an overriding constraint on invasion, but it certainly makes sense. We'll see how your decision works out. Perhaps, despite your best efforts, you'll wind up on the UK's acquisition list anyway. 
I SEE HOW IT IS, you come and do an AAR for victoria 2 but you don't FINISH YOUR PORTUGAL AXIS AAR I think you should just humiliate Burma though
I think you should just humiliate Burma though 
If the supply limit is 3, then it doubles to 6 while the province is under siege. It looks like the terrain in those provinces has a +2 penalty to unit weight, so if that's true then you'd probably get attrition with two brigades, though.
Great AAR! Sorry if I missed something earlier on but you were talking about a strategy guide. Is it out yet?
An interesting choice, though I have to say conquest was not really an option anyway, but the prestige war could have been worth the trouble. Getting hold of Burmese territory is extremely risky, UK are way too interested in completing their collection. Avoiding the full infamy hit of a conquest, the only plausible neighbouring option for territorial gain seems to be Dai Nam. Staying small(ish) is an option, but gaining prestige is a must.
The attrition problem is not as limiting if one switches their irregs for regulars. If there are small arms available that is. Wars against uncivs tend to lose any sense of suspense after that, but regulars also help defending against the eventual Dutch invasion. They really seem territorial over East Indies (as they should be, I guess).
Enjoying the AAR, keep up the good work. Especially like to see someone taking a more unusual route.
The attrition problem is not as limiting if one switches their irregs for regulars. If there are small arms available that is. Wars against uncivs tend to lose any sense of suspense after that, but regulars also help defending against the eventual Dutch invasion. They really seem territorial over East Indies (as they should be, I guess).
Enjoying the AAR, keep up the good work. Especially like to see someone taking a more unusual route.
I'm in, but you should know that having 100% funding on Education even as a large power might be bad. It would appear that people have had trouble with their over funded clergymen promoting to aristocrats. And we don't want that happening, do we?
don't take any of Burma in all the games i have played the UK always ends up taking all of Burma. whats good for you is that china got some of it so i am 99% certain they will be a china-UK war and that is when you can strike either of them.
Rens,
I don't know if it has already been mentioned, but really you shouldnt be afraid to set taxes at 70, 80 even 100! percent, due to your backwards techs, the effective tax is only 20 percent or so, and according to everything I've read, in the mod forums and developer threads, the effective tax is really what the POPs are getting taxed at.
Also I think I would have taken a state from Johor, those are gold producing provinces, and you could use the money.
I don't know if it has already been mentioned, but really you shouldnt be afraid to set taxes at 70, 80 even 100! percent, due to your backwards techs, the effective tax is only 20 percent or so, and according to everything I've read, in the mod forums and developer threads, the effective tax is really what the POPs are getting taxed at.
Also I think I would have taken a state from Johor, those are gold producing provinces, and you could use the money.
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Yeah, probably best to leave Burma alone as you don't want to draw the attention of the UK or China. It's great to see a Siam AAR, especially a Rensslaer Siam AAR, as it's probably my favourite country from the time period.
Welcome, Kazmir! I agree with you about FoT -- great Tech! Part of the revolutionizing of industry and commerce during this time.Interesting to see what you will manage to do with this, I'll be following.
Thanks, Soulitaire! Welcome! How flattering!
Welcome, Stuyvesant! Always great to see you're along for the ride!Should be instructive - if I ever sit down and actually play the game, it should come in handy!
Good luck balancing on the knife's edge and I look forward to gradual, 'realistic' growth.
I think pounding on a much weakened Burma would serve them right from a historical point of view. A fitting revenge for the humiliating defeat Siam suffered historically 70 odd years previous.
I vote for beating up Burma. Get in there before the UK does.
On some degree, I agree with you, but as you see from my mini-update, I chose to avoid them to keep some border between me and China. I think if the Chinese just glance my way, I shall surely disappear like a mote of dust!
Welcome, Rich028! Appreciate it! I will have to gain prestige gradually, I think, but that's okay -- it's a while before it will do me any good.
Welcome, Miscreant! Sorry, I've removed the most relevant parts of your post (about Burma), which were most insightful, and as I mentioned in the mini-update matched my thinking! As for Cambodia and Dai Nam, I need to make sure I'm strong enough to take them both on, and at this point I'm not yet. However, I'm preparing, and I think the time will come. Simply covering such a large front is part of the problem, whether their armies are large or not (and Dai Nam is relatively strong). I also like your suggestion about not going to war. Too often, gamers feel drawn toward war, like that will be their salvation. At this stage, Freedom of Trade will have far more impact on my future than conquering territory, so.... I'm pursuing a balance. I need to expand, and I also need the Prestige that war brings. But I don't necessarily need to hurry.Great read so far Rennslaer. ...
