How many Vassal Merchant Republics?

[Naughtius Maximus]

I currently control most of the Mediterranean Coast, but it's been 300 years into a 1066 start and the Italian republics do not yet have the entire world filled with trade posts, which leads me to believe I can go about spawning more vassal republics.

Is there a rule of thumb into how many vassal republics the Mediterranean + Black Sea can support?

Or better yet just a rule of thumb into how many trade posts one republic can make after 100 years of into a game.

 

[DreadLindwyrm]

I'm playing through a merchant republic game from 769 in Scandinavia - I've got about 15 trade posts at the moment just for my house, with the other houses having around 8-10 each. I'm probably in the mid 900s, so we've probably got 50-60 between us in the republic.

 

[Naughtius Maximus]

So in 150 years how big is that, exactly? Sorry I can't visualize it until you tell me what geographical areas you have. I haven't played Merchant Republics yet.

 

[Kapitalisti]

In my experience the Mediterranean is a good playground for around 3-4 vassal republics, plus one for the Black Sea. I usually place one in Tangiers to dominate the Atlantic coast and Iberia, one in the Genoa area (so, Genoa or Pisa), naturally Venice and then one in either Jerusalem (for some reason I prefer to use Ascalon) or Alexandria. And then one in Crimea.

 

[Simmy93]

My rule of thumb is for every 9 dukes you have you can have a 10th who is a merchant prince. Too many republics in Conclave will be a -nightmare-. Always make sure you give them a good single-province duchy as well, keeps them contained (for a while anyway). I recommend the traditional republics of Venice, Genoa and Pisa. Also in the Med I thoroughly recommend a republic of the Balearics, Cyprus, Krete or the AEgean Isles. (I bet you're seeing a theme.) In my current Norse Khaj game where I am essentially currently Cathage's old borders in terms of the med my merchant republics are the Balearics, Socotra (I've pushed down into africa) and my my third will be (just passed 30 vassal-dukes) the Republic of Sicily. A daring choice, but its a personal one in terms of this campaign. Just avoid giving them duchies like Alexandria, Tunis, Sevilla, Portucale etc. Merchant republics do not need a head start.

 

[StarSword]

I have one in Mann and one in Brittany, and there are also foreign vassal republics in Amalfi, Genoa, and Venice. I'm going to conquer Mallorca later (assuming the Umayyads manage to beat this Orthodox revolt) and start a third, and I plan to start another in Scandinavia (possibly in Jylland or Gotland) to pacify the Norse once I have a foothold.

 

[DreadLindwyrm]

So in 150 years how big is that, exactly? Sorry I can't visualize it until you tell me what geographical areas you have. I haven't played Merchant Republics yet.

I've got Scandinavia and a couple of provinces in de jure Rus. I had two counties SE of Holstein, but lost them to a Holy War.

 

[Naughtius Maximus]

So in ~150 years you can roughly expect enough trade posts to fill an empire sized territory?

So are these trade posts purely yours or does it include your rival patricians? If it's just yours it means with your rivals one republic might fill half the mediterranean alone in the 150 years......maybe?

 

[DreadLindwyrm]

Like I say, I've personally got around 15, the other patricians in the republic have about 10 or so each. The other merchant republics are fighting over the mediterranean basin.

I'd say we've filled the Baltic and covered the outside of Norway and Denmark, so I'd guess that you'd expect one republic to be able to fill either the eastern or western med. Maybe.

 

[HandicapdHippo]

I have had single vassal republic fill the entirety of the Mediterranean over a 500 year game. I founded a republic up in England just to fill that area later on as the first seemed to hit their limit. Then I founded one in the Indian ocean as it's a separate sea zone that my other two couldn't expand to.

 

[josefrees]

I think a lot of any projection is going to depend on what year you start in as low Trade Practice tech is going to undermine the alotted amount of posts any family is going to have for a while

I'm curious whether you can have a MR in the Sinai and have access to both the Mediterranean and the Arabian peninsula. I'll have to test that out.