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Just as a head-up, but something is writing stuff on my physical memory (may be the wrong word; literal translation from Dutch would be: "work memory"), so I may be forced to reinstall Windows 7. I just pray that my Ironman will not be affected.
 
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Chapter 29: Republican Affairs.

No, don’t worry, I haven’t turned revolutionary just yet. The title is just to signify that I installed EU4’s latest expansion, Res Publica, and patch 1.7 before starting this session, and I must say, there have been quite a few changes. Most of them seem the be on the “good” side of the scale.
Here, I will show you some of the changes where they concern France in 1666.

While I let time tick by to get to the end of the month, the Ottomans rivaled me. Not a huge surprise there. In fact, I was surprised they waited until now. And it has nothing to do with Res Publica.

On the 1st of June, my Diplomatic Tech upgrades along with the game. I am finally able to build Wargalleons. Of course, by now, everyone else has tech 21 to my only 19. What’s most important about this level is that I can build an Admiralty. Provided I can ever assemble 800 ducats, that it.

What’s that? Oh, yeah, the new patch.


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This is a pretty significant one. PI has dialed back the relations hit for nations wanting your provinces, which means that all of a sudden, even with all those penalties, I find myself at +5 relations with Austria. Brabant, however, is the biggest difference. Now they have only -18 for wanting most of my northern provinces, instead of -100. That alliance, RM and potential PU could have been saved under these new circumstances. Much, much better.


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Here’s another nice one. You can now see the ratio of potential rivals’ armies and navies, relative to yours. As you can see, Austria’s army is barely over half the size of mine.

Money-wise, I don’t know if it is part of the patch, but I suddenly find myself making 16 ducats per month again.


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I took a look at the new idea groups. Check out that Humanist Idea. Ten years less nationalism. How awesome is that?

So, overall, I think this expansion does a pretty good job at rebalancing everything again. Good job, PI. Thank you, and this time without being cynical about it.

Ok, after this little intro, on with the show, shall we?


Those of you hoping to see me duke it out with the rest of Europe after the smack-down I gave Spain last chapter, are in for a bit of a disappointment. I am in a very peaceful mood, and, besides, it is over 32°C while I play. For a country that habitually gets about 20-25°C in a good summer, that is too much to make any kind of effort.

I belatedly remember my mission to build a fort in Dauphiné, so I get that going.


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My Power Projection of 84 means I get a nice boost in morale, trade power and an extra leader to boot. So, yeah, I should go to war against my rivals more often. Then again, at least 1 of them has the biggest navy in the world. If I ever hope to land anyone in England, I should lay some ground work first.

First, I am going to build a ton of Light Ships. These will boost my trade power and, thus, my monthly income, which will pay for the rest of the improvements I am planning.


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After a random event gives me a total Army Tradition of 98.9, I grab a general with 5-5-6-1 stats. Nobody will mess with France now!
I see that Mali has westernised. I start making plans to grab some of their gold provinces, but Portugal gets there first. Oh, well. I will just have to take them from Portugal instead, someday.


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Oh yeah. I forgot to mention another change of the new patch. Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present to you the newest resident in Europe: Scandinavia! They are big, they have a reasonable navy, and, what’s even better, they don’t hate France. I send a diplomat to Stockholm immediately to start sucking up to them, since they are allied to Russia. Of course, that means I can’t become their ally as well, but as long as I keep them friendly enough, I won’t have to worry too much about them.

Portugal renews their alliance with Spain and promptly enters the coalition against me. I am not sure how they think that is going to save them, but whatever. It’s their funeral.

While the Ottomans and Crimeans go to war against Genoa, Baden, Lithuania, Venice and the Papal State, unhappiness among the artisans lands me with a choice of stability -1 or losing 708 ducats. I don’t want to take the stab hit, so I take out a loan and pay the money.


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Greece is annexed by Venice, but somehow I have a feeling that won’t save their bacon. I barely fight back the urge to DoW them and make a grab for Lombardia myself. I don’t go through with it, since all that warfare means less Admin and Diplo for teching up and building cool stuff. Events will prove me right. By the end of this chapter, Venice consists of Venice and Lombardia :eek:


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With my trade ships ready, I abandon the idea of ever competing in the Western Europe Trade Node in any profitable fashion, instead choosing to focus on transfering trade from Genoa. The result is a sudden increase in my trade income of almost 20 ducats! Why didn’t I think of doing this sooner, with both Provence AND Liguria under my control? Better late than never, right?

