Venice as a naval power

[khardinal]

If Venice manages to keep his balkans holdings and mediteranean islands I think they can manage to resist, they could also try colonization in order to control colonial trade, doesn't seem THAT hard to me.

The main problem of colonization is that it's gonna be difficult to steer trade until venice, when it must past by gibraltar ...
Colonization in Asia by Alexandria will be better in my opinion, but you need to destroy Mamluks and maybe ottomans.

 

[1alexey]

If Venice manages to keep his balkans holdings and mediteranean islands I think they can manage to resist, they could also try colonization in order to control colonial trade, doesn't seem THAT hard to me.

Yeah, and then comes GB and takes your colonies, like it did with France IRL.

 

[unmerged(584823)]

Yeah, and then comes GB and takes your colonies, like it did with France IRL.

France and GB were rivals. Why should Venice be a rival to GB ?

 

[khardinal]

France and GB were rivals. Why should Venice be a rival to GB ?

In the anglo-saxon logic, anyone who threaten their power and economy dominance is a rival wich must be destroy !

 

[fingalum]

I plan to play my first game as Venice. My plan (which may really well fell) is to pick up military NI at the start to help in possible war, after that a war against the Mamluk to gain a port on the red sea looks interesting( I don't know if the Trade or exploration idea is better to take as a second one.) After that colonization of Asia and go mad on trade steering.

 

[1alexey]

France and GB were rivals. Why should Venice be a rival to GB ?

If you colonise NA or India, and try to take over trade there, you would be thier rival. Why should you not be?

 

[VeneziaIstanbul]

If it manages to [..] unify Italy

Venice was never Italy. Their aristocratic "isolationism" from the medieval/renaissance italian wars is what saved them in the end.
Honestly, anybody BUT Venice could have conquered Italy. If Venice were italian, it wouldn't have been Venice.

The main problem of colonization is that it's gonna be difficult to steer trade until venice, when it must past by gibraltar ...
Colonization in Asia by Alexandria will be better in my opinion, but you need to destroy Mamluks and maybe ottomans.

Actually in Venice at the time they already suggested the creation of the Suez canal in 1500.
Also Venice didn't "destroy" anybody, they just paid off or stroke deals. If anything, conquered: as the CKII motto recites "feudal lords care about prestige, the church cares about piety, everyone cares for gold".

 

[FredricBastiat]

In RL Venice tried to help first the Mamluks and then the Ottomans beat the Portuguese out the Indian Ocean with money and shipbuilding expertise. Not sure if that's something you can coordinate with the AI, but having the Portuguese out of the Indian Ocean is one of the more interesting what-ifs in my mind.

 

[George LeS]

Here we go with some EU3 stats guys !

BIG SHIP :
Early game = Hull : 30; Cannons : 60 and speed : 4
Late game = Hull : 60; Cannons : 120 and speed : 5
Base price : 50 ducats

GALLEY :
Early game = Hull : 14; Cannons : 15 ( +1 damage in sea, -2 in oceans ) and speed : 8
Late game = Hull : 20; Cannons : 35 ( '' ) and speed : 8
Base price : 10 ducats !

AND, with naval tech, the shock modifier is high at start of the game for galley : +1 per level of tech, when it's only +0.5 for big ships.
Then, after naval tech level 27, shock modifier become higher for big ships +1.1; +1.2 ... until +3 when it's always +1 for galley ( same for fire modifier )
So it's pretty clear that the difference beetween them is " small " at start of the game and will increase with the time !
Moreover, the base price is very high for big ships, so it's gonna be hard to create and maintain them at start, when economy is bad; and same thing, it's gonna be easier with time !

So, like in history, the galleys will disappear with the time cause they just become obsolete !
But, it's pretty clear too that some nations which are access on land can't maintain a big ship fleet until they have a big economy ! So, galleys are the solutions for them ( if they are in sea )
For example : Ottomans, Russia, Sweden ( if focusing on land ) !
Finally, let's back to the subject : I think that a nation like Venice would not maintain a 100% galley fleet until the end of the game.
This country is focusing on naval, so it can be possible and recommended to build some big ships too, and in the long term only them !

I assume "speed" here means tactical battle speed, as in EUIII. What about strategic on-map speed?

 

[Lord Canterbury]

I plan to play my first game as Venice. My plan (which may really well fell) is to pick up military NI at the start to help in possible war, after that a war against the Mamluk to gain a port on the red sea looks interesting( I don't know if the Trade or exploration idea is better to take as a second one.) After that colonization of Asia and go mad on trade steering.

I'm going to try Venice first too... aiming for entirely naval and trade focus. Grab the Islands in the Med, give up the Italian mainland provinces if necessary. Avoid/ally/pay off the Ottomans. Try to break the Mamluks and get control of Alexandria and a red Sea connection then a string of ports through to the spice islands. Most of my games in EU3 were with Central European land powers, but the new trade system looks like great fun so I've got to give Venice a go.

 

[khardinal]

I'm going to try Venice first too... aiming for entirely naval and trade focus. Grab the Islands in the Med, give up the Italian mainland provinces if necessary. Avoid/ally/pay off the Ottomans. Try to break the Mamluks and get control of Alexandria and a red Sea connection then a string of ports through to the spice islands. Most of my games in EU3 were with Central European land powers, but the new trade system looks like great fun so I've got to give Venice a go.

On a naval+trade game, I think diplomatic idea can be great !
Have a diplomat in Austria during the all game to increase relations can be a must !

 

[nalivayko]

On a naval+trade game, I think diplomatic idea can be great !
Have a diplomat in Austria during the all game to increase relations can be a must !

Concur. Sounds like a nice alternative to sending hundreds of ducats to Austria... which a normal player never does anyway. Maybe, just maybe, diplomacy will become a viable alternative to military solution.