Curia Powers?

[LiberiusX]

Good morning.

I bought Emperor a couple of weeks ago and just started a campaign as PAP. I've been Curia controller most of the campaign...and uhm...am I missing something? I see the golden bulls...ok that's cool for all Catholics. I see all the cardinals...neat.

Question is, how is being Papal controller any better than it used to be, other than getting to choose which bull to use. I have mountains of gold in the curia treasury and it seems like nothing to spend it on, other than creating cardinals?

I know I've got to be missing something that makes being papal controller a little more worthwhile.

Any tips or interesting strategies?

 

[Maxxie42]

Honestly, I think the strongest bonus for being the Curia controller is the -20% aggressive expansion. In Europe, that's really huge, as AE is often the limiting factor to expansion in the early and even mid game.

The money in the coffers can be used to delay the spawn of the reformation, but frankly I don't think it's all that. The Reformation might even be a good thing overall, because attacking heretics gives less aggressive expansion.

The call for crusade has strong bonuses in theory, but in practice I find that I almost never use it.

Edit : Just noticed you're the Papal States. One nice thing you can do is use the Appoint cardinal thingy for an easy +50 relations with a country you want to vassalize. That's a good way to conquer countries like Milan and Venice : you can force them to release Parma; Modena, Verona, Padua, Aquileia... and immediately diplo vassalize them.

 

[LiberiusX]

cool, Didn't realize the AE reduction

Yeh cardinal appointment is cool...I did just what you recommended on Modena.

Kinda odd that all that money just accumulates and sits in curia coffers with almost no ways to burn it...and like you said the inquisition has questionable utility.

 

[LiberiusX]

OK, so now I see that once the Council of Trent starts you can blow some of this money.