By september, 1667, I get enough Admin together to raise my stability to +1. It is not enough to get that missionary in Paris off his lazy bum, but it’s a start.

Scandinavia, Russia and Bohemia go to war against the Hansa, Livonian Order and Riga. I would not want to be in their shoes.


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The palace of Versailles is ready to be unveiled. A Prestige and Legitimacy bonus for the rest of the game is more than welcome, considering the “strength” of the Habsburg claim on France’s throne. Even after all this time, my legitimacy is only up to 84 and my heir has a weak claim. So this is more than welcome.


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It is almost as if old Louis had been waiting to see it finished, because within weeks, he draws his last breath.
François I is a rather special king: a weak claim, but 4-4-4 stats. The pretender is quickly put down. Considering the now-bombed-out Legitimacy of 29, if François had gotten bad stats, I would have considered giving in to the Pretender.

Great Britain conquers some Indian country in North America. Their ally, the Creek, doesn’t have an army. All I have to do is Dow them and march my troops in. Not a single shot gets fired. My very first “Cold War” Achievement. I would have prefered to get that against Austria or Spain, but I’m not complaining.

My next mission will be to build a Grand Fleet. But 30 Heavy Ships are not cheap to build or maintain. This will be a long-term plan.

Sardinia, which had previously been part of Algiers, defects to the Ottomans. I check. They are no longer allies. If it hadn’t been for those damnable Berber Traditions, I might have considered make a case along the African coast. All of a sudden, the Ottomans have an island right off my coast! I don’t like it.
Spain, of course, is not deterred by the double coring costs of Algiers, and declares war in April, 1670.

And what am I doing, you ask? Well, I am building forts along my borders. I am improving my trade infrastructure all over the place (some of my Italian provinces didn’t even have a market place!). I am laying the groundwork for better and bigger ports (like drydocks in every single coastal province I own in Europe, plus docks in Africa). Canals in Zeeland? Yes, please. A Naval Base in Poitou? Why not.
Thousands of ducats are spend in a 9-year shopping spree, in order to make more ducats and to increase French security. By the end of this chapter, I am making a net 40 ducats profit per month. That is an increase from +15, or about 150 % improvement!


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I grab Military Tech 22 in March, 1671. This means better cannons and, as Napoleon could attest, better cannons make victory a lot easier.

Another thing I do is fake some claims. On Sardinia, just because I want something to hit the Ottomans with in case of war. Another one on Portugal In Africa. But mostly, against Great Britain. Claims for Wessex, Cornwall and Kent, along with Gold Coast (in Africa) and a colony in South-America.

By september of that same year, I finally get my stability up to +3. I don’t usually go for the +3, because it is ridiculously expensive, but in this case, I make an exception. After closing his eyes to the continual heresy in our own capital for almost a decade, my missionary finally straightens himself out and gets back to converting everyone else around him.

Diplo Tech 20 in 1672. Only 2 Tech levels behind my neighbours. I lost a lot of time with all the building, but I think I can ease off now, and let my tech levels become a priority again.

Grain Coast becomes self-sufficient and I send him to Whydah. I set up a trade company, the Cosmopolitain West Africa Trading Company, that starts making 4.85 ducats, just from 2 African companies. Can you imagine what immense wealth one could procure by going for India and the island chains?


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Scandinavia and Russia finally end their war with a resounding victory.


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24 September 1673. A most glorious day. Let us thank the Lord in our prayers for delivering our fellow citizens from the Devil’s temptations. Île De France is catholic again, after about 150 years of Protestantism!!! Now only Loire, Holland and Grao Paro remain to be converted.


Benin accepts our offer to become our protectorate in 1675, after a few months of improving relations with them. This gives us a direct landbridge to Spain’s protectorate and Portugal’s colonies further south, without firing a single shot.

See you next time!
 
