Defending the Empire. Briefly.

[Rabid Bogling]

When the Emperor is called to defend a member state and answers, they get Imperial Authority if they white peace, even if the target country is annexed. That can't be WAD, can it?

I just had a game in which Austria called me into their defence of Modena against Aragon, and after winning a few battles promptly left the alliance and me (the Palatinate) to take the brunt of the Burgundian armies. So I get my arse royally handed to me, Ferrara loses Modena, and Burgundy annex Aachen. But the Habsburgs get away with a slight dint to their manpower and.. double their Imperial Authority. A few months later their Archduke dies and they get to pass a new reform, benefiting them for doing sweet FA. Suffice to say, I raged my balls off.

 

[unmerged(88013)]

I've had the opposite experience. Unless the war leader (the member who I'm defending) makes demands against the belligerent, I get no IA at all. In fact, I don't even seem to be getting IA when I honour a member's call to arms. The "In defense of the empire" dialog never appears, and I'm always a junior partner in the war. However, if I decline the call, I most definitely do get "Dishonourable emperor" dialog, along with a large malus to my IA.

 

[atwix]

the new changing warleader mehcanics and defensive wars for the empire can give weird results. Too little testing i guess.

Your example is amusing but sad at once, as it proves the whole HRE mechanic is still abusable and unstable.