Byzantine Mission Improvements for the European Update

[Rudolf Nechvile II]

Introduction:
I have decided to make a thread regarding the vast, yet somewhat flavourless missions for the Byzantines and possibly future Roman ones. Considering the European Update is supposed to be from Brest to Constantinople, I feel it would only be fitting to revise the Eastern Roman Empire a bit.

I will try to group relevant points across multiple posts so that it is easier for any readers that happen to come across this to agree or disagree with individual concepts, rather than having to disagree or agree with a long post because of only one concept. I also hope that this post is not too late for the devs to consider anything they may like.

 

[Rudolf Nechvile II]

Religion:

• There should be more religious conversion missions. Byzantium should have missions to convert all of Anatolia (why stop at the Asia Minor Coast) as well as Rome and parts of Italy and the Levant. Ottomans could get missions to convert Albania and Bosnia, or perhaps have some events for those.
• I’m not sure if it already is a requirement, but the required provinces should be Orthodox before restoring the Pentarchy.
• Restoring the Pentarchy should also give Catholic nations events to convert to Orthodox (perhaps they decide to embrace Protestant heresy out of spite) like in CKII or at the very least give a bonus to converting Catholics if it doesn’t already.
• The schism has been going for a while, so some of the most ardent Catholic nations would object and the three or so biggest nations that remain Catholic can get a CB to restore the papacy, possibly using coalition mechanics to help them fight an at this time probably unstoppable ERE.
• The largest Catholic nation could after a successful war to restore the Papal State, or possibly the greatest contributor, get an event with the option to “enforce protection” on the papacy, making it a vassal, seeing that it is unfit to protect itself.
• This should add a bit of mid to late game challenge and flavour (often lacking imo) for the Orthodox and perhaps for Catholics in multiplayer vs Orthodox players.

 

[Rudolf Nechvile II]

Culture:

I am no expert, but perhaps one or two provinces in Anatolia, especially on the coast should start Greek. My understanding is that Greece received land in Anatolia post WWI because there were significant Greek populations there. However, that is not to say that they did not return long after the fall of Constantinople, as frankly, I don’t know.

• There should really be a short chain of missions (two or three missions) to culture convert Anatolia and to really give meaning to “Turks driven from Anatolia”. The first mission could reward you with cheaper culture conversion for the rest of the game (helping with the other culture missions) and the remaining ones could give temporary boosts to trade/tax or cheaper development.
• The last culture related mission being the restoration of the Theme system, having the Hellenisation and Christianisation of Anatolia missions converge on it.
• This should give some use to the often less important diplo points and prevent people from just “accepting” the culture of their former conquerors and rivals (currently best and easiest option).
• Nearby Muslim nations could get events every time a state is fully converted, where the Turks flee into their land. One province always become Sunni and Turkish and can have varying permanent effects (cheaper dev/construction, base man power/trade/tax) or temporary effects (discipline, morale, religious conversion, institution spread, manpower). Each country should be able to refuse them; in which case they move onto a different one. Perhaps you can even have events where the Turks decide to try and set up shop in another country, in the form of seperatists.
• The renaissance should possibly also have a higher chance of Spawning in Constantinople if it doesn’t fall, or Greece is reconquered.

 

[Rudolf Nechvile II]

Conquest:

The restoration of Justinian is cool and all, but most players actually want to restore all of the Roman Empire.

• The conquest of Southern Spain should reward permanent claims on all of Hispania.
• The conquest of Northern Italy should have another mission titled “thrust into Gaul” which could lead into another mission titled “legacy of Caesar” or just outright reward permanent claims on Gaul and Southern Britain.
• There should perhaps also be a mission regarding the restoration of a proper Byzantine fleet (have X number of galleys).

 

[Rudolf Nechvile II]

Rome:

Although Rome is the ultimate goal for all Byzantine players, it doesn’t have to be the end of the playthrough. Personally, I ended my Byzantine playthrough after restoring Trajan’s borders because there wasn’t really any purpose left, something Roman missions should help with.

