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Okay… This is going to be the first of my “speeded up” updates – LESS emphasis on battles and gameplay advice (this AAR was started right after EU III was first released in 2006, and so that sort of thing was important for instructional purposes then – no such need anymore!), with MORE emphasis on overall grand strategy and the main stream of history in the years from 1654 to the end of the game.
As you may remember, we were locked in another of an endless succession of wars with Britain, and we’ve been gradually whittling her away by causing minor powers like Wales and Cornwall to declare their independence.
It was long my intention to do this – to create puppet states – rather than to gain Milanese property on the British Isles.
Here, we repeat this strategy by fragmenting the Irish Isle in the same fashion. Ultimately, it may prove too difficult for the British to enforce discipline upon their separated provinces and they may begin to collapse piece by piece.
The war against the Ottomans is going very well also. Their forces are encircled, and their provinces are surrendering right and left. To me, my allies, etc…
Sadly, Emperor Gian Galleazo happened to get killed in one of these encounters in the Balkans.
Francesco IX is a better solider, anyway, though! In fact, he’s one of the most talented rulers Milan has ever had.
Just look at his military capability, compared to the world’s best generals!
The war begins to draw to a close as we make peace with some of the conquered allied territories of the Ottoman Empire. Serbia will be a grand addition, providing her people still remember how to fight the Turk!
Our missionaries do not rest – even as the Muslim Empire shrinks in geographic size at the advance of our armies and diplomats, their purchase on the minds of provincial populations shrinks also. Our conversion efforts have brought the whole of the Holy Land into worship of the Savior, and other missionaries are active elsewhere as we try to capitalize on past conquests.
Looking ahead a little bit, I’ll add that Protestantism is even stretching down one coast of the Red Sea, about to restore the ancient Coptic lands of Ethiopia to worship of Christ (or more accurately, perhaps, to allow those underground believers to worship openly for the first time in decades).
By the end of 1654, we have chased down and destroyed pretty much every Ottoman army. The Turks have only prevailed on the seas of the Mediterranean, where their massed small craft have overwhelmed some of my largest vessels around Crete, first, and later at the Pillars of Gibraltar, of all things!
But these minor naval victories cannot change the inevitable. We call for a peace, and they agree with no reservations. It is a punishing peace!
We take over basically the entire Mediterranean coast of Anatolia, so that the Turks have to travel to Greece to find passage, or else pass through the Black Sea into the Straits of Bithynia, which I can now block at will during wartime. Half of the city of Constantinople is mine now. What a substantial restoration of the glories of the old Byzantine lands! Christendom over Islam, once more, and the Holy Land restored as well.
And, just as the war finishes, I realize that I’m 100% out of Manpower!!! That’s the first time that’s happened in… Well, in ever!
Yes, it kind of makes sense, as this is the first time I’ve had the confidence and the numbers to regularly assault city walls. In the past, I’d either get slaughtered, or I just didn’t have more than one 15,000+ stack of troops. This time I took advantage of my resources. Unfortunately, I got a lot of folks killed, and I’m not in the greatest position should a new war start.
However, I’ve either beaten most all of my enemies into the ground, or I’ve allied with them, or I’m in a current truce, so… I’m not expecting another major war. The only candidate would be Austria, and they’re busy with the Ottomans in their own little war now.
And as a cap-off to this magnificent war…
Oh, joy! Look what we did!
The Ottomans are so scattered and weakened, and their armies separated by Milanese holdings, that they have been rendered incompetent to respond to rebellions – even in their very capital city!
We shall watch and enjoy. I doubt this will ultimately end in a defection, or anything, but with those numbers of troops on each side, there’s a chance the rebels could actually win (especially since those units may not have full Morale back!).
As you may remember, we were locked in another of an endless succession of wars with Britain, and we’ve been gradually whittling her away by causing minor powers like Wales and Cornwall to declare their independence.
It was long my intention to do this – to create puppet states – rather than to gain Milanese property on the British Isles.
