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GreatUberGeek said:
I thought it was total: all countries...
Click to expand...

That is my experience as well... both with Burgundy issuing the warning, as well as Brabant doing so (when playing Gelre in both games). And violating the Brabant warning - attacking Cleves/Berg ended up being even worse than the first due to cascading alliances - facing the Emperor (Bohemia), Austria, France and Burgundy. Suffice to say that for some unknown reason there was a sudden CTD....
 
GENERAL: Thanks for your input on my question regarding when and how to change countries. I also ran my question past Qorten and Mr. Capiatlist since any interactivity requires moderator approval. (If you're new enough to the forums to not understand why, trust me - there are some very good reasons.) They were gracious enough to let the comments run their course.

I'm going to implement the die roll and mulligan, but save them for a last result 'this will not be fun to play or read' situation. I'll also let you know if I do so. Since this is partly meant as a test of the viability of 'random' AARs, I want to be transparent as to any changes made.
*******

Chief Ragusa: Oh, I make frequent use of the pause key. I had hoped to let things run for a few game weeks while waiting for an opportunity to materialize though.

verdas: Well, I wasn't thinking of skipping out on Luxembourg. Though fighting Burgundy does look like it'll be fun (and short).

Stuyvesant: Catholicism, here we come! Hey Pope: Remember me?

Director: God, I've lost entire evenings sitting in TVTropes. That's a great website.

GulMacet: Oooh, that's very true.

draik: Definitely. I remember hearing something obscure - I forget what right now. So I did a Google search, and followed the link to TV Tropes. Then thought 'Ooh, this link looks good. And this one. And this one. Hm, let's open them all up in separate tabs.' By the time I was sated the sun was rising.

tnick0225: True, but while Bengal and LX were doomed (Lan Xang after that first war), Luxembourg at least has potential if we can figure out this diplomatic mess.

Najs, GreatUberGeek: Actually after reading your comments I loaded an old save to test. Najs is right: The warning only carries to Burgundy's neighbor. Truth be told it made little difference, I'd have needed at least two MAs to get somewhere Burgundy wouldn't get angry about, and of course since I wouldn't border this new territory there's 'Unlawful Territory', inability to core and other such fun ahead.

DutchBird: I try to avoid 'CTDs'. Much more fun to take the loss and fight your way back. Granted sometimes there IS no fighting your way back into contention.
 
CHAPTER VII: LUXEMBOURG
Part 2: Oops
(1560-1563)​


Looking for Trouble

It is 1560, and if we're going to get anything done then we need to change religions. The diplomatic malus is too great for anyone to consider allying with me, so we immediately turn Catholic. I then pump Admin points into stability to make up for the loss, notice the costs are outrageous, and realize why:

There's a bug. We suffered no stability hit when I switched religions. Now I'm at +1. Well... thanks guys.

Converting means we lose the Popery and Test Acts, both designed to keep Catholics out of office. It also means our populace hates us, and it'll be awhile before we can do anything about it. Luxembourg province still has religious zeal, so a missionary wouldn't do any good.

I do have the option of joining the Counter Reformation:

156001Counterreform_zpsc617e4cc.jpg


Even that +2% wouldn't let our missionary start working on Luxembourg, and we have no use for the other two. No thanks.

So, I noticed I never took another mission after the last one. I decide to placate Burgundy, which we accomplish precisely one day later when they realize we're no longer Calvinist scum. Great! Want to be allies? No.

Next mission: RM with Burgundy. This time they're less flexible: They still consider us hostile for some reason. Oh well.

Time to make the diplomatic run: A good number of our neighbors suddenly appreciate what we can bring to the table. Spain won't ally with us because we're too small and far away, but Savoy indicates they might...

....and we tell them no. Our relations are negative. Indeed, after the last batch of wars which saw Palatinate rise and falter, Mainz and Wurtemburg grow and so forth, I hate all of them. It seems the Emperor's slapped 'Unlawful Territory' maluses on half of Germany, and it does NOT go away when you core your territory - another bug I suspect.

So all my likely suspects: Savoy, Palatinate, Mainz and so forth, are willing to consider the possibility of allying, but we're officially not interested while they continue to defy our good friend Emperor Rudolf.

We do get Alsace to ally and enter a royal marriage with them. Yay. While I ponder the perfidy of our other neighbors, we can at least catch a nice show.

156001Performances_zpsf0835046.jpg


Maybe even see what's happening at the museum.

156010Painter_zps4dbe20a6.png


You know what? This is absurd. This whole idea where your country might feel differently than ours and vice versa looks great on paper, but there's nonsense like this. I'd feel better if there was at least a command (or perhaps spending Dip points) I could use to raise our opinion, but nope. We're entirely dependent on the AI liking us enough to do something about it.

Imagine a game show.

"Your neighbor will give you a million dollars (Euros, pounds) if you have dinner! Yes, her laugh is a little high pitched and they have a weiner dog, but it's only an hour or two, and you get a million dollars!"

"No thanks, I'm good."

Grr.

To hell with it. I'm going to kill somebody this turn! CB on Liege? Check. Actually, you know what? France has no allies. Burgundy HATES France and apparently likes me, so maybe they'll ignore my 'transgression.' Hey, they'll give me military access! What can go wrong?


Vive le Burgundy

So we march to the border....

156110PrepareFrance_zpsdda6ffb8.jpg


...and learn France has 9,000 to my 7. Well fine, we can just barely afford another regiment without breaking the budget. Our new commander is Ludwig Maussen (F2 S3 Sg2), should be enough to beat whoever France brings to the table.

