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I like to image its not horses. Deer? Giant Sloths that somehow aren't extinct?
 
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And we're watching... and waiting... and watching... and waiting
At least with colonists I have something to do again. It got pretty boring after I conquered most of my neighbors.

My experience of Pdx games is always that colonisation happens on an accelerated timescale, if anything, so it's interesting to note here that the Europeans seem a little behind schedule. Not necessarily on the settlement front, of course. But if they aren't poking around, that can only be a good thing. Maybe the whole of Europe has been embroiled in a terrible war for the last century? :eek:

I know you mention that you've 'reverted' to gameplay for the moment, but whatever label you choose to put on it, the fact remains that this is so readable. We evidently need more 'slow' AARs, because this is quality stuff. Looking forward to the next part!
Could be. Europe may look nothing like it would normally.

And thank you. That is very much a compliment. Humor is not really my strong suit in writing (in person, that is entirely different) and I've sort of been all over since this began.

Another AAR update drops with an extended discussion on local food, reminding me never to read these forums on an empty stomach. That being said, there are worse problems I could be having :)
Hah! I do love raw oysters.

Finally the colonists arrive! On horses the Europeans brought, as the native horses of NA was made extinct by the natives' forefathers a long time ago. ;)
Finally indeed!!

I like to image its not horses. Deer? Giant Sloths that somehow aren't extinct?
Perhaps giant beavers? That may explain the many pelts.


To all - Thanks again for reading and giving comment as always. Look for another update in a day or two. Since I have two AARs going, I'm trying to give a day to each one but I admit I've spent a bit more on the other one. That said, I'm about to hit another play session with the Creek so I should have some juicy material soon. And I'm writing as I am playing so plenty of room for suggestions on gameplay/game concepts.
 
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Europe is very late.

What's taking so long?
 
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Europe is very late.

What's taking so long?
Not too terribly late. As suggested below, the earliest colonies were set up to the south. North America did not really get that treatment until about this time or later (especially by the British.)

Caribbean and Brazil > Murica
I don't know about greater but certainly the former were the focus in RL.
 
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1554: The Year We Make Contact

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In 1984, I was eleven and my Boys Scouts buddy Jon and I went to see the movie 2010 starring Roy Scheider. We loved it so much, we convinced Jon’s dad to take us to the video store so we could see 2001 since we knew 2010 was a sequel. The dad did his best to tell us that we probably would not like it quite as much but we persisted. And so we came home and popped in 2001 and didn’t even last much past the rotating space station near the beginning. Of course I’ve see it since and think it masterful, but not my eleven year old self.

This is all a long form of saying that I am well aware that the shot of Scheider above is clearly not from 2010 (I don’t recall the Russians looking like a shark.) No. Of course the above shot is from Jaws which is my absolute favorite film of all time (and I think the best.) It is every type of film from action, horror, buddy movie, western on the water and on and on and on. I can make a case for it. It was masterful the first time I saw it and remains after many, many viewings since. And when we get to the point in this update where the title comes in, you may see why I chose Jaws to lead off here.

But first we must pick up where we left off. Before unpausing to continue the action in 1550, I poke around in land I am aware of and see this little nugget way to the north...

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Hmmm...so they have been here already. Just way up in Newfoundland and the Creek don’t really know anything about that strange land. So let the British have their fun while we turn back to our colony in Chatot. It’s moving right along and in March of 1550, we get an interesting little event for Colonial Expansion...

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I don’t normally quote Borat, but “very niice!” Without having to move my colonist, we begin a new colony to the south in Hitchiti (the land in the red circle.) 200 in an instant and I pull my other military force down to set up shop and keep native uprisings under control. The only problem is that my beaver pelt supply is hurt with a second colony growing and I am forced to cut military maintenance to 50%. No matter. Even at half, my Creek can handle any uprising.

