England strategy

[unmerged(15561)]

Ok, I now have installed:

EU2
1.09
Mymap
AGCEEP

I plan on playing England.

Anyone tell me what sort of goals I should be setting? NOT how to get there, just goals I should set my kingdom and perhaps a few waypoints in achieving them. No in depth spoilers please.

Ta

 

[unmerged(18023)]

There are a few different goals one can set.

The King of England also claims the title of King of France. No reason you shouldn't go and make this not just technical, but actual as well. Win the 100 Year's war and forge yourself a helluva continental empire.
(If you do this you should really stay Catholic.)

Alternately you can give up on your European possessions and focus entirely on the colonial game.

Granted, you can colonize quite a bit even if you are involved on the Continent, but you're resources will be spread a bit thinner.

And you can always set RP goals for yourself. Play England as the Protestant defender and protect all of the other Protestant and Reformed nations from those marauding Catholics.

Or liberate the Holy Land. Thats always fun.

 

[artemis667]

The King of England also claims the title of King of France. No reason you shouldn't go and make this not just technical, but actual as well. Win the 100 Year's war and forge yourself a helluva continental empire.
(If you do this you should really stay Catholic.)

Alternately you can give up on your European possessions and focus entirely on the colonial game.

Granted, you can colonize quite a bit even if you are involved on the Continent, but you're resources will be spread a bit thinner.

On the other hand, if you knock France down and/or out early on, you get a larger tax base which can help you grow your colonial empire faster. I'm playing a England GC at the moment (not AGCEEP, just vanilla) and I've knocked out all of Western France, and now I'm just sitting and researching while my badboy deflates. I don't feel a need to grab more of Europe yet, but when my badboy's low and my casus bellis are there, I'll take another little bite

Or liberate the Holy Land. Thats always fun.

I imagine it would be Should try that in my current game, once my naval tech's up a bit.

 

[unmerged(15561)]

Nice guys! Ive only played a few games as England AofE.

I usually play exploration and take Ireland but leave France, expect when they DOW and I feel the need to teach them a lesson.

I have on one occasion annexed France.


A couple more questions if you will.

What can I set myself in the way of goals for tech?

I usually go for Trade in order to CoT, but what alternatives are thre and what do they bring?

Furthermore, I never really use missionaries. My install usually comes off before I have to worry about colonies. What unusual goals could I set myself w/ regards using them in a crafty way on the continent?

Thx again.

 

[artemis667]

What can I set myself in the way of goals for tech?

I usually go for Trade in order to CoT, but what alternatives are thre and what do they bring?

Furthermore, I never really use missionaries. My install usually comes off before I have to worry about colonies. What unusual goals could I set myself w/ regards using them in a crafty way on the continent?

Thx again.

well in my game, I'm focusing on infrastructure and keeping inflation low - already at infra 4 at 1500. Trade's only at 2, but my DP settings are leaning naval and plutocratic, so my trade efficiency's good enough to compete in Europe. About 15 more years and I get infra 5 - which will give me governors. Once you've got governors in your provinces, you can mint a lot of money while they fight inflation in the background for you.

About using missionaries, I dunno about using them craftily, but when you've got the money to spare they are really helpful to keep your stability costs low (because same-religion provs are easier to keep stable than wrong-religion provs). Just work out whether you're going to be protestant, catholic, or reformed, before you start going too crazy with them Also, don't bother converting if your monarch has a poor ADM rating because your chance of success is lower.

 

[Stolen Rutters]

You start the 1419 scenario at War with France for quite a few decades. Win the war. It's more than half over already considering how close you have managed to come to Paris. All of France is yours. The so-called French "King" is in your way, though. You must take it for honor. Even if it takes a hundred years.

