Showcases of Europa Universalis 3

[Sareln]

Holding Rome as a Catholic nation is far more trouble than it's worth. It procs an event that asks you to return it to the pope or face stability penalties iirc. Don't do it.

[Commodore]

DoW Castile!

[Bigger]

Holding Rome as a Catholic nation is far more trouble than it's worth. It procs an event that asks you to return it to the pope or face stability penalties iirc. Don't do it.

this is easy enough to avoid. If you combat annex the papal states, the event triggers (only once, though). However, if you vassalize them, then diplo-annex them at a later date, the event never triggers. Instead the papal states remateralize at a random theocracy within the HRE (main and trier are common, but i've seen riga and random flemish/dutch states). They lose their cores on Rome and Romanga fairly fast (like 20 years), easing diplomatic tensions, and in the interim period between vassalation and annexation they make a very good vassal - they tend to build a large army, even mercenaries when necessary, which is useful for conquering the university rich northern italy provinces (tuscany, milan, mantua, etc.). Just be sure to ally with them after you vassalize them. Any province a vassal conquers counts as occupied by you.

Aristocracy isn't a bad slider shift early in the game - it benefits cavalry, which dominate the first 80 years or so. Probably not worth doing again, though - eventually cavalry are overshadowed by infantry, and don't ever really catch up. I tend to use all my early slider moves on centralization and free subjects (both are clearly superior to decentralization or serfdom - the free subjects has a nice side effect, a 33% chance of losing 2.00 inflation).

[Tyrmith]

I'd definitely do that- pulling stuff like that is what I live for in CK2.

[Bigger]

I'm playing a game of Naples right now. Very very difficult in the early game (economy is just terrible, and they are -3 mercantilist so its hard to get much trade going). But 100 years in I've formed italy, conquered up to switzerland, and control about 3/4 of Iberia <G>. And I've colonized Greenland, haha. Provence, who I still have a personal union and one day eventually will inherit his lands, colonized the Azores before I could get the naval range to do so - which I really found humorous. Portugal and castille are too small now to be a serious colonial threat and England for some reason isn't doing much.

Anyway, I cannot seem to peacefully vassalize an ally. I have many 1-3 province allies with 200 relations that I've forced france to release after stomping them, but w/ all the positive modifiers I can have (royal marriage, 200 relations, very high prestige and moderate to low infamy) I can't get anything other than "impossible" when I suggest they become my vassal. Maybe you will have better luck, but I think you will have to either invade sicily, if you want to control that land, or get really lucky (with a royal marriage - if his monarch dies and you have the same dynasty, you may get a personal union without going to war - sometimes you just "inherit" the lands even w/o a union. But that is rare). I've actually seen an ai Portugal leading a personal union with Castille and England (2 separate games - not at the same time).

[BRickAstley]

Holding Rome as a Catholic nation is far more trouble than it's worth. It procs an event that asks you to return it to the pope or face stability penalties iirc. Don't do it.

Vote Count:
No Roma: 1

DoW Castile!

Vote Count:
No Roma: 1
Kill Castille: 1

I'd definitely do that- pulling stuff like that is what I live for in CK2.

Vote Count:
Yes Roma: 1
No Roma: 1
Kill Castille: 1

this is easy enough to avoid. If you combat annex the papal states, the event triggers (only once, though). However, if you vassalize them, then diplo-annex them at a later date, the event never triggers. Instead the papal states remateralize at a random theocracy within the HRE (main and trier are common, but i've seen riga and random flemish/dutch states). They lose their cores on Rome and Romanga fairly fast (like 20 years), easing diplomatic tensions, and in the interim period between vassalation and annexation they make a very good vassal - they tend to build a large army, even mercenaries when necessary, which is useful for conquering the university rich northern italy provinces (tuscany, milan, mantua, etc.). Just be sure to ally with them after you vassalize them. Any province a vassal conquers counts as occupied by you.

Vote Count:
Yes Roma: 1
No Roma: 1
Kill Castille: 1
Vassalize: 1

Yay, no real consensus! Good thing that was a rhetorical question and I'd already played that bit before I asked about it. :D

Anyway, I cannot seem to peacefully vassalize an ally. I have many 1-3 province allies with 200 relations that I've forced france to release after stomping them, but w/ all the positive modifiers I can have (royal marriage, 200 relations, very high prestige and moderate to low infamy) I can't get anything other than "impossible" when I suggest they become my vassal. Maybe you will have better luck, but I think you will have to either invade sicily, if you want to control that land, or get really lucky (with a royal marriage - if his monarch dies and you have the same dynasty, you may get a personal union without going to war - sometimes you just "inherit" the lands even w/o a union. But that is rare). I've actually seen an ai Portugal leading a personal union with Castille and England (2 separate games - not at the same time).

Yeah, I could not get Sicily to co-operate with me and vassalize. Maybe a bug or we're missing something?

It probably will be another day or two before an update, I was out sick from most of work yesterday and have catching up to do today along with other stuff. I've played a few years ahead actually, when I get to play I get into a groove, plus when you're not warring time passes a lot faster usually, as tech advances and constructing buildings are long-term deals and are measured in taking a year or two as opposed to the wars, which I've finished both of those in under a year. If you want vague spoilers to hold you over though, within the next 10 years I've annexed another country, figured out what spies are good for, and discovered why it's good to keep advancing in tech decently fast.

[BRickAstley]

Bigger, I just looked some on the Paradox forums, and I believe is increases your chances if you expand your sphere of influence.

[Bigger]

ah, that makes sense.

[NobleHelium]

Bah stop spoilering your screenshots. They're not even large.

[Partisan]

I, on the other hand, appreciate them being spoilered. At least the big ones.