Two questions - Russia/Byzantium and diplo vassalizing different religion group

[unmerged(177849)]

(1) Can Russia form Byzantium? If so, what are the advantages/disadvantages?

(2) Is there any way to diplo vassalize a nation in a different religion group? The inability to do a RM would seem to preclude this.

 

[TheBloke]

(2) Is there any way to diplo vassalize a nation in a different religion group? The inability to do a RM would seem to preclude this.

Correct, it does. I think there's also a specific exclusion on diplo-vassalise, such that even if you did have an RM (through mod, editing the game, whatever) it would still block it.

 

[TheBloke]

(1) Can Russia form Byzantium? If so, what are the advantages/disadvantages?

Anyone who is Orthodox and has primary culture Greek can do it, except the Holy Roman Empire.

Russia is Orthodox obviously, but not sure if they can become primary culture Greek. They can get Greek accepted culture, but that's different.

So I'm thinking no, but could be wrong (never played Russia).

Edit: There's the Accept Cultural Shift event, but that explicitly excludes Russia. So I'm thinking definitely no.

RestoreByzantineEmpire.txt:

Spoiler

restore_byzantine_empire = {
    major = yes
        potential = {
            NOT = { exists = BYZ }
            NOT = { tag = HLR }
            primary_culture = greek
            religion = orthodox
        }
        allow = {
            owns = 151    # Thrace
            owns = 149    # Edirne
            owns = 147    # Salonica
            owns = 148    # Macedonia
            owns = 146    # Athens
            owns = 145    # Morea
            owns = 1773    # Achea
            owns = 316    # Bithynia
            owns = 317    # Bursa
            owns = 318    # Smyrna
            owns = 1853    # Kozani
            is_at_war = no
        }

 

[ErikHeinrichs]

(1) Can Russia form Byzantium? If so, what are the advantages/disadvantages?

Well, to my knowledge any nation can form Byzantium. Your primary culture just has to be greek?

 

[unmerged(177849)]

Thanks.

On the second question ... well, a digression on that. I am Russia at war with the Ottomans and the Uzeks. Both totally defeated. I want to avoid AE for the moment. I had the I (I thought) clever idea of forcing them to release Byzantium/Khazak (oddly located nowhere near the original Kazak) and then move to vassalize them. But they are both Moslem so no go. I should have realized that.

So here's the question. Is there anything clever I can do to get some gains from these wars without taking on much AE? None of the following are available:

(1) No available releasable Christian nation.
(2) No cores wanted by my vassals.

I could annex & feed some of the eastern Uzek provinces to my Mongol vassal, or annex a few provinces and release a vassal or two, but both will involve taking on AE.

 

[TheBloke]

Bear in mind that the AE incurred will only be high local to where you annexed. To your neighbours it will be small, maybe only 1 or 2.

You then lose 2 AE per province released as a vassal. But that is not localised, it applies regardless of distance to all Europe and Asia.

You can even end up with an overall reduction in AE, at least to the nations you care about back home.

Also, you can soak up a lot of that local AE by allying with nearby nations that you'd rather not get AE with. You can cancel the alliance after the war. Your relations will be lower than now as a result of cancelling a alliance, but very likely higher than if yyou'd not allied and they'd received full AE.

Of course if the war is already started you may not now be able to get those allies. We least you can boost relations and gift etc

 

[niallmcfc]

I know you'll still get the AE, but annexing a single byz province and releasing that might be your best option. Same with the uzbek land.

 

[unmerged(177849)]

I know you'll still get the AE, but annexing a single byz province and releasing that might be your best option. Same with the uzbek land.

That's probably what I'll end up doing. The problem is that the one nation likely to get the most AE from me for this will be the Timurids; they are in a coalition against me but I wanted them to be my next target. Oh, well, I guess my restless armies will have to look elsewhere. Hungary still holds two of Bosnia's cores, and it (Bosnia) is my vassal. I think they need to return them.

It does occur to me that the released nations will be well positioned to get some AE free core provinces in future wars.

 

[unmerged(177849)]

You then lose 2 AE per province released as a vassal. But that is not localised, it applies regardless of distance to all Europe and Asia.

You can even end up with an overall reduction in AE, at least to the nations you care about back home.

Good advice, but, given my current Asian ambitions, I'm actually a little more worried about the Asian coalition against me. Not threatened by it, but the coalition mechanics essentially prevent Asian Expansion for the moment. And the new AE will keep that coalition going a few more years.

 

[joelzhl]

Good advice, but, given my current Asian ambitions, I'm actually a little more worried about the Asian coalition against me. Not threatened by it, but the coalition mechanics essentially prevent Asian Expansion for the moment. And the new AE will keep that coalition going a few more years.

Russia has a few OPMs that you can release for a flat -30 AE to the entire world. You just need to occupy an OPM and give up concessions to release those nations. Once the truce with your released OPMs expired, you can reconquer them for 3.7 AE each.

Another thing to note is that AE caps out at 1000. As Russia, you can afford to annex till your OE can't take it anymore, then use the release OPM trick to completely wipe your AE.