Your position lends itself toward colonization and expansion west across the ocean. There are tales of lands beyond the borders of the known world, you know. It's actually round according to some ancient greek scientists from a thousand years or so back. You might even be able to travel west all the way to Asia, though no one has actually done it yet. It's tough for boats to travel that long so you better hope you find some coastline or islands to help get you there. It's a shame nobody is stepping up to the task just yet. I hear colonies are insanely profitable over time. Some Portugese think you can travel around Africa to go around the Musilms trying to choke off the spice trade. You know what food tastes like without spice. It spoils real quick, too. A royal palate can only handle so much salt, your only real alternative to keep meat fresh longer.

 

[Ayeshteni]

Well if you are playing England in the 1419 Grand Campaign, you start at war with France and Scotland. Deal with the Scots by sending a large army north and destroying their army, sieging their cities in the process. That can leave all your attentions on the French. But remember that most of your good armies (led by good leaders) are in France. Your first target on the continent should be the annexation of the single province of Orleans. Dont forget to protect the straits of Dover (Calais - Kent) to prevent a French invasion.

You can make a seperate peace with Scotland (take as much land - and perhaps vassalise them for a diplo-annex later) and take France apart piece by peace. You can also bring Aragon and/or Navarre into your alliance which will harry the French no end due to another front opening up their rear.

You should be able to keep France weak and dominate the continent.

Ayeshteni

 

[artemis667]

Well if you are playing England in the 1419 Grand Campaign, you start at war with France and Scotland. Deal with the Scots by sending a large army north and destroying their army, sieging their cities in the process.

Just a tip regarding the Scots - in the vanilla GC, the England leader on their border has a shock value of 1 (below default). Get him off your army and use a default leader instead vs the Scots (if you don't want to get one of your generals from France up there).

 

[unmerged(32886)]

Ok, I now have installed:

EU2
1.09
Mymap
AGCEEP

I plan on playing England.

Anyone tell me what sort of goals I should be setting? NOT how to get there, just goals I should set my kingdom and perhaps a few waypoints in achieving them. No in depth spoilers please.

Ta

Well I've played Eng in this situation once. This is what I can remember (long time ago) and suggest:
- Leave Orleonais alone as much as possible; if possible try lo let them be annexed by Burgundy (which will prob only happen after you make WP with Orleonnais alone). Saves on BB
- Take France apart (preferably leaving only their capital in their hands; don't try annexing it
- Same goes for Scotland (except try to annex it in a later stage), but it's less important. If it's too much in beginning, just go for 1 prov or even WP
- Most importantly, after first war with France and Scotland, go to war against Dauphine (usually they DoW first, but not always). Use your armies wisely to get control over their cities; just start with their capital and work your way down and east (watch out for their allies!). Don't accept peace with Dauphine when they make you an offer.
At some point, they'll have an event (don't know which or it's triggers) which (no spoilers, I know ) will save you on a lot of BB. After that event just continue your war with Dauphine and take all you can. Just watch your war exhaustion (tends to get high by that time, which might cause some nasty revolts )
Also be on the lookout for Burgundy (and Aragon). They have a habit of turning on the english later on. On alliances I won't give you any pointers. But I prefer to act on my own if possible, since bringing allies has a nasty side effects. They tend to take control over provinces you want (very difficult when fighting Dauphine, so be advised).
Just don't bite off more than you can chew.

 

[unmerged(15337)]

... and take France apart piece by peace.

I'm pretty sure you didn't mean it this way but these words convey a very interesting mix and diplomacy and warfare!

 

[Ayeshteni]

I'm pretty sure you didn't mean it this way but these words convey a very interesting mix and diplomacy and warfare!

It was meant.

Ayeshteni

 

[unmerged(23409)]

It's actually round according to some ancient greek scientists from a thousand years or so back.

Sorry to go OT here...

Actually it was common knowledge that the world was round ever since the Vikings. People would see how the horizon curved at the end, and assume that it was round, like the Greeks, Vikings, Anglo-Saxons and Medieval Europeans did.

 

[Stolen Rutters]

...Actually it was common knowledge that the world was round ever since the Vikings. People would see how the horizon curved at the end, and assume that it was round, like the Greeks, Vikings, Anglo-Saxons and Medieval Europeans did...