If you're dead set on war, what are the Cambodian and Dai Nam diplomatic implications at this point? ... Then again, you could also just not go to war
I think war without territorial gain is one of the wonderful things about V2! You could do it in EU3 and it wasn't a waste -- you got certain things from it. I don't remember with certainty, but it seemed that in Vanilla V1 you basically had to take territory or else war was a waste of time. That's how I felt, anyway. The Casus Belli/War Aims system adds much to the Victoria franchise.
Aha!
Welcome, Enewald! Actually, those other AARs will continue, though perhaps more slowly since my time is distracted. I do want to continue them (Sforza and Imperio anyway). I'll get to it, once the novelty of this wanes!Welcome, Velko! You're right about Johore, though they also are relatively strong at this point, and I'll have to ensure my armies up north are strong enough in case things start to happen while my attention is south. It won't matter that Johore borders UK since I already do. I'm hoping to increase relations with UK over time, so they are not such a threat.
Welcome, GrenadierSchube! Thank you for your kind words about Imperio Novo! I shall definitely return to it. There's more already-complete gameplay to describe, plus I want to see how later patches have improved the AI to make my game more of a challenge.I SEE HOW IT IS, you come and do an AAR for victoria 2 but you don't FINISH YOUR PORTUGAL AXIS AAR
Welcome, Vladislav! You're correct, there's not a 1-for-1 equivalency in Supply Limit, and you do gain extra SL when you're trying to occupy (and more when you gain control). But I'm still going to hit that limit in the mountains with more than one brigade. I may try it at some point.... I'll let you see.
Welcome, Nikephorus! Yes, as someone else already provided the link I'll leave it at that. It's in the V2 FAQ section, for those who have registered their games. So a forum download which everyone should be able to access.
I'm actually beginning to build Infantry with the next update. The irregulars are nice at the beginning, but really aren't an option for those countries which wish to grow and succeed. Why waste a good soldier POP on an irregular unit if you can have basically twice the power for the same POP? Unusual? That's me!
Welcome, Najs! Yes, I need to get my education up there now, so I can civilize at the earliest opportunity, but I don't want to rush to the point where I overspend. Too many Clergy (or Bureaucrats) can be a drag on your economy, rather than a benefit.
Yeah. I'm honestly more worried about China than UK right now, but Burma's on both of their lists for conquest.
Welcome, FCGog!Welcome, Rambo! You're right about taxes, as far as I can tell, especially for the poor class, because they have less expensive things to buy, anyway, and seem to absorb high taxes more ably, without falling into starvation. As Admin Efficiency grows, this becomes less possible.
Welcome, Fiftypence! Always great to see venerated authAARs showing up!Yeah, probably best to leave Burma alone as you don't want to draw the attention of the UK or China. It's great to see a Siam AAR, especially a Rensslaer Siam AAR, as it's probably my favourite country from the time period.
Didn't realize you were a Siam fan. I'm finding it quite enjoyable!I shall! Hopefully later today. Welcome, Matt12!
I will do some work on this over lunchhour, though I doubt I'll be able to finish a new update in so short a time. Hopefully later today or tonight though. I'm fortunate enough just to have time for feedback!
Thanks to all who are reading, and commenting!
Rensslaer
I can't fault your decision to, essentially, wait and see with Burma. It's not an aggressive strategy, but since the payoff seems small, what would be the benefit of putting yourself even more squarely in the sights of the UK or China? They'll come knocking soon enough as it is...
I noticed in one of the screenshots that the Dutch are attempting to beat up on the Belgians, and the the UK has joined that fracas on the side of the Belgians (pesky guarantee!). Are you noticing any effects from that, i.e. are the UK and/or the Netherlands distracted from the Far East because of it?
It's not an aggressive strategy, but since the payoff seems small, what would be the benefit of putting yourself even more squarely in the sights of the UK or China? They'll come knocking soon enough as it is...I noticed in one of the screenshots that the Dutch are attempting to beat up on the Belgians, and the the UK has joined that fracas on the side of the Belgians (pesky guarantee!). Are you noticing any effects from that, i.e. are the UK and/or the Netherlands distracted from the Far East because of it?
Actually, I noticed early on in the war that the Burmese had occupied about 5 provinces of British territory! But after a while the British armies arrived and they set things aright very quickly. VERY quickly!
Rensslaer