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Excellent update, it was interesting to see the changes that the update made to your save, certainly the diplomatic changes seem to be largely sensible and have opened the door to more interesting relations around Europe. Russia and Scandinavia's advance in the Baltic is good to see as well - setting the stage for a future rivalry.

Sounds like this last update saw France really tool herself up for a future period of aggression. How well defended are those new trade fleets?
 
Excellent update, it was interesting to see the changes that the update made to your save, certainly the diplomatic changes seem to be largely sensible and have opened the door to more interesting relations around Europe. Russia and Scandinavia's advance in the Baltic is good to see as well - setting the stage for a future rivalry.

Sounds like this last update saw France really tool herself up for a future period of aggression. How well defended are those new trade fleets?

well, right now...they're not :D
But I am working on it.
 
'Too hot to DoW' – could be a hit this summer :) France has truly become a money-making machine... to power the war machine. Glad Versailles was worth those ducats. And trade transfer, wow!

I hardly believed it either when I saw it. My reasoning was that, worst case scenario, I'd lose a couple of weeks in this experiment. But the end result was quite astounding. Just goes to show that you should never be afraid to experiment a little.

On the other hand, if I fill my naval limit with heavy ships, it will cost me about 25 ducats per month.
Oh, and I neglected to mention it in the update, but my Land Force Limit stands at 205. I only have about 160 or so regiments. :eek:
I am going to need every cent of it.
 
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Chapter 30: A Tale Of Kings, Dictators and Emperors.

This is going to be an eventful chapter. Not just for France, but also for Great Britain.


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It begins when they change their form of government to Constitutional Monarchy, which is quite interesting, actually. Mostly because it gives you 5 years less of Nationalism. This could be quite interesting for a nation bend on conquest. Great Britain? Not really all that much. The only annexations they have done in the past several centuries, are on the other side of the world: primitive nations and tribes.
I’m actually quite interested in testing it myself. But not right now. Not after finally getting my Legitimacy back up to a semi-respectable level again.
Within the next 5 years, several other European nations will adopt this government. So, who knows?


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It is july, 1676 before I have enough money to pack back my loan and february 1677 before I get Diplo Tech 21. Which makes me think: at level 22, I get Twodeckers, the most modern ships of the line so far. I will wait a couple of years. Then, I will be able to go full out in building. In the meantime, I will just sit here and gather money.


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Then again, whenever I look at the Americas, I can’t help but notice the size of the British Empire. Perhaps there is something I can do while I wait. I declare war on the Choctaw and their ally in Arkansas and start faking claims in Austria and Spain.
While my troops are moving, I get a notice that ivory Coast has grown into a city. I find Benguala, a West African province with a tax base of 4 that is still free, so I grab it.

In the mean time, Spain DoWs Japan again, but this time, Ming joins the fun, on the Japanese side. This could be good. Either they waste a ton of Manpower over there, or they lose a ton of regiments In China. Whatever the outcome, they won’t be in any shape to give me a hard time.


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On the 11th of November, 1678, the last continental province in France, Loire, is converted. All of France is now catholic, so I revoke the Edict of Nantes.

In January the following year, I get Admin Tech level 22, which means another Idea Group. For a moment, I hesitate. Grabbing Expansion would be nice, but I can’t even finish Administrative Ideas


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Since I am 7 years ahead in Military Tech, I decide to go for Quality instead, and because I already have over 600 Mil Points stored up, I can grab the first Idea right away too (+10% Infantry Combat Ability). If only all choices were that easy.

Illiniwek, Choctaw’s ally, gives up and hands over its complete treasury of 1357 ducats. This will help immensely with paying for those ships someday.


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Then, right in the middle of sieging Choctaw, the Thirteen Colonies declare war on Outremer. Neither one of them calls their Big Daddy, so I can’t really help them. In order to satisfy my conscience, I give Outremer 5 ducats per month of subsidies.
They manage to hold their own against the Thirteen Colonies for the moment, so I am not too worried.


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Near the end of the year, the king dies. His heir is the first Habsburg king of France with 100 Legitimacy.

My diplomats have not been doing a very good job at hiding their intentions. I get caught faking a claim once too many, and before I know it the coalition grows to include not only Spain and Portugal, but also Baden, Austria and Tuscany.

