Can anyone explain on marches?

[YuriiH]

This situation happened already several times:
I vassalise a country through war, then I make a March of it, and then... it does not fabricate any claims on neighbouring provinces.
I have 100+ reputation with them, I send money, but they all seem to sit peacefully as regular vassals.
My recent marches that have not fabricated ANY claim for several years:

Riga (surrounded by nonaccepted culture)
Oldenburg (surrounded by accepted culture, but in HRE)
Scotland (near England 'cap. obv.')

Could anyone please explain this issue? Is it a bug? Do I miss something while managing my vassals?

 

[vonHassenstein]

Apparently they only fabricate claims on your rivals, or nations you probably go to war with.

 

[dstarsboy]

It seems like certain countries (or possibly even rulers) have "attitudes" when it comes to fabricating claims. I have vassals who never fabricate and others who cover the map with their claims. Maybe it's based on Military modifier of ruler? I also believe they don't fabricate on provinces that aren't accepted culture, etc so there's likely a max to their fabricating efforts.

In other words, your game plan should never be to depend on your vassals to fabricate claim CBs for you.

 

[BaZERGer]

In other words, your game plan should never be to depend on your vassals to fabricate claim CBs for you.

One part of the patch i find largely disappointing.

 

[ParadogsGamer]

From my "That's a Silk Road" Achievement run (see my sig), I can comfirm that Marches rarely make any claims despite being same culture group. I found the best method when expanding a March is to leave one province as my own. Use this province to fabricate new claims, then go to war and sell that province to the March later. Rinse and repeat.

 

[dstarsboy]

Use this province to fabricate new claims, then go to war and sell that province to the March later. Rinse and repeat.

Now that you can switch occupation, there's almost never a need to sell provinces but yeah, keeping one of your own there for fabrication saves you some STA hits on DoW.

 

[ParadogsGamer]

Now that you can switch occupation, there's almost never a need to sell provinces but yeah, keeping one of your own there for fabrication saves you some STA hits on DoW.

Once you take the province you can't switch occupation, so you have to sell it.

 

[Hopit]

Once you take the province you can't switch occupation, so you have to sell it.

Then don't take it and just give it to your vassal?

 

[ParadogsGamer]

Then don't take it and just give it to your vassal?

The whole point is to be able to fabricate the next set of claims. Then sell after that is done.

 

[dstarsboy]

The whole point is to be able to fabricate the next set of claims. Then sell after that is done.

With the restrictions involved with selling provinces, it seems like it's way better to simply take a the STA hit (by mid game it's like, 60 Admin pts) and DoW without CB rather than spend so much time and effort on this.

 

[YuriiH]

Apparently they only fabricate claims on your rivals, or nations you probably go to war with.

In case of Scotland, England was my rival (however, I had no wars for those years with England)
In case of Oldenburg, I was rivaling East Frisia and Munster, still not any chance to fabricate claim on them.

As I have understood, the march should be a kind of AE sink. Still, 'regular conquering + selling provinces to marches' is no difference from having vassals in terms of AE expansion.
And 'conquering non-claimed provinces for marches directly' also has no major difference from regular AE increase... Moreover, it is I who pays diplomatic cost for those transferred-to-march provinces.
Can anyone link a Paradox reply (if any) on the intended purpose of marches?
Except several additional troops, I see none.

By the way, the good news so far is that the best march (up to lvl 20s) is a Horde, since it always has free claims on its neighbours