Venice against the Ottomans

[Storey]

You... you are at peace? ? I don't know what to think anymore... My world view has been shaken...

Perhaps you should quit now, go out on a high?

Nah, I look forward to the next round of wars, be they triggered by your bloodlust, your relative weakness (pitchfork-wielding peasants are more advanced than your troops? Whoopsie ) or lingering Bad Boy effects...

Well I have a choice to be made that could trigger more problems for me. Look at the end of the post and you’ll see my dilemma.

Peace. Peace? I hate the word, as I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee Benvolio ...

Sorry, getting carried away there

I have a suspicion that wars like this get less frequent when your BB is half the limit.

Although the name Montaques tickled my memory cells I had to finally Google to see the source.

Then I’m going to try to keep my BB below half my limit. I can’t afford to go through this again, at least for a few decades.

Couldn't you have waited with sending those status quo offers until you had officially reached 30 years of war? 30 looks so much more impressive and bad-ass then 29...

With your BB, I wouldn't go into another war any time soon. Your enemies will engulf you again the moment you do that. Watch my Brandenburg. I DoW someone when having something like 5 BB and two other states DoW me in return.

I have to admit it didn’t enter my mind to wait for the 30 year anniversary before offering peace agreements. To tell the truth I was completely taken by surprise when they started accepting my offers. I’m going to be a good little country and not pick on anyone for the foreseeable future.

I think you'll be left alone for a while if you keep your nose down and buddy up with Austria as you suggested. Let's hope so.

I must admit, I was proud of the plucky little Scots going for Corfu.

One thing on war exhaustion - I noticed that it seems to get higher more quickly if you are in enemy territory (in other words, acting offensively rather than defensively.) Not sure how that is calculated, but seeing as you've mostly been marching around your own territories during the bulk of the war, perhaps that is why it wasn't as high. Otherwise, I'd have to agree...30 years at war and it's barely over 10? I bet your stab research was pretty shoddy too during that (...like negative.)

Congrats on peace, Joe That's huge.

Having the Scots pop up on Corfu was funny. Then having them board their fleet almost at once was down right puzzling. I wonder where they were headed? Sadly I had to sink their fleet so we will never know. I’m finding war exhaustion to be very puzzling. If you look at the entire 30 years I didn’t really have that many battles. It was mostly a siege war. Maybe that’s the reason for the low WE?

Ok, after a couple of peaceful years I wonder what would be your plans?

Believe it or not my big plan is to try to get into an alliance. A strong alliance if possible. While I’ve been preoccupied the Ottomans have grown in size and I’m not going to be able to take them down by myself.

Now to get over this hangover.

Oh I agree. Time to take things slow and easy.

Peace, wow.

Actually that’s peace WOW.

Excellent news. I had to check that I was reading it right though to make sure you were actually at peace. Enjoy the lie down but don't get too comfy. As to the question of when will the BB be low enough to stop the attention? It is a relative thing. The ai targets the nation with the highest BB preferentially. Is there anyone else getting close to you?

Hmm, I’ll have to look around and see who had been a naughty boy and run up their BB. I have aggression set to normal so there are a lot of wars going on.

Its over?

You sound disappointed. The wars over but the AAR goes on.

I knew the Scots would turn up, not to be outdone by the Norwegians

Now that you are at peace how about a fast learning course on assaulting for your soldiers.

Priority number one is to get my land tech up to five but I need to work on all my tech levels. I’ll post a few shots of where I stand in the next post.






This is as far as I’ve played in the game so far. So I started up the game just to take a few shots of the general situation and this immediately popped up.

Since I’m not playing any father at this time I made a choice in order to move around for the photo opt but I didn’t save the game so I imagine that it will pop up again when I start the game again. So the question is which choice should I pick?

 

[germanpeon]

I'd say pick the first option for the innovativeness and the tax.

I guess it really comes down to how much that 2BB is going to aggravate your neighbors. Do you think that they are DoWing you because of your BB value or because you look like an easy target? If it's the latter, pick the first option. If you really need the BB reduction, that's the way to go.

 

[Stuyvesant]

Well, worst-case scenario is you get into another 30-year war when you pick the option to piss off the Pope. But what's the mere irritation of 30 years of war compared to the bliss of all those nice effects that last forever (well, until 1819, that is)?

I say show the Pope who's boss! It sounds like a bunch of nice effects for a fairly low price.

Plus, if my estimation is wrong, I'll get to enjoy another round of the Infinity War, which is not to be sneezed at.

 

[Duke of Wellington]

-1 BB. Is there anything else to look at? You cannot afford +2

 

[stnylan]

I agree with Duke. -1 bb is at this point more important that tax.

 

[blsteen]

I see the Duke's point but it all depend's like germanpeon says on the rationale for the AI (rationale for an AI, ha). Is Venice a weak temptress or a threat to the balance of power (thank you dr kissinger)? And really, storey did survive almost thirty years of war, I say he can survive.

 

[bluelotus]

+1 tax isn't that big deal in Veneto; I'd go for the -BB.

 

[aldriq]

Well, if you are going for the same gameplay option by all means choose the Inquisition... but do you really want to befriend an interfering Pope who has DoWed you at every chance in the past?