In 1551, it comes to the chief that cotton is the staple crop in Chatot and then in 1552 we get another improve capital event. Later in the year, I start changing the culture in Choctaw to Creek (it would be the last hold out) and then start building a spy network to the north in Shawnee. 1553 brings more of the same that we have grown used to. Chatot has developed enough that they adopt Creek culture and gain more population as a result. It’s now up to 630 settlers. Later in the year I get a land theft event forcing me to choose between the clergy and the nobility. I side with the clergy but it gives me some corruption so I start investing some pelts to root it out.

All of that, however, seems like nothing compared to what happens in 1554. In truth, it seemed like a slow year with not much at all happening until December and then… “welcome to the party, pal”...

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I’m mixing my movie metaphors but if it makes you happier, “We’re gonna need a bigger boat!”

Granted, they’re just getting started here and the natives in the area are rather aggressive so we’ve been told. The old chief went there once and came back with permanent war paint on his ass. They party in a different way down there.

So we note it down on the totem pole and go back to our business. And at this time it seems as if there is no great change. Sort of like when the shark fin glides up out of the water and then back down and when you don’t see it again for a bit, you think maybe you’re OK.

In 1555, Hitchiti keeps growing and starts producing salt as its staple crop. And then in 1556 Hitchiti adopts Creek culture gaining another 100 settlers bringing it up to 453.

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In 1557, we get a notification that there are mercenary companies available should we need them. I’m not sure if they accept beaver pelts as payment which could turn out very badly for us should we hire them, so we get back to our own thing. And one of those is poking around in the trade interface. I’m still pulling in heap great wampum, but I’m not sure I’m getting the most out of trade. I note that Portugal already has the most trade power in the closest trade center Mississippi River. And in the other trade center Chesapeake Bay, Great Britain is already in the lead. Pretty sure I’m not going to run ahead of them anytime soon.

That said, I note that my production efficiency seems down (or not up to par) so I start using my precious admin, diplomacy and military points in building up my existing provinces as I can. It means I am slowing down advancement in tech research, but it brings me back into the black in beaver pelts. And then in 1558, all of our colonial work comes to fruition when Chatot becomes self sufficient…

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I make it a core and can then make West Florida a state (bringing me to 5 I think.) I have Hitchiti progressing well without my colonist so I send him to Shatteras in the north instead. The trade node Ohio is indeed in the middle of that area and it seems a good way to boost my trade bonus (maybe...I dunno. We’ll see.) We’re already anticipating that by choosing to gain 2 mercantilism in a trade event in 1559 and then go poking around in the Mississippi node controlled by Portugal...

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Their original colony is now already a full town and hosting a level 2 coastal center of trade. That helps explain a lot. Yet they haven’t messed with us, so we look homewards again and reject the nobles when they demand old rights. It drops stability, but we boost it back to +2 with enough admin points. And then we build a shipyard in Chatot in 1560.

It’s around this time that the shit starts hitting the fan. Or to return to the Jaws metaphor, this is around the time in the movie when the Kitner boy goes missing during the 4th of July celebrations in Amityville. My chief doesn’t get slapped in the face like Chief Brody, but it starts to feel like it when Portugal begins to colonize on steroids. Just like that, they begin to colonize all around their original...

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I have to say I’m getting a little worried and start discussing things with first Hooper (the medicine man) and then Quint (the warrior) but still not ready to go out on the water. 1562 brings a growth of cities event which causes us to lose 1 base tax in Choctaw but gain 1 in Tuskegee, and then we get an agricultural revolution raising base production in Tohome. 1563 sees Shatteras developing enough to begin producing naval supplies and then we get to 1564.

Let’s say this is the point in Jaws when the threesome gets onboard the Orca and head out to sea in search of the shark but for now it’s still calm and just some funny banter. Yet the stakes are growing higher. I get to the point ingame that I now have enough admin points to advance to the next level in my expansion ideas but sadly I get a Stable Government event which would take admin points away so I take the prestige hit (lose 10) as I ignore it and then cash in to gain an extra merchant.