Here, we repeat this strategy by fragmenting the Irish Isle in the same fashion. Ultimately, it may prove too difficult for the British to enforce discipline upon their separated provinces and they may begin to collapse piece by piece.
The war against the Ottomans is going very well also. Their forces are encircled, and their provinces are surrendering right and left. To me, my allies, etc…
Sadly, Emperor Gian Galleazo happened to get killed in one of these encounters in the Balkans.
Francesco IX is a better solider, anyway, though! In fact, he’s one of the most talented rulers Milan has ever had.
Just look at his military capability, compared to the world’s best generals!
The war begins to draw to a close as we make peace with some of the conquered allied territories of the Ottoman Empire. Serbia will be a grand addition, providing her people still remember how to fight the Turk!
Our missionaries do not rest – even as the Muslim Empire shrinks in geographic size at the advance of our armies and diplomats, their purchase on the minds of provincial populations shrinks also. Our conversion efforts have brought the whole of the Holy Land into worship of the Savior, and other missionaries are active elsewhere as we try to capitalize on past conquests.
Looking ahead a little bit, I’ll add that Protestantism is even stretching down one coast of the Red Sea, about to restore the ancient Coptic lands of Ethiopia to worship of Christ (or more accurately, perhaps, to allow those underground believers to worship openly for the first time in decades).
By the end of 1654, we have chased down and destroyed pretty much every Ottoman army. The Turks have only prevailed on the seas of the Mediterranean, where their massed small craft have overwhelmed some of my largest vessels around Crete, first, and later at the Pillars of Gibraltar, of all things!
But these minor naval victories cannot change the inevitable. We call for a peace, and they agree with no reservations. It is a punishing peace!
We take over basically the entire Mediterranean coast of Anatolia, so that the Turks have to travel to Greece to find passage, or else pass through the Black Sea into the Straits of Bithynia, which I can now block at will during wartime. Half of the city of Constantinople is mine now. What a substantial restoration of the glories of the old Byzantine lands! Christendom over Islam, once more, and the Holy Land restored as well.
And, just as the war finishes, I realize that I’m 100% out of Manpower!!! That’s the first time that’s happened in… Well, in ever!
Yes, it kind of makes sense, as this is the first time I’ve had the confidence and the numbers to regularly assault city walls. In the past, I’d either get slaughtered, or I just didn’t have more than one 15,000+ stack of troops. This time I took advantage of my resources. Unfortunately, I got a lot of folks killed, and I’m not in the greatest position should a new war start. However, I’ve either beaten most all of my enemies into the ground, or I’ve allied with them, or I’m in a current truce, so… I’m not expecting another major war. The only candidate would be Austria, and they’re busy with the Ottomans in their own little war now.
And as a cap-off to this magnificent war…
Oh, joy! Look what we did!
The Ottomans are so scattered and weakened, and their armies separated by Milanese holdings, that they have been rendered incompetent to respond to rebellions – even in their very capital city!
We shall watch and enjoy. I doubt this will ultimately end in a defection, or anything, but with those numbers of troops on each side, there’s a chance the rebels could actually win (especially since those units may not have full Morale back!).
Excellent update Renss! Lovely to see you still update and are determined to get this all the way to the end. Still something I've so far not managed with any of my 5 started AAR's.
A quality update - as usual! Great new leader! I expect wonderful things from the reign of Franceso IX. Hopefully your next update will focus on what's happening in the new world.
Took me a while of lurking, but finally read the whole dang thing. It's a fun read. Very much enjoyed the constant maps and references to game play. (Especially the trade discussions. That is one aspect I've not delved too deeply into in my games so far.
Stunned silence. An update? Well, it did snow. Milan succeeded in weakening GB some more. Hoefully that will stop further GB wars against Milan. Is Wales a major power yet?
Milan humbled the Ottomans and annexed the traitorous Serbs. So long as France stays allied, there's no combination of powers that can stand against Milan, on land. On sea, it's a different matter. How much longer will the French alliance last? You still need Alexandria. Don't the Ottomans have a vassal or ally with whom Milan was not at war, so that you can DoW and take another chunk out of them?