• There should honestly be a mission to crush the pretenders of Rome. To complete the mission, the Holy Roman Empire should be destroyed and you should “show superiority” to Russia or have it not exist (for the rare event in which it doesn’t form).
• Rome should be able to subdue Germania once and for all (avenging Varus and also the original Western Rome), conquer Caledonia (perhaps rewarding claims on Hibernia) and thrusting into Persia (Parthia/Sassania).
• Rome should also try and spread her culture in Italy (possibly Hispania) with those culture groups perhaps being easier to convert (I know language does not equal culture, but they aren’t totally disjointed) and rewards from the Byzantine missions should help with the Roman ones if you formed it as them.
• Rome should have some colonial Ambitions. It doesn’t have to be too large just perhaps an “Establish Nova Roma” and claims on key colonial areas, preferably with their colonial nations all having inventive auto-generated names and not just be “Roman La Plata” (e.g. Nova Roma in Eastern America and Nova Hispania in Mexico).
• Lastly, Rome should try and have a couple of mission in the east, e.g. “have five provinces in India” or “colonise Sumatra”, just to represent how important eastern trade was, perhaps reward trade efficiency or power in the Alexandria node to show how significant the province of Egypt once was for eastern trade.

 

[withche.07]

I support this thread as I have written in couple of dev diaries Byzantium and Ottomans need more fleshed out missions, similar level with great powers.

Do you have any information about Roman institutions? Some of them may work out to revive by completing a mission and getting an event.

 

[Rudolf Nechvile II]

Do you have any information about Roman institutions?

To be honest; no. My ideas for Roman missions are basically just what I feel are natural continuations in their conquest in beating down on old enemies and expanding beyond Europe to the New World. I also just really want to see Rome deal with the pretenders and put them in their place, because theoretically it's like they are laying claim to the new reforged empire and just a bit of flavour beyond/before outright conquest.

I would definitely like to see missions beyond war though, hence culture conversion (something I haven't seen in missions) and religious conversions. I'm not exactly sure what Rome could do beyond even more conquest though, but perhaps if it's done well, a rival of the Hellenistic religion? It sounds wacky, and even I wouldn't fully support it, but it's no more wacky than than the ERE somehow reviving the old empire and could add a bit of interesting flavour.

 

[PurpulaPhoenixum53]

Rome should have some colonial Ambitions.

It could start with a mission named " Continue Hanno's Voyage" It would discuss how the Carthaginian Hanno sailed past the Pillars of Heracles and south and supposedly found land past it. It should challenge to continue in Hanno's path and expand upon his knowledge.

Administration, there should be a decision for the cost of 400 admin. mana and admin tech. 8 to reform the bureaucracy, which grants a additional +5 states and +1% administrative efficiency with the cost of year corruption +0.05. Also related to administration, there should be a mission to strengthen the succession, which is , at the start of the game, shakey due to Ioannes childlessness, and Konstantinos being a childless widower. If an heir is not produced, there might be a chance for the pretenders in Trebizond to reclaim the throne or a civil to begin. The success condition of this mission could be either A) have a least a male heir of the same Dynasty, younger than 40 (i.e No more inheritance from Brother to Brother, succession must move on from Father to Son.

There should also be missions to renovate the reconquered cities of Antioch and Alexandria (renovating Alexandria would also come with the ability to promote the Coptic language, which would be in the Byzantine culture). There should also be a mission renovate the capital

 

[Rudolf Nechvile II]

If an heir is not produced, there might be a chance for the pretenders in Trebizond to reclaim the throne or a civil to begin.

I would definitely love to see a return of the Komnenoi to restore all of Rome. Perhaps it could be a War of the Roses like disaster that ticks as the starting emperor dies (giving a chance to beat the Turks) and could end with a Tudor type event and a union with Trebizond.

 

[withche.07]

Something about Theodoro could also be good.

 

[Baron of Red]

The Thema system mission should reward byzantium with cultural converting to greek culture group in anatolia.

Repopulation of the countryside should give either a cultural boost, or development increase.

 

[PurpulaPhoenixum53]

The Thema system mission should reward byzantium with cultural converting to greek culture group in anatolia.

Repopulation of the countryside should give either a cultural boost, or development increase.

Agree with the Repopulation of the Countryside idea.

I also think that the Theme System should have decisions to expand the System to other regions (i.e Italy, Northern Balkans, Egypt, and Mesopotamia, etc. ). However, I disagree on the cultural conversion. The Thema System was a purely administrative system and should give administrative bonuses (personally think it should give, +3 states, -25% state maintenance, and +1% administrative eff.)