EU4 Dynasty - What is the Hardest Nation? With Athens! I manage to make it out!!!

[Abe Sargent]

Hello!

My goal today is to pick my favorite choices for the hardest nations to play in EU4, and the take the consensus or hardest ones and play as one!

:

The Top 5 Hardest Nations to Play as in Europa Universalis 4 - YouTube (https://youtu.be/evOwG7jiIeI)

The Social Streamers:

#5 – Granada

#4 – Dahomey

#3 – Athens

#2 – Mzab

#1 – Tripura


Top 10 Most Difficult Nations in EU4 (1444 Start) - YouTube (https://youtu.be/sz9Fws134Ow)

AlzaboHD

#10. Kharabakh


#9. Sarig Yogir


#8. Yas

#7. Ryukyu


#6. Mzab


#5. Odoyev


#4. Jaffna


#3. Perm


#2. Manipur


#1. Sukhothai


The Top Ten Impossible Starts! (EU4) - YouTube (https://youtu.be/YQpKwMf8evw)

Darkfireslide

#10. Saxe-Lauenburg


#9. Navarra


#8. Circassia


#7. Theodoro


#6. Mzab


#5. Jaisalmer


#4. Sarig Yogir


#3. Dahomey


#2. Albania or Athens


#1. Ryukyu

Top 10 Most Difficult Nations in Europa Universalis IV - YouTube (https://youtu.be/lfjON0N-yaQ)

Adrian Gaming

#10. Mzab (And other local minors)


#9. One Provinces in Anatolia


#8. Hormuz


#7. Byzantium


#6. Albania


#5. Granada


#4. Jaffna


#3. Theodoro


#2. Trebizond


#1. Athens




A few trends:




Mzab, Athens, Theodoro


Why are each of these hard?


Mzab – Ibadi can’t royal marry with other Muslims to get royal marriages to help create and solidify alliances, inland, some of the poorest starting economic holdings in the game, have to go through regional powers like Tlemcen or Tunis to expand, if you do, it’s harder to core those provinces with your power.


Theodoro – One province minor at the tip of Crimea, and you’ll be taken out by Crimea, Genoa, or even the expansionistic Turks. You can’t go elsewhere as you are at the tipoff a peninsula


Athens – This has all of the problems of Byzantium, it’s a small barely recognizable part of its previous self. It’s in the way of the Ottomans. However, it doesn’t have the ability to wage just war on it’s neighbors with casus beli’s nor is it able to actually survive. It’s a vassal of Byzantium, so you have to both survive and win freedom – that’s a rough double ask as a one-province minor power in the way of a bigger nation.

My Personal Shout out to:

Navarra – One province minor adjacent to four major powers – England, France, Aragon and Castille and with the wrong culture. I think I can play these four off and survive, but there are no expansion opportunities here. But I could do colonial game like real-life Belgium or Netherlands who were locked by major players so they colonized instead.

Sukhothai – Currently a vassal of Ayuttahaya who is under the Ming nation. You have to both win independence and to survive the Ming war. Not easy You are also the wrong religion for the region as well.

Sarig Yogir – I never thought about it before, but a small clan nation next to Ming can’t be easy.


I could see myself doing any of those six.

I don’t think islands with no major land routes are that hard – like Ryukyu.


Now I have done smaller nations on this list (Trebizond, Granada) or close to it (Naxos).

[Abe Sargent]

Because it’s at or near the top of a lot of lists, let’s try Athens!

[Abe Sargent]

https://i.imgur.com/SiWJguy.jpg


Here’s Athens.


To our north are holdings of the Turks. They don’t like us. They are a heavily expansionistic nation with the desire to take us out forthwith.

To our southwest is our father, Byzantium’s holding, and you can see Constantinople proper as well. These are the only holdings left of our liege.

We have a strait connection to the island of Negroponte to our north, and this is owned by Venice. To our south east is the island chain of Naxos, a vassal of Venice. So that means we are surrounded by Venice, their vassal, our liege, and the Turks.

Also in the Aegean Sea are the Genoan merchants near Anatolia.

We have fish as the trade good in Athens, with 11 development there. We are Catholic but our people are Orthodox. We are in Grasslands with a Natural Harbor that increases our local trade. I have 3000 troops and a solid 6 ship size navy.

Our ruler is a poor 2/2/0 out of 6 in each stat. That means we only get bonuses of +2/+2, and +0 to our three monarch points which are used for things like decisions and such.

[Abe Sargent]

Let’s get this thang started!

I send diplomats to curry favor with Venice and Genoa

November 19, 1444 – Our overlord Byzantium forces us to divert all trade to her and we lose any extra trade but our liberty desire spikes sharply.

Dec 22 – The Pirates of Fezan raid our coast and take off with booty

We are offered, and accept, a royal marriage from our liege, Byzantium

Jan 1, 1445 - Right now I am making around half a gold piece each month. This is coming from a reduced support of my military. I started losing money, and doing so was the only way to not lose money.