A State of play in the Republic wouldn't go amiss.
Milan humbled the Ottomans and annexed the traitorous Serbs. So long as France stays allied, there's no combination of powers that can stand against Milan, on land. On sea, it's a different matter. How much longer will the French alliance last? You still need Alexandria. Don't the Ottomans have a vassal or ally with whom Milan was not at war, so that you can DoW and take another chunk out of them?
A State of play in the Republic wouldn't go amiss.
Nice to see a new update Renss. A very good peace deal and a great victory for Milan. It was costly so I am guessing you are going to have to wait some years before you start a new war, but then again if I remember correctly it is a very long time since you last started a war, these days you are mainly assaulted by all the countries in the world who hates you right?
lol
Garudamon, Welcome! Even if you don’t understand the value.
Opinions differ on why it’s so popular. A lot of the popularity was developed early on as it was intended as an instructional AAR when EU 3 first came out. And this is also part of it…
Maybe people respect my work, or maybe it’s just because everything I write is massive and takes a long time to write, so it’s eye-catching! lolThanks, Porkman! I appreciate your support (and Chief Ragusa and Enewald!).
PKTIndy, Welcome! And thanks! It’s gone on so long because I’ve invested in massive detail! Lol I’ve just changed the intended format, though, and it should run along more smoothly and more quickly from here on out. I dare say you may find the middle pages informative, though I also admit it’s lost a lot of its utility because this isn’t using the expansions. On the other hand, much of what’s here to learn is general strategy, which is useful in any version of the game.
Looks at view counts...
Time for an update my friend, time indeed
Yeah, I know!
You beat my viewcount! That’s quite an accomplishment. Course I think we BOTH just passed 500,000 views, so let’s both of us celebrate!Thanks, Qorten! Good to be back at it. There’s lots more to go. Hope to keep it going, for sure.
Thanks, WhisperingDeath! Thanks to you and all my other regular supporters over the years!
What, is it 2011 already?
Or is that really an update?
I must be hallucinating!
Welcome, Darbuka! Yeah, it’s kind of long, huh?
Thanks for the commitment of reading the whole thing! Trade can be quite fun, though it gets boring after a while, I guess. What becomes more interesting later on is attempts to create and/or destroy Centers of Trade in competition between several major powers.Wales isn’t really a major player yet. Still too many other major countries around. It still stuns me to think that Portugal lasted as long as it did, etc.
Thanks, Lord E! Yeah, I don’t generally go seeking them. But you might need to get used to it. Now that I’m not constantly at war with countries that hate me for centuries’ old grievances, I’m going to concentrate on another centuries’ old grievance of my own by getting rid of the Islamic countries. This will become a theme, as the Holy Roman Empire grows – expand at the expense of our chief religious rival.
I can’t promise a new update this week, but I do promise to keep on top of this and keep it updated on a relatively regular basis.
Any new readers out there? This used to be at the top of the EU3 forum every day, but has been kind of hidden in recent years. Many people might see it and think at first glance it’s a NEW AAR! Lol
Thanks again for your readership and especially for your comments!
Rensslaer
p.s. Oh, and btw -- as many of you know, I'm updating my V2 AAR (I Am Siam), and will soon go back to updating my HOI 3 AAR (Imperio Novo). And believe it or not I even started a NEW HOI 1 AAR today! So...
Go look if you're interested.
Rensslaer: …This is going to be the first of my “speeded up” updates...
gee, my friend, you have already been going much faster than i can read ! ! :wacko:
Rensslaer: …Francesco IX is a better solider, anyway, though! In fact, he’s one of the most talented rulers Milan has ever had.
i sure hope he lives longer than is typical for very talented leaders. it seems to me that player (genius/near genius) leaders have a very short life span (one to five years), whereas an AI mega-leader lasts 40 to 50 years ! !
Rensslaer: …Our missionaries do not rest...
splendid ! !
