Strategies for the Swiss

[AdmiralNelson]

I don't have any screenies because my laptop is...well, I think it's dead. Anyway, sorry about the lack of visual aids.

So I've been playing a game from 1492 as Helvetia and it's now 1700ish. I've managed to carve out a little land for myself, consisting of Schwyz, Bern, Savoie, Dauphine, Lombardia, Wurtemburg and Baden. I'm allied with Brandenburg, a respectable minor power in this game, with about 10 provinces in between France and Austria, the Dutch who control a couple colonies in addition to Oldenburg and Hannover, and the British who annexed a weak Denmark and have a small colonial empire.

France and Austria are monolithic powers to the west and east, respectively. I've fought perhaps half a dozen wars against either or both of them and have won every single time; however, because France and Austria are allies, I go bankrupt in every war. The most recent war saw me being bankrupted twice. I pulled out a victory because France has left her western provinces fortified with only minimal fortifications, providing me with an opportunity to make a wide sweep through the countryside that I've taken to calling the "Tour de France." It's not annual, but it is a race.

Anyway, every time I fight France and Austria, they gang up on Lombardia. They concentrate 2/3 to all of their forces in the province and besiege it, sometimes with 130,000 or more troops. I defend the province with the bulk of my army (approx. 80,000 men at this point), but that's only because it's a good province and they keep attacking it every time, without fail. Is there anything I can do to make them leave Lombardia alone?

Also, any strategy recommendations for playing Helvetia in general, or in my specific situation?

 

[Raze]

Why try to stop them? If they keep wasting their time down there, all the better. Use it as an opportunity for a land-grab. The first thing you need is to get a port. Probably the one next to Savoie. I can't remember what it's called, possibly Piedmonte? After that the world can be yours...

 

[Brian Roastbeef]

Yeah, the port next to Savoie is Piemonte. Nice one to get, as its mountains and easy to defend.

You had screens of this game up earlier, didn't you? Its the one with the big France, big Austria, and huge Ottoman Empire. I remembered thinking that the Swiss were in a particularly rough position there, and that it must have been a good challenge. Cheers at making it work into something.

As for strategy, that depends on your goals. You're now playing as a mid-level power in the era of the Big(Color of nation)Blobs. What do you want to aim for? Diminish France? Diminish Austria?

If you're looking to take this into Victoria, I'd say go one more war to take Piemonte or Provence, then stop fighting so you can undo the damage that has been done to your economy. Try to colonize if there are any decent provinces left.

If you'd rather just go nuts, then screw all and chip away at France with the Dutch while doing all you can to encourage Brandenburg to eat up Austria. If they're stupid enough to throw all of their men 130,000 at a time into Lombardia to build up and get attrition, then good for them. Build the fort another level and take five provinces while they wait for that one.

 

[unmerged(49508)]

A port is a good idea, because you need it to be able to send merchants to non-european COTs. Consider trade agreements with the greatest colonisers and your income can be multiplied. Not only that, but troop support limit also increases as you trade more grain.

What are your goals in this campaign? Are you playing AGCEEP? IIRC in vanilla there are no historic events for this country, which must be boring if you just sit around between wars.

For fun I would claim the title of the Sole Defender of (reformed) Faith and go force convert the catholic world.

 

[AdmiralNelson]

Why try to stop them? If they keep wasting their time down there, all the better. Use it as an opportunity for a land-grab. The first thing you need is to get a port. Probably the one next to Savoie. I can't remember what it's called, possibly Piedmonte? After that the world can be yours...

Well, I've been sticking around in Lombardia because I didn't want to lose it, but I am willing to try completely ignoring their horde and just execute the Tour de France as usual.

I was thinking about taking Piemonte, but I've been resisting becoming vulnerable to the sea. Now that I think about it, I'm not sure there's been much naval activity in the Mediterranean except for the odd Veneto-Ottoman war; of course, I might just have that impression because I have no coastal provinces. So I'll consider it.

 

[AdmiralNelson]

Yeah, the port next to Savoie is Piemonte. Nice one to get, as its mountains and easy to defend.

You had screens of this game up earlier, didn't you? Its the one with the big France, big Austria, and huge Ottoman Empire. I remembered thinking that the Swiss were in a particularly rough position there, and that it must have been a good challenge. Cheers at making it work into something.

As for strategy, that depends on your goals. You're now playing as a mid-level power in the era of the Big(Color of nation)Blobs. What do you want to aim for? Diminish France? Diminish Austria?

If you're looking to take this into Victoria, I'd say go one more war to take Piemonte or Provence, then stop fighting so you can undo the damage that has been done to your economy. Try to colonize if there are any decent provinces left.

If you'd rather just go nuts, then screw all and chip away at France with the Dutch while doing all you can to encourage Brandenburg to eat up Austria. If they're stupid enough to throw all of their men 130,000 at a time into Lombardia to build up and get attrition, then good for them. Build the fort another level and take five provinces while they wait for that one.

Yep, that's the game and it's been pretty fun. I've managed to achieve some success for my allies, too. The Dutch have taken some Indian territory from the French, the English grabbed a province or two in North America, and the Brandenburgers nabbed Champagne and Nivernais in the last war. Good times.

I don't have Vicky, so my goals are mostly 1) not to die or lose a province the Franco-Austrian juggernaut, 2) get Wurtemburg from Austria (because it's Protestant) and possibly Piemonte, with hope for getting any or all of Mantua, Tirol, Modena, and Emilia. I'd also like to vassalize Genoa or something so they'll stop embargoing me every time I go to war with Franco-Austria.

I'd also like for my allies to get some territory, but it's pretty hard to make them win without turning on "richelieu" and running the war by myself. They've been doing alright on their own so far, though.

Anyway, thanks for the advice, guys!

 

[ConjurerDragon]

I don't have any screenies because my laptop is...well, I think it's dead. Anyway, sorry about the lack of visual aids.
...

Visual aid?
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/Struktur_Eidgenossenschaft.png

The "Alte Eidgenossenschaft" controlled small areas and towns in nearly every EU2 province around Bern and Zürich - so take all your neighbouring provinces And keep Lombardia!