Update 3
1461-1469
The first issue to deal with is how to replace Henry the Navigator after his death. The advisor pool is pretty thin, but I manage to scrounge up a 1 star MoM. However after that my King dies, and the new one is a significant improvement-
Not shown is a Personal charm modifier, which practically makes him have 8 Dip as well.
Royal marriages are signed with Castile and England, and my new ruler's 8 adm rating bumps us back up to competent government. I also recruit 1 new unit of men at arms, and send another colonist to Rio de Oro, with still no luck. Finally I get medium intensity pirate raids in algarve.
1462 is an uneventful year, another colonist fails to stick in Rio de Oro (thats 4 now) and RM's are signed with France, Savoy, Bavaria, and Hesse. Madiera gets uncontrolled Piracy and a limited defense plan, Porto gets controlled Piracy.
Finally when 1463 rolls around a colonist finally succeeds in Rio de Oro. However right after that I get this event-
this does not bode well
I choose to move 1 step towards Aristocracy and get a Stab hit rather than going towards decentralization, and put my stability slider on max. Its going to take until 1467 to get max stability again, yeesh. Fortunately I get some good news, my explorers have managed to conquer cape Bojador, bringing me another step closer to India!
sadly the conquistador would only discover 1 province before dieing
The Renaissance spread to Beira Interior and Lisboa this year, and Arguin got uncontrolled piracy and limited defense measures, while Lisboa got rampant piracy, leading me to enact naval trade restrictions and a pirate hunter squad.
I’m sure you can tell by now that Piracy is becoming a major issue. One of the things I love about MM is how it forces you to really manage your state, and how that aspect doesn’t take a backseat to 'aggressive foreign policy' like in vanilla. At this point the piracy was starting to hurt a bit, and the Berber pirate raid effects were still dogging me, so I decided to take a calculated risk-
Oh no he DIDN'T!
By doing this I get a lump sum of much needed ducats, as well as some positive modifiers, and am much less likely (though not impervious) of being the victim of a Berber pirate attack. However if discovered Ill be up a creek without a paddle so to speak. Another thing I love about MM are decisions such as this, that really make you think, and have you running a cost-benefit analysis mental gymnastics in your head all game long.
Speaking of trouble 1464 brought plenty of it. As If wrangling pirates wasn’t enough, my aristocrats and clergy decide I'm doing a crappy job.
what do THEY know?
Later the same year they would both become furious, really hurting my income, and killing any ideas of religious conversion. And while the Berber pirate raid effects finally ended, I still had increases of piracy in Porto, a revolt to put down In Beira Interior, and my global piracy defenses were downgraded from adequate to inadequate. A land dispute in Arguin also led to a decline in native population.
If you don't use it you lose it...
I got my next slider move this year, opting to centralize to try and reduce the power of the grumbling Aristocracy, which likely only helped tip the scales to them becoming furious.
Take THAT! wait.....
The slider move also had the effect of killing my statesman, and a quick look through the adviser pool nets a 2-star MoM. I’m sure having 3 MoMs is a bit redundant, but there really isn’t anything more useful right now to pick up. Finally I do get a bit of good news-
Lets keep going....
The exploration to India is progressing nicely. I also reached production tech 8, yet my slider is still full on stability.
Remember the land dispute I briefly mentioned in 1464? well now in 1465, I get a new modifier in Arguin, from 'friendly major native tribes' to simply 'native tribes'. The dispute seems to have both decreased their welcoming attitude, however their numbers as well to offset it, making attacks from them still unlikely. With my yearly census tax, I decide it's time to get serious about the pirates, So I finally enact a limited national defense plan. This plan eats my naval forcelimits, yet links up all my existing provincial plans which will lead to a more cohesive defense from piracy. Combined with my clandestine support for the Berber pirates, this should manage to decrease piracy to levels where it doesn’t hurt as badly. Rio de Oro also managed to get the same integration event that Arguin did, giving me a bonus of 400 pop in the colony, and reducing native hostility. The increase in population led to me finding out what the province would produce, and the grand prize is- grain.
GRAIN!?!?
I have to admit I facepalmed when I saw that. As far as factional politics goes, the clergy calmed down a little and went back to disgruntled, and the commercial faction was content for all of 4 months before going neutral again, fickle traders. Speaking of politics, RM's were entered with Brunswick, Cleves, Wurrtenberg, Baden, and Thurigna. Finally Piracy hit rampant levels in Arguin, yet fortunatly I received the Adequate defenses modifier again, meaning things will hopefully calm down soon.
