Fun, yet challenging countries!

[Tonytom]

So, It's one of those threads.

To start, I really enjoy playing as Songhai. Once you vassalize Kanem Bornu and Hausa, get a load of troops, take some laons, and take Timbuktu and 1 or 2 other Provinces from Mali. After that, You should be strong enough to crush Mali, and slowly take all of their land. Portugal or other Nations may arrive, allowing you to westernize.

 

[Rabid]

Africa can be fun if you choose the right countries! I like Morocco, Songhai, Kongo and Ethiopia more or less in that order of difficulty

 

[Beagá]

Both Venice and Genoa. Creating italian colonies on the Américas, or directing the trade and keeping the Mediterranean relevant.

 

[SuperSFX]

Anyone who can become Malaya (Brunei, Aceh, etc...) are really fun and challenging. Venice is challenging, as are pretty much all of the Italian minors. Aragon is interesting although everyone just goes for Castile instead.

Orissa and Bengal are interesting for Indian countries. Oman and Yemen are interesting middle-Eastern countries.
Finally, Brandenburg has a bit of a challenging start but ends up being pretty op later. Fun country none the less.

 

[lareman]

The Mamluks. Control the spice trade, remove kebab, conquer Africa and unify Islam! Their NIs aren't the best, but still ok, and unless you plan on fighting Austria and France at the same time, there's no need to westernise.

 

[HansBaer]

The Dutch minors for forming the Netherlands are all fun, especially if you do it on your own and DON'T ally France to do all the heavy lifting.

Had a fun game with the Palatinate, didn't take a single province until i formed the HRE.

+1 on the Mameluks, although i got badly crushed in my first war with the Ottos without westernization, their morale is just so damn high. Your income is huge though, i almost managed to stay on par in tech with them, thanks to +3 advisers.

Byzantium, obviously.

Florence, or all the Italian Minors but the Pope (i just hate the government form). Venice is too easy imho, Genoa can be more fun: you get sweet missions for Tunis and Alexandria on day 1, so you can dow Tunesia before they ally anyone and then spread your trade empire around north Africa. Had an income over 150 /month without taking anything non-overseas but Provence, Cyprus and the other islands. No manpower whatsoever, forced me to rethink my ideas so i didn't take the same ones as in every other game (you have to focus on mercs if you don't want to rely on Austria or France to protect your Homeland.)

Teutonic order, best early blobbing potential of all the european nations +religious ideas are plain awesome early game + possibility of HRE membership. Eastern Europe is a vassal feeding fest thanks to ukraine and the others, after blobbing to Commonwealth size in 30 years form Prussia ---> KILL THEM ALL

Had a fun game with Provence. Wanted to form France, after i did so i noticed i didn't get the French Idea's and sad-quit.

Nepal, the Indian Prussia

Japan, the buddhist Prussia


I don't see the fun in playing the Kongo, speed 5 for 100 years, then getting your ass kicked until you manage to westernize (if you are lucky and don't get annexed or broken by rebels).

 

[RMcD94]

Africa can be fun if you choose the right countries! I like Morocco, Songhai, Kongo and Ethiopia more or less in that order of difficulty

What is fun about Kongo?

 

[Dustman]

+1 for Morocco and Brunei.

I like Timurids and Novgorod. One got multicultural, multireligious empire, another got tons of friendly neighbors

 

[unmerged(161794)]

The Knights get my vote.

 

[TheBloke]

What is fun about Kongo?

They're only one letter away from Kong, which is reminiscent of King Kong, and Donkey Kong, which are both fun things.

You can beat your chest while playing them. Also roll barrels at blocky 8-bit Italian tradesmen.

 

[Rabid]

What is fun about Kongo?

They're somewhat unique since they get an event chain to make them turn Catholic (and stop being a tribe) once they've been discovered by Portugal though it is somewhat down to luck when it happens. You'll spend the first 50-100 years not doing much but that just makes it more challenging. Alternatively you can start in 1506 already Catholic (but still a tribe). Definitely not one for beginners though.

 

[AndreasPhokas]

Savoy is a fun game, precariously perched on the edge of the HRE but you can form Sardinia-Piedmont(do they retain Savoyard ideas, I know they didn't used to) then Italy!

France and Austria will be problems, also I go protestant with them just because.

Had a fun game as mewar, you start as the hindu bulwark in india(if you ignore those deccan sultanate fellows) and you have to unify rajputana(make them a formable please) then you have Gujarat/delhi/Bengal/vijayanagara to deal with ontop of the looming timurid invasion. Im really hoping India gets a DLC down the line.

