1.8 Byzantium

[Pilot00]

Like you destroy all big empires:

Destroy them from the inside. Drive up their war exhaustion to max in every single war. Don't occupy provinces were you actually want them to spawn rebels. If you do that, you won't be fighting one big Mameluks anymore, but several small to middle sized enemies which don't share the same truce timers. If you play it smart you can even play a vassal game: Take one Syrian province in your first war and release them as your vassal. In the aftermath (if you really wrecked them with war exhaustion and maybe one disaster) or else after the next war, all those nice Syrian provinces will flock to your vassal's banner through rebels.

Well I did that, the point is that their empire is homogenous, I had removed all the sirian, iraq and levantine cores and made them release Fez. I guess they blobed too much in that game. They capitalized too much in the chaos of the Ottoman collapse.

 

[FreeSoc]

What's a good early-game Byzantine strategy for 1.9? Galleyspam doesn't seem to be that effective any more, as the Ottomans will invariably build an absolutely massive navy and then slaughter your relatively paltry forces (you're also poorer in 1.9, so finding the funds to build galleys when you're over the forcelimit is now harder - maintaining them is easy, but they're harder to build); even if they don't, Tunis will bring their navy to the party and just murder whatever you've got left even if you beat the Ottomans' navies.

And then there's the fact that, even if you ally Serbia and Hungary (and, if you're lucky, Poland), then about half the time the Ottomans just laugh and declare on you while all their forces are still in Europe, before they go for any of the Anatolian minors, which leaves you with virtually no chance whatsoever.

Any ideas? Any successful strategies to relate?

 

[Pilot00]

Ally Poland, Austria and either Castile or Aragon (preferably the latter). The Poles are a bit tricky since they might peace out of the war. The Iberians will most likely destroy the Tunisian fleet and might occupy them as well (though I have seen the occasional 20 doom stack land on Anatolia).

Leave Serbia to its own devices, the will most likely conquer Bosnia and some of the time (depending on the Venetians) Raguza. After they do this, use their CBs (later and when its convenient) to take land and either release or feed them Bulgaria. If all goes well you can feed them Albania and Try to pry off their cores corresponding to Croatia from Hungary.


I also tend to break the vassalisation of Athens early and conquer them if I am not warned by the Ottos. An OPM is useless as a vassal in that area.

The rest are pretty much same old, but you need a lot more luck and a couple more loans now.

 

[ChildeR]

And then there's the fact that, even if you ally Serbia and Hungary (and, if you're lucky, Poland), then about half the time the Ottomans just laugh and declare on you while all their forces are still in Europe, before they go for any of the Anatolian minors, which leaves you with virtually no chance whatsoever.

Ally Poland + any minors you want, but don't ally another great power before them. If you get DoWed, Poland + their subjects will kick the Ottomans' butt, even if you cannot blockade the strait. Siege quickly in that case, since they will white peace Poland out of the war if it takes too long.

It doesn't really require any luck, but if you want to be absolutely sure there's the option of restarting the game until you can hire a +diprep advisor. In that case you can ally at least Poland and Austria, probably some other less powerful nations as well.

 

[Lapsed Pacifist]

Ugh, the Mameluks are just worthless. I invaded Anatolia in the second war, with Hungary, Poland and Bulgaria in tow and they declared war on the Ottos about halfway through. I was overjoyed and expected this to finally break the Ottomans for good. But despite me wiping out the main Turkish army and their entire navy, the Ottomans STILL KICKED THEIR ASSES. Somehow. Then they white peaced out and the Ottoman war exhaustion suddenly dropped to 0.
Save deleted. Time to start over.
:glare:

 

[Fyras]

But despite me wiping out the main Turkish army and their entire navy, the Ottomans STILL KICKED THEIR ASSES. Somehow.
:glare:

I have seen that too. I don't know of which rough timespawn you are talking, but normally the Ottomans are very soon 2-3 Miltechs ahead of the Mameluks AND most fights take place around Sidon and the other mountainous provinces of Syria (or sometimes in east Anatolia/Armenia). Especially if the forces of the Ottomans are weak, the Mameluks seem to think attacking into the mountains against superior troops is a good idea and get anihilated that way...

 

[TheMeInTeam]

The only think the Mamluks are good for is a distraction whereby the Ottomans aren't in Greece, and maybe for their fleet (sometimes they do unfortunate things to Venice's fleet making it easier to take Venice's stuff nearby).

You have to trash the Ottomans pretty badly before the Mamluks win, stuff along the lines of "trap them in Chios, bankrupt them with a carpet siege and then annul all their treaties in the peace deal". Mamluks can beat nothing at all, but otherwise they usually lose.

Not that it matters, in fact it's more annoying when they emerge, if only marginally so.

 

[Cwalk121]

There are some policies affiliated with religious ideas that might be of help. Otherwise you may have to wait for the cathedral building (which is quite late though). If you are very close a boost to fort level might just be enough (they give 0,1%... so it may still be a pain in the ass). Don't forget though that your National ideas also contain another buff to missionary strength!

Yeah the cathedral and national idea are my last resorts, but I'm currently just hoping I get lucky and get that event that gives you a 75% chance of converting a random province at the cost of a few thousand manpower. Pretty much everything else is converted to Orthodoxy now though, which means practically no more rebellions except in newly conquered areas.

 

[Pilot00]

How much Patriarch Authority did you gents pulled? I am at 1600s now and I have 70% wooohooo!

 

[Oddb@ll]

How much Patriarch Authority did you gents pulled? I am at 1600s now and I have 70% wooohooo!

I usually have around 100% at 1600s already

 

[Cwalk121]

I usually have around 100% at 1600s already

Damn, so far I've only had a grand total of two random patriarch authority events fire. The rest I've gotten from the Antioch and Jerusalem reclaimed events.

 

[Viperswhip]

That'll be the historical capitals thing 1.9 introduced. Byzantium can not move its capital from Constantinople. You'll have to create a chain of provinces leading around the Greek coast.

Then you are too big to join the HRE, you'd have to take 3 or 4 electors, same as Spain. It's stupid. Was this to stop the AI from moving it to Morea? Limiting player options is really stupid, but Paradox does it a lot.

 

[ChildeR]

Then you are too big to join the HRE, you'd have to take 3 or 4 electors, same as Spain. It's stupid. Was this to stop the AI from moving it to Morea? Limiting player options is really stupid, but Paradox does it a lot.

It will be changed in the next patch to only affect AI.