Thanks. I was trying to sound like somebody not as educated to actually have common knowledge, but that is a good point.

 

[unmerged(32886)]

It's actually round according to some ancient greek scientists from a thousand years or so back.

Sorry to go OT here...

Actually it was common knowledge that the world was round ever since the Vikings. People would see how the horizon curved at the end, and assume that it was round, like the Greeks, Vikings, Anglo-Saxons and Medieval Europeans did.

Really??? People would see how the horizon curved at the end and assume it was round???Clever people back then. IMO if I lived back then (fortunately not ) I wouldn't have come up with this theory. And most people back then also didn't. They believed the earth was flat and that the earth was the center of the universe. Of course there have always been people with different views. Usually they were ridiculed, as some are today, for having another opinion. And 100 years later those people will become heroes.
Even today people laugh upon others who have :wacko: theories which, given it some time, might actually be true. That just show: no matter how much the IQ of people increase over time, they're just as ignorant now as they were back in the stone age.

 

[Stolen Rutters]

Whether the earth was round or flat was a Theological debate in the Medieval era and the Church actually came down on the side of a flat Earth. Just try to oppose the Medieval Church and see how far you get in life... edit- the earth was considered round in this era. For those of you who take this topic seriously, this post is actually blather, not definitive. Thanks.- endedit

Anyway, Arab astronomical science (astrolabe, anyone?) showed up somewhere after the second millenium began and changed the common perception among at least the scholars of the age (real small percentage of the population at the time but very important people nonetheless). I am not certain how fast the change spread to the peasant population so I just assumed there would be landlubbers to whom a round Earth was a quite novel concept. I do agree that many Mariners almost certainly would understand a round Earth intuitively.

Originally Posted by Stolen Rutters
It's actually round according to some ancient greek scientists from a thousand years or so back.

I was actually thinking about the Ptolemy to Pliny era where they were actually measuring and estimating the diameter of the Earth.

Regardless, England should still press her claim to the French throne in 1419 with all urgency, IMO. I'm not as passive a gamer as some of my friends think, just patient sometimes.

 

[unmerged(23437)]

Read. It stands to reason that Christopher Columbus, at least, didn't believe in a flat earth; he attempted to reach *China* by sailing *West*. And why do you think Native Americans were called "Indians"? There's every historical evidence that a flat-earth theory was around at the time, but so was a spherical-earth theory.

As for England strategies, my preferred one is to get seriously stuck into France. Keep that French culture! If you're feeling like a glutton for punishment, try to get your hands on the Dutch provinces so as to trigger the Dutch revolts as well. I'm taking it as read that you will aim to take and hold both Scotland and Ireland.

If you do that, then as regards religion, I'd either stay Catholic (better for continental stuff) or go Reformed. The latter is always good fun if you can start trying to convert Europe to Reformed theology (that I'm personally a Reformed Christian kind of helps me in my zeal at this point ). Start using casi belli as an excuse to knock out Catholics and force-convert them.

Or you could just (ab)use your ginormous size and go on a serious colonising spree. Try to make up for the fact that France and the Netherlands are both gone.

I also enjoy conquering heathens and releasing them as Christian vassals. I dunno why, but I always think messing around with the religious map is good fun. See how much of the world you can, uh, 'Christianise' at the point of a sword/musket/rifle.

One tihng I do sometimes is write down my goals, especially if they're part of an over-arching theme. Then you can write down when you achieve them and see how you do.

 

[der Alte]

If u switch off France early in the game, the fun will be over soon. U will become too powerful and will keep the remaining 300 years either with colonizing the world or conquerring the rest of Europe (and waiting for your BB to sink before u can go for another war.) Once u have tasted how great and boring is to be without equal, I think u'd go for more challenge and pay more attention on game balance.

I think it's more fun to remain historical and give up all holdings at the continent. It's just a big fun to see 100+ French troops being stacked in the mainland as the French navy is stacked in their ports, while u grab all the French colonies all around the world. It's also a big fun to defend equilibrium at the Continent, switch alliances and be the defender of the smaller German states.