A quiet year passes as most nearby nations are building up their armies and alliances and such.

Jan 14, 1446 – We get our first event – Military Reform is Set Back I choose not to keep at it and lose stability, and instead lose some of our marshaled military power.

Our leader, Byzantium, allies with Serbia

My goal is to improve relations with the merchant republics and then try to get one or both to support our independence. I doubt Byzantium wants to have issues with Genoa and Venice right now.

12 October – The island nation of Corfu has created a claim against Athens.

[Abe Sargent]

Uh oh…


https://i.imgur.com/lBCrEv0.jpg

As you can see, on the 10th of January, 1447, the Turks have declared war on our liege. I jack up my military and naval maintenance.

[Abe Sargent]

I order 1000 troops assembled in Athens. It should take 2 months, I don’t see any Ottoman forces near us.


26 Feb – A large army of 17000 troops has disembarked onto Athens from the Aegean Sea

7 March – We are routed and our army is destroyed, they begin to siege us. I order my navy to flee.

21 March – Their navy chases mind down and forces battle in the Gulf of Satalia and destroys it a few days later.


24 March – Venice, not to be outdone by the Turks, declared war on Serbia. Byzantium, like a coward, breaks their alliance with Serbia even though Serbia is at war with the Ottomans for us.

4 June – A big army begins to besiege Constantinople


16 August – In case it matters later, Genoa has agreed to support our independence.

My next target is the Papal States to try and curry their favor.

22 Dec – Athens falls to the Turks.

22 Jan, 1448 – Constantinople falls to the Turks

1 May – Multiple holdings in Serbia have fallen.

11 July – I accept an offer for military access from Corfu

16 July - I send diplomats to curry favor with Hungary after we have maxed Venice.

4 Oct – One of the Greek provinces to our south fell to the Turks

2 Feb, 1449 – Another province falls and now the warscore it as 99% for our foes

We lose!


https://i.imgur.com/L9svl9d.jpg

Well that sucked! There goes my reputation as this EU4 whisperer. :)

[Brian Swartz]

You normally finish these things quickly … but not THAT quickly.

[Abe Sargent]

You normally finish these things quickly … but not THAT quickly.

Yeah!

I might try again tomorrow! I wanted to see if i could get a campaign in before i dissapear off the face of the earth right around launch time for '76

Abe

[Abe Sargent]

Hmmmmmm....as a one-provicne Catholic in Orthodox lands, and under an Orthodox master, I thought that I could make nice with Catholics who might want to see us free.

Let's start with Genoa and a bigger nation like Hungary to make nice with at first.

[Abe Sargent]

Athens Take Two:

It's November 1444. We are looking to make Friends with Genoa and Hungary initially and try and secure a guaranteed independence from both. It was taking longer with Venice as they were "interested" in my land.


Fezzan raids us on Christmas day and we have been raided.

4 January, 1445 - I get a royal marriage offer from Byzantium, but this time I reject it.

13 May - It;s going to not be possible to bring Hungary in as an ally so I have recalled my diplomata and am sending it to Serbia to make nice in their court as Serbia and Byzantium are rivals.

25 August - We get Genoa to support our independence again. They are also rivals of Byzantium

I order this diplomat to Austria

15 Sept - Byzantium has allied with the mighty one province Theodoro.

2 December - After joining an alliance with France and Venice, Genoa is now at war with England.

[Abe Sargent]

Uh Oh again....

https://i.imgur.com/JoDWT08.jpg

That's about a half year earlier than last time!

I order troops, yadda yadda.

[Abe Sargent]

17 Sept - An army of 14k Turks arrives in Athens

23 Sept - Our army is routed.

15 Nov - More forces arrive in Athens.

4 Sept, 1457 - Serbia agrees to support our independence.

I declare independence. Our stability drops to -3. We are at war against Theodoro and Byzantium but not the the Turks.

The Ottomans break off their siege of us.

I spend some ADM and increase my stability to -2.

I order some troops assembled

7 Sept - Constantinople falls in siege.

27 Oct - I grant the Ottomans military access.

4 Nov - A Serbian army arrives in Greece and is besieging Byzantium's holdings on my behalf.

12 Jan, 1448 - We get an "Improvements in Admin Tech" event and gain some ADM tech.

6 April - My troops are finished in Athens.

1 May - I invest more power to raise our stability to -1.

8 Oct - I raise war taxes

I have moved my 4k strong to Morea to help Serbia with the siege here.

1 June, 1449 - Byzantium comes to peace with Serbia, but is still at war with us, Genoa and the Turks


3 August - I accept a royal marriage offer from Serbia

14 Nov - We capture the southern province of Morea and it's fort from Byzantium!

I now have a warscore of 29% against them.