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Nice! I was looking at switching and now I can start working in the Ohio trade node as well. It’s not as productive, but it’s a start. And then Shatteras adopts Creek culture in 1565 raising the population by 100 to over 700. Hitchiti is over 900.

And this is around the time in the movie that the shark starts to toy with us [sidenote: the mechanical shark in the film was called Bruce and henceforth in this update I shall refer to Portugal as Bruce.] In April of 1565, I see a Castilian conquistador poking around west of the Chickasaw and just like that, Bruce has expanded into Biloxi and Natchez right on our western border! I’m starting to get really worried that their colonization is about to overwhelm me to the southwest and feel like I need to at least hold a clean border.

And so I leave my covering force in Shatteras while I pull my colonist and send him to Alabama...

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At this point, I now have 3 different colonies growing and the cost in beaver pelts becomes more than burdensome. Hitchiti is costing us 2 pelts a month. The second one in Shatters as costing 4 pelts a month. And now Alabama is costing an additional 10 pelts a month. With only one colonist, each one after is raised quadrilaterally. All told, my economy is suddenly in a shambles and that’s before...

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God damned Bruce! I’d say this is around the time he starts taking more and more barrels and still comes back for more. It’s 1566 and I’m already losing about 10 pelts a month and then Bruce decides to start ramming the boat...

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Just the very next month in 1566, by the way. Bruce is really turning the screws and I’m forced to fire all of my advisors and then take a loan to hopefully bridge the period it takes to get Hitchiti up to a full town. Plus Bruce has already added Arkansas as another colony. I finally decide to pull the colonist from Alabama (leaving a covering force in case of uprisings) and send him to finish off Hitchiti.

I’d say this is the part in the film where Quint slides down into the shark’s mouth because my chief dies, lowering stability to +1 (new fella is named Chinnabie Hopoethe but let’s just call the new one Quint as an honor) but it’s not really terrible because it seems like things might be turning in our favor finally. Because that same month, Hitchiti finally turns into a full town and I can swing my colonist back up to Shatteras.

That third colony really was a killer so maybe it was my fault that things went south, but I still blame Bruce because he forced my hand. If I don’t head into Alabama, maybe he moves in instead and practically cuts us off from the former Choctaw lands. I could not take that chance. Instead, I’ve seemingly weathered the storm and by late 1567 I can start to root out corruption again and even boost stability back to +2.

I’d been trying to improve relations with Bruce for a bit now, but by this date I’ve reached the limit of what I could do. So that diplomat returns home in 1568 as I see one of Bruce’s exploring minions stomping all around our western border. We get some other events, none of which bear repeating because the shark is the thing and in 1569 Bruce strikes again...

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I’d say this is the part of the film when the Orca is sinking, but maybe that is where the metaphor breaks down because we are not sinking. Just reeling from the effects of finally meeting the Europeans. These events are brutal. It’s designed that way, to be sure, but things seemed to go all to hell in just a short time after they showed up. Again...history and all that, but still. Bruce is a bitch! And he’s not the only one. As things calm down in 1570, I poke around the map a bit and check in on Great Britain in Newfoundland.

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They have developed a full colony and protectorate in Newfoundland with a governor and everything. “How nice for them!” as Bette Davis might say in her gloriously catty voice.

Yet we have stabilized so the boat didn’t sink. But we haven’t killed Bruce either. We do pay off the loan and then finally reach level 7 in military tech giving us the ability to build cannons. Out of what, I wonder? Beaver pelts mixed with mud? Put it out in the sun and let it bake a while. But I doubt it will hold up after we fire. Maybe we can steal some technological wonder from Bruce. He’s already giving us diseases.

It now occurs to me that maybe I should have modeled this post instead on the film Neighbors but we are too long into it now so let us move forward. We can afford to re-hire our excellent trade advisor and frankly I am sighing a bit in relief. I decide to play through this session until Shatteras is fully built up and it is in 1571.

