Advice Wanted: Muscovy Ironman Run 1.24. Advice on LO/Riga/Teutonic Order war?

[jaguar8311]

Have all DLC +3rd Rome except Mare Nostrum, El Dorado and Cradle of Civ

Allied Ryazan (didn’t want Horde taking it) Won 1st war against Novgorod and Odoyev (annexed)

Sweden/Denmark, Poland/Mazovia and Lithuania are all attacking Teutonic Order, Livonian Order and Riga.

Now is a good time to invade attach LO and Riga as well. Would like some advice on this. In my previous run, I annexed all of LO, Riga along with Konigsberg and quickly Novgorod, Poland/Lithuania and Sweden joined a coalition against me.

Any advice on what I should do?

Livonian Order – How do I not incur an AE expansion penalty for annexing all of LO? I’m still a noob but I don’t think there’s a way in peace deals to have Pskov directly annex LO.

I could also vassalize them, but I’d rather not use up a Dip slot.

Riga – I’ve heard that not annexing and attacking them every few years after they join the trade league is a good way to Ducats. Not sure if this has changed given all the patches and DLC.

Teutonic Order – Taking Konisberg and Memel this early in the game has never worked for me. What should I do with the war score? I don’t want them just to be gobbled up by PLC later.

Thanks

Edit: Additional noob Questions

A) What should I have as my Icon? I have it on institution spread because that's the area I know least about.

B) Trade, currently am collecting trade from Novogorod and steering from Kazan. Is this right?

C) Should I consecrate Metropolitans anywhere?

 

[Jorlaan]

I would just advise to take as much as possible without getting a coalition. Remember you can sometimes push AE to the mid 50's and still not get one if you keep high relations with other neighbors; it'll decay pretty fast. Just be careful with that strategy, it can backfire so watch that AE.
Rotate your wars between religious groups to help. None of your Christian neighbors will care much for AE accumulated attacking hordes, and vise-versa.

 

[Sfan]

When you peace out, you can check if a coalition can form by checking if there is a crossed flag on the bottom right of the peace screen. Incidentally, you can also check the amount of AE you will generate by passing your mouse over the Agressive Expansion (AE) symbol of the left of the peace screen.

If more than 3 countries who don't have a truce with you have negative opinion and more than 50 AE, they can coalition you. They won't do it if you are massively stronger however.

If you are a beginner, just make sure you never have more than 3 countries over 50 AE, that's a safe rule. That makes expansion slower, but it avoids coalitions.

For more complex rules, AE is generated faster if people share religion/culture with the country you invaded and you don't share religion/culture with them. For instance, if you invade Kazan, the other Sunni Hordes will care a lot because they are of same culture and religion, but Novgorod will not care because they are Orthodox and Russian. That's why the best way to expand quickly is to rotate between cultures and religions. Get 55 AE with the Russians, it will go below 50 before the truce, during this time get 55 AE with the Hordes, it will go below 50 during the truces, and so on and so on.

 

[zyxx]

I used to force religion on Livonian Order and Riga and money in a first war, and to vassalize and sell Riga to Liv. O. after a second war, after I had already integrated my vassals except Perm.
Teutonic O. normally didn't join the wars.
Maybe it is better to take some land from Lithuania, as Poland and Lithuania are stronger than the Orders while they are still weak - bad starting ruler with low military monarch points - and are occupied in another war.

 

[gia257]

strats vary based on your ideas, just do whatever your ideas excel at

 

[Dominion]

Riga – I’ve heard that not annexing and attacking them every few years after they join the trade league is a good way to Ducats. Not sure if this has changed given all the patches and DLC.

Has nothing to do with patches and DLCs.

Trade leagues are rich, Muscovy is poor. You let them live so you can keep declaring on their whole league (Lübeck, etc.) and farm them for several thousand ducats per war. A value that will increase exponentionally over time. You can get 10.000 ducats per war from them in ~1580.

Annexing them is weaker than letting them live.
Seen lots of Brandenburg players making the same mistake by annexing Lübeck. Why would you throw away your biggest source of income?