The Hansa in 1.8

[hauptman]

So with the great world wealth coming back full swing (maybe as good as 1.1?) I decided to give the Hansa a run.

From the very beginning I was fabulously wealthy. Often going double my forcelimits even in the 1400s. When monarch points are the only thing stopping you from spamming new buildings (even manufactories) as soon as they are available, that's when you're rich.

This is a far cry from the Brandenburg and Italian games I played in 1.8. I've never been this wealthy until maybe the 1700s.

I dominate American and European trade, and am now spreading my power south along Africa. India, here I come.


Overview of held land and colonies (no colonial nations for this powerhouse).

Trade map in Europe and trade overview.

Idea sets and the map as it stands in 1650. I'm 2 techs away from a CB on the world! Trade will be my next idea set. I'm going to need more merchants before I can start harrasing India and China.

 

[Clownie]

I would've taken Economic over Maritime. The Plutocratic + Economic policy is fantastic.

Also, I prefer Hamburg to Hansa. Their ideas are just so delicious.

Lastly, um... there's too much dosh in the world. Your wealth... offends me.

 

[hauptman]

I would've taken Economic over Maritime. The Plutocratic + Economic policy is fantastic.

Also, I prefer Hamburg to Hansa. Their ideas are just so delicious.

Lastly, um... there's too much dosh in the world. Your wealth... offends me.

Economic is planned, but not yet... I really have no need for anything it offers (I usually dont use policies until late game, as I cant afford the monarch points... usually).

Maritime gave me real cheap boats and thassalocracy.

Side note, since I cant become emperor, as I'm a republic... I used the devs own anti-exploit change and exploited it for myself. I gave Bohemia a Trier vassal in a war, and took Brandenburg as my own vassal. HRE forever gimped. Thanks for the new exploit guys, shoulda left it as it was....

 

[slv]

Regarding you trademap.

1. You don't need merchant in English channe (I assume you've moved your tradeport/Capital). Bonus to tradepower from forwarding does not apply if you collect with merchant. Put your merchant in Ivory cost instead (or Genoa->Champagne)?

2. Are you sure about steering North Sea, Rheinland -> Lubeck? You lose some money there, should have just steer directly to Channel. Merchants multiplier is not substantial enough to mitigate the loss of 12 ducats in Lubeck.

 

[Incompetent]

That English Channel + Lübeck nexus is so stronk now. It slurps up most of the trade in Europe and a large chunk of the Atlantic trade without even trying.

As for getting more merchants, Trade Companies are your friend.

 

[hauptman]

Regarding you trademap.

1. You don't need merchant in English channe (I assume you've moved your tradeport/Capital). Bonus to tradepower from forwarding does not apply if you collect with merchant. Put your merchant in Ivory cost instead (or Genoa->Champagne)?

2. Are you sure about steering North Sea, Rheinland -> Lubeck? You lose some money there, should have just steer directly to Channel. Merchants multiplier is not substantial enough to mitigate the loss of 12 ducats in Lubeck.

Soon as my colonies in Ivory coast are finished, North sea merchant will be moved there.

The loss of cash in Lubeck is minor, I'd rather multiply it twice, that will be worth more than 12 ducats (maybe).

As far as collecting/trade power thing... I'm new to 1.8 and not sure what you mean... elaborate for us GnuBs.

 

[bbqftw]

I have a Hansa trade game going as well, though I went for a more blobby approach. There is something incredibly amusing about putting 5000 trade power worth of light ships on English Channel with a 5 maneuver admiral and watching the other colonizers cry.

'transfer from X' bonuses are just too good.

It has also been fun using vassals and strategically selling them provinces so they will steer trade for me. Kongo's extra trade value boosts along Cape and Zanzibar are giving me something like 100 d/month of extra trade income, for example.

Also, despite playing the same country the only idea group we both have is expansion - (diplo offensive religious exploration expansion trade for me so far)

 

[hauptman]

One merchant???? and that much money!~

Man I've got a lot to learn about new trade mechanics.

Show me a map dude!~


I purposefully did not blob, as it gives most of europe another 80% production bonus.... Intresting comparison though, at nearly the same date.

 

[Incompetent]

As far as collecting/trade power thing... I'm new to 1.8 and not sure what you mean... elaborate for us GnuBs.

You get a bonus to TP in your main trading hub from nodes where you have a merchant steering (up to 10% per node, scaled by your share of TP in that node). The merchants can be anywhere in the world and do not have to be steering directly towards your hub. The catch is that you must not be using a merchant to collect anywhere in the world, including your hub.

You have to work out if this is better or not, but I'd guess it's worth it in your case, seeing as you only have a 68% share in English Channel. You want to have *thousands* of TP in that node, so that it can laugh off pirates and radiate its glorious TP all over your empire.

 

[slv]

Soon as my colonies in Ivory coast are finished, North sea merchant will be moved there

I was talking about merchant in Channel, he should not be there (in case you moved capital there, which is proffitable as long as you don't plan to conquer the British Isles).
I would rather move the merchants from North Sea, Channel and Rheinland and find the a better place. Definitely Genoa. Ivory cost? You can send a merchant there event without a colony (do you lack trade range?). Perhaps Ragusa->Genoa as well.

The loss of cash in Lubeck is minor, I'd rather multiply it twice, that will be worth more than 12 ducats (maybe).