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Of course by this point Bruce has expanded even further west. Sigh. I do get notice that we should have a rival again and the only option is Bruce. So I do so. Good idea? You tell me.

My treasury is looking good again, finally. So there’s that.

I’m looking at my missions and the New World Modernization thread is stalled. I do now have a neighbor that has embraced feudalism but I doubt seriously we are that close in technology. So what to do about that?

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And finally, as I am looking at finishing off Alabama as a colony, I am wondering where to go next. I can pull my guy and put him somewhere else? But to where, and why? Or should I leave him there and finish it off sooner without picking up a penalty in beaver pelts?

Somewhere out there (rather close, actually), Bruce is still swimming. So what is in store for Jaws 2?

[Incidentally, I should note that something seems terribly eschew as regards the historical Treaty of Tordesillas in that Portugal/Bruce does not seem to be respecting that arrangement. That said, it might be to my benefit as usually Castile/Spain becomes the larger power. I’ll still be behind them in tech, but at least Bruce is not the behemoth that Spain becomes...unless Iberia looks entirely different now. Hmmm...]
 
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Ah, little of this is good. I suppose one positive to take is that, so long as Bruce has 'empty' land to gobble up, he may not go after you. But that's a very grim positive to take. I would've loved to have seen New World modernisation, but somehow it feels like it will only become more distant. Never say never and all, but.. well, these are Europeans we're talking about. They're only going to get more brutal.

Incidentally, I should note that something seems terribly eschew as regards the historical Treaty of Tordesillas in that Portugal/Bruce does not seem to be respecting that arrangement.
I was trying to pinpoint why Portugal crawling up the Mississippi felt odd, and then I remembered about this. Naughty Bruce.

It's been such a long time since I played EU; do you (or does anyone else in the thread) know if Tordesillas is actually modelled in game?
 
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This is all very ominous.
 
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Hmmm...so they have been here already. Just way up in Newfoundland and the Creek don’t really know anything about that strange land. So let the British have their fun while
Having the UK be well established as per OTL isn't such a bad thing. Especially there. Its if they start the 13 colonies that the natives have to watch out concerning them.
I note that Portugal already has the most trade power in the closest trade center Mississippi River. And in the other trade center Chesapeake Bay, Great Britain is already in the lead.
These guys are going to be a problem though. Especially if Spain conquers Portugal back home or gets into a personal union with them. You may have dodged Spanish flordia only to have to deal with a much larger Spanish Mexico...

If that doesn't happen though, the Portuguese being the big colonisers might be a good thing for now. There's no way they can become a properly huge military power on land, and so you have a chance of beating them at war.

Problem is, they also have no chance of maintaining a large amercian colony for long. When it gets taken or gets independent, the new rulers are going to be much more powerful and aggressive locally. So I think we have to strike now, or move out west.
 
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Ah, little of this is good. I suppose one positive to take is that, so long as Bruce has 'empty' land to gobble up, he may not go after you. But that's a very grim positive to take. I would've loved to have seen New World modernisation, but somehow it feels like it will only become more distant. Never say never and all, but.. well, these are Europeans we're talking about. They're only going to get more brutal.


I was trying to pinpoint why Portugal crawling up the Mississippi felt odd, and then I remembered about this. Naughty Bruce.

It's been such a long time since I played EU; do you (or does anyone else in the thread) know if Tordesillas is actually modelled in game?
On the Treaty, that is a very good question. I know way back in Eu/EUII it was very much modeled in game, but I don't recall about EUIII and now IV. I'd be interested in that answer as well.

This is all very ominous.
As it was as I played. All calm in the water and then this shark comes swimming along...

Having the UK be well established as per OTL isn't such a bad thing. Especially there. Its if they start the 13 colonies that the natives have to watch out concerning them.

These guys are going to be a problem though. Especially if Spain conquers Portugal back home or gets into a personal union with them. You may have dodged Spanish flordia only to have to deal with a much larger Spanish Mexico...

