Just began my second EUIII game after a grand old time as Castille in my first.
I've done three Vicky AARs. One an Austrian WC on normal, another a Swiss WC on normal, and last but not least the Belgian WC on vh/vh. The transition from Vicky to EUIII was a little rough, but I think I've got the hang of it now. Certainly I won't choose bureaucracy as my first NI like I did with Castille.
The Papal States shall be the country and the goal is that of any self-respecting pontiff, namely, military conquest on a massive scale.
Difficulty is normal but with a few rules of note:
No merchants - My popes don't like those greedy bastards. They are all getting conscripted and put in the galleys!
No conquest of pagan nations - Those Incans and Mayans and all the rest are going to frolick about and live in peace and harmony. And woe to him who messes with my little Aztec friends.
No Vassalage by Diplomat - This isn't a self-imposed rule, but it's an important thing to note for those who want to try their hand at the Papal States. You are a Theocracy (actually a theocracy+ because normal theocracies get +20% conversion chance and papacy gets +25% =D). That means Royal Marriages are right out. So no showering a neighbor with gifts, nabbing an alliance and royal marriage, then vassalage, then diplo-annex 10 years later. In my last game as Castille, I never fought a major war. I just did that a billion times, to the point where, in 1650 or so, half of Europe was under my control, with another 25% as my vassal.
With that in mind, here we go.
I've done three Vicky AARs. One an Austrian WC on normal, another a Swiss WC on normal, and last but not least the Belgian WC on vh/vh. The transition from Vicky to EUIII was a little rough, but I think I've got the hang of it now. Certainly I won't choose bureaucracy as my first NI like I did with Castille.
The Papal States shall be the country and the goal is that of any self-respecting pontiff, namely, military conquest on a massive scale.
Difficulty is normal but with a few rules of note:
No merchants - My popes don't like those greedy bastards. They are all getting conscripted and put in the galleys!
No conquest of pagan nations - Those Incans and Mayans and all the rest are going to frolick about and live in peace and harmony. And woe to him who messes with my little Aztec friends.
No Vassalage by Diplomat - This isn't a self-imposed rule, but it's an important thing to note for those who want to try their hand at the Papal States. You are a Theocracy (actually a theocracy+ because normal theocracies get +20% conversion chance and papacy gets +25% =D). That means Royal Marriages are right out. So no showering a neighbor with gifts, nabbing an alliance and royal marriage, then vassalage, then diplo-annex 10 years later. In my last game as Castille, I never fought a major war. I just did that a billion times, to the point where, in 1650 or so, half of Europe was under my control, with another 25% as my vassal.
With that in mind, here we go.