Episode 4: Tipping Point (And Tyler Too)
So far, I've prepared for the coming of the Omega by taking centers of trade, impoverishing the entire region in a bid for Savoyard power. In the interest of further continuing my expansion, we're going to have to try taking other provinces.
With the political situation as it is, other provinces means Parma. This will further open up a path to Italy, although the Franco-Tuscan alliance still concerns me.
They're also not happy about me working to dominate Italy, but then again, they lack ambition and are fools.
I have an idea on how to handle it, though... You see, Tuscany is allied with Mantua, who is one of the many countries on the Savoyard buffet. If Tuscany honors that alliance, I will reward their loyalty to their ally by forcing them to annul treaties with France... who might not like it, but I'm sure France would rather have their buffer state than risk us falling into the orbit of Austria.
Meanwhile, Milan is more diplomatically isolated than usual, but we still have a truce for them for a little while. Fast forward to July, 1482!
The Savoyard people, on the other hand, have to live through the period in question.
During this time, Amedeo IX allegedly eats a plate of rice. The rice could not be reached for comment due to an obscure anti-necromancy law that we have been so far unable to strike from the books.
Needless to say, Milan is still a little short on allies and troops, although they have a surprisingly good general.
"Save us, Garibaldi!" "I can't! The timeline has already diverged too much!"
Still, by abusing my Swiss march and allies, they go down quickly, and I sign a rather humiliating (if not specifically humiliating) peace treaty with them. You might guess that this isn't a timeline where they become a major naval power.
Hey, we forgot to take their crown jewels! Oh well, they'll probably have to sell them to us to pay for the rest of their reparations.
Some of the money I laundered from Milan goes to building more trade ships, although I'm eventually going to have to start sending merchants to currently distant nodes like Alexandria and Constantinople in order to secure more funding.
I unlock the 6th (!) influence idea, which will come in handy for forcing electors to like me. This time, it's Cologne's turn. I also unlock Military Drill (defensive idea #2), in the hopes that extra morale for my armies will come in handy. Hint: It usually does.
Not quite elan... for want of a Nale.
Austria is using their imperial privilege to expand deep into Bavaria, and they seem to be getting away with it. I wish I could brush away such things in such a fashion!
As my attempts to quickly coup the imperial titles in the last two episodes suggests, the Habsburgs can get away with a whole lot of things.
At the end of 1486, the truce with Mantua expires, but I forgot to fabricate a claim. Whoops! If this AAR's investors ask, please tell them I wanted to rejuvenate more manpower, although I'm not sure they'll actually believe it.
Despite the names, the manliest Italian minor is probably Urbino.
After I finish fabricating the claim (luckily dodging a further aggressive expansion penalty), France promptly joins in on my side, which reduces the amount of nonsense I need to hoist upon Tuscan diplomats; I'm still forcefully annulling their treaties. The war begins simply enough, with me hoping to force a knockout blow against Mantuan soldiers before they can coalesce with their allies. Do I get that?
Amadeo, as a man of few real talents beyond happening to be surrounded by Savoy's best and brightest, runs away before the Savoyard army takes serious casualties.
Artillery is expensive, although I'm probably going to start accumulating some in the next play session.
Looks like I'm going to have France do the legwork again. The Tuscans take pity on me and "donate" some of their spare trade ships. Meanwhile, as suspected, the French army crashes into the Tuscan-Mantuan one and wrecks it. I delegate the actual sieges to my allies since they're so happy about it, while special attention goes to Modena, which I have special plans for. They get a hint of that when I liberate them from the Tuscan yoke. Because they only have 5 base tax, I can actually diplovassalize them sooner or later.
I don't always try to empty my enemies' treasuries during wars, but when I do, I prefer Dos Equis.
Mantua, on the other hand, is getting annexed, but I'm probably going to have to wait for five years to pass in game before I can do so, since operations in their allies territories are either slow, or... I wanted to say disastrous, since Mantua and friends spent most of their time smooshing Bohemia (who promptly got knocked out of the war) until the Palatinate decided to tear Brandenburg to shreds for some reason. So many stories in the rest of Europe that aren't quite relevant to us... yet.
Aragon decides they want Corsica for their own, and with the further decay of Genoa's Italian trade efforts, it's getting harder to rationally oppose this. Genoa will probably be Sunni within 50-100 years, unless Muscovy can keep up its performance and break into the Crimea. It could happen!
I'm surprised Theodoro has been allowed to exist this long.
So I'm twiddling my thumbs and waiting for warscore when I notice that the (admittedly ailing) Mamluks aren't quite the right color...
Looks like I won't have to feed the Omega a coastline! Omegan drones are the absolute bane of any country that seeks to fight the Omega while collapsing. If there's one thing the Mamluks are known for, it's getting thoroughly broken and occasionally overrun with rebels. The continued existence of Mehdi Bahri is still somewhat problematic, though... but needless to say, the Ottomans won't be advancing further into Egypt this game.
And then, the sort of event that changes entire strategies (because the immense toughening of Egypt apparently doesn't count in insane InvisibleSandwich moon logic land) - I either have to anger the papacy (my rightful subject as the heir to Italy, before you ask) or fight off a massive stack of nobles... can you blame me when I decide to take out my frustrations on papal relations? I'm kind of lazy about using the Catholic bonuses at the best of times.
At this rate, I'll probably go Protestant! You never know.
It turns out I have to wait the entire 5 years to annex Mantua, because France can't siege down Crimean land quickly enough. As a rich province, it'll take a while to core, but it'll certainly come in handy. Good thing I got in before they decided to take aristocratic ideas Meanwhile, just as suspected, Modena quickly comes into our orbit (they accept vassalization), and Ferrara will probably do similar when they get over my entirely reasonable self strengthening measures. They have to know that the Omega is upon us by now!
I finish up the influence ideas, unlock slightly cheaper mercenaries through the Savoyard idea chain, and decide that's enough for the session. After all, it's not like the Omega has any influence outside of Europa Universalis IV, right?
A point of strategy: The Omega is in a potentially awkward naval position. While they will presumably colonize down the African coasts to some degree, they will still have to send ships built in the Red Sea to the Mediterranean, and since the Suez canal isn't available for a few centuries yet, that will take time. Furthermore, while the Omega can build an absolutely gigantic navy, it does not gain a naval bonus that really corresponds to the soon-to-be-infamous "futuristic weaponry". If I can keep control over the Mediterranean, at least relative to them, I might not have to deal with their armies much, at least not until I inevitably have to attempt an amphibious invasion of their territory.
Next time: Milan probably submits.
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