Join Catholic League or not?

[BitCaps]

I'm playing Netherlands and I see in the HRE panel that their are two religious leagues. I see that I can join the Catholic league. I'm not sure if I should click the button or not because I have no idea what the impact will be for me either way.

Then I see that Ottomans are in the catholic league. That's ridiculous, they are a Sunni nation. Anyway, I don't want to join catholic league while ottomans are in it.

 

[Foefaller]

Anyone in Europe can join any league regardless of faith. That includes Orthodox and Muslims.

This is historically accurate, in the 30 Year's War (which the Catholic/Protestant league mechanics are based on) Catholic France joined in on the Protestant side because of their rivalry with Austria and Spain, Orthodox Russia joined in for a while to try and gain lands from Poland/Lithuania and I believe even the Ottomans tried (and failed) to take advantage of it to break Transylvania from Hungary. While it might have started as religious, there were several nations that joined one side because an enemy or rival had given a support to the other.

 

[pedrito_elcabra]

Ironically the religious leagues and wars are not much about religion... well the outcomes fixes the religious requirements to become emperor of the HRE but that's it.

Important thing to know is that any allies that are on the opposite team than you will break their alliances.

 

[Foefaller]

Oh, as for whether to join or not, and what side to join... As the Netherlands, ruling the HRE is probably not in the gameplan, so picking the side of your faith isn't that important. If several neighbors you hope to expand into are in the same league, you might consider joining the opposite and start fabricating claims, and once the war starts, try to knock each of those nations out of the war (AI in my experience is pretty good at giving out territory from such peace deals during this war.) Alternatively you can just stay neutral and ignore it all, and/or use the opportunity to take territory from HRE states that won't get Austria's protection thanks to be distracted with (or better yet, enemies in) the League War.

 

[BitCaps]

Ok, that's what I needed to know. Since I'm not in the HRE and don't care about being emperor, I can ignore it.

 

[Sfan]

I'd go so far as saying that one should never join a League unless he plans to become the Emperor soon or wants to roleplay. Waste of time and resources, especially if you're not the leader of the faction and are forced to endure the stupid peacedeal your "ally" makes.

 

[atwix]

I'm not sure if I should click the button or not because I have no idea what the impact will be for me either way.

I'd go so far as saying that one should never join a League unless he plans to become the Emperor soon or wants to roleplay. Waste of time and resources, especially if you're not the leader of the faction and are forced to endure the stupid peacedeal your "ally" makes.

the main reason why you should click the button is when you are playing a nation that is hard pressed to get greater power alllies.

joining a league has one BIG benefit/downside: anyone in the league you join will go friendly status, and you can ally them, no matter what religion you are or how far you are from them. anyone that is in other league, will go hostile to you and break alliance if they were allies.

example: i used leagues in custom NORSE run with capital in London to ally Ottomans, Russia and France at once, as they were all in one league. after allying them, leave league and pray league war doesn't fire.

it usually is a campaign changer for small nations, especially on very hard mode.

apart from that, don't ever join leagues for *anything* else, as fighting a league war as player is absolutely pointless. Usually as an outsider declaring on people DURING a league war, you can influence outcome of league war MORE by harassing people in the war rather then joining aforementioned war.

 

[Orkonkel]

If the emperor is my rival and I have huge development as protestant nations, I sometimes instant-join league to snipe a league war (before anyone else joines the sides) to just remove my enemy from emperor status permanently. To be fair, there should probably be a wind-up time before being able to declare war as nations jockey for political leverage and pick their sides.

 

[makaramus]

you can simply generate some war cost and conquer lands of your rival as much as you want by demanding it from rival war leader lets say you are england and joined protestant leage while france is catholic. you can conquer many lands from france by leaving early if you are not war leader, or if you are war leader then you can demand them as result (without forcing protestant religion ... if you are feeling a little bitchy )

 

[saintlyknighted]

I never join the league wars and waste manpower and money or risk having my country overrun by the Ottomans, for example. Rather, I sit by the sidelines and watch as nations on both sides tire themselves out, then I declare on my rivals/countries with good alliance webs like Milan or the pope when nobody is willing to answer their defensive call to arms.