...and the one getting hammered is poor Netherlands. It's 1874, and the Dutch Empire already encompasses a great deal of Africa (former Egypt - annexed - and three dozen colonies) southeast Asia (the starting provinces N. gets and two more colonies) and Belgique (of course 
).
Not too shabby, huh? Add a standing army of 48 divisions (42 of them colonial, but all with add. brigades and war-experienced) a navy that is second only to UKs and you get the picture. Money issues are no issues whatsoever.
What about BB, you ask? Well, presumably it's high. Not skyrocketing (just 23+) but enough to get me a host of wars .
First, Brazil declares. Chile&Argentina follow, but my British allies mop the floor with all three and after a few months Brazil asks ...me for peace giving ME a few of their provinces.
Whatever, I stupidly did accept that deal (after turning it down once, I tried to get a white peace and they wouldn't accept it no matter what) and that brought my BB even further up. So, after a couple of weeks (and while I was watching for the Frenchies, I had really bad relationships with them) my former allies the Prussian (Germany never formed) DoWed me and attacked with 120 divisions, plus 40 or so from the German minors they were allied with.
While I was trying to fend off the Prusskies ( ) with my 32 divisions (no mobilization, all my european population are clerks and craftsmen so a mobilization would kill my industry permanetly) on Dutch ground, the Portuguese DoW me too and start snatching away my African possesions.
Managed to gather my colonial force (5 cavalry divisions) and after playing cat and mouse with the Portuguese, I managed to kill all of their divisions, one by one and started retaking my land back.
Meanwhile, in the European front, I managed to ship in 11 more divisions, and the Brits have send me 10 or so, and by adding lots of manpower to the pool (by my colonials) I manage to go on a dynamic offensive, recapture Luxemburg and Arlon, and take the whole Rheinland and three more provinces. I have a warscore of +15 and try for a white peace but the Prussian refuse, and a couple of days later the offer Two of their Rhine provinces for peace! I take them, BB goes further up, France DoWs, I manage to hold them off (with British help) and capture half France (Brits captured a great deal of the rest) - in teh meantime Portugal has sued for White peace and I grant it with joy - again the French refuse my attempts for a white peace or a peace with indemnities, and offer four of their provinces! Having a war exhastion of 70+ I had to make piece (rebellions started going up here and there and I had 95% of my troops tied up against France).
BB goes further up, I release Java, not much good, so I release Egypt too... much better. Then, while I was trying to build up, UK declares colonial war! Not much of a deal, I think. Wrong. Brazil - after the peace treaty expired - declares again, along with their allies, and occupies all my possesions in S.America. Britain, allthough loosing half of their claim buildings to my mobile colonial cavalry, does not accept peace - even with several provinces - so my nave is tied @home.
Needles to say, right after the p.t. with Prussia expires, they DoW me with all their following and throw 160 divisions at me. My manpower is exhausted after all those years of fighting, rebellions errupt all the time, I can't move my fleet, the Prussian armies of 10 and 15 division are steamrolling over Netherlands... well, Oranje is as good as dead.
Just a question to the experienced players frequenting this forum: is there any way out of this death spiral? It seems impossible to get out of it. I even tried to reload a position which seemed quite favorable, but nothing goes. The whole world hates me, I can't improve my relations with anybody, I am being DoWed every second week by someone (I am surprised Benghal hasn't DoWed me yet too ) and I can't win the war against Prussia this time - they are too bloody strong and I have no allies.
).Not too shabby, huh? Add a standing army of 48 divisions (42 of them colonial, but all with add. brigades and war-experienced) a navy that is second only to UKs and you get the picture. Money issues are no issues whatsoever.
What about BB, you ask? Well, presumably it's high. Not skyrocketing (just 23+) but enough to get me a host of wars .
First, Brazil declares. Chile&Argentina follow, but my British allies mop the floor with all three and after a few months Brazil asks ...me
for peace giving ME a few of their provinces.Whatever, I stupidly did accept that deal (after turning it down once, I tried to get a white peace and they wouldn't accept it no matter what) and that brought my BB even further up. So, after a couple of weeks (and while I was watching for the Frenchies, I had really bad relationships with them) my former allies the Prussian (Germany never formed) DoWed me and attacked with 120 divisions, plus 40 or so from the German minors they were allied with.
While I was trying to fend off the Prusskies (
) with my 32 divisions (no mobilization, all my european population are clerks and craftsmen so a mobilization would kill my industry permanetly) on Dutch ground, the Portuguese DoW me too and start snatching away my African possesions.Managed to gather my colonial force (5 cavalry divisions) and after playing cat and mouse with the Portuguese, I managed to kill all of their divisions, one by one and started retaking my land back.
Meanwhile, in the European front, I managed to ship in 11 more divisions, and the Brits have send me 10 or so, and by adding lots of manpower to the pool (by my colonials) I manage to go on a dynamic offensive, recapture Luxemburg and Arlon, and take the whole Rheinland and three more provinces. I have a warscore of +15 and try for a white peace but the Prussian refuse, and a couple of days later the offer Two of their Rhine provinces for peace! I take them, BB goes further up, France DoWs, I manage to hold them off (with British help) and capture half France (Brits captured a great deal of the rest) - in teh meantime Portugal has sued for White peace and I grant it with joy - again the French refuse my attempts for a white peace or a peace with indemnities, and offer four of their provinces! Having a war exhastion of 70+ I had to make piece (rebellions started going up here and there and I had 95% of my troops tied up against France).
BB goes further up, I release Java, not much good, so I release Egypt too... much better. Then, while I was trying to build up, UK declares colonial war! Not much of a deal, I think. Wrong. Brazil - after the peace treaty expired - declares again, along with their allies, and occupies all my possesions in S.America. Britain, allthough loosing half of their claim buildings to my mobile colonial cavalry, does not accept peace - even with several provinces - so my nave is tied @home.
Needles to say, right after the p.t. with Prussia expires, they DoW me with all their following and throw 160 divisions at me. My manpower is exhausted after all those years of fighting, rebellions errupt all the time, I can't move my fleet, the Prussian armies of 10 and 15 division are steamrolling over Netherlands... well, Oranje is as good as dead.
Just a question to the experienced players frequenting this forum: is there any way out of this death spiral? It seems impossible to get out of it. I even tried to reload a position which seemed quite favorable, but nothing goes. The whole world hates me, I can't improve my relations with anybody, I am being DoWed every second week by someone (I am surprised Benghal hasn't DoWed me yet too
) and I can't win the war against Prussia this time - they are too bloody strong and I have no allies.
