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Praetorian44

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I also have never started at any date after 1399.
 

Icendoan

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About 1535 is amazing fun for some casual multiplayer. All the big nations are out in force with amazing leaders.

For general campaigning, 1399 or 1453. 1453 seems to keep more plausible borders.
 

BootOnFace

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1534 January 1st.

England is Protestant. Ottomans at their height. Russia and Mughals formed, but not dominant. Austria has just inherited Bohemia and Hungary. Spain has its Italian and Netherlands possessions. Most importantly, the Knights of St. John have both Malta and Tripoli! It sets up the game for a good historical play through, unlike the 1399 start where you end up with Castille fighting Pskov in Norway by 1648 and Bohemia owns Ukraine up to the Caspian Sea.
 

ZomgK3tchup

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1444, 1453, 1456, and most important dates in the interlude where France is powerful enough to resist England but before the conclusion of the Burgundian Wars and Austria's annexation of Burgundy.

Anything with pre-established empires is usually too tedious to play; I don't like having to occupy all of Spanish South America.

In addition to huge empires, late-game start dates cause every country within colonization range to instantly send colonists to random provinces across Africa and to the New World just because they can. It means you end up with Papal Ghana, Swedish Quebec, and Venetian Cape Colony.

Sometimes if I'm bored enough, I plug 1399 and 1815 in a random number generator and ask for a number between those dates. I'll play whatever date shows up with a nation of my choice.
 
Last edited:

Shiranui

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There are arrows above and below the starting year when you start a new game use this to select the year.

Sorry, I knew that, I was asking what people thought about starting with the 1492 bookmark.
Burgundy's been inherited, you've got the Aragon-Castille Personal Union, Ottomans are in a strong position. I haven't tried it though.
 

fudd_bopo

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I almost always start as early as possible since the thing I fear the most is suddenly the game ends when you're in the middle of awesome.
 

Schlez

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Definitely 1399. I like to play my nations as long as possible to see what alternate history I can make. If I want more epic and larger battles and wars I just cheat and give the AI all their RL national borders.
 

Derp

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1399, although I'm not really sure why, since I tend to abandon games long before the end date