Defender of Faith too early?

[Vin55]

In my recent game I always had the problem of the ai spamming defender of faith before 1500s. Limiting you if you where a small nation wanting to expand in a different religion, also limits the reformation if spain takes it.
I would say that the priority for defending should only be against different reliogions and not against hereseys. It also makes little sense that a colonizer as Spain would have major interest what a german minor does in the Reich.
Also in the Age of absolutism the defending part should just stop. I would also be fine with it just beeing kind of a prestige moral buff and thats it. (Would be more historic that way)

 

[Methuen of Melnibone]

It's worth a formal suggestion - my last couple of games bogged down quite heavily, as a French or Commonwealth DotF meant a massive world war to interfere with a minor in the HRE / Venice / Italy, etc.

There's also little historical precedent for someone granted (or assuming) the title DotF being some of kind of religious world police - those countries were still as likely to have been fighting with the Ottomans against the Dutch, or whatever.

It should definitely stop working by the time crusades don't happen any longer - maybe leave an option in the papal points mechanics to grant defender ? That way it becomes another thing adding value to the papal game / the pope mechanics ?

 

[Republic of Mercury]

It should definitely stop working by the time crusades don't happen any longer - maybe leave an option in the papal points mechanics to grant defender ? That way it becomes another thing adding value to the papal game / the pope mechanics ?

Removing DotF from non-catholic nations after 1600 or so would be a bad idea, and so would removing the need to defend the faith from non-catholic nations, so I can't see how that would work.

 

[Methuen of Melnibone]

Removing DotF from non-catholic nations after 1600 or so would be a bad idea, and so would removing the need to defend the faith from non-catholic nations, so I can't see how that would work.

I agree to a point - I'm thinking that it's a bit overpowered the further time goes on, partly in it's accessibility.

My idea would be to put it (eventually) in with the 'bring back the crusades' option under the papal mechanics, so that it's there early game, and late game available to re-instate if the player / an AI script or triggered event really wants it, but no longer a default for whatever monster superpower picks it up in mid-game and holds it forever. I'd suggest it was something granted / earned via a bit of brown-nosing the pope, rather than just throwing some money down in abstract ? (more realistic, as far as these things can be ?)

Also, blocking it off from (at least Christian) nations with female rulers is ahistorical for no obvious reason; look at the Catholic Monarchs, or Elizabeth I of England.

 

[Sidolowka]

In my recent game I always had the problem of the ai spamming defender of faith before 1500s.

tfw you have to march your army over to fucking Bengal to take land in Arabia as Oman.

 

[swagmeister]

Not only is the AI buying it as soon as they can afford it, they are straight up taking the title as often as possible from you if you already have it if you dare lose prestige at any point.