Venice finds itself on the receiving end of a one-two punch between Austria and Spain. I can only sit there, hoping they won’t grab Lombardia. On the other hand, Austria also has bigger fish to fry: They are on the receiving end of an Ottoman business visit. Good times :D

Time to build another army, then. I go for my 206 Force Limit with 7 cavalry, 14 artillery and 24 infantry.
Choctaw is annexed, and I get a random event: Colonial Ventures, which makes ships more expensive, but shaves 10% off the Diplo Tech I am waiting for. Two months later, I can grab both the 2nd Quality Idea (+5% Army Morale Recovery Speed) AND Diplo Tech 22. With slightly over 2000 ducats, building 29 Heavy Ships at once is quite a thrill!

I have, in the mean time, send my transports to South America to pick up the 21 regiments stationed there. They are dropped off in Outremer, just to be cautious. That war is still going on, and, despite losing a fight, my Colonial Nation seems to be winning. That means it’s just a matter of time until the Thirteen call GB into the fray.


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3 Weeks later, though, The British find themselves in a civil war. Constitutional Monarchy didn’t seem to catch on too well. The issue is whether they will be a Republican Dictatorship under one Oliver Cromwell (I think it is the first time I have seen this fire!), or an Administrative Republic.


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It seems that Venezia is no longer Venice’s capital. If I take Lombardia, Venice will go the way of the dodo. And, what’s even better, they are obviously no allies anymore. So it is me against Venice. What could possibly go wrong?

I declare war on Venice. Utrecht and Outremer obediently join the fun. Even Lüneburg and Russia get in on it.


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Of course, it would have been better for me had I actually read the small print. With their capital now firmly in HRE territory, Venice is now an HRE prince.
Which means that Austria, as Emperor, gets called in. :(
And as if that is not bad enough, with Austria becoming war leader, they get to call in their allies. :huh:
Which means: Spain. :eek:
Oops. :eek:o

I immediately pull those 31 regiments out of Iberia, and send everything I have to the Alps.


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Unfortunately, Austria gets there first and I am thankful that I am fighting this war on speed 2. Had I been on speed 3, I might not even have been able to stop my army in time.

For almost 2 months, we stare each other down across the mountain tops. I am so lucky that Spain has bigger fish to fry (chinese fish, remember?). Finally, in the middle of August, Austria blinks first and goes for my nice, juicy 19-regiment bait in Brescia.
The battle could go either way. They have 95 regiments, I have 75, but a defensive mountain position, better morale and better discipline. I don’t want to take any chances, though. So I throw the entire continental French army into the battle.


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Now, take a moment and look at those numbers. 157,000 of their combined forces against 133,000 French and Utrechtian (??) troops. Winning that fight gives me a whopping 17.61 Warscore. In one single battle. I don’t think I have ever seen that result before.

Most of the surivivors head for Vienna, with 65 regiments in hot pursuit. When they see me coming, they try to escape through Ottoman territory. Because the Ottomans refuse to give me access, their plan works. For about 3 days. Then, the Ottomans jump them with an advantage in numbers of 5 to 1.

And that is just about how it goes for the rest of the war. Without being allies (in fact, I am their rival!), we work together like a well-oiled machine. I lose one battle because I was being impulsive again, but other than that, the Austrians and their friends are no match against 2 of the 3 biggest armies in the world. (The biggest one is dusting off the Spanish in Siberia while trash-talking to the Timurids at the same time.)
I move to occupy the westernmost provinces of Austria, and Baden, while the Ottomans grab the heartland of ancestral Austria.


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Then, because I am obviously having too easy a time of it, the Thirteen Colonies go cry to their daddy. Now, I am not very concerned about the British involvement, because their civil war is still raging. Half the English countryside is occupied by the rebels. At least now, I can help out. After a couple of months of playing hide-and-seek, the army of English Mexico faces my 31 French regiments and loses, while Outremer continues to advance cautiously. Those 3 lost battles you see in the screenshot are just about the only ones they suffer, as far as I know. By July, 1683, they have 4 provinces occupied and are fighting a for a fifth one. They still had their 18 regiments, but I only saw 4 enemy regiments on screen.


