Very Long Campaign AAR Dilemma

[unmerged(60957)]

I have played CK, EU2 (preferably with AGCEEP), Vicky (previously with VIP, now V:R) and HOI2DD. I'm pretty pleased with them and I'd like to string them all together in one grand long campaign from humble count to atomic superpower. The conversion tools to make this happen theoretically exist.

The first problem: I've conquered the world once too often and too easily in each game and there is hardly any challenge left after conversion. I need restraint. This is why I'm posting in this forum. I'd like to try the more low-key approach of roleplaying my way through and writing a personalised AAR narrative.

Can anyone who has played a long campaign give me some recommendations on how to introduce some character restraint, maybe even a sense of rising and falling destinies, into my game to make it less of a walkover? I don't want yet another case of "He looked out of his window at the unconquered lands beyond and felt the hand of destiny upon his shoulders... [insert random empire here] would be made great again!"

Second problem: sooner or later I will confront a technical issue. Conversion. I've experimented with this and I'm not always happy with the results. Which is the most workable way to go from CK to DD? Preferably involving AGCEEP, and even, should it come, a Revolutionised VIP?

Or should I just make a decision right now to play the ones I like best and edit heavily to fit on each conversion? I ask this because I need to be able to ask, "What if?" and gradually bend history. If I have a favourite enemy, or kept a doomed nation alive, I want to convert them too. There will be changes, but only so much that all those lovely scripted events still make sense. It's the spice of the game.

Suggestions?

 

[unmerged(51164)]

Well, to keep yourself from conquering too much too quickly, you could set ground rules for yourself. For example, in CK, you could come into the game setting the ground rule that you may only gain land through inheritance.

I can't tell you much about conversion since I only own CK and HOI2.

 

[CatKnight]

Ground Rules, definitely.

CK's especially fragile in this regard IMHO because it's so easy to get off to an incredibly strong, ahistorical start. (It's also easy to lose it, but that's another tale.)

First, especially in CK, roleplay. If you get an insane monarch...start doing strange things. (At the least, don't start trying to take him down.) If you have someone who's honest/trustworthy/merciful etc., then he doesn't sound like a warmonger to me.

Second, maybe set a specific goal for yourself. Research the country/region you're playing - for example, you could choose to take Duchy of Apulia, become Kingdom of Naples...and STOP. Maybe go after Italy, but ignore the probably disintegrating Byzantine Empire (at least til what would be the Fourth Crusade around 1204). Ignore Africa. Ignore the Middle East. If you do go there, release them as independent kingdoms or vassalized dukes (though don't be surprised when the dukes leave.) Just make sure there's some AI strong enough to chew on the Mongol Horde.

Personally, I TRY to keep a close eye on my BB (though that's annoying in CK, as I really don't think taking back land your rebellious vassal effectively stole from you should qualify). This keeps my conquests under control.

Another idea might be to pick one or two other nations you want to hang around - you mentioned 'saving' a doomed nation or keeping a favorite enemy around - and loading as them now and then. By definition the stronger your rivals, the weaker your primary nation ... and it's a great way to set up a thousand year grudge match. I remember one AAR where the author switched back and forth between the United States and Confederate States to good effect.

Conversions....I will defer to others who know how to do this. If you plan to have this work with any consistency though, you are almost certainly looking at massive adjustments by hand. CK-EU2 in particular promises to be brutal because cultures, religions and countries are so malleable there.

I'm speaking of EU2 vanilla incidentally. To my knowledge there's nothing that converts to AGCEEP, or from AGCEEP to Vic. I could be mistaken.

As you enter the EU2 era and beyond, you have two problems: The first is the AI files. The ingame converter doesn't assign them, which means for example Portugal and Spain never explore. There is a player made converter which addresses this, but I understand it has other concerns. There's also the question of 'replacement' nations: For example, in CK the Ottoman Turks can't (I don't think) show up...though it's possible the Seljuk Turks are still hanging out. Do you give them the TUR tag? New events? Etc. When entering Vic you'll have to make similar decisions - for example, it's unlikely the United States will have formed. Add them anyway? Let North America remain a European colonial ground?

The second problem is custom scripting events, since it's unlikely history escaped CK (and to a lesser extent the others) intact. I do remember reading a MP game that dealt with this by disabling the non-random events when their game converted to EU2. Their argument effectively was that 'our' history has been so badly compromised the 'historical' events were now unlikely. This might be the easiest solution, though given your interest in AGCEEP unpalatable.

 

[Duke of Wellington]

Roleplaying is really the key. I don't know about the other games but in EUII try to set yourself the rule of not declaring war on anyone without a CB. It limits you but without being too restrictive.

 

[unmerged(18239)]

Roleplaying is really the key. I don't know about the other games but in EUII try to set yourself the rule of not declaring war on anyone without a CB. It limits you but without being too restrictive.

And in Vicky try to focus primariy on internal affairs. Once you have arrived in HOI2DD then you will have a nice country and are ready to Rock & Roll.........

How long do you think it will take you to play from CK to DD?

And DoW: very nice avatar.