Gaining independence is 23%. I can also get 80 in cash.

GOT IT!

https://i.imgur.com/JG06Vbj.jpg


I will be getting my independence, and taking Morea and some cash on the way out. The Turks hold Achaeia in Greece and Constantinople, so I cannot demand those, and while I would want Achaeia, I cannot get it right now, and it;s better to take Morea right now in peace before the Turks are able ot win their war and annex Byzantium.

[Abe Sargent]

Well that worked!

[Abe Sargent]

Morea – Highlands, fort, I order a core in Morea, Orthodox Greek people here work the wine trade with 9 development. They currently have a 50% autonomy, make 0.09 cash for us monthly, and have 17.4% revolt risk, and I’ll leave my 4k army here for now. I put the castle into mothballs to save myself it’s upkeep.

I boost my stability to 0.

I am currently making almost 1 gold a month after I cut my naval maintenance again. With rebel risks and the nearby Ottomans, I keep my army folks going at the current level.

The Ottomans have claims on Morea and Athens too, by the by,

Now let’s take a look at what’s next.

We emerged with:

2 allies in Serbia and Genoa

4k in army

All 6 of my vessels


Morea

Peace with the Turks for five years.


I don’t think that Venice is going to want to take us yet as we border the Turks, so I am hoping to keep them as friendlies.

Potential future targets of expansion could be Rhodes or Cyprus.

2 December – The Ottomans have annexed Byzantium

13 January, 1450 – We get an event and we spend 10 ADM to make nice with a conflict between two houses.

1 Mar – The Ottomans declared war on Candar

11 Apr _ I send my diplomat from Venice to Rhodes to begin to build up a spy network there.

1 Jan, 1551 – Our ruler has gained the Careful trait. He gets a bonus of -10% aggressive expansion impact on folks


1 July – I fabricate a claim on Rhodes. This will let us go to war with The Knights there for 25 years for the land there.

1 Dec – We have invested our diplomatic power into Tech Level 4 – among some minor trade benefits, I can now build marketplaces.


18 May, 1552 – Morea is now one of the core provinces of our nation

5 Oct – Our truce with the Ottomans has concluded but they will need to break their military access to our lands before they can attack us.

17 Oct – Peace with Genoa/Venice/France and England.

9 Feb, 1553 – We find and oust the Ottomans whom were building a spy network in our nation.

16 Mar – After annexing Candar, The Ottomans declare war on Dulkadir.

3 June – With two allies now loving us more than 150 in relations, I choose to complete my mission for “Trustworthy Allies” and I get bonus diplomatic reputation for the next 25 years.

7 Aug – I send my diplomat in Genoa to build a spy network in Cyprus

5 Jan, 1454 – The Ottomans cancel their military access with us.

17 Jan – I get an event and I choose to fun a education for the poor mission in Morea and my clergy and such relations improve, but my nobility aren’t happy.

4 Feb – Venice has embraced the Renaissance which gives them some bonuses. As we are next to them, we should speed up the spread of this institution within our domain.

30 June – Dulkadir is annexed by the Ottomans

[Abe Sargent]

Oh oh....


https://i.imgur.com/TAeNskI.jpg


Well, I survived the first war. How about the next?

[Abe Sargent]

Can my allies help? They have joined our call, and it’s Serbia, Athens and Genoa against the warmongering Turks.

24 October – I take Ballibadra, the former Greek province of Byzantium that connected Morea and Athens. It doesn’t have any forts, so it wasn’t hard.

12 Dec – They arrive in Athens with a 12k army of be-sieging ness.


7 Mar, 1455 – They rout me in Ballibadra

11 June – Ballabadra returns to Ottoman hands

17 August – Another army of 17k forces arrives in Morea

5 Nov – Athens falls.

15 Nov – Our navy is destroyed at sea

1 Dec – The capital of Serbia falls.

1 Aug, 1456 – Morea falls

7 Oct – Every Serbian province is under the control of the Ottomans.

5 Dec – Venice announces that they are now rivals of the Ottomans


7 Jan, 1457 – The Ottomans negotiate peace with the Serbians and take four of their holdings. We are still at war.

3 Dec – A rebellion strikes in Morea as 8000 rebels begin to besiege the province which is still under Ottoman control.



https://i.imgur.com/wFfb8qm.jpg


Well at least that game lasted longer!

Ah well. I thought i might have gotten out of that one! Silly Turks.

[Abe Sargent]

I just tried a 3rd game where I tried to make nice with teh Ottomans, and even with enough time to max relations, we aren't able to get them to support us, and then they attacked and took us out in 47.

[Abe Sargent]

GOT IT!

[Abe Sargent]

This is try #5

https://i.imgur.com/tp08nC6.jpg

Here and let me zoom in.

See how I am about to get the Turks to support my independence?