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By oktober, 1683, I decide to call it quits. They have been made to pay for their mistake, so I am not complaining. Grabbing 2 actual colonies in the process is only icing on the cake.


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6 Months pass. I had stationed a bunch of troops on the provinces occupied by the Ottomans, waiting for them to peace out, but they were doing the same thing on my occupied provinces. I am bleeding 70 ducats per month in reinforcements (!!!) (I had to take out a new loan!) and my Manpower is down the drain, so I have had enough. This whole time, there were about 6 Spanish regiments on the border with France. They never moved.

What I didn’t consider, was that these 2 peace deals together give me a whopping 168% Overextension and turns my AE into the world’s first skyscraper.
On the other hand, it was worth it in the long run. I now have a gold mine in Tirol (which also happens to be one of the best provinces in Europe in terms of natural defenses), Baden loses a province because I wanted to have that connection to Tirol, Russia gets a Spanish province in Siberia that they had claims on, AND Austria pays me enough to get rid of a loan.

Experienced players know what that means: here come the “fun” events! But we will talk about those next time. See you then!
 
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Quite the victories in those two wars, let alone a family divorce among the Habsburgs! :p

BTW, I might gather that you might have jumped into 1st in Prestige points. If not, whose in 1st? I might guess the Ottomans since I would have a hard time believing any other of the European states can somehow be ahead of you all things considered?
 
Quite the victories in those two wars, let alone a family divorce among the Habsburgs! :p

BTW, I might gather that you might have jumped into 1st in Prestige points. If not, whose in 1st? I might guess the Ottomans since I would have a hard time believing any other of the European states can somehow be ahead of you all things considered?

I checked my save (mind you this is about 4 years after the end of the chapter), but the Ottomans are ahead of me in diplo and military.
They have 6027 points, while I have 4829 points.
Russia has 4710
GB has 4687
Spain has 4255
Portugal has 3842
Austria, in V2, makes up the 8th position and would barely be a Great Power anymore.
 
168%!! I once had that as France (my first game) and a huge European coalition invaded me while the rebels where everywhere so I was forced to peace out and accept the demands and basically return to my 1444 size (with the vassals annexed). I hope you will have better luck.

Also do not adopt Constitutional Monarchy! If you have absolute (I do not remember what you currently have) there are a lot of good Louis XIV events that can happen.

About the English revolution, for me Cromwell always win.
 
168%!! I once had that as France (my first game) and a huge European coalition invaded me while the rebels where everywhere so I was forced to peace out and accept the demands and basically return to my 1444 size (with the vassals annexed). I hope you will have better luck.

Also do not adopt Constitutional Monarchy! If you have absolute (I do not remember what you currently have) there are a lot of good Louis XIV events that can happen.

About the English revolution, for me Cromwell always win.

That is one of the good things about this latest patch. Coring goes faster. Besides which, I have a truce with just about all of Europe at the moment. But, yeah, I will have to keep my nose down for the next couple of decades.

I do have Absolute Monarchy, and I like it. The 5% discipline bonus gives a nice synergy with standard French military strength.
As for the English Civil War, they have become an Administrative Republic under Cromwell.
 
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That is one of the good things about this latest patch. Coring goes faster. Besides which, I have a truce with just about all of Europe at the moment. But, yeah, I will have to keep my nose down for the next couple of decades.

Also some of the territories you took where in America so the Europeans do not care as much as if all of it would had been in Europe. Great Britain, though, might care about both and form a coalition. What is your AE with them?
 
Also some of the territories you took where in America so the Europeans do not care as much as if all of it would had been in Europe. Great Britain, though, might care about both and form a coalition. What is your AE with them?

The British are thankfully not in the coalition, but we have been rivals for the past 250 years. I doubt there will be anything I can do to remedy their opinion of me. TBH, I didn't check my AE towards them.
 
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Chapter 31: India.​

As mentioned in the previous chapter, France’s overextension will sour things internally for a couple of years, while our Agressive Expansion ensures that nobody in Europe likes us anymore.

It begins with rising National Sentiment in Ghent and Antwerpen (+15% revolt risk), but see for yourself why it is generally speaking not a good idea.


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Swiss nationalists, Flemish nationalists, Swiss, Austrian, Castilian, Choctaw…everybody wants out.

