I'm adding cores so fast missionaries can't keep up.

[Larva]

Dunno why, but I've had several good experiences with horde vassals. They make especially great marches

 

[makaramus]

try to use estates to incrase missionary strenght?

 

[Palatinus Germanicus]

I don't understand how you can post a thread saying "my missionaries can't keep up", while not have religious ideas. That just doesn't make sense to me.

Also, I've never been able to keep piety low like that (aiming to get tech cheaper). I think one time, I got to around -68, and it was amazing while it lasted, which wasn't long. There's only so many Muslim nations you can attack. Eventually you have to start striking at those damned infidels, and piety will inevitably begin to rise. I typically can't even keep it negative... so I just embrace the inevitable and go fully pious. For Allah.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

I don't understand how you can post a thread saying "my missionaries can't keep up", while not have religious ideas. That just doesn't make sense to me.

Also, I've never been able to keep piety low like that (aiming to get tech cheaper). I think one time, I got to around -68, and it was amazing while it lasted, which wasn't long. There's only so many Muslim nations you can attack. Eventually you have to start striking at those damned infidels, and piety will inevitably begin to rise. I typically can't even keep it negative... so I just embrace the inevitable and go fully pious. For Allah.

You'd have to intentionally leave a couple surrounded OPMs as declare/white peace fodder. I never do it because it's too much hassle and high piety is pretty nice too.

Even with that trick, it'd be a nightmare late game since you declare so many wars concurrently and increasingly few will be on same-faith. Still, if not going for one faith in SP the dhimmi tech cost reduction is nice at least.

 

[Palatinus Germanicus]

You'd have to intentionally leave a couple surrounded OPMs as declare/white peace fodder. I never do it because it's too much hassle and high piety is pretty nice too.

Even with that trick, it'd be a nightmare late game since you declare so many wars concurrently and increasingly few will be on same-faith. Still, if not going for one faith in SP the dhimmi tech cost reduction is nice at least.

I've never really learned to use the dhimmis because I can't keep them loyal. If you get their benefits, you piss off the nobles & (true faith) clergy -- which is totally unacceptable. Likewise, if you take advantage of those, then the dhimmi get upset (quite a lot). And that just drags you down further.

I'm sure there's a balance in there somewhere, that involves using humanist tolerance & never hiring the inquisitor, etc. It's just not my nature to leave large tracts of land remaining heathen. You keep expanding long enough, and even despite the modifiers, your religious unity can start to tick below 100... which leads to some of the biggest problems the game can offer. Best to just never start down that path, I've always figured.

 

[Big Bad France]

I don't understand how you can post a thread saying "my missionaries can't keep up", while not have religious ideas. That just doesn't make sense to me.

Also, I've never been able to keep piety low like that (aiming to get tech cheaper). I think one time, I got to around -68, and it was amazing while it lasted, which wasn't long. There's only so many Muslim nations you can attack. Eventually you have to start striking at those damned infidels, and piety will inevitably begin to rise. I typically can't even keep it negative... so I just embrace the inevitable and go fully pious. For Allah.

I think the benefits of negative piety are a lot stronger early in the game, anyway. By the time you run out of Muslims to attack, you should be making a lot of money and the high piety bonus is more useful.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

I've never really learned to use the dhimmis because I can't keep them loyal. If you get their benefits, you piss off the nobles & (true faith) clergy -- which is totally unacceptable. Likewise, if you take advantage of those, then the dhimmi get upset (quite a lot). And that just drags you down further.

I'm sure there's a balance in there somewhere, that involves using humanist tolerance & never hiring the inquisitor, etc. It's just not my nature to leave large tracts of land remaining heathen. You keep expanding long enough, and even despite the modifiers, your religious unity can start to tick below 100... which leads to some of the biggest problems the game can offer. Best to just never start down that path, I've always figured.

If your heathen tolerance is 2 or more and you have the 25% unity from humanist, going below 100% unity is impossible unless you have only heretic provinces or something. Something like fetish with humanism or Ottomans with humanism can convert 0 provinces, have no true faith provinces, and still have 100% unity or more.