If that doesn't happen though, the Portuguese being the big colonisers might be a good thing for now. There's no way they can become a properly huge military power on land, and so you have a chance of beating them at war.

Problem is, they also have no chance of maintaining a large amercian colony for long. When it gets taken or gets independent, the new rulers are going to be much more powerful and aggressive locally. So I think we have to strike now, or move out west.
My thought as well as long as it is just Portugal. Even still, I don't know that I can field a force large enough with their tech advantage to win. Of course I won't know until I try. ;)
 
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A nasty few decades there. Glad to see that you've managed to weather the initial wave of "fun" that Bruce brought to the party; though it's not a guarantee of survival by any means, surviving the wave of initial diseases relatively intact should be a good sign.

Re Tordesillas: According to the wiki it is modeled, sort of, but rather than partitioning the whole world at once it just assigns "ownership" of a colonial region to the first Catholic power that forms a colonial nation there. It's also apparently locked behind a DLC, too.
 
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Well, Portugal might be a threat.

On the bright side, the Creek can colonize now?
 
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A nasty few decades there. Glad to see that you've managed to weather the initial wave of "fun" that Bruce brought to the party; though it's not a guarantee of survival by any means, surviving the wave of initial diseases relatively intact should be a good sign.

Re Tordesillas: According to the wiki it is modeled, sort of, but rather than partitioning the whole world at once it just assigns "ownership" of a colonial region to the first Catholic power that forms a colonial nation there. It's also apparently locked behind a DLC, too.
It was definitely a rough patch. I figured it might be, but as suggested, at least I did not get gobsmacked immediately (outside of events.) Still not sure what to do next. More colonization...just try to tech advance as fast as possible...or attack?

And thanks for the answer on the ToT. I'm not using any DLCs so maybe that was not modeled (or well) under the vanilla game. And Bruce is taking advantage. ;)

Well, Portugal might be a threat.

On the bright side, the Creek can colonize now?
You think? ;) I am inclined to leave them be, but I am fearful of their rapid expansion. If I just let them go do their thing, I could be surrounded in quick order. But I am fairly certain my forces will not be up to par should I try to meet them head on. The challenge of a NA native tribe (regardless of how many pelts we hold.)
 
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For those wondering why it is taking so long, AI colonisers in Europe usually prioritise Brazil and the Caribbean, then Mexico, Canada and Florida. Florida might be next.
That makes sense. Those areas are much more valuable resource wise and plantation wise than the east coast of amercia, which aside from the deep south (which at the moment is swamp land) is lacking in much beyond furs and wood.
 
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Bruce, Bruce, Bruce... Tsk tsk. Naughty boy.
 
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Gotta learn what you can from Bruce and then put him down. And fast!
 
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Bruce is a bit scary. I don't know what you can do about him.
 
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For those wondering why it is taking so long, AI colonisers in Europe usually prioritise Brazil and the Caribbean, then Mexico, Canada and Florida. Florida might be next.
And pretty much how it has gone until Portugal decided to head up the Mississippi.

That makes sense. Those areas are much more valuable resource wise and plantation wise than the east coast of amercia, which aside from the deep south (which at the moment is swamp land) is lacking in much beyond furs and wood.
Indeed true as the cotton trade has not really started though I'm beginning to build it. Of course, that is a double edged sword. Once it becomes prosperous, they will just take it.

Bruce, Bruce, Bruce... Tsk tsk. Naughty boy.
Indeed. Naughty and pernicious! With such big teeth!

Gotta learn what you can from Bruce and then put him down. And fast!
In the next piece I write, you'll note I won't mention much about spread as I'm not seeing it (other than the spread of small pox.) I wish I could pick up some pointers, but at the moment I don't see much coming back.

Bruce is a bit scary. I don't know what you can do about him.
More than a bit scary. Honestly, I do not know either.


