Ironman: a vague sense of disgrace

[Sfan]

I keep thinking that ironman plays against player.
In my OE game, the event that brings Crimea as vassal 9 out of 10 times (when OE is AI-controlled...) fires with negative outcome. I only get the PU-CB and have to waste my Manpower to vassallise them...

Well, in my ironman, that's the same, but I don't play the Ottomans. So that just makes the game immensely easier by freeing up Eastern Europe from their influence. This happens in both sides.

 

[Senstrae]

I threw almost a dozen attempts at Byzantium in 1.19. I already have the Basileus achievement, instead I wanted to go for Mare Nostrum. Some of the most unlucky starts really. One time Venice beat the Ottomans to the punch with an early rival and DoW, it was not fatal, but the debt and manpower loss crippled me for the meager strips of land I gained. Another time I was able to ally Albania after the Ottomans declared into them, with Hungary helping, but the AI failed to group armies and got stomped. This other time PLC declined a CTA because they were at war with Teutons, losing, and had rebels. After that, I had an unusual time where Mehemet II died really early, replaced with some meek mediocre stat ruler that had the "Careful" trait, and curiously the Ottomans did not DoW anyone until I finally gave up on the speed 5 strat (1480+) and DoW'd into them with tech advantage, only to find out the Ottomans had both 'The Last Jousting Tournament', and a Morale advisor.

Then, when I was on the verge of calling it a day... I had a lucky break. Ottomans DoW into Albania, Hungary defended them, I was able to join, 99% warscore, and bam, all of my cores back. Not only that but I've had some incredible rulers who've lived good long lives. Even when I managed to lose my dynasty (heir and ruler both died within a year of each other), I still somehow managed to RNG into a 4/6/5 ruler with Russian dynasty. Though, I'd almost argue AI Spain got even luckier than I, with Burgundy Inheritance, Iberian Wedding, Portugal and Naples both integrated.

Even before this game I had an Austria into HRE run go very smoothly. PUs on Hungary, Bohemia, Commonwealth, Great Britain, Spain. This was also not without a few restarts, but that's Ironman for you. It can be generous and cruel.

 

[Hastu Neon]

That's my problem.
It's 100% of time cruel: in some 20 games never took a PU apart once getting Walachia as Hungary...

 

[Sallzz]

actually,

most of the times I do "improve prestige" mission, for example, lot of events to improve my prestige showed up.

one of my games as Aragon i did the iberian wedding, castille inherited burgundy and I did get a PU with england.

other game as castille, also ironman, I had PU with portugal, aragon, austria and inherited burgundy

I remember also an ironman as austria where i had PU with bohemia and hungary

France is in a lethargic stage, early game, since some patches ago

 

[afb]

In my current ironman game as Aragon->Spain->Italy, I had the Iberian Wedding fire and have gotten PU's on Austria, Hungary and Burgundy.

Also France collapsed and Portugal got 90% conquered by Morocco so I could easily vassalize them and feed them back their old provinces.

Lucky games certainly happen in Ironman...

 

[Sfan]

That's my problem.
It's 100% of time cruel: in some 20 games never took a PU apart once getting Walachia as Hungary...

If you never have any PU, you might consider reading a guide on PUs. Each game I try getting one, I have at least one. There is obviously some luck involved when you get 4 PUs in one game on GPs. But there is no luck involved if you had 1 PU in 20 games, or insane bad luck if you played it optimally, to the range of 0.0000000001% probability.

 

[pikaemperor]

With allies like that you can just go bankrupt.

http://i.imgur.com/96Krg6j.jpg

BB with no allies vs France, Portugal, Castille/Aragon/Naples
Contested a PU Castille would've gotten over France. The allies you can see were enough for nobody to attack me.

Comes with AI behavior. They don't see you as a player with allies but rather you and every ally willing to join a defensive war as one single entity.
Which is why England can be useful as an ally even if it never fights in wars. Just as a deterrent.

You have Austria, Denmark and Hungary. Any actual enemies around you? Because the truce with Poland and BB would be more than 10 years.

I can't see any other nation besides those two even daring to dream of attacking you.

Loan up, merc like mad, destroy Poland, go bankrupt, enjoy.

Way better than playing the waiting game.

You are doing it wrong, Bohemia should be dead by that point. And you don't need to go bankrupt or even take loans as Brandenburg to defeat Poland.

 

[Dominion]

You are doing it wrong, Bohemia should be dead by that point. And you don't need to go bankrupt or even take loans as Brandenburg to defeat Poland.

I'm not doing anything. That was a friend's save he gave up on. He was offered the chance to contest a Castille-France PU, took three loans and gave up. I continued from that point.

Aside from that, any special reason to brag randomly in a decently old thread over something as simple as an example?
This could've easily been my first game ever, a fun run, roleplay, pretty much anything.

The "show us your empire" thread is somewhere else.