How can I fight off a bigger enemy?

[mysticdueler]

Don’t be afraid to try and threaten war for a province. It doesn’t always work, but it can be useful if you only need one or two provinces and don’t feel like fighting a full-on war for them. It probably won’t work on that Commonblob, but it can’t hurt to try!

 

[otaats]

Thought I'd give a Byzantium run a go, despite not being a great player. So far managed alright, taking the Ottomans European possessions and splitting Anatolia with the Mamluks. The problem is now in 1600 the Commonwealth are steamrolling everything, being the strongest nation in the game and have permanent claims on the Bulgaria region. Austria and Hungary have joined me in the defensive war (but not Russia the cowards) against them and Tuscany and we barely outnumber them combined. They are way ahead of us in military tech (I'm 14, they're 16). Even fighting them on favourable terrain they seem to just steamroll me due to my inferior units and half morale. I do have most defensive ideas as about the only thing going for me.

Is there anything I can do at this point or is this just GG? The only thing I can think of would be taking heaps of loans, buying every Merc I can get and hopefully drown them in bodies. Any advice from anyone who knows what they're doing with this game?

Is Russia in the game? They're all buffer you'll ever need as Byzantium. Granted, if they aren't completely inept with 200 inf/1 cav/10 art army, which happened a lot.

 

[petertju]

Have proceeded into the 18th century now, caught up on military tech and taken the Middle East and Egypt for the Empire. Unfortunately been blocked off from Europe by Hungary allying the Commonwealth and Spain seizing Italy while holding DotF. Will need to take Vidin from Commonwealth at some point for Basileus but no idea how (and would at least get me the mission claims on Italy). I guess at some point I can hit Spain and hope somebody else takes DotF? I think it'd be close just 1v1 against Commonwealth at this point let alone Hungary and Spain... Not sure what else to do but hit QQ, then Persia and push to India and keep expanding?

View attachment 626695
Current allies: Austria, Netherlands, Great Britain, Revolutionary Russia and Georgia (March)

You have definitely improved your game a lot, gold should be a lot better if you have a good trade set up. You could keep hitting QQ to improve your trade game, though I actually think if you would be able to get all your allies on board you stand a good chance versus Commonwealth. GB and NL and Spain will probably balance each other out and fight a lot in the colonies. Worst case scenario concerning Spain is that they do focus Europe, than you have NL and Austria to keep them occupied

You should use your own armies to rush for Budapest, should be one fort and Hungary never really upgrades their forts. Ask them only to break alliances and attack them again as soon as the truce runs out, they will be isolated.

Than it will be you, (maybe Austria) and Russia versus Commonwealth. This looks doable, especially because they will probably focus Siberia and Egypt. Let them occupy it, it is not important. Your focus should be to exhaust their allies and than focus them. This first war will be difficult and you should expect to merc up and go in debt, you can take it! Your economy is probably a lot stronger than theirs.

 

[Cal585]

Also get mecca.

And I would declare on Hungary if Spain won't join and hold out until I can white peace the commonwealth.

Why mecca? It hasn't been developed in this game. is there another benefit?
And Spain is Defender of the Faith and will join any war against a Catholic.

Is Russia in the game? They're all buffer you'll ever need as Byzantium. Granted, if they aren't completely inept with 200 inf/1 cav/10 art army, which happened a lot.

They are now Revolutionary after going massively into debt which caused them to decline a CtA twice. We're back to allies and think they might actually join me for the first time in a war this game.

You have definitely improved your game a lot, gold should be a lot better if you have a good trade set up. You could keep hitting QQ to improve your trade game, though I actually think if you would be able to get all your allies on board you stand a good chance versus Commonwealth. GB and NL and Spain will probably balance each other out and fight a lot in the colonies. Worst case scenario concerning Spain is that they do focus Europe, than you have NL and Austria to keep them occupied

You should use your own armies to rush for Budapest, should be one fort and Hungary never really upgrades their forts. Ask them only to break alliances and attack them again as soon as the truce runs out, they will be isolated.

Than it will be you, (maybe Austria) and Russia versus Commonwealth. This looks doable, especially because they will probably focus Siberia and Egypt. Let them occupy it, it is not important. Your focus should be to exhaust their allies and than focus them. This first war will be difficult and you should expect to merc up and go in debt, you can take it! Your economy is probably a lot stronger than theirs.

Thanks. Control the Eastern Mediterranean trade so money is doing fine now.
Apparently GB is 16,000 in debt and will decline any CtA. Austria and NL both have -60 for opinion of enemy.
Every time I have fought the Commonwealth it has been in Europe and they've ignored Anatolia. Terrain is not great in Bulgaria either for defending the border. My plan is to use my Georgian march to put pressure on their backlines and divert their attention. I like your suggestion of blitzing Hungary as well.

I have currently invested in Defensive and Quality ideas and am now tossing up between Quantity and Offensive to give my armies the edge. Which would be recommended?

