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I agree with the majority of posters here and hope that you annex Portugal soon. We need to see more gold on the Iberian peninsula! Good luck and excellent aar so far!
 
Update 4

Update 4

The decision is war. Morocco will be DOW’d 01/09/1468

At the start line...

EU3_5.jpg


The screenshot gives a decent overview of the theatre. You may also notice that I have massively failed the ‘Kanitatlan’ test; I actually have underwhelming troop numbers rather than overwhelming. There are two 7k strong armies available – there simply isn’t enough money to do all the things I want to do and army size is a corner that has been cut. Portugal has loads of ships so I’ll keep my fleet in port for the whole war and save 0.2 ducats a month. I’ll be glad when the Empire grows up.

Everyone joins in, Algiers is alliance leader with both Granada and Morocco on board, I never quite have the rules straight on that so I was concerned that Morocco as the DOWee might be in charge – which would be a mild inconvenience.

08/11/1468 Granada is stormed and peaces out for 50 ducats. My second army is currently fighting for control of Marrakech, Portugal’s navy is locked in an evenly matched bloodbath with Algiers while Algerian troops pour into Atlas.

28/12/1468 The Conversion of Fez fails – 3000 rebels to add to the 12000 or so Algerians marching my way. I’ve finally won in Marrakech but the troops are too demoralised for an assault (I’ve read too many HOI AARs – I keep thinking of my troops as being deorged).

13/01/1469 Marrakech is stormed; Morocco peaces out for 50 ducats and cores, Tangiers, Safi, Ifni, Sus and Haud ( :rolleyes: , it's on the other side of Africa! Guess the Majarteen colony thing has been happening again) – Gibraltar is left with them – it might draw a DOW saving me BB while as a wrong culture province they’ll lose it one way or another. Troops deploy via Fez to face the main enemy, Algeria. There are lots of Portuguese and Navarrese units milling around southern Spain, I’ve changed the war situation too quickly but they’ll catch up in the end. Portuguese units have also marched through their colonies provoking native uprisings that have destroyed both colonies.

17/05/1469 The first white peace offer arrives, Portugal has just about finished off the Algerian fleet and won a big battle in Tlemcen.

09/05/1470 Portuguese settlers spotted heading for a new target, Abnaki.

05/12/1570 Burgundy offers alliance, accepted! Relations now at +96, bribes cost 50 ducats a time.

07/12/1470 A decent peace offer, but not enough. It’s only 50 War Score, I’ll want much closer to 100.

This is not enough, the world is not enough!

EU3_6.jpg


01/01/1471 Conversion of Ifni fails – at 85% chance :(

17/02/1471 Safi is converted.

29/05/1471 Another slider move narrowminded – it was meant to happen on the first of Jan – but I forgot :eek:o

12/07/1471 Burgundy declares war on Trier – I dishonour the call. I’m nearing the end of one war – I don’t need the stab hit or the war exhaustion and my economy isn’t big enough to cope with bribing Burgundy.

Peace!

EU3_7.jpg


Seven provinces! BB is 7.72.

One more war against Morocco looks reasonable – I’m cored on Granada and Morocco so could conceivably annex both as well as taking Algiers’ last couple of provinces. The peace deal was 78 WS out of 86. Algiers could not be reduced to an OPM in this war so a second bite at the cherry is needed no matter what.

Before that it will be the slow working off of BB and the diploannexation of my vassels. Or maybe not, DA chances currently rate at ‘Very Unlikely’ for both Portugal and Navarre.
 
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Another well-conducted war - you might want to take a break from expansion now as DA chances will go up as your BB comes down. Any chance of getting Berber as an accepted culture?
 
Feedback time

comagoosie Larger armies? Well I did add an extra three regiments (1 Horse, 2 Foot) as a siege force, for 19k all together. I have no shame I hide behind my vassels :)

Enewald I agree, and yes I could really do with a high diplo King. The Hundred Years War has flared up again - it's promising to develop into a highly destructive stalemate :D

robou I like to think of it as careful, well judged and measured expansion ;)

merrick The DA problem is my 4 Diplo King, replace him with an 8 and there would be no problem. Accepted cultures, nonsense, clear sign you haven't conquered enough!

I'm hopeful of getting an update out today/tomorrow but I will have a houseful of guests later. I need to play on a bit further as well.
 
PrawnStar said:
robou I like to think of it as careful, well judged and measured expansion ;)

you're the boss ;)
 
Portugal indeed should be handled earlier, before taking it out requires a great deal of BB.

In the meantime you've got some nice territory in North Africa now.
 
Originally posted by stnylan
Portugal indeed should be handled earlier, before taking it out requires a great deal of BB.
I absolutely agree with this and it's the basis of much of my strategy. Portugal's ability to go from a reasonable BB cost to setting off BB wars level of BB cost is impressive. The longevity of my Diplo 4 King is an issue.

I've played up to 1480, update shortly.
 
Update 5

Update 5

Slow years of peace coming up – I have a rule of thumb, not to start wars while I still have war exhaustion, so I’m at least three and a half years or -2BB from the next DOW.

Aragon annexed the Italian minor Urbino, we’re still at +200 relations and I’d very much like an alliance but they have two allies already.

20/08/1472 – Colonisation of Bahia starts.

I’m keen on building up in Brazil as it’s rich and there are lots of coastal provinces for the inevitable war when my navy proves to be wildly inadequate and I need to crash build a few ships *cough* loads if past games are anything to go by. I’m hopeless at naval warfare.

