Welcome to my second Victoria 2 AAR on these forums, halfway between storybook and gameplay style. I will be playing the NNM with some modifications (AI now less shy about demanding states in peace treaties, factory workers and capitalists demand small amounts of Steel as a luxury good, the "500% literacy required for pops to really care about voting system" minor bug reported by the HPM developer fixed).
For this AAR, I want a relatively hands-off game, so I will be playing as the Ashanti Empire (apparently, pronounced "as-hanti"):
I am not that good a Victoria 2 player (the game really needs more tooltips, most of the things unclear in-game are explained on the 'net just fine - Victoria 3 really needs better tooltips and in-game documentation), so I will be playing on Easy. It's not like I'm playing as GB, anyway
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Otumfuo Nana Kwaku Dua, The King of Ashanti - or, to use his actual title, the Asantehene, had all reasons to be pleased with his realm that his predecessors built for him. All the peoples of his Empire were content, paying respect to him and to the Golden Stool, the place where the spirit of the Ashanti people dwells.
The Golden Stool of the Ashanti, placed on a throne
But it was clear to the king that things would be unlikely to remain that way the following years. Governors of European coastal enclaves were taking interest in the Empire, and the British even sent a consul to Kumasi, the capital. The consul was impressed by the capital's grandeur, yet the King himself was also impressed by the consul's tales of Europe. Something had to be done in order for the European kings to perceive the Asantehene as an equal.
The kingdom's population largely consisted of simple farmers. It also boasted a sizable population of slaves.
The Asantehene was adamant that neither he nor his people would exchange the faith of their forefathers for European Christianity. However, as Christian missionaries were willing to offer literacy lessons to the populace, the King cautiously welcomed them into the kingdom, intending in the future to create a native-born educated class, less beholden to European whims.
The British consul mentioned to the Asantehene that Europe was swept by a demand for the exotic, including furniture made from tropical woods. The Ashanti kingdom had few suitable kinds of trees, but just to the east, the Niger basin region was full of exactly the kind of trees Europeans needed. The way forward was clear for the Asantehene.
An alliance was signed with the small kingdom of Dahomey (the Asantehene in Kumasi formally proclaimed the subjugation of Dahomey to Ashanti, even through he was careful for the Dahomey court itself not to know about it).
Care was taken to subsidize both the soldiers and the literate class from the treasury.
The Mamponghene, or the King's deputy, signed a treaty of mutual friendship with the British consul, in an act that was praised by the British newspapers as "surprisingly good administrative move on the part of the Ashantee".
Envoys were exchanged with the Kingdom of Benin, to prevent the Warri east of it from helping the Oyo (this was, in fact, the main function of the alliance).
Nevertheless, the British, cautious as ever in their divide-and-rule policy, warned the King that while they would welcome Ashanti conquest of Oyo, they would regard further conquests as unlawful aggression, for a while, at least.
For this AAR, I want a relatively hands-off game, so I will be playing as the Ashanti Empire (apparently, pronounced "as-hanti"):
I am not that good a Victoria 2 player (the game really needs more tooltips, most of the things unclear in-game are explained on the 'net just fine - Victoria 3 really needs better tooltips and in-game documentation), so I will be playing on Easy. It's not like I'm playing as GB, anyway
--------------------
Otumfuo Nana Kwaku Dua, The King of Ashanti - or, to use his actual title, the Asantehene, had all reasons to be pleased with his realm that his predecessors built for him. All the peoples of his Empire were content, paying respect to him and to the Golden Stool, the place where the spirit of the Ashanti people dwells.
The Golden Stool of the Ashanti, placed on a throne
But it was clear to the king that things would be unlikely to remain that way the following years. Governors of European coastal enclaves were taking interest in the Empire, and the British even sent a consul to Kumasi, the capital. The consul was impressed by the capital's grandeur, yet the King himself was also impressed by the consul's tales of Europe. Something had to be done in order for the European kings to perceive the Asantehene as an equal.
The kingdom's population largely consisted of simple farmers. It also boasted a sizable population of slaves.
The Asantehene was adamant that neither he nor his people would exchange the faith of their forefathers for European Christianity. However, as Christian missionaries were willing to offer literacy lessons to the populace, the King cautiously welcomed them into the kingdom, intending in the future to create a native-born educated class, less beholden to European whims.
The British consul mentioned to the Asantehene that Europe was swept by a demand for the exotic, including furniture made from tropical woods. The Ashanti kingdom had few suitable kinds of trees, but just to the east, the Niger basin region was full of exactly the kind of trees Europeans needed. The way forward was clear for the Asantehene.
An alliance was signed with the small kingdom of Dahomey (the Asantehene in Kumasi formally proclaimed the subjugation of Dahomey to Ashanti, even through he was careful for the Dahomey court itself not to know about it).
Care was taken to subsidize both the soldiers and the literate class from the treasury.
The Mamponghene, or the King's deputy, signed a treaty of mutual friendship with the British consul, in an act that was praised by the British newspapers as "surprisingly good administrative move on the part of the Ashantee".
Envoys were exchanged with the Kingdom of Benin, to prevent the Warri east of it from helping the Oyo (this was, in fact, the main function of the alliance).
Nevertheless, the British, cautious as ever in their divide-and-rule policy, warned the King that while they would welcome Ashanti conquest of Oyo, they would regard further conquests as unlawful aggression, for a while, at least.
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