 

[petertju]

Why mecca? It hasn't been developed in this game. is there another benefit?


Thanks. Control the Eastern Mediterranean trade so money is doing fine now.
Apparently GB is 16,000 in debt and will decline any CtA. Austria and NL both have -60 for opinion of enemy.
Every time I have fought the Commonwealth it has been in Europe and they've ignored Anatolia. Terrain is not great in Bulgaria either for defending the border. My plan is to use my Georgian march to put pressure on their backlines and divert their attention. I like your suggestion of blitzing Hungary as well.

I have currently invested in Defensive and Quality ideas and am now tossing up between Quantity and Offensive to give my armies the edge. Which would be recommended?

Mecca gives you another missionary I thought.

Allies are dicks You probably already have imperialism. This gives you a lot of freedom of who you can attack. You can look at Spain/Hungary/Commonwealth and look if they either ally or guarantee a nation that is easier to attack. Spain for example has a tendency to ally Mexican natives. Attack them and use it to hurt Spain/Hungary/Commonwealth or break treaties/DoTF. It's okay to lose a small war against a small country if it will break up this alliance block.

Regarding your ideas, it depends on how the fighting with Commonwealth went. Are they straight up beating you in equal settings, go Offensive(or if you haven't fought yet, do they have a way higher morale/discipline).
Are they just overrunning you(or if you haven't fought yet, is there force limit a lot higher than yours?), go Quantity.

Both would be a massive improvement to your armies and Byz ideas would match with both of them.

 

[Cal585]

Thanks massively for the help everyone! Managed to get the shiny achievement, and it's probably the most satisfying one I have achieved so far

Vassalised the Mamluks and reinstated their cores in Arabia. Netherlands stole the DotF and managed to declare on Hungary with allies dragging Commonwealth (who had twice the army but no manpower left) as a co-belligerent. Got my Serbian lands, the rest of Bulgaria and Theodoro back.
Then managed to instigate a pile on on Spain for the islands and Italy. I'm just disappointed I'm almost out of time!

 

[generalis Julius Caesar]

Looking ... and doing ... great!

 

[Howl]

Excellent.
Now you definitely need to focus on conquering the rest of northern africa. The land is dirt poor and useless.
But wiping those color usurpers of the map has to be the number one priority for any sensible leader...

 

[otaats]

Wow! That's a beautiful resurgent New Rome! Gotta say, playing this game for 3.3k hours getting a lot of very hard achievements, i tried a real Byz run only a couple of times. I'll have to do this and i won't rest until i do.

Any cheese/viable strat for the opener? Or is it the standard Skanderbeg strat still?

 

[Beagá]

It actually has uses to expand your naval limit. North África can be crucial. If you need the galleys.

 

[petertju]

Congrats dude happy you made it!

 

[webphi]

Doing a Byz run too atm!

Russia is my PU I didn't understand at first when i got the message, was so great and make everything so easier.

Got 1132 Armies, hegemony, poor guys try to make coalitions and what not, but me + Russia are just too strong. First allied France and England, then attacked France, and now it is England time to suffer. I am so hated by the whole world.
Seems like i will have time to occupy all of Europe, more if i really want but world conquest is far too boring.

I went Offensive -> Admin (for the core cost mainly) -> Quantity -> Religious ->Quality (After that, wars became really easy) and Diplo. Going Def i guess after that, or Eco (but i really don't need more money...)? Not sure what is best, or what i could have choosed that would have been more useful, if someone got some good advice.

Deus Vult was really a great help before Imperialism, and took Diplo for the 20% war score now that i am gobbling Europe and not caring about coalitions.

 

[Cal585]

Thanks all for the help and kind comments! And that is a great run @webphi. Russia as a PU would make things so much easier, looks like a perfect opportunity for a true Mare Nostrum.

Excellent.
Now you definitely need to focus on conquering the rest of northern africa. The land is dirt poor and useless.
But wiping those color usurpers of the map has to be the number one priority for any sensible leader...

Haha definitely thinking about those clean borders now that I near the end. Just need to work out how to defeat Spain again now that they're guaranteeing North Africa and I've ditched half my allies.

Wow! That's a beautiful resurgent New Rome! Gotta say, playing this game for 3.3k hours getting a lot of very hard achievements, i tried a real Byz run only a couple of times. I'll have to do this and i won't rest until i do.

Any cheese/viable strat for the opener? Or is it the standard Skanderbeg strat still?

I rewatched BudgetMonk and RadioRes multiple times for advice on how to do it and ended up doing a bit of a mixture but more along RadioRes lines (youtube Byzantium 1.30). Found the estate loans with 1% interest were very helpful (don't have Emperor yet so haven't explored the other fancy estates). Biggest problem I had that caused me to keep restarting is that when things went well in the early stages I always became greedy but losing a single battle really hurts. With a bit of self-control managed to peace out and then after breaking the truce and locking them out of Europe it was easy. Left Edirne alone until they finally moved their capital away but in hindsight should have moved on the Balkan states earlier.