Rensslaer: …Ethiopia to worship of Christ (or more accurately, perhaps, to allow those underground believers to worship openly for the first time in decades).
excellent ! !
Rensslaer: …And, just as the war finishes, I realize that I’m 100% out of Manpower!!!
good timing ! ! btw, perhaps you should give peace a try ! !
Rensslaer: …And as a cap-off to this magnificent war… Oh, joy! Look what we did!
did you so batter the Ottomans that they cannot DOW you for at least 15 years? ?
magnificent updates ! !
gee, my friend, you have already been going much faster than i can read ! ! :wacko:
Rensslaer: …Francesco IX is a better solider, anyway, though! In fact, he’s one of the most talented rulers Milan has ever had.
i sure hope he lives longer than is typical for very talented leaders. it seems to me that player (genius/near genius) leaders have a very short life span (one to five years), whereas an AI mega-leader lasts 40 to 50 years ! !
Rensslaer: …Our missionaries do not rest...
splendid ! !
Rensslaer: …Ethiopia to worship of Christ (or more accurately, perhaps, to allow those underground believers to worship openly for the first time in decades).
excellent ! !
Rensslaer: …And, just as the war finishes, I realize that I’m 100% out of Manpower!!!
good timing ! ! btw, perhaps you should give peace a try ! !
Rensslaer: …And as a cap-off to this magnificent war… Oh, joy! Look what we did!
did you so batter the Ottomans that they cannot DOW you for at least 15 years? ?
magnificent updates ! !
It's incredible how this AAR has still been going after all these years. Whenever i've planned to do an AAR recently, I barely even get the introduction written before realising what kind of commitment i'd be getting in to.
Rensslaer:[/B] …And, just as the war finishes, I realize that I’m 100% out of Manpower!!!
good timing ! ! btw, perhaps you should give peace a try ! !
Rensslaer: …And as a cap-off to this magnificent war… Oh, joy! Look what we did!
did you so batter the Ottomans that they cannot DOW you for at least 15 years? ?
magnificent updates ! !
Thanks, GhostWriter! Great to see you again! Sorry about the pace of reading, but I've slacked off so you can catch up!
In some ways, I feel like I'm declaring war, when I do, to anticipate the next war -- to keep some initiative to myself, even when my enemies still peck at my heels anyway. Oh well. I honestly don't remember how long this peace lasts, but I am pretty sure it's not 15 years or more. That's just not natural! I've built a name for myself and my stories.
Thanks, Porkman!Great to see you again, too, Walter! It's been a while!
Yes, I realized shortly after starting Fire Warms that a narrative AAR was a tremendous commitment, but I also quickly fell in love with it, so that it occupied my thoughts whether I wanted it to or not (and of course I did!). Sforza doesn't require quite that level of time commitment -- gameplay AARs are by their nature easier to communicate -- but it does still require long-term dedication and obviously the time builds up. I find that I set aside about 30 minutes to an hour or so to find the right screenshots and then to write about them. And these days those hours don't come easily -- especially when I have 2 other major AARs competing for time. I find that if I'm away too long, though, I start missing the stories, and I also start to feel disappointed in myself, and so I gravitate back naturally, it seems.
Thanks again, everybody! I'm going to try to update I Am Siam on "schedule" (i.e. this week), and I'm going to also try to get another Imperio Novo update done by next weekend at the latest. Then Sforza is back on deck and I'll try to get our next update sometime next week.
Rensslaer
Rensslaer: ... Oh well. I honestly don't remember how long this peace lasts, but I am pretty sure it's not 15 years or more. That's just not natural!
did you realize that i was refering to peace with the Ottomans (only) with that remark ?
anyway, i am glad to be up to "snuff" on this AAR ! !
did you realize that i was refering to peace with the Ottomans (only) with that remark ?
anyway, i am glad to be up to "snuff" on this AAR ! !
Finally caught up with this AAR, started reading through it some 2-3 weeks ago and got to page 180 before real life interfered.
