Any Ideas? I want to be animist religion only I have never done this before.
What countries would be good what strategy would work?
Many thanks
What countries would be good what strategy would work?
Many thanks
Playing as an african nation (animist only)
- Thread starter ringworm
- Start date
-
We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
I play pagan nations often, and Africa is one of my favorite continents to play since it has some similarities to Europe in the colonial + trade games but more difficult initial positions.
My answer to your question, however, depends on what you want to do.
- Stay animist all game and spread it? Animist conversion strength sucks by default, though there are a few things you can do.
- Just start as animist and pick a color/idea/country you like?
- Become Christian while westernizing? Sunni before that? You could become other things too but it would be pretty convoluted.
- How important is it for you to keep your initial TAG and ideas?
- How experienced are you fighting major colonial powers as a native? You can do things like catch them as they land, or pre-position forces in Brazil to snipe colonies after you've 25% in ticking war score, bypassing the giant navies while taking over in the colonial game, but this kind of stuff requires judgment since it's very hard to ship forces once the war starts.
IMO, the *strongest* play is to go Sunni ASAP and convert all the animist stuff over, because this removes any pressure in taking humanist or religious which you'd probably need for both Animist and Christian stuff. But, strongest is not necessarily most fun, and the only reason you'd do that IMO is if you really like one of the animist's idea groups compared to others (like Mossi with +2 TTF and -.05 LA/month plus the reasonably solid starting tradition of 10% cav combat and -1 unrest)...or you're playing as Kongo for its achievement.
If you aren't going Sunni, I'd recommend quickly conquering the other Animists so that Sunni nations don't do it and convert them, and use that as a base. After that, you just want to get a western border ASAP. If someone takes religious ideas, full annex --> release them as your preferred religion (pagan or Christian) and let them do some conversion, but most likely you'll have to take religious somewhat early.
The best NI set that you can get w/o bankruptcy tricks for staying animist + spreading it all over the place is the colonial nation idea set. You can get this if you have CoP by creating a CN, selling it all of your provinces but one (that's in range of the CN), then raising tariffs to release --> play as CN, diplovassal your old self and sell it cores in the new world so you can move your capitol back. CN ideas are poor for military combat, but doing this removes the 50% LA floor on your colonies. Most of the CN ideas are set up for money (big advisor discount, -inflation, -regiment cost, trade power), but critical for a "massed conversion to pagan" game, you have a 3% missionary strength NI. You're stuck on 2 missionaries (3rd if you take Rome, 4th if you take expansion + religious...taking Rome is usually good enough), but thanks to that NI religious + base + NI gives you a respectable 8% base conversion strength, 10% with inquisitor and 13% with inquis + cathedral, meaning you can convert Rome w/o policies if you have 3 stability + built up fort to 5. As a bonus, this route lets you name your country anything you want lol, bonus points for picking a flag that looks silly when chopped in half.
great thanks I will give it ago.. I guess I will change to Suni if its such a massive disadvantage
But how to you convert? Just let a revolt win?
But how to you convert? Just let a revolt win?
You have to have Sunni be the most common religion in your empire, then accept the demands of Sunni zealots (in 1.8, they don't have to actually revolt though, you just have to have the zealot unrest and accept with them as majority).
However, while that is the stronger course it's not necessarily the most fun. If you're doing that, you could just play Songhai, Kanem Bornu, Air, or Timbuktu for example. What are you trying to get out of the game?
The advantage to going Sunni isn't THAT massive, it just makes life easier because you're not stuck having to convert Sunni land, which means that rather than religious you can pick expansion (more colonies) or economic (deals with gold inflation and lets you inexpensively funnel that money into things like temples, trade buildings, and manufactories) sooner. It helps that Sunni is a reasonably strong faith anyway, giving +1 tolerance, the possibility of using a +2 artist to get Diwani script, and piety. In my Songhai game a vassal wound up transferring Holland occupation to me; with piety + inquis I was able to convert it despite it being hostile culture and 8 tax. Anything you take in Africa is, of course, lower tax and easier to convert as all of the high tax stuff in Africa is already Sunni.
Sunni CNs are a mixed bag. I find they convert better than Eastern religious group CNs even though IMO they shouldn't (decisions from eastern group are permanent and they take them; Piety and Islamic decisions are temporary), but that's still harder on your CNs than just being Catholic, though it's easier than them being pagan. Regardless, now that CNs start with ideas, it isn't long until they get their 3% missionary strength NI, and thus they can convert up to around 10 tax even as pagan in accepted cultures, so as long as you put down the occasional rebellion for them they'll be fine.