To all - The next update follows and gives you a bit more info on how this whole colonization game goes from our perspective. Thanks to everyone reading and giving comments. Any pointers are appreciated because the game has quite literally changed. I imagined that it would, and thought there might be some tough bits, but this is more than that. Read on...
 
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PLAV or Palaver?

After the excitement of the previous update, we enter into a decade that is either less exciting or potentially nerve racking. A contradiction? Possibly. Yet true nonetheless. Now for the reason for this update title. The verb definition of palaver is to talk unproductively and at length. By that, I do not mean to you dear reader. I mean with our dear friends Bruce aka Portugal aka now the Portuguese Louisiana Advisory Viceroy or PLAV for short. To wit:

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As we fire up in 1571, this is what we see. They are even beginning to build a small defensive force. For what, I wonder? Just for a parade? Further, I have to wonder where they got the name Louisiana? Was there a long lost cousin Louis in Portugal they desired to honor when they named it? One has to ask these questions. Regardless, our own talks with them went nowhere and did not seem to stop them one bit.

More to that, they decide to really throw a party for their buddies back home in Europe. PLAV says to them, “Hey...it’s all kinds of fun over here. I can’t handle these locals. Boring as hell, these rubes. Why not come down for a party on Bourbon Street named for the Viceroy himself, Caetano da Costa or to his friends, Lord Bourbon. We’ll drink, maybe smoke some of the funny stuff and plot how to get rid of these idiots.”

With an invitation like that, of course they go. France is first when they set up shop down in Mexico (Coahuilteco specifically, but I’m never typing that again.) And then Castile starts up in Florida (in what will someday become Miami.) I’m getting nervous again because while I’m still colonizing Alabama, I now know that I can really only support 2 colonies at most at any one time without breaking the beaver pelt pot.

I really wanted to push further into Georgia and hopefully hit the Atlantic with a port colony, but I don’t like how PLAV has been pushing in the west. So we decide to block them in Mobile...

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This is late in 1571 by now and Castile is moving fairly fast up the Gulf coast of Florida and then in October, Friesland decides to get in on the game and sets up shop in Santee to our East. (you’ll see it in a following screenie.)

I start to feel like I’m not being proactive enough, but I can only do so much with the pelts we have. That said, Alabama gets closer to a self sustaining territory as it adopts Creek culture and begins producing grain. We end the year trying to figure out what to do next when in 1572 our western pal Caddo decides to run a test case scenario.

They are a one province tribe to PLAV’s northwest. I don’t know who started it, but suddenly they are at war with PLAV (along with Caddo ally Pawnee.) I watch as they siege (or take) quickly and seem as if they do well. We get another plague event in June but push past it and start building a marketplace in Shatteras in the hopes of boosting our trade node Ohio there. I’m watching all of the war as it goes seeing if they can pull it off, but I’m still leery. When a boundary dispute over Biloxi pops up, I settle it. Still not interested in pushing PLAV yet.

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Caddo seems to be taking plenty of PLAV territory, but suddenly reinforcements start arriving. First in October 1572 from another Portuguese colony Caraibas (which we don’t yet know about) and then from Portugal itself in March of 1573. As you might imagine, the land taken by Caddo is soon retaken and we sigh. So much for that.

In internal news, we favor neither party in a land theft event and so neither party is happy but then we get another nice colonial expansion event. We could have begun another colony in Pensacola, but I cannot afford a third colony right now so I send the 100 to Alabama instead bringing that up to 680. So it’s bad, it’s good...bad and then good. Then bad and bad…

1574 brings a corruption event which means I need to start investing in rooting it out and then in May of that year...more small pox. It would seem that any meeting we have with PLAV just means we return with smelly blankets poisoned with the stuff. I really don’t think these talks are working out.

By 1575 PLAV finally decides enough is enough and settles with Caddo. As you might suspect...

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Goodbye, Caddo. We hardly knew ye.

The rest of the year is just as worrisome. First we discover an agent of Friesland attempting to build a spy network within Creek lands. And then we are notified that PLAV has fabricated a claim on Choctaw. Son of a…!

