FEEDBACK
To all:
The Ming game turned out to be a bit dull, and having Westernized there is still the problem of retaining the sub-par Chinese group units. Essentially, I have only a few decades to conquer Europe before the difference becomes truly problematic - this is
possible, but I didn't quite feel up to it. Maybe I'll return to it later. I've saved the screens, just in case.
On the other hand, I gave the Teutons a try, and I think that might be worthwhile. So, a Teutonic Order AAR it is. We'll see how it turns out. Hopefully, I'll finish that one too, if there is interest.
Well you seem to have two major problems with the Teutons: big nasty neighbors and taking down the colonizers.
As far as the neighbors, I urge you to check out Verjigorm's Teutonic Order AAR for some gameplay ideas:
http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/showthread.php?t=404856 . Remember, you are a theocracy in a higher tech group than most of your neighbors; remember further that the plus side of big enemies is that they can be taken down at relatively low BB cost.
Now the colonizers. You may simply have to fight "wars of prevention" specifically designed to weaken these countries, sending them into big-navy-low-treasury cycles. Guaranteeing key nations like Granada, Burgundy, and Scotland, say, you could intervene against the scarier powers and be sure to release nations likely to keep your target region divided. Trying to help Granada take over Iberia and shutting France off from the sea are still valid strategies.
Of course there's the delicate balance of keeping your neighborhood secure before your Western 'crusades' and making sure the QFTNW era doesn't get started. But I have full confidence! Once Poland and Lith. are down a beg, Finland released and the Rus, with your help, especially divided, it's time to paralyze Western Europe.
I would have preferred a big alliance of Two Province Minors, since they wouldn't manage a 20+ regiment kill stack, but so be it.
The problem with Guarantees is that they're harder to exploit unless your forces are already deployed, or you have complete naval superiority.
Still... Teutons it is.
Ming!
In Ming China, reputation lowers you.
That's the best part about playing Ming... Reputation is a non-issue, if you guard and abuse the Oirat Horde mission.
Well there's a problem with Ming: it's really too easy.
Partly this may be historical: China in this era had immense potential which it wasted due to isolationism, i.e. burning the Treasure Fleet. Partly it has to do with the gameplay engine; moving massive numbers of personnel through and establishing efficient administration in Central Asia simply shouldn't be that easy.
And of course, there's no way Ming gameplay-wise can cripple the colonizers before they have a substantial stronghold in the virgin continents.
That said, a Han Paris or Rome would be impressive... but I suspect that this overwhelmingly Euro-N.American forum won't be too psyched by, say, Seoul, Bangkok, or Malacca going Han.
For my money, a Prussification of Europe would be substantially more exciting from beginning (dominating the neighborghood, exploiting Samogitia, crippling the colonizers) to middle (Reformation, changing into Prussia and Germany, the massive colonization phase) to end (Drang nach Alles! das Prussification von Europen).
I think it would be possible to make Paris or Rome into Chihan culture - but it certainly wouldn't be easy. If I continue my Ming game, I might do a quick AAR on it. We'll see.
Teutonic Order to Prussia it is, for now. Not sure I'll be quite so successful, though.
If you want to write up your cheesy Ming game, I'm sure we'll all be happy to read about it. I don't know all that many exploits, so I'd find it educational at least.
Regarding the Teutons, the precise game goal would be important. If it's WC, under BB limit, maximizing cultural assimilation, that's clearly a very tall order and quite likely impossible. If you loosen that to just maximizing the number of Prussian provinces without going over the BB limit, for example, then I don't think it matters much whether you shut down the colonizers before they start. I haven't fought any colonial wars since getting Complete, but I understand there's a province decision to spend a colonist to flip the culture of captured colonial cities with pop < 5000(?). If that's correct, then you get one Prussian province per colonist spent just like if you were doing the colonizing yourself. And IIRC European cultures in colonial provinces assimilate amongst themselves very quickly in the Cultural Assimilation event even without spending a colonist.
I might return to the Ming game later, but for now, it is the Teutons. And yes, it might well be impossible with those goals. The Teutons have an advantage in a coastline, though.
For cultural asssimilation reasons, you are correct in that it would be cheaper to steal the colonies of other Europeans - but that would cost much in terms of BadBoy... for the Teutons.
For Ming, it would not be costly in terms of BadBoy thanks to the exploit, but Ming cannot use the 'convert culture with colonist' trick. Only Europeans and some Arab nations can do that, IIRC.
I've set myself a few goals. Whether I can make them, I don't know. Probably not - but I've learned a few things from this France game regarding BadBoy management, and perhaps I can put it to good effect in a Teuton game.