It's been a tremendous read, captivating, very interesting to see you explain your tactics and the why's of your actions and a perfect balance between storyline, tactics and the game mechanics behind them. Great writing style too!
Keep up the excellent work, I'm sure I speak for many people when I say we're curious to see what happened in the decades ahead!
Who would have thought you would choose to take on the Ottomans one day, back when Milan was a few-provinces empire...
It's been a tremendous read, captivating, very interesting to see you explain your tactics and the why's of your actions and a perfect balance between storyline, tactics and the game mechanics behind them. Great writing style too!
Keep up the excellent work, I'm sure I speak for many people when I say we're curious to see what happened in the decades ahead!
Who would have thought you would choose to take on the Ottomans one day, back when Milan was a few-provinces empire...
Finally caught up with this AAR, started reading through it some 2-3 weeks ago and got to page 180 before real life interfered.
It's been a tremendous read, captivating, very interesting to see you explain your tactics and the why's of your actions and a perfect balance between storyline, tactics and the game mechanics behind them. Great writing style too!
Keep up the excellent work, I'm sure I speak for many people when I say we're curious to see what happened in the decades ahead!
Who would have thought you would choose to take on the Ottomans one day, back when Milan was a few-provinces empire...
That would actually be a pretty interesting game. Taking on France and the Ottomans is par for the course for any European power in EU3 so it would interesting to see an AAR where the main player imposes house rules that they aren't allowed to initiate wars against the major powers like Austria, France, the Ottomans or Ming. In the event of a war, the player would only allow themselves to get money and a white peace. No making vassals, no territorial concessions, no handing off territory to your allies, nothing that could prevent the major power from becoming an all conquering blob of death. Instead the player would have to take Baden or Norway or Srinagar and watch as blobs took over Europe and Asia. Adrift in a sea of whales that they aren't allowed to harpoon. It would be called "Swimming with the Giants."
Rensslaer: ... Oh well. I honestly don't remember how long this peace lasts, but I am pretty sure it's not 15 years or more. That's just not natural!
did you realize that i was refering to peace with the Ottomans (only) with that remark ?
anyway, i am glad to be up to "snuff" on this AAR ! !
Oh, yes... You know me better than that! The Sforza line is a restless one...
Finally caught up with this AAR, started reading through it some 2-3 weeks ago and got to page 180 before real life interfered.
It's been a tremendous read, captivating, very interesting to see you explain your tactics and the why's of your actions and a perfect balance between storyline, tactics and the game mechanics behind them. Great writing style too!
Keep up the excellent work, I'm sure I speak for many people when I say we're curious to see what happened in the decades ahead!
Who would have thought you would choose to take on the Ottomans one day, back when Milan was a few-provinces empire...
Thank you, Noctilucus! And Welcome! Much of this is dated, these days, since it's original EU 3 and not HTTT. I'm actually quite anxious to get the coming decades out there, too, so I can finally close this AAR!
I'm enjoying the ride, but 4 years is a little ridiculous.Yes, that would be fascinating actually. Actually, that's not FAR from what I intended, now that I think back... Your suggestion and Noctilucus' final comment reminded me of this, thinking back 4 years... When I first started playing Milan in 1473, I had no idea I was going to expand very much at all! There was no plan to go against the Ottomans unless they bothered me. Really (and you can sense this from my early updates), I was intending to build my economy through trade and just defend my trade interests. To think that I would be taking on Aragon, Castille, France, the Turks, etc. was beyond any conception. It took a turn I didn't expect, and I've enjoyed dealing with that quirk of fate.
Thanks, everybody!
Good news -- I've already started on the next update, and it's half-way done. Maybe tonight, maybe tomorrow.
Rensslaer
I fear I already told you this, but this was the AAR that made me sign up for the forums. Looking forward to seeing more Milanese mayhem
As promised, another update before Christmas (and actually my second AAR to update today!)! Maybe I’ll try to get a final Christmas update, in addition, but this is all I can promise for sure.
All right…. A general economic establishment shot.