28/12/1473 Conversion attempt in Fez fails again.

01/01/1474 – My 4* diplomat dies, to be replaced by a 3* diplomat.

01/07/1476 – Land tech 2 – yes it’s been quiet in Castile. Europe is undergoing the usual round of consolidations.

29/12/1476 Figuig is converted.

21/05/1477 Tripoli loses a war with the Mamluks, losing two provinces and being vasselised. Looks like new neighbours in 10 years time.

07/07/1477 Navarre declines annexation at ‘Unlikely’.

01/11/1477 War again DOW on Algiers using a temporary CB. They are allied to Morocco who also join in, which is nice. This is simply a tidying up exercise while I have a low diplo king, I’ll pick up three BB for the two provinces but there will be no more need for war in this theatre until the BB wars start.

29/12/1477 Constantine is converted to Catholicism

08/01/1478 Algiers offers to renounce two claims, this is more bullying than war.

26/07/1478 Marrakech falls – Morocco loses 50 Ducats for Peace.

Peace with Algiers

EU3_8.jpg


The screenshot is in Religious mode, progress over the last 25 years both in conquest and conversion should be clear.

27/12/1478 Mellila converts

01/07/1480 Someone drops a 5* Diplomat into the advisor pool, I swap out my 3*.

13/08/1480 Conversion of Aures fails

28/12/1480 Conversion of Toubkhal succeeds

The resources needed to run the conversion efforts are non-trivial – the 14 efforts so far have cost in the region of 1600 ducats. This is a significant factor in slowing down colonial expansion. Navarre and Portugal are still both 'Unlikely' :(
 
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You're eating quite quickly your muslims neighbors, soon you'll have to deal with the Mamluks! :D
 
Update 6

Update 6

01/01/1484 +3 Stab achieved so the Stab advisor is swapped out for a 3* Diplomat.

I have one slider move to make to be full narrowminded and as I don’t have the money to take advantage of the extra colonists or missionaries I may wait on events. The slider move is still three and a half years away.

At +3 stab with the first North African cores, a couple of colonies and some anti piracy duties my annual tax has gone from around 145 to 189.

BB 3.69 falling at 0.8 per year – I want a high diplo King, Portugal and Navarre are still ‘Unlikely’.

Finances and Brazil

EU3_9.jpg


Europe – No real surprises, Austria is doing very well and go Cologne!

EU3_10.jpg


The Med – Note Qara K in Anatolia, they’ve just fought the Timurids and Mamluks to white peace at the same time. I’m quite impressed by that, I like playing Qara K and getting tag teamed by those two is a nightmare.

EU3_11.jpg


Eastern Europe – I’d love to DV/DA Lithuania but it would be tricky when the BB wars start – too many frontiers.

EU3_12.jpg



13/09/1484 Colony established in Barahonas – at last I’ve been able set up a base north of Brazil – Three attempts at Bermuda have failed and at 41.7 ducats a colonist that’s annoying.

29/12/1484 Biskra is converted. That province was targeted because the Portuguese had parked 10 regiments there after the last war against Algiers :D .

Navarre annexed

EU3_13.jpg


07/01/1485 France DOWs England and one of England’s allies dishonours.

Relations with England are +13 with an RM, gifts are 59.6 (Gulp!), opportunity? England are much less DOW happy than Burgundy so I might be able to run an alliance without wrecking my stab every few years.

23/01/1485 England rejects an alliance offer.

I’ve only got one ally and my BB is pretty low (3.90 falling at 0.8), surely someone wants to be diplovasselised?

11/02/1485 Alliance offer from Corsica rejected.

Dealngs with natives

I’m sure I’ve read somewhere on the forums that the decision you make here has consequences down the line. Of course I can’t remember what to do and reading event files fails the ‘gamey’ test.

EU3_14.jpg


I’ll go with the trade proposal – it costs something the other options don’t – and ‘there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch’. Can anyone identify the Science Fiction character who uses that expression a lot?

28/02/1485 Aragon is suddenly ‘Unlikely’ for alliance – Random but let’s try it. Rejected, relations are now 165 (not sure where I lost 10 points of that) but bribery should work I’ll try again while chances are better than ‘Impossible’. Have I mentioned that I’m not happy about a long lived diplo 4 King!

25/05/1485 After a recent bribe back to +184 Aragon once again reject an alliance offer, down to +179.

01/07/1485 Alliance offer rejected again +174.

The Caribbean and Colonisation

EU3_15.jpg


I can’t see any other colonies at all. As far as I can tell Scotland still seems interested in Canada, Portugal has switched to Northern New England and England is in Colombia (unless I mean Columbia).

Alliance with Sicily

EU3_16.jpg


Accepted, Sicily is a nice target for vasselisation and controls Rome. Shame about relations but previous efforts to get RMs have not been successful. A Royal marriage succeeds straight away so relations are +56 with gifts at 14.4. Aragon is back to impossible but if I can DA Portugal that slot will reopen.

At last it feels as if I’m making progress again.
 
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there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch
Well, I always thought that that was an economist's quote (I use it quite often to "humorise" incentive theory to my students...), but a quick wikipedia lookup says: Robert Heinlein! Well, you learn something new every day... :)

Oh, and the article also says that Friedman used the expression a lot. So that's where I know it from!

Nice aar, fast-paced and a classic goal! ;)