Here is my first serious game in V2 and at the same time first grand campaign in a Paradox game that I played to the very end:
At the beginning I let Mexico annex Texas (I had no idea I could intervene) and went after them after executing a very nice decision that gave me a lot of cores.
My responses to ACW related events were mostly random because, I have to admit, my knowledge of USA geography and Civil War is very small.
To my surprise defeating CSA was not a problem and with this problem solved I began bullying Mexico for territority for the rest of the game (nothing personal here!).
I was trying to manage infamy but I miscalculated once and UK declared war - I thought it was my end.
But despite having huge navy they never blocked my ports and never sent any troops from Europe... they had tens of thousands of mobilized troops wandering through their homeland.
I managed to free one region of Canada.
Final situation is below, second Canadian region was freed after another containment war due to my annexation of Mexico.
I managed to colonize part of Africa with provinces that started producing rubber in late game.
For the 100 years of my American democracy I tried to get liberal party with "autopilot economy" elected - finally they got elected - around one year before game end.
There was one great war that I was dragged into - Germany, Italy, France and me against Austria and Sweden if I remember correctly. I didn't do too much fighting, Germany & Italy completely destroyed Austria that formed Austro-Hungary shortly afterwards and then something strange happened...
Free, Idependent (but not Strictly Neutral) City of Kraków won a war with Austro-Hungary with no allies!
West Galicia (that's a place where I was born) was probably given to Kraków as a result of great war (I'm not sure) and they took East Galicia by themselves.
There are many things in this game that are a huge mystery to me:
- how to read trade tab so that numbers add up and how to make any sense from tables like market activity etc.
- why everyone stopped digging crude oil and prefers to be unemployed in my oil provinces? the same with dye around Mexico City
- why there is shortage of fish near game end? my alaskan provinces pruduce less than 0.5 units despite employing 100% people
- what to do with tens of thousands of unemployed artisans that instead of getting a job (our factories and military need YOU!) or digging gold in Alaska conspire to turn my democracy into a communist regime?