Dont think so, multiplication is marginal now (I think it's marginal since 1.4?). But you never know

As far as collecting/trade power thing... I'm new to 1.8 and not sure what you mean... elaborate for us GnuBs.

Look on the map by bbqftw. If you don't collect at all you get a trade power bonus in your main tradeport (which is Channel, I guess).

But sure, in 1.8 Trading republics are so wealthy it's even historical .

Try Venice, capture Ragusa and instantly have France-sized income (or some reasons Byzantium moves it's capital to morea And steers to Ragusa xD).

 

[bbqftw]

Show me a map dude!~

I have several!

Europe:

Africa:

Asia:

New World:

A note about my vassal/diplomatic strategy. I did pick them all for a reason.
Wales (Channel), Cornwall (Channel), Burgundy (Champagne), Brabant (Channel), Kongo (Ivory Coast) are my vassals. Allied to Navarra. All 6 of these countries take trade ideas.

(Navarra, earlier in the game, allied Castile and took 4 provinces off Aragon. What a badass! Of course Castile wasn't interested in allying Navarra at that point so I picked up the slack. Plus its fun to see the Basque localized province names.)

Navarra's capital is in the Bordeaux node, so by feeding Castile and Portugal's provinces to Navarra (including Porto and Andalucia), I cripple the Iberians ability to project trade power via Sevilla. And even though Navarra collects in Sevilla, it won't steer trade there.

Cornwall was sold / force-fed provinces in the New World, and boosts the Chespeake -> Channel connection which is where majority of New World trade passes through.

Wales was sold provinces in Ivory Coast and Cape, and boosts the Ivory Coast -> Channel connection (easily the most valuable connection, at more than 400 trade value fed to Channel! Lubeck is around 170, and Champagne / Chespeake both contribute 70-90), as well as the Cape->Ivory Coast connection.

Brabant was fed most of Frankfurt node and thus helps push most of the trade value towards Lubeck.

All three of my Channel vassals also boost the valuable Lubeck->Channel connection.

Burgundy does Genoa->Champagne. Now that he finally has a coast in the Mediterranean, I am thinking about giving him Ragusa and then throwing many light ships on the node, destroying the Ottoman ability to collect trade.

I really didn't want to blob too much, but I enjoy feeding my vassals with 20k+ gifts and watching them grow into great powers in their own right. Both Brabant and Burgundy field 100k armies of their own, and are pretty much my enforcers on the mainland (I beat up HRE princes to keep imperial integrity).

 

[hauptman]

Nice.... I see you've just moved faster than I did. Your well into asia, and are just mopping up minor nodes now... well ahead of me. I've taken it slow myself and still havent even dealt with Poland to connect to Novgorod yet.

Fights with major powers are rough on my poor troops... I mean I just recently finished defensive so my troops are pure vanilla. I can field lots of em, but they cant fight for squat.

After my last painful war with France, i replaced half my infantry with mercenaries, to see if that will help with the manpower bleed. I recover 3k a month, three times faster than france, but my troops bleed fasteras well... it's rough. Maybe the mercs will help.

 

[hauptman]

Holy cow, all i did was pull a merchant out of the channel, and whammo....

511 ducats.... 200 more.

 

[hauptman]

Wanted to ask BBQ... what's yer mercantilism at? Your republican tradition is too high, so I'm guessing you didnt farm mercantilism.

Mine's 100 of course... I may even go monarchy now.

 

[slv]

Mine's 100 of course... I may even go monarchy now.

Went Dutch republic after building tradeposts here and there.

 

[Sandmann]

Wanted to ask BBQ... what's yer mercantilism at? Your republican tradition is too high, so I'm guessing you didnt farm mercantilism.

Mine's 100 of course... I may even go monarchy now.

Dont you lose merchant republic below 40 RT? Please explain your mercantilism farming technique.

 

[slv]

Dont you lose merchant republic below 40 RT? Please explain your mercantilism farming technique.

You do, but it just switches you to dictatorship. And you can go back if you pick R.T. choice in the Dictatorship events every time. After the end of Dictatorship you go back to merchant republic.

 

[hauptman]

Negative.

You lose the republic at about 10 - 0 reptrad

Between 50 and 20 you fire off a huge list of events. Most of them bad.

"We need a King" event is your bread and butter. Trade reptrad for stab, or vica versa. When your reptrad is high (40-50) you either re-elect or get more stability. When it's low (30-20) you get more at the cost of the free stab you got before.

"Free-traders winning debates" can only fire below 50 reptrad. Trade 2 reptrad for 3 mercantilism (or vica-versa, but you'd never NOT want more mercantilism).

/profit.


This is why republics are so godlike for traders. Lubeck alone is over 200 trade power.

 

[slv]

Negative.

You lose the republic at about 10 - 0 reptrad

http://www.eu4wiki.com/Republic_events#Rise_of_a_Despot

You can lose the republic under 40 reptrad. But it's still only temporary.

I actually never pick a + stab in "We need a king".

Assuming your average reelecter has 6-3-3 stats after the reelection (which is kinda true since you reelect from 4-1-1 till the death) every reelection provides you 6*12*4+50=338 MP over typical 411 ruler. Imagine if in "we need a king" event you were offered a -1 stability +676 MP, what would you choose?