We spend most of 1576 smoking on the pipe (and I don’t mean the Pipes of Peace, a great Paul McCartney album.) Though we do see that Mobile is finally established enough to begin cotton production and then we can grant export licenses to help with our trade. We need it because 1577 sees yet one more small pox event. It just never stops with these guys. Down with PLAV!

More to that, our own agent is discovered in PLAV building a spy network, but we return the favor by discovering theirs the same year. So, HAH! Take that PLAV!

It’s at this time that we begin trying to figure out how to build a larger army which means we need more beaver pelts (and cotton and grain and whatever the hell else we’ve starting producing.) Our teching up has stalled because I’ve needed to invest those precious points in building up our various provinces (and thus producing more pelts.) And especially in admin points, I need it for everything. I do use up a few to boost us back to stability +2.

By 1578, the heap good wampum is looking much better. We can afford to maintain our military at 100% even with 2 colonies going at once and then we impose a new tariff in April gaining 3.00 mercantilism and boosting trade once more. That is followed by more trade success and we smile. So much that we decide it’s time to hire a leader for our forces:

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His stats are not eye opening, but it’s better than nothing (and he helps with military points.) We enter 1579 waiting for Alabama to finish off and they do by July. Self sustaining and a great boost to the pelt economy. But when our one advisor we can really afford dies, we can’t find a better one so we just pocket the pelts for the time. Honestly, not much else happens this year but that’s no problem because we just want better wampum.

In 1580, we start thinking about making a potential alliance if possible with a European power. That might be a help if we decide to war with PLAV. So we send a diplomat to Castile in Florida to improve relations, but then realize that Castile is not only married into the royal house of Portugal, they also have a military alliance. Crap!

Still, we keep going for the time. Just doing our best to keep pace as best we can. When in April we have a noble demanding an increased pension, we refuse. It drops stability back to +1 but our estates are still around equal. And then in July, we finally find a decent advisor to hire...

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That should help both with the beaver pelts (nice production efficiency) and our needed admin points (adds to what we gain each month.) With these events, our heap great wampum looks quite nice but we remain worried about the rapid expansion of Europe. With both Friesland and Castile working up the east coast, I don’t want to give up on Georgia in full yet. So I decide to start another colony in Yamasee (which fills in just a bit more of the state as I know it – I still need Coweta and the provinces on the coast – sidenote, modern Georgia is huge landwise. The largest state in size east of the Mississippi River.)

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All told, not terribly much has happened in these ten years and then again, so much has changed. There is a whole new crop of European colonizers invading what should be our land. And the war between Caddo and PLAV lets us know that any war we have with them will not be an easy one. I could probably gain an early advantage due to my closeness and their distance, and I do have a larger force than did Caddo, but when they finally arrive, I also know that our armies are so less technologically advanced than theirs.

If I can finish off the Mobile colony, our pelt supply should be quite large and maybe afford a war for a time even if I bump up my forces, but it still might not be enough (and my allies might suffer if they choose to join in the first place.) At this point, I think my only hope is finding a European ally but even there, I don’t know too many close ones that might be available. Great Britain is still mucking about up in the north and who knows...maybe they have close ties with Portugal as well. At this point, I don’t think it will be Castile (still not Spain) and that was my best hope.

At any rate, I end the session as we move over into 1581 scared as hell. PLAV has not stopped and now they have a partner to the south – PTAV (otherwise known as Portuguese Texas Advisory Viceroy.) I wonder how that Tex-Mex tastes? I recall my diplomat from PLAV having built as much of a spy network needed. I can make a claim on Biloxi, but I really don’t want to go to war with them right this minute. I’d rather just continue to build colonies of my own and keep teching up until I have a better fighting chance. However, I suspect that they will make that choice for me. A prospect I do not care for either. All I know is that talking has not worked. The only thing they are giving me in return is plague.

Hmmm...what to do?

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