This may seem as if it lacks context, because you may not remember the updates for many of these years, as they were posted more than a year ago. Sorry! In explanation…
You may recall (or maybe not) that I was very impressed with the $762 figure for Census Taxes in 1599 – due primarily to a rare cessation of hostilities over time, and increased Stability. Notice that we hit that high point once again in the past half-century, and haven’t even gotten back up to it again! The major increase in Vassals income you see in 1612 was when France became our vassal (peacefully, of all things, as I recall!). She never left that position. The increasing vassal totals after that were surely Wurttemburg and Aragon maybe, and some other German powers, I think. The vassal income went down when we diplo-annexed them.
My manufactories (very expensive for someone who doesn’t stay at peace for long enough to build up a treasury!) stagnated after 1612, with my inability to build more manifest (until 1640). Production has increased gradually over time as productivity builds, and also Gold income because of increasing captures of British, Portuguese and Castillian territory in America. Tolls, Trade and Tariffs have built steadily greater as I’ve taken over CoTs and/or been able to populate them with my Merchants.
And speaking of…
My controlled CoTs have become my haven, and those CoTs have increased in income as the fortunes of the Holy Roman Empire have built.
The CoTs listed are only the top 13. There are other CoTs, including one which I also control – Vlaanderen, making only $235. Looking at the two major CoTs I control, and the lands which are served by each, I make a fateful decision…
I was only taking in a small proportion of the Income, anyway, as it was difficult for me to compete there (many rivals – France, England, Mecklenburg, etc. – sucking in the air so it was stifled).
The results of this action are difficult to pick out for sure. Indeed, it appears my two main CoTs actually went down slightly in income. But our other CoT in the Mediterranean improved significantly! It’s actually among the top 13 now (it wasn’t close before), and the Ottoman CoT of Thrace lost about $50 in its share of trade. Ile-de-France improved (which benefits us indirectly, through vassal payments).
So… Did I gain on that, or not? I think in the long term I will gain, and in the long term it will hurt my enemies. Unfortunately, conquest is obviously the more effective of the two strategies so far. Maybe next time I try it I’ll be more successful.
In 1656, I gain an outlet into the Indian Ocean at the Horn of Africa. This new colony will not only be a base for our missionaries, but also for further expansion, probably, and for new wars against Portugal, if they occur.
Yeah, well….
Who am I kidding? WHEN they occur.
Back Americawise, I’m continuing to build my colonial empire. Panama gets a new fort very soon, and I’m expanding south toward those pesky Incans. Should have some interesting wars there, in coming years.
And then a sad day comes. Just one week short of 3 years’ reign, Francesco IX takes ill from a seriously bad illness – there’s one thing our ADM 8/MIL 7/DIP 7 leader couldn’t manage – and passed away with his heir quite underage.
A Regency takes over. Rumors were spread, of course, that the Regent was perhaps involved in some way with the death of our young Francesco IX, but there’s no way to prove anything. Hopefully once this is over his heir will prove as apt as his father. If he ever gets to rule! Course, again, that’s idle speculation.
The small African country of Adal collapses and falls into our hands as a Vassal. That will be interesting – a Vassal sworn to obey a Christian ruler! Or, then again, maybe he’s not all that Christian, as the “ruler” – our regent – may not be as innocent as he seems. Oh well.
And the screenshot says it all, too, when it claims “we are amused to discover that we now have our (Milan’s!) independence guaranteed by Connacht! :rofl:
Taiwan becomes a Core, we begin an attempt to colonize the frozen wastes of Kamchatka (there’s GOLD in them there hills!), we also begin a more sane attempt to colonize for gold in Australia (ultimately successful), and our regent continues to encourage our missionaries in Asia Minor (what, does he not want them bothering him at home??).
Finally, the world could not remain as it was… With Milan and its Holy Roman Empire not at war!
In April, 1660, Lithuania declares war upon their sworn enemy (and ours!) the Ottoman Empire. Austria joins the war, and we are called….
Shall we accept???
All right…. A general economic establishment shot.