What is even better is that I don’t have anywhere near the Admin Points to core everything. Tirol costs 200 AP, Lombardia costs 225.

While the Ottomans keep grinding Austria under their boots, my armies are heading home.
Before they even get there, we get “incompetent diplomacy” (-10% Better Relations Over Time for 5 years).
Our merchant in Antwerpen gets murdered (-10% Trade Power for 10 years).
A giant rebel army spawns in Lombardia: 65 regiments. I end up giving in to their demands. Twice. No problem in and by itself, were it not that it resets the coring process. That’s 225 AP down the drain!
I am still bleeding money like there is no tomorrow, so I reduce my Military funding to a bare minimum, and wait for better times.


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On the 1st of December, 1685, Lüneburg goes to war against Münster and asks me to help. For a moment, I consider accepting and then sitting the whole thing out, but the British also get called in. I don’t want the only HRE prince who still likes me, to get it into his head that Great Britain is more trustworthy than France. I mobilize the troops and head off to war, hoping that the war will be over before I have to take out a new loan. My commitment sends ripples of fear through Europe and a handful more HRE minors join the coalition, along with Napels.

The Ottomans grab Ostmarch and Graz and force Austria to give up a bunch of cores, allies and claims. Sadly enough, the alliance with Spain stands. Not that it matters, really: they are both in the coalition against France, so any war by the one will be joined by the other.


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Now I know why the Spanish sat out my war against Austria. I must say that I am impressed by Ming. Fighting a European powerhouse to a standstill is nothing to be sneezed at. The downside, of course, is that Japan now stands alone.


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The combined might of the Lüneburg alliance cripples The Hansa, and sets them back about 240 years.
All that comes at a price, of course. That price is another 1,000 ducats loan for yours truly.

By June, 1688, the war is over. Münster loses East Frisia and Osnabrück, becoming an OPM in the process.
And it cost me a third loan.

Time to take some drastic measures.

I am paying 11 ducats per month in reinforcements, so I merge as many regiments as I can.


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Step two: after a second giant uprising in Lombardia, it becomes painfully obvious that I will never be able to core the damn place at this rate. The solution is as simple as it is elegant. Milan is reborn once again. My OE drops almost 80 points and I lose a bunch of revolt-ridden provinces. That does mean I have to shrink my army somewhat, but that’s a price worth paying. I sell them Graubunden, but they will not accept Tirol (wrong culture, Milan is “part of the empire”, and all that).


Add some harsh treatments all over the place, and France finally seems to settle down.

I belatedly remember that I still had those subsidies going for Outremer. They are cancelled immediately, saving me another 5 ducats per month.

The rebirth of 4 HRE princes gives Austria enough Imperial Power to enact Ewiger Landtfriede (No more internal wars in the HRE), even though they had nothing to do with it.

Japan loses a whopping 8 provinces to Spain in the peace deal, which means they lose the entire north and most of the main island.

A year passes, and my OE has dropped to 32%, a mere fraction of what it had been. Only Tirol remains to be done.

Brandenburg loses a war against Bohemia, and is forced to cede Niederlausitz, while releasing Pommerania and Magdeburg. They are reduced to 2 provinces.

Ghent and Antwerpen see the error of their ways in oktober, 1689, and end their striving for Flemish independence. I also get Diplo Tech level 23, and a new type of trade ship: the Heavy Frigate.
By december of that year, Brabant is the first to leave the coalition, followed shortly afterwards by Brandenburg.
France establishes a colony in Gabon a couple of days before Christmas.

In january, I take the mission to establish a presence in India. My first plan is to establish a colony in Madagascar, but since Portugal is there already, and since it is a rotten place to keep order, I decide to just bypass the island.
I am making 14 ducats per month again, with my sliders full, and I am 21 regiments below my Force Limit, so I start building 10 infantry, 4 cavalry and 6 cannons.


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While I do that, I grab Military Tech 23. I opt for Latin Dragoons and Caroline Infantry.
At the same time, a random event forces me to pay 90 ducats because “nobody wants to work anymore”. I have only 50 in the bank at the time, so there goes a fourth loan.