1466 saw us finally reach trade 8, with the slider still on stability. I got an offer to sponsor privateers but rejected it due to cost, and had to put down 2 revolts, a heretic one in Branganca, and a Berber one in Ceuta. The second required me to use my militarily inept monarch as a general, however he ended up getting 2 shock, and managed to put down the rebels without dieing, so he's a success in my book.
Finally my efforts against piracy started to bear fruit, as piracy became controlled in Atjento.
1467 saw the continued spread of the renaissance, to Branganca, Porto and Beira Littoral, which also got controlled piracy again. The piracy was also controlled in Algarve, yet rose to uncontrolled in Porto. My defenses are also notched up again to adequate, but with less negative modifiers. I reached land tech 8, but am still investing fully in stability, until the end of the year when I hit +3, then go back to investing in naval since all techs are even at 8. I get an event telling me native relations in Rio de Oro have been improved, leading to them having 0 hostility and the chance of an attack nil.I manage this year to recruit another Men at Arms, and the aristocrats finally calm down a bit to just being disgruntled, easing the burden on my tax rate. Remember how I told you I hated the aristocrat faction? They’re only happy if your nation is arse-backwards, and if their not, you get massive tax penalties.
Finally, due to my 'special' relationship with the Berber Pirates, I get an interesting offer-
Surely a good Idea?
Once again a demonstration of the brilliance of MM. Do I want the immediate ducats, with a penalty on several other factors for 5 years? Or do I want to turn them down? I choose once again to accept, I'm already kind of down the rabbit hole so to speak, and the modifiers wont hit me too hard, or will they?
They end up hurting me just a bit, as I am now over my naval forcelimit, while having only built 2 ships so far this entire game. Also Modena, that insignificant little Italian minor, gets attacked twice in 1468 and blames me for it. Well poo on them is all I say, they mean nothing anyway.
In the ongoing battle against Pirates, this year Piracy is controlled in Lisboa and decreased in Arguin, yet goes to rampant levels in Porto, if not one than the other I suppose? I also hear that the peasants are obstructing the use of new agriculture techniques, so I force them to innovate.
Fools, this will make their miserable lives easier!
First the nobles, now their peasants, at least I have the traders and navy on my side, right? Turns out I'll need that navy because not too far after this happens-
NOW I've done it
France is the aggressor, so I have no problem stepping in, since it wont cause any stab loss. By the end of the year they are 100% blockaded by me and England, and with them occupying the only Mainland English province they border, the stalemate is on! I raise war taxes in December, and also manage to recruit a unit of Armored Knights. Finally I get more good exploration news-
Halfway there, livin' on a Prayer?
I no longer have a navigator, so perhaps a hiring fair will soon be in order. After all, 3 MoM's IS a little gamey right? Even if I got them the normal way and they aren’t all 6-star skill? It just doesn’t seem the MM spirit!
I use my wartaxes from 1468 to build Chartered Markets in Algarve in 1469. I also manage to enter RM's with Milan and Urbino, and Piracy becomes Nil in Lisboa. 1469 sees nothing else of real note happen, as the French-English war is still a dead stall. Around the world, Novgorod and Muscovy have already clashed, leading to a Muscovy victory that split Novgorod in 3 parts. The ottomans are official into the 'eating Egypt' part of their game, and in the HRE Austria as Emperor managed to push through a proposal for a Reich Court.
I think this is a fitting end to our update, as many important things have been established here. This update almost exclusively revolved around state management, and I do hope it wasn’t too boring. As you can clearly see, MM provides dynamic gameplay around managing your state. as seen by my continuing issues with piracy, and the multitude of options with which I could decrease it, as well as use it to my advantage. The factions are also giving me trouble, and dealing with the Aristocracy will certainly be a continuing issue going forward. Besides my major long term game goals, I think dealing with piracy and reigning in the power of the aristocrats will be other goals to pursue, and suggestions are welcome on both. I think I have yet to mention that I love feedback, suggestions, and constructive criticism on my gameplay, as well as the way I am structuring this AAR. If there is something in game you think I can be doing better, feel free to speak up, and the same if you have a suggestion for how I write this AAR. While I enjoy writing it, it is more important you enjoy reading it, so feel free to contribute your thoughts. I won't implement everybody's suggestions, but I love to hear them all and will give them all due thought and respectful consideration. Until next time, For Portugal!