 

[George LeS]

Whether the earth was round or flat was a Theological debate in the Medieval era and the Church actually came down on the side of a flat Earth.

What is your source for that?

A few points:

1. What does "orbis terrarum" mean?
2. What does a monarch's orb signify?
3. If Ptomely's Almagest was the standard source for mediaeval astronomy, why did they deny his belief the earth was round?
4. If the universe is a series of concentric spheres, & the earth is at it's center, why is it, alone, flat?
5. Why do Dante & Aeneas have to climb down Satan's side, toward his waist, but then up his legs, toward his feet?
6. If the earth is flat, what does it mean to be at the antipodes?

I'm sorry, but I'm tired of this post-renaissance slander being promulgated. The fact is that the (edjucated) mediaevals believed the earth was (A) a sphere, & (B) at the center of the universe. A & B are commonly confused, but there is really no connexion. (I can't put my hand on the Summa right now, but there are lots more examples there).

 

[George LeS]

On topic this time

It's been a while since I've done England, but I used to play it a lot.

As many have said, your religious policy is largely determined by your fortunes in France. One caveat, though, is that many of the western provinces you're likely to hold, will go reformed.

One thing to work on is how to handle the channel in the early, random combat, years. I've found a sort of "dance" works, with many modest-sized squadrons moving constantly through the channel, following one another at short intervals. This is because, with such things as quality, numbers, & leadership, being so nearly irrelevant to 15th C combat, the best thing you can do is have new forces regularly pumped into each battle. I'd consider this an exploit, except that the combat system is so absurd in the early part of the game, that a more realistic method is counter-productive.

In the Post-Elizabethan era, I've found that the traditional "perfidious Albion" strategy works great, although the AI doesn't seem to get it. The world's early colonizers are your natural prey. This is true whether or not you have many continental holdings. If not, you just snarf up more colonies, with each war--just be sure you have plenty of colonists before starting one, for when you burn the enemy's TPs. If not, you'll likely lose control of some provinces in France, but more than make up for them with colonies you've snatched. The result is similar, there will just be fewer colonies you get.

The key is that you can blitz the enemy's empire faster than he can take your European possesions.

Anyway, after the Civil War, you should just roll. Marlborough can conquer India, if you like. In the 19th C, Nelson carrying Wellington is sort of a proto-3rd/5th Fleet: an unstoppable land/sea combo--so invade anything you want. (Conciliate us Yanks, if you can--just pretend Burke is PM.)

And one other thing, if you stay Catholic, stick with the Stuarts, & try to become Emperor.

 

[Stolen Rutters]

Whether the earth was round or flat was a Theological debate in the Medieval era and the Church actually came down on the side of a flat Earth.

What is your source for that?

A few points:

1. What does "orbis terrarum" mean?
2. What does a monarch's orb signify?
3. If Ptomely's Almagest was the standard source for mediaeval astronomy, why did they deny his belief the earth was round?
4. If the universe is a series of concentric spheres, & the earth is at it's center, why is it, alone, flat?
5. Why do Dante & Aeneas have to climb down Satan's side, toward his waist, but then up his legs, toward his feet?
6. If the earth is flat, what does it mean to be at the antipodes?

I'm sorry, but I'm tired of this post-renaissance slander being promulgated. The fact is that the (edjucated) mediaevals believed the earth was (A) a sphere, & (B) at the center of the universe. A & B are commonly confused, but there is really no connexion. (I can't put my hand on the Summa right now, but there are lots more examples there).

Slander... I like. Makes me feel like a rebel. Slander is illegal in my country.

You're right. My statement that, through some of history, people believed that the earth was flat is apparently false. It's actually a giant turtle and every one knows a turtle is round.

I didn't know Dante was from the medieval era but the various works such as Summa Theologica would be quite definitive. The Earth is, and was as far back as Ptolomy, AND through the Dark Ages, an ORB! Slander retracted.