Help a non noob!

[-MoRiDin-]

Ok so In a multiplayer game I am playing aragon. WE decided not to take any nations where the dummy meter was not 50% over to the hard side.

Now I took Aragon, only because my friend took Naples and asked me too. I had hoped to stay friendly either with France or Castile. However it seems both are slowly turning towards conquering me. My Naples Ally took Scilly, and I have Sardinia. I can't get into Italy as Naples is rushing to unify. I can't get into North Africa as the stupid popes wont call a crusade and my innovativeness gives me -.15 missionary a year!

Castile beat me to Navarra... We were both in separate wars, I subjugated her, to diplo annex later Castile just nabbed her.

So how do I get out of this? I can't afford to throw tonnes of gifts at either France or Castile. I don't think I'm holding any of their cores. I can't touch Castile's fleet, manpower or Army size, the later two are the same for France.

I'm leading a Pu with a once province Brittany. A much smashed up Burgundy keeps asking for an alliance, but I don't think we are strong enough together to win a war with France, and even if it did it would take all my manpower and Castile would walk in.

I took national bank for my one and only idea (after GI obviously) as my inflation is terrible!

I really need some advice!

 

[-MoRiDin-]

No advice?

Is it THAT bad? sob sob

Paradoxian has a guide: YAY... it's only for vanilla and says I should take Italy.. booo ...

 

[Atlanteax]

Your buddy playing Naples (with the intent of being Italy) basically handicaps you.

Historically, Aragon "looked east" since north (France) and west (Castille/Portugal) was blocked.

.

I would suggest starting a new game with you as Holland or Brandenburg ... if you two are looking to play medium-sized (but expanding) powers together. Burgundy may work, where even tho it would be noticably more powerful, you would essentially be able to secure your buddy's north flank (of Italy) and have the manpower to help in wars, with him providing the assumed naval support.

 

[chals]

how high is your inflation..

Remeber to go on peace military upkeep(low)
Invest in one thing at the time.. Do it primary in military, wait for new unets and tactics upgrade and walk all over them, if they have "old" soldiers..

try to get more land elsewhere (new world, afrika or personal unions...)

save money for the god buildings and/or take the gold mines in afrika..
befreind portogal.
warn france or Castle.. They will be in some war with HRE or Bergundy, thats the time to hit
Castile might be in a war with somebody else.. (big), like the ottoes..

 

[Pewt]

Well if you aren't going to attack your friend then playing Aragon is a little strange with your friend playing naples. Ideally you really should just attack him and take italy.

Other than that, you could take the richer half (west half) of anatolia, the rich part (southern/island) of greece and colonize.

 

[Atlanteax]

Well if you aren't going to attack your friend then playing Aragon is a little strange with your friend playing naples. Ideally you really should just attack him and take italy.

Other than that, you could take the richer half (west half) of anatolia, the rich part (southern/island) of greece and colonize.

The problem there is that would be Naples/Italy future moves, and Aragon is not really a colonizing nation.

So it was a bad idea to begin with to be Naples & Aragon together to start with ... other than Naples player wanting friendly Aragon *not* interfering in Italy (which is probably the motivation in why he asked you to be Aragon).

 

[-MoRiDin-]

The problem there is that would be Naples/Italy future moves, and Aragon is not really a colonizing nation.

So it was a bad idea to begin with to be Naples & Aragon together to start with ... other than Naples player wanting friendly Aragon *not* interfering in Italy (which is probably the motivation in why he asked you to be Aragon).

How about: friendly Aragon almost bankrupting itself keeping him alive in Italy?

Yes, he seems to think he can help with France once he has unifed Italy. I don believe that that for a min if Burgundy goes out.

We are playing a friendly game, our third player, Moscow even had to march to help save Naples from a disaster verses the HRE.

I could go even further east or try to get both castile and france to like me and sit down to try to colonise... I am allied with portugal.

er inflations is starting to push 8 or 9 I fear...

 

[Junuxx]

Aragon, with the help of AI Portugal and human Naples should definitely be able to give Castile a sound beating.

 

[-MoRiDin-]

Aragon, with the help of AI Portugal and human Naples should definitely be able to give Castile a sound beating.

The problem is that more often than not, Aragon has had to save human naples from the ai... He also now has no fleet so I fear little help in a war verses castile.. though I'd kill to have his 18 regiments to help out... In fact neither of us have a fleet that can can cut it verses castile so getting his troops over would have to happen before hand... I need a cb! Lol

It is still very early circa 1422

 

[Junuxx]

Is it an option for the Naples player to get military access across Italy and France?

 

[gela1212]

Aragon's tricky, and unfortunately, you won't be able to use my suggestion since your game has already started, but a good idea is to full mint at start, guarantee Grenada, and build a LOT of mercenaries quickly so that you can beat up Castile. The reason this works is that Castile is preoccupied with fighting Morocco and Grenada, and you just apply pressure to the east and, if you're quick, you'll squeeze two or three provinces out of them. Make sure to kill your minting and mercenaries as soon as the war is over though.