 

[RMcD94]

They're somewhat unique since they get an event chain to make them turn Catholic (and stop being a tribe) once they've been discovered by Portugal though it is somewhat down to luck when it happens. You'll spend the first 50-100 years not doing much but that just makes it more challenging. Alternatively you can start in 1506 already Catholic (but still a tribe). Definitely not one for beginners though.

Spending 50-100 years with monthly autosaves in a 4 province country who knows no one doesn't come under my idea of fun. I've been slowly running the game through Kongo in my spare time and I can barely stomach a year of nothing before I have to go play a funner nation. I got an event which boosted relations with nations (the one that gives you less diplo points if you boost) and of course there was no one else to be boosted.

Starting from a non-1444 start is blasphemy I say!

 

[n00bypl4y3r]

Hesse is by far the funnest country in the game.

-Three provinces, so not too big and not too small
-Centrally located, with lots of OPMs around you
-Can form Westphalia
-Not too easy but not too hard

 

[possumcorpse]

Africa can be fun if you choose the right countries! I like Morocco, Songhai, Kongo and Ethiopia more or less in that order of difficulty

I tried playing Kongo recently to make an attempt at the achievement but the awful AI allies creating a ridiculous eternal war that will likely end inconclusively when I should have had a huge advantage made me stop playing it. Well that and I am not even sure what is considered africa since apparently I don't get AE with Egypt for taking other parts.

I'm doing an Algiers game now which aside from the ottomans never answering the call to arms even though they say they will is going well.

 

[RobRoy3]

The Knights get my vote.

+1

Usually get your ass kicked. And you're so poor that even running away to the New World is problematic. But it's weirdly entertaining the times I've played them.

 

[Dakilla TM]

Try Asian nations like Japan/Daimyos, Korea, Brunei/Aceh/Majahapit, and Attuthaya! Japan is really strong, especially after you westernize. Korea is kinda of an underdog, but still offers a good challenge. The Malayan states are all good fun. Attuthaya is a surprisingly stronk nation in SE Asia.

 

[Rabid]

Spending 50-100 years with monthly autosaves in a 4 province country who knows no one doesn't come under my idea of fun. I've been slowly running the game through Kongo in my spare time and I can barely stomach a year of nothing before I have to go play a funner nation. I got an event which boosted relations with nations (the one that gives you less diplo points if you boost) and of course there was no one else to be boosted.

Starting from a non-1444 start is blasphemy I say!

There's plenty of countries where you can war all the time, I kind of like the enforced peace, it's like a handicap letting the AI have a free century of expanding before I can do anything. It's not like it takes that long to sit on speed 5 for a few decades at a time. I'll admit that Songhai is a similar but more action-packed game though

 

[unmerged(804580)]

Anywhere in SEA is good for early steamrolling. Particularly Ayutthaya, due to their central location since they can vassalize all its neighbors in one war in the 1444 borders: Lan Xang, Lan Na, Pegu and probably most importantly Malacca. The other continental SEA nations are slightly more challenging but still very enjoyable. It's really satisfying once you get an empire going as Bali, Arakan or Sukhothai. This just happens to be my favorite region.

In India, I like the Shi'a Sultanates. Gujarat is a challenging, but it's in a great position since it has smaller neighbors against whom you could just DoW with Holy War or Heretics CB. Bahmanis is also Shi'a, but I haven't tried it. It might be a bit more challenging since it'd have to face Vijayanagar early on.

Among all Africans, my Ethiopia campaign was probably the most successful game among all EU4 campaigns I played. Good thing was that Adal, Yemen, Oman, Hedjaz, Najd, Tripoli and Tunisia are all just about the right size to vassalize. Yeah... I love vassals, and for Ethiopia I didn't give a shit about diplo points since I'm Subsaharran and behind the tech by default. The vassal army was what allowed me to fight back the Mamluks. The speed was key... people who haven't yet discovered you cannot have AE against you. Terra Incognita is the best shield against the AE.

I don't really like playing countries that are super-hard and doomed with a major enemy right off the bat. I got more stress than fun as Granada, which is why I abandoned the campaign though I was surviving and somewhat thriving. Others that I mentioned like Ethiopia, Arakan or Sukhothai may have terrible starts, but just try a few times and once you get over the initial hurdle, they're very nice options to play.

 

[The Blood Eagle]

Tuscany or Wallachia always get my vote on this one.