Why am I being embargoed?

[Cenobite30]

I'm playing as Savoy. Grown a bit, but only within Italy. Castille embargoes me one day, out of the blue. I checked their info. They have some mission about building a bigger army, I'm not listed as one of their rivals, but (despite my being smaller, weaker, and being separated from them by France) they feel threatened by me. Figuring it was just a fluke, I changed to Castille and revoked the embargo, then changed back to Savoy to continue about my business. Almost as soon as they could send another diplomat, I am re-embargoed.

I don't imagine this is a glitch, but I'm curious what the AIs rationale is for embargoing me? Is it just because they feel threatened? That would be odd, because the embargo gives me a CB. Is this a new feature of HTTT?

 

[DanaDark]

While not a threat to them militarilly, you may be a threat to them economically. They may be reacting to your advances in merchants in CoTs.

If I noticed someone dominating all the world's trade and owned a CoT and knew they could never force me to open it, I would embargo them too.

 

[Cenobite30]

While not a threat to them militarilly, you may be a threat to them economically. They may be reacting to your advances in merchants in CoTs.

If I noticed someone dominating all the world's trade and owned a CoT and knew they could never force me to open it, I would embargo them too.

Makes sense, but I'm not really dominating trade. I'm probably in the 80th percentile. Other nations are doing much better than me but they aren't being embargoed. Holland has five in nearly every European CoT and it's around 1430.

Perhaps they're trying to nip me in the bud.

 

[DanaDark]

Probably. I've had a few games where France just hates my traders no matter what I do. Is A-OK with me politically, but it'll be a cold day in hell when they let my merchants in the door lol.

Keep in mind, this also hurts them a tiny bit by lowering their trade efficiency and giving them some small BB over time (cancelled out by base BB decay, but results in a slower BB decay).

 

[Darkrenown]

Quite often the AI will embargo you shortly before declaring war. I'm not sure if it hopes you'll DoW them over it so it'll get to be the defender, or if it's just to show its dislike, but if a nation embargos me I'm not surprised if a DoW follows shortly.

 

[Cenobite30]

Quite often the AI will embargo you shortly before declaring war. I'm not sure if it hopes you'll DoW them over it so it'll get to be the defender, or if it's just to show its dislike, but if a nation embargos me I'm not surprised if a DoW follows shortly.

That's another thing: they haven't made any moves on me other than the embargo. They appear to take no interest in my sphere of influence; I don't have any of their cores (or even land bordering them); my merchants are not as successful as they could be; their mission is unrelated to me. For the last five or so years they have just maintained an embargo on me. Weird.

 

[long_fella]

In my current game of HTTT (as England) Castille constantly embargos me, then the next month allows me access, then the next month embargos me, then the next month allows me access......

It's annoying if for no other reason than I have to deal with the popups. I don't want to cancel them because as somebody above says there are other nations where an embargo is often a prelude to a war declaration.

It's odd...

 

[Hooker]

In my current game someone - usually among Spain, France, Britian or Scandnavia - often embargoes me right after firing up a new session. It's crazy.

 

[Striker9002]

Everytime I play a European nation anywhere near Castille it eventually puts an embargo on me and goes through the cycle of lifting it and reinstating it. It typically finally lands on keeping the embargo, even if our relations are superb.

 

[unmerged(80814)]

It seems totally random.

As Musowy, Novgorod regularly embargos me. Granted I'm a rival of theirs, but being inside their trading league, having 150+ relations, military access both ways.. and alliance here and there, when they don't cancel it.

See, when they do this.. I'm forced to declare war and whoop their ass, regaining access to the CoT. I'll rejoin their league, too. Which they're always happy for me to do. But whenever the time is up on whatevers blocking them from embargoing me, they'll do it again. Sigh. Rinse and repeat.

And in the above scenario, I didn't even take land off them. Either concede defeat on their behalf or remove one of their cores from my land.

 

[mallard454]

Just hope that Castille doesn't become the curia controller! If she did, I think that would hurt more.

 

[Darkrenown]

See, when they do this.. I'm forced to declare war and whoop their ass, regaining access to the CoT. I'll rejoin their league, too. Which they're always happy for me to do. But whenever the time is up on whatevers blocking them from embargoing me, they'll do it again. Sigh. Rinse and repeat.

Truces stop them from embargoing you, if you were wondering.

 

[Cenobite30]

Just hope that Castille doesn't become the curia controller! If she did, I think that would hurt more.

They have been, but they haven't bothered me. My relationship with the Pope is high, though I'm not sure that matters in HTTT. They did, however, excommunicate France, which resulted France taking a savage beating, losing vassals and releasing a few nations, and having to cede land to a very large Burgundy. This put Burgundy over the infamy limit, and they got righteously invaded (by me, among others) and forced to release every nation they had (and you know how many nations are inside Burgundy).

But I digress.

 

[Cenobite30]

Truces stop them from embargoing you, if you were wondering.

Didn't know that. Useful. Perhaps I'll build up my military and whup some ass so I can trade in their mediocre CoT for five years.

 

[unmerged(38835)]

You are their rival...they will try to cause problems for you without going out of their way though.

Seems like a proper policy by the AI.

 

[unmerged(106498)]

Often the AI will do this if it wants you to attack. If you become a military threat, they will stop giving you this easy CB offering.

 

[Cenobite30]

You are their rival...they will try to cause problems for you without going out of their way though.

Seems like a proper policy by the AI.

They don't consider me a rival. They only feel threatened by me. But I see your point.