This may seem as if it lacks context, because you may not remember the updates for many of these years, as they were posted more than a year ago. Sorry!
In explanation…
You may recall (or maybe not) that I was very impressed with the $762 figure for Census Taxes in 1599 – due primarily to a rare cessation of hostilities over time, and increased Stability. Notice that we hit that high point once again in the past half-century, and haven’t even gotten back up to it again! The major increase in Vassals income you see in 1612 was when France became our vassal (peacefully, of all things, as I recall!). She never left that position. The increasing vassal totals after that were surely Wurttemburg and Aragon maybe, and some other German powers, I think. The vassal income went down when we diplo-annexed them.
My manufactories (very expensive for someone who doesn’t stay at peace for long enough to build up a treasury!) stagnated after 1612, with my inability to build more manifest (until 1640). Production has increased gradually over time as productivity builds, and also Gold income because of increasing captures of British, Portuguese and Castillian territory in America. Tolls, Trade and Tariffs have built steadily greater as I’ve taken over CoTs and/or been able to populate them with my Merchants.
And speaking of…
My controlled CoTs have become my haven, and those CoTs have increased in income as the fortunes of the Holy Roman Empire have built.
The CoTs listed are only the top 13. There are other CoTs, including one which I also control – Vlaanderen, making only $235. Looking at the two major CoTs I control, and the lands which are served by each, I make a fateful decision…
I was only taking in a small proportion of the Income, anyway, as it was difficult for me to compete there (many rivals – France, England, Mecklenburg, etc. – sucking in the air so it was stifled).
The results of this action are difficult to pick out for sure. Indeed, it appears my two main CoTs actually went down slightly in income. But our other CoT in the Mediterranean improved significantly! It’s actually among the top 13 now (it wasn’t close before), and the Ottoman CoT of Thrace lost about $50 in its share of trade. Ile-de-France improved (which benefits us indirectly, through vassal payments).
So… Did I gain on that, or not? I think in the long term I will gain, and in the long term it will hurt my enemies. Unfortunately, conquest is obviously the more effective of the two strategies so far.
Maybe next time I try it I’ll be more successful.In 1656, I gain an outlet into the Indian Ocean at the Horn of Africa. This new colony will not only be a base for our missionaries, but also for further expansion, probably, and for new wars against Portugal, if they occur.
Yeah, well….
Who am I kidding? WHEN they occur.
Back Americawise, I’m continuing to build my colonial empire. Panama gets a new fort very soon, and I’m expanding south toward those pesky Incans. Should have some interesting wars there, in coming years.
And then a sad day comes. Just one week short of 3 years’ reign, Francesco IX takes ill from a seriously bad illness – there’s one thing our ADM 8/MIL 7/DIP 7 leader couldn’t manage – and passed away with his heir quite underage.
A Regency takes over. Rumors were spread, of course, that the Regent was perhaps involved in some way with the death of our young Francesco IX, but there’s no way to prove anything. Hopefully once this is over his heir will prove as apt as his father. If he ever gets to rule! Course, again, that’s idle speculation.
The small African country of Adal collapses and falls into our hands as a Vassal. That will be interesting – a Vassal sworn to obey a Christian ruler! Or, then again, maybe he’s not all that Christian, as the “ruler” – our regent – may not be as innocent as he seems. Oh well.
And the screenshot says it all, too, when it claims “we are amused to discover that we now have our (Milan’s!) independence guaranteed by Connacht! :rofl:
Taiwan becomes a Core, we begin an attempt to colonize the frozen wastes of Kamchatka (there’s GOLD in them there hills!), we also begin a more sane attempt to colonize for gold in Australia (ultimately successful), and our regent continues to encourage our missionaries in Asia Minor (what, does he not want them bothering him at home??).
Finally, the world could not remain as it was… With Milan and its Holy Roman Empire not at war!
In April, 1660, Lithuania declares war upon their sworn enemy (and ours!) the Ottoman Empire. Austria joins the war, and we are called….
Shall we accept???