 

[Toio]

choice is

A - be the first secular government in Europe , gain taxes and be despised by the pope, which could lead to wars to dominate Italy with germanic alliances

B - be a good catholic follower , lower 1 year of BB , lower your income and maybe go in alliance with the Pope and maybe share Italy

 

[unmerged(58610)]

Venetians first, everytime.

 

[coz1]

I gotta say, go with the bonus tax advantage even if it costs you some BB. It is only 2, though who knows what that will do to you. But you've already handles one 30 yrs war...what's another, right? At least you'll be doing well financially.

 

[Storey]

Just a series of photos showing how Venice is doing.





The Ottoman Empire.

Allied with Mamluks, Tunisia and Tlemcan.



Eastern Europe.

Western Europe.

Sliders.

Taxation and production

Not a ship lost to combat. Only attrition.

Inflation.

Land Tech.

If I remember correctly I'm at level 3.




Naval tech.

World.

Defender of the faith.

Strange you would think that someone would be defender for at least one religion?

 

[Herr Doctor]

The overall situation looks pretty well. You should save some money to build later fortresses, perhaps some manufactures to improve your positions at all those coastal provinces.

Defender of the faith.

Strange you would think that someone would be defender for at least one religion?

Hussite?

 

[Stuyvesant]

Everybody (well, almost everybody) is so sensible about lowering, not increasing the BB. I will gladly concede that it is the sensible thing to do... But where's the fun in that!? Okay, that's enough abuse of the italics tag...

As far as the lack of any Defenders of the Faith, could it simply be that the AI is too aggressive to accumulate the required funds? Judging by the merry-go-round wars that you faced for 30 years (an extreme example, I grant), it seems that war is a pretty common state in this game.

 

[coz1]

Centralize Joe. That's the first thing I see. Other than that, and given what you've been through, things look pretty darn good. But China? With 48% inflation? Pshaw.

I must say I liked your idea of cozying up with Austria. That is definitely the way to go.

 

[Storey]

I would like to think all who offered their sage advice on what I choice I should take at this juncture in the game. For the bold among you I would say “Hey it’s not your neck you’re sticking out to be lopped off”. I also appreciate those knee-knockers among you who advocated (elegantly I might add) that I pull back into my protective shell of Veneto and wait for a more auspicious moment to stick my toe in the water. Thanks again to everyone.

Okay I’ve made my decision and I can confidently say it was based on a balanced, intelligent, incisive, pragmatic approach to a difficult choice. Add to my reasoned approach the fact that I mistook a screen shot showing alliances instead of relations. (Which I deleted since it was a very boring, drab and can I say a ho-hum color of light brown that bordered on something you’d see come out of the wrong end of a chipmunk feasting on year old nuts) If I had seen the real relationship picture, that sea of red, deep red and blushingly deeper red I would not have voluntarily tread the path I am about to go down.

But the die is cast and we shall have to live with the consequences.






My BB goes to 19.8/36 and I wait for the DOWs to rain down upon my head and... nothing happens. Well this is cool. So I decide to go about my business with one eye always watching my neighbors.






I get to move my Slider toward Centralization just as coz suggested.

I put down a couple of revolts. Nothing serious. Things remain quiet maybe too quiet but I have a chance to look around and see England annex Ulster in 1477.

In August of 1477 Muscovy with the help of Theodoros takes on Denmark, Sweden, Oldenburg, Norway and the Teutonic Order.

By early 1478 I’m feeling confident enough to build a bailiff in Mantua, which is the only province that doesn’t have one.





Event time.

Interestingly in November 1478 Provence becomes a vassal of the Ottomans.

Early 1479 and Castile swallows Aragon, whole, without so much as a burp.






Another event.

I could afford to lose the 50 ducats.





In March 1479 Granada declared war against Castile. Granada didn’t have an ally but Castile dragged along France and Morocco. Have to admit Granada’s got a pair.

June 1479 and I get to Infrastructure 3 and move all my investment to land tech. I pushed Infrastructure first simply because it was the quickest to get to the next tech level.

December 1479 and Provence is annexed by the Ottomans’ ally Tlemcen.





With the dawn of 1480 I see that my truce with Austria and friends is coming to an end in May 1480 and I start getting nervous. I take a look at my relation with Austria and see it’s -199. Hmm that was when I realized my mistake and decided to recheck my relations and saw this.

Oh my. I think I’ve made what could be my all time screw-up. This might even top my decision to annex the Crimea in a game in EU II.

 

[Herr Doctor]

Great everyone hates you

 

[Qorten]

Looking good! I'd start pumping some monies into gifts...

 

[unmerged(58610)]

You've united everyone in a the colour of a good hearty log fire. Red's bad? Oh dear! Does this mean you will not be annexing Crimea in this game? Surely, lightning can't strike twice.

I'd pick on Naples, send them insults. Get them to declare war on you and bring the boot to heel.

What's 30 years of war to a Venetian? The war with Genoa lasted 100. Make country's become your vassals. Force them to like you. Rough wooing!

Spending ducats on Austria is okay provding your Doggy's DIP is very good.

 

[coz1]

Indeed, gifts a plenty should rain down upon Austria for the foreseeable future and as the bank allows. In fact, I think it's worth minting for it (though you know well and good I think any old occasion is a good time for minting. )

That is a lot of red, Joe. A whole lot.