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Portugal breaks off the alliance with Spain and Tirol is finally cored. Goodbye, OE!

My 20 new regiments are done. I put them on a transport fleet, escorted by 3 heavy ships. They will make a stop in Gabon, before going on to their final destination.

New Spain and English Mexico get into a tiff, and both call in their overlords. Great Britain and Spain march (or sail, as the case may be) off to war!

With my OE gone, the various rebel factions fade back into the woodwork. In all, it took me about 6 years to get things back to normal.

In December, 1691, Russia gives in to the latest fad, and becomes a Constitutional Monarchy. The real-life Tsars turn in their graves!

Agiers and the Ottomans go to war, and Algiers will have to cede a couple of provinces. Later, Portugal will grab a couple more and Algiers ends up a shattered nation with 2 or 3 scattered provinces.

By june, 1692, I am ready to make my play in India. While I send the troops from Gabon to the Indian Ocean, I receive the notification that Poland has finished westernising.


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Ceylon is the only Indian coastal nation that is not a protectorate yet, so they are toast.


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Baluchistan and Hindustan go to war and Great Britain ends up right in the middle of things. I doubt they will do much, though; the war against Spain is still raging fiercely all over Latin America;

Annexing Ceylon somehow convinces Genoa that they are threatened, and they join the coalition. Confusing, really. Did they actually even know Ceylon existed RL?


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Who do you fight when France is being quiet? Well, everybody else, of course. This particular war began when Scandinavia DoWed Poland, citing the “conquest of Poland”.

I hope they take care of Austria for me.


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I start the India Trade Company in September, 1693 and a new colonial nation in November. Enough money is now pouring in that my finances are no longer a problem. Those 9 ducats per month from the gold mines in Tirol and Tucujulandia certainly help! By oktober 1694, I make about 45 ducats per month, which enables me to start paying off my loans.


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For the longest time, I had been wondering what to do about the Native American tribes. I finally make up my mind. After a couple of months of improving my relations with them, the Shawnee agree to become my protectorate. The result is a nice homogenous block of control. I am still working on the Cherokee and another tribe, whose name escapes me at the moment.

January, 1695. Portugal leaves the coalition. I begin construction of a Naval Base in Poitou.


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With Admin Tech 23, I am finally fully up-to-date in terms of technology again! I have no idea how long it has been, but it feels like I have been playing catch-up for a century or more.

I gleefully watch Spain occupy Leinster, and cheer on my Scandivanian heroes, whose war against Austria, Poland, Lithuania, Bohemia and half a dozen HRE minors now stands at a Warscore of +19.


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Crimea and the Ottomans get jealous, so they join the general mayhem against Poland. I almost feel sorry for Austria. Almost.


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Who knows? Maybe now might be a good time to start looking outside my own borders again. Maybe. I will let you know what I decide next time. See you then!
 
Your Ottomans where reallly at the Gates of Vienna in the first screenshot (and they will probably be soon again)! Usually for me the opposite happens with Austria controlling Greece. For the natives, good that you choosed the IRL French way (being friendly to them and trading with them) that was the opposite of the British one.

I do think that you should look outside of your borders especially since they are not so clean, they would look a lot better with Savoy and some parts of Austria added. ;)
 
Your Ottomans where reallly at the Gates of Vienna in the first screenshot (and they will probably be soon again)! Usually for me the opposite happens with Austria controlling Greece. For the natives, good that you choosed the IRL French way (being friendly to them and trading with them) that was the opposite of the British one.

I do think that you should look outside of your borders especially since they are not so clean, they would look a lot better with Savoy and some parts of Austria added. ;)

In that first screenshot, they were really showing their strength. They are beginning to lag behind a tech or so, so I think I could take them if I had to. But if they do the dirty work for me, why complain?
Thanks for the vote of confidence about the natives. It's a 21st century mindset, but I always feel guilty going to war against them :)
 
I just finished playing a new session, and, I have 72 screenshots :eek:
 
Most mean there was a lot of action in the last play thru! :p

you think? :ninja:

I have enough material for 2 chapters. Chapter 32 has just been written. I am now going to write chapter 33, while it is still fresh. Will try to post chapter 32 tomorrow and 33 a couple of days later.