In March 1562 we declare war on France.

One day later I realize that our military maintenance has been nearly 0 since we came here. Ramp it up and hope France doesn't have MA through Burgundy.

The day after that Burgundy declares war on us. Oh, and since the game's now realized we're trying to pay and feed my troops, their morale tanks and we can't move!

156204LostArmy_zps87777364.jpg


Oops.

There is zero point in building a second army. From our time in Savoy we know Burgundy has 60K easily available. In July they siege Luxembourg with 12K men.

And yet, there's hope. Perhaps they won't annex us - after all that's an aggression penalty and likely to earn an 'Unlawful Territory' reprimand from Emperor Rudolf. Maybe they'll vassalize us. Heck, maybe it'll be like Dai Viet vs. Lan Xang and they'll settle for a humiliating indemnity.

156305LuxDefeat_zpsaed8cdcd.jpg


Crap.


The Future

Okay. That was fun, Johan. Would you care to try somewhere a little more exciting this time?

156305Morocco_zpsfa3d81f6.jpg


Oh..

Oh my.

Time to kill somebody besides us!
 
Ah, may the sands of time drift in your favour in the desert and the winds of Morocco knock flat the defenses of your enemies.

P.S. When you get annexed do you go back to the last autosave to reload for the next "Quantum Leap"?
P.P.S. A mercy mulligan to spare yourself and your audience from inevitable torment makes sense to me.
 
That was mercifully short and sweet. Burgundy DoWing France would make more sense. It does seem pointless to have relations between countries, if a warning is given greater weight than hating someone.

Going Catholic with Morocco might be a tad harder -nigh impossible. You do have targets. Algiers and Tripoli just say annex me. I'd like to see Morocco colonise. I think Spain does outclass you. but you can give them a run for their money.
This should be a fun read.
 
Morocco might be pretty good actually, some weak neighbors in Tripoli and Algiers.
 
I've always looked at the diplomatic scores as more an indication of appreciation and effort: if I send diplomats to you, marry into your family and set up a military alliance with you, then you are grateful (you have a good opinion of me). If you (the AI) don't send me diplomats and gifts and princesses and such, then you don't appreciate me - and I have a low opinion of you.

Perhaps that's not correct in terms of game mechanics but it helps me get over my 'What do you mean WE don't like THEM, they LOVE us!" rage.


Cue soundtrack for 'The Wind and the Lion'. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGsK9RuNfxw.

You can be Sean Connery, CatKnight - I'll be Brian Keith. ;)
 
R.I.P. Luxemburg, we barely know you. *hides party-hat*

But Morocco seams something to work with (okay, we all sad the same of Savoy...). Brainstorming gives me three ideas:
1. Conquest in North Africa - might be the easiest. Other Muslim countries, same culture (or at least culture group, if I remember correctly), possibilities from here to Egypt.
2. Colonization in West Africa - also easy, at least given you can get you Hands on Exploration/Expansion ideas (and combinable with 1.).
3. Invading Europe - Invade Portugal! South France! Italy! (And hope, Spain doesn't kick your ass.) Would be the hardest variant. And maybe not the most wise. And need more time than Johan would give you. But it would be something uncommon and special! (Tried it once myself as Tunisia. Got Sicily in the First war, thanks to my glorious Ottoman allies. Than got my ass handed to me in the second war, in spite of my glorious Ottoman allies.)

By the way, does the Strait of Gibraltar count as Border to Spain for the purpose of westernization?
 
Morroco should be interesting although it may pit you up against a country you had played earlier ;) hmmm well here's to hoping the new land is more promising and fun that what Savoy turned out to be.
 
CatKnight said:
Time to kill somebody besides us!
Click to expand...

Algiers has a big 'Kick Me' sign taped to its back. On your mark, get set, pummel!

That should give you an antidote for the Luxembourgian misadventures. A frustrating place, too small to accomplish anything, wrong religion for that area of the world... I'm kinda glad it's over with Lux, because it's hard to see how it would ever have turned into a fun experience.

Now, go take Algiers and then see what else you can do. A matchup with the Malians sounds tempting, if you can conquer/colonize your way that far south (what's between you and them? Only the Sahara. A harsh, unforgiving land that has spelled doom for untold thousands of travelers throughout the ages. Nothing your hapless peasant footsoldiers can't handle, then).
 
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All in all I thought Luxembourg was fun. I for one welcome our new Burgundian Overlords.
 
I’ll have to admit when you declared war on France it brought back fond memories of the day my uncle Euclid decided that the bee’s nest in the Oak tree in the backyard was getting too big and had to be removed. He figured he could do it and scoffed at the notion of calling a professional bee keeper in to help. I was rather young at the time so I don’t remember clearly if it was after his second or third beer when he reached this conclusion. It didn’t end well. So the question is how many brews did you consume before deciding to launch this ill advised war?

Ah, Morroco. This could be very interesting.
 
Reformed, Animist or Orthodox Morocco!
 
Morocco will surely unite the Berber people and ultimately remake the Western Caliphate.:nods:
 
Stuyvesant said:
(what's between you and them? Only the Sahara. A harsh, unforgiving land that has spelled doom for untold thousands of travelers throughout the ages. Nothing your hapless peasant footsoldiers can't handle, then).
Click to expand...

I love this phrase so much it needs to be read twice by everyone.

And, well, now you can see some kind of future and I'd suppose some near future goals. Unite the barbary and then North Africa!
 
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