EU newbie needs guidance

[unmerged(11169)]

Hello everyone.
I fired up EU for the first time yesterday.
I had just won an auction for EU2 and I had heard that if I started playing EU2 I probably would never try EU1.

A bit of heresy I know
Please forgive me.

Anyway!

I started playing the large campaign but then I spotted the IGC, and after learning that it was more of a "update" instead of a expansion/mod then I have decided to start playing with that.

I will start playing with Sweden, since that is the country where I reside.
You start in something of a predicament as you know.
You have Russia in the east and Denmark in the west, and you dont really have a massive army.

My plan is as follows.
I will get a peace treaty, or alliance with Russia and attack Denmark first.

My questions about this are:

Is it good to build fortifications at first or should I spend my money on recruiting troops?

Should I attack Norway or Denmark?

I know that I should be trying on my own, but I really dont have alot of time to play because of work and such, so I could really use a bit of a push.
If you dont mind of course.

And I must say, what you guys probably have known for quite some time, Europa Universalis is a marvelous game. It took 2 hours of my time without me even knowing about it.
I am longing for home where my glorious nation of Swedes will take on the world.

 

[unmerged(7347)]

Hi D.D.!

Nice to have you in this forum

Good call picking Sweden. It was my first pick to when starting to play this marvelous game, of the same reasons you have

My first tip us to attack Denmark first, but wait until their alliance with Russia is broken so you dont have to fight a two front war. Attack Scania and Norway.

The Danish navy is stronger but sometimes the AI divides it then you have a shot on sinking his ship in order to be able to ship troops to his capital. If you take his capital you certainly will win the war, but you probably will anyway...

The first war, if the war goes good, you could claim Scania. Its a rich province and you´ll need the resources later on. Also its denies the danish AI to build troops there.

I would spend money on promoting bailifs and such and to raise troops. Fortifications is expensive and its better you use your funds recruiting troops.

Hmm hey are you really playing EU 1 or have I just answered questions about EU 2???

 

[Lord E]

I wound't have spent money on fortifications. Promote Bailiff's and build up your army first. If you have a big army you are more likly to win the war. Then when you have beaten the Danish you can focus on fortfications since by this you probably earn enough to raise the fortresses.

 

[Carolus Rex]

Yeah, crush their army and they'll have no army to siege with.

 

[unmerged(11169)]

Sorry for being a thicky, but I am currently trying to wait out the Danish <-> Russian partnership, but it seems that they wont ever let go of each other.
I think I have a big enough army to take on the Danes but I doubt that I can handle the Russians since I dont have alot of armies mobilized in that corner of my empire.

Will they let go of each other or should I just attack swiftly and try to push out a peace fast?

 

[Lord E]

Well trickt question
I am not sure, the best is maybe to build up event bigger army's sow that you can distroy both the Danish and the Russians
That is the most funny!!

 

[unmerged(7347)]

Originally posted by DaneDome
Sorry for being a thicky, but I am currently trying to wait out the Danish <-> Russian partnership, but it seems that they wont ever let go of each other.
I think I have a big enough army to take on the Danes but I doubt that I can handle the Russians since I dont have alot of armies mobilized in that corner of my empire.

Will they let go of each other or should I just attack swiftly and try to push out a peace fast?

You could also kick their asses when thier involved in another war. This is my favourite method... Then they have small forces ast your borders. Make a "blietzkrieg" take a few provinces and then sign peace, just gaining one province or something like that.

 

[Carolus Rex]

Originally posted by Yoghurt


You could also kick their asses when thier involved in another war. This is my favourite method... Then they have small forces ast your borders. Make a "blietzkrieg" take a few provinces and then sign peace, just gaining one province or something like that.

Yeah, two provinces or so from either side is a great outcome from a two frontier war like that.

 

[unmerged(11169)]

Haha!!