 

[yqt1001]

Yes, he seems to think he can help with France once he has unifed Italy. I don believe that that for a min if Burgundy goes out.

You underestimate the power of a unified Italy. Not as great as unified Germany, but against an AI, Italy can easily take on Spain or a Burgundy France.

 

[Duke of Britain]

Well, as Aragon i always ally France on day 1...and then i proceed to destroy Italy, usually i annex Sardinia and then proceed to Sicily, quickly annexing Naples and by then i probably get a mission to vassalize the Pope or Urbino...

By then i can just force a PU on Castille...

Aragon isn't weak, much better to form Spain than Castille, i always play as it.

Anyway, unified Italy + Aragon can easily take on Castille, unless they ally France and eat Portugal, if possible try to ally Portugal + England as well.

 

[mudcrabmerchant]

Gotta go with Duke of Britain on allying France. If you do it on day 1 before they reach their alliance cap, they're usually very open to it. There's a good chance they've already reached that cap in your game, but I'd strongly suggest doing everything you can to improve your relations with them, and trying to get an alliance as soon as possible. You could probably take on Castile with the help of Portugal alone, but if you're still worried (or if they're allied with Portugal themselves), teaming up with France will all but ensure your victory.

As for long term advice/specifics, try forming a PU over Castile ASAP, rather than sucking up all the badboy of eating them province by province. After that, you can just play a conventional colonial game as Spain.

 

[Duke of Britain]

Remember that Aragon + Sardinia alone isn't enough to maintain an army as large as Castille's with ease, you'll want to eat some of Italy, or in your situation, North Africa will be fine, if you can PU Portugal and keep Castille in wars until you feel confident about your army it will also work...

If you feel confident go and try to take some of Greece, potentially Constantinople, working your way to Turkey...i can't think of any more good options that you would be able to make use of...

 

[-MoRiDin-]

Thanks for all the advice.

So last nights session (we play Monday nights) went rather well. A French DOW on Brittany, whom I was leading a pu. I got the RM with them (britany) back when they were leading a pu with France.

I'm not too worried I figure I can let France take Brittany and peace out. My Naples ally sends over a few troops and I get soem minor vicotries before the stack of doom turns up.

Then Castile DoWs. A plain old war of aggression! I love the dumb AI castile comes into this with a WE of over 10 and a stability of -2! A couple of spies spark off some large revolts. I start buildign units way above my force limit as they have two large stacks 8/8 and 10/10. Portugal are in the war with me as my applies as is Naples.

Naples attempt to bring more troops over, but the ai's 22 big ships are too much!

I give up Brittany to her French fate and France peaces out. I manage to break the first stack, but chasing it down takes forever. In the mean time the other stack has swotted the rebels and scared portugal into a white peace. Navarra rebels take both their basque provinces. Fighting the second stack was close but we kill it.

I manage to arrange for the second stack to die. and settle down to siege the place! Naples wants Murcia for her troubles but we can't get their war score high enough so she forces Galicia's release and peaces out. I have the rest occupied. Navvara eventually breaks free but Castile wont give them a peace. I've held off peacing out to see if castile will peace with Navvarra but I'm running out of time.

Almeria and Andulica both defect to me! Almeria is still Muslim, but I intend to force release a catholic Granada (the prov has been converted) and give them Almeria as I have no chance of any missionaires. My King also gets a border dispute for cadiz.

All in all not as bad as I thought! Navvara refuse to join my alliance though, which is annoying as I wanted to diplo annex them etc.

Peace options? Murcia, Castila de la vega, Salamanca, cadiz and release Granada. This gives me access to my prov Andalusia via Granada and cuts Castile totally in half. for 10 infamy? This gives me all the provs (except toledo) for forming Spain.

I'm debating whether to then give Naples Murcia as he wanted or not. It would make life easier for him to help out in the future.

After this you think I should try to force a pu on them? They have a disputed succession right now, but obviously they wont let me royal marriage while we are at war!

 

[Atlanteax]

Naples should not have any provinces in Iberia. Now that you've broken Castille, I agree that forcing a PU on them would be good, as you will then eventually have most of Iberia under your control, and cored, to form Spain, once you inherit.

 

[unmerged(80402)]

Tell him you apreciate his help, but spain is your, and you will just helped him already, and you will help him in any hard war if he will have such...

 

[Duke of Britain]

Also, what are your NIs? Taking Press gangs and building a solid navy (for your size, some 30 big ships should do) is a good idea...

And no, don't give him provinces in Iberia, he should just take MA through France to help you.

 

[StephenT]

Tell him you'll give him Murcia if he gives you Genoa or Venice. Otherwise, no.