I just kicked some Danish ass and I got Scania from them.
After that I started to mobilize a bigger army so that I could get across the Sund and take the capital.
Problem is, I have no idea how I get my troops on board the ship.

I read the faq and it said that I should move the boat to a "square" next to the harbor.
In my case that means in the middle of the ocean. Its the only place I can move the boat, Gally I think I built.

I know it might be a dumb question but I am just that much a newbie

Boy is this game great

At first I didnt buy any cannons. I read somewhere that they where useless so I only had Infantry when I attacked.
That was a bit tiring since I couldnt storm them.
Then I got some cannons and then it all went a little smoother

I got them bastards

Another question.
Is there a time-limit before one can attack again?
Do you get bad reputation if you sign a peace treaty and then break it after just a few years (months )?

And thank you all for your help.
It has been most appreciated.

 

[Lord E]

Originally posted by Carolus Rex
Yeah, two provinces or so from either side is a great outcome from a two frontier war like that.

I totally do agree. This is the best option

 

[Lord E]

If you have the fleet outside the province with yor army, you press the army and click on the fleet. If the fleet is big enough to take omboard the army the army will start to move into the ships in the same way as when they are normally moving.

You shud surely use cannons in sieges since the cannons are the best to knock down walls.

There is only time limits when you a failed siege because then you have to wait untill the army get's there morale back so it can attack, and ofcurse you need to have a bigger army the your enemy.

 

[Lord E]

Originally posted by DaneDome
And thank you all for your help.

You can returne the help by writing an AAR on the game.
AAR are very interesting to make and to read

 

[unmerged(11169)]

AAR...is that where I write exactly what happens and what I do?
I have seen some AAR where it was just images, and that isnt as fun as people writing the story behind it.
AAR's really do make a good read.

I will try and put something together, just for you

 

[Lord E]

Yes it is where you wright what happend

Nice you will wright one
I can never get enough AAR,
must have must have

 

[unmerged(11169)]

I have another question.
Does conquering a nation have negative effects on your own country, for instance if I conquer all of Denmark?

 

[unmerged(7347)]

Yes and no...

If you annex a country you gain + 1 in stability, but You also gain BB points (a bad boy value) maiking your relations worst with other nations.

I think yu get + 1 BB for every province and 5 BB for annexing a whole nation.

If you fight in a defensive war I dont hink you suffer as much BB when claimng provinces.

 

[unmerged(11169)]

Ahh.
So it is best to not get carried away and take over a whole nation then.
Not unless you have an army to back it up with

 

[Nikolai II]

Easiest way to play as Sweden is to use the option where Denmark and Norway is one country at the start.

If you are careful you wait until Russia is at war with anyone else.

Then, or immediately, you DoW Denmark, take all their provinces (you begin with a navy large enough to ferry 20 soldiers IIRC, which is enough to invade Denmark and Gotland, but it will take a few tries) and annex their sorry asses. (Can be done with Denmark and Norway as separate states as well, but this way you save 5 BB points for use elsewhere, check the EU1 FAQs)

Don't care about Russia, he's busy elsewhere and your provinces are protected by winter attrition. Or take Olonets, IIRC it is unfortified, then offer White Peace.

Then you just wait a decade for revolts to become rarer and then you are set for life (Go for Hansa next, and other CoTs)

Sweden can romp around quite freely, since it is so much out of the way that people (AIs) rarely bother to DoW, and if they do they rarely managae to fulfill anything.

IIRC EU1 had no differences for defensive/offensive wars in BB-matters. not sure though.

About navies, just as Lord E said, make sure it is big enough to fit your army, one galley can only carry 1000 men/cavalry or 10 artillery.

Time-limit on succesive wars: After a peace you have 'truce' for 5 years. During this time you loose 5 stability if you DoW, but that is the only major effect.

 

[unmerged(11169)]

Thanks for the info!
May I ask what "DoW" stands for?

 

[Lord E]

DoW means Declaration of War.