Here's what I did:

1. I destroyed my fleet
2. I ordered a bunch of men built, not via mercenaries, past my forcelimit of 4000 troops. I went to 6000 troops in a few months
3. I immediately got the support of Genoa on the first few days.
4. Byzantium allied with Serbia -sucks
5. The Ottoman's first war is not against us, but against Albania.
6. I use this time to maximize my relations with them.
7. Normally they would not ally with me, the balance was -57 against and +54 for, but this time, I had a bigger army right after increasing my army count to 8000, which I the same size as the Byzantium army. I am losing money badly, but I am losing money now at a fast clip.

So in 1450, I declare my independence against Byzantium.

[Abe Sargent]

War for Independence

Byzantium and Serbia

Vs

Genoa, Ottomans, Athens

I raise war taxes to help pay for my army

I order my army into Greece. I suspect that my allies can handle the main army and their capital.

I boost my stability twice

7 Nov – We capture Achaea.
11 Dec – Byzantiums main army is crushed and routed.

1 Jan, 1451 – My ruler is now Kind-Hearted – this slows our war exhaustion

9 Jan – The Ottomans send us war subsidies in cash

2 Mar Stability to 0

17 May – Two main Serbian provinces have fallen and they have lost a battle against the Turks.

14 November – Constantinople falls to the Turks

17 Nov – The Byzantine navy is destroyed after it lost its harbor and was force dto flee into the jaws of the Turks

21 Dec – We capture Morea

12 Jan, 1452 –

Ready for peace?

https://i.imgur.com/lALNSdk.jpg


We get Morea and Achaia and the Turks take the capital, and we split some gold.

Sounds good to me!

I disband 2000 of our troops to afford my new army.

You’ve seen Morea before, here is…


Achaea – Highlands, Greek, Orthodox, Wine makers with 9 development, 50% autonomy, makes us 0.10 ducats monthly, and we have 14.4% rebellion issues. I order the two new holdings to begin working on becoming a key part of the Athenian patrimony.


I am now making around 0.75 cash monthly

[Abe Sargent]

Alright!

Now that we’ve gotten past the Turks, sort of, what’s next?

I think the Turks are pretty happy right now as our ally and they got Byzantium from a war we declared.

10 March – Wallachia was annexed by Hungary


1 September – Dip Tech 4 again

4 Feb, 1453 – The Ottomans use their Great Power ability to influence and to influence us. This increases our tech gains, our finances, and relationship.

28 May – I fabricate a claim for Rhodes

15 June, 1454 – Our new Greek holdings are now patrimonies. Our income from them is now 0.20 in each of them and we are getting around 1.43 cash per month.

1 Jan, 1455 – Our heir is now well advised.

16 Feb – Ottoman war against Candar, I join them

1 March, 1456 – In this edition of the game you can reform your government as you build up enough reform points. I choose to curtail noble privileges, which increases my tax base but decrease their influence

1 May – MIL 4 – Our infantry improve in power

14 August – Venice declares war on Serbia

18 October – Candar falls

15 Jan, 1457 – Naxos claims Athens

1 Feb – Admin tech rises to 4 and I can build churches

11 Feb – We get a small rebellion of 5k in Morea.

20 March – I defeat the rebellion.


26 March – Venice claims Athens

9 September - As Athens is a coastal center of trade, I invest 200 cash to improve it. It increases our institution spread (like Renaissance), as well as our cash and other such goodies!

[Abe Sargent]

1 February, 1458 – We enter into a Royal Marriage with Naples

11 Feb – We gain an event – The Pope has made a Saint one of the ancestors of our ruler, and we gain some stability.

14 Feb – Corfu claims Achaea


It’s clear that Venice is getting ready to war with us. I order a spy network built with them

Venice is currently in two wars:

Venice, her two vassals of Corfu and Naxos, vs

Bosnia and Serbia

France, Brittany and Aragon

They currently do not have an ally, and we have two. But, we don’t have a casus belli.

So I need one first, like Negroponte

I put a focus on my ADMIN tech which increases it’s development. I hire a ADM advisor which increases my tech development too. I need to get to tech 5 so I can unlock my first Group of Ideas.

1 Jan, 1459 – I send a Missionary to Morea to convert it to Catholicism

21 Sept – I fabricate a claim on Negroponte

12 Jan, 1460 – Raids from Tunis hit my provinces

1 Mar – I order a church in Athens

13 Dec – I fabricate a claim on Naxos

2 Jan, 1461 – I fulfill my Trustworthy Allies mission and reap the rewards for this dynasty

1 Feb – Serbia announces us as their rival, and I do likewise.

1 July – We gain another DIP Tech – 5 increases and enhances trade

We are western so we accumulate tech and spend it without any problems

I order some ships built now that I am making money

1 Dec – We embrace the institution of Renaissance – We get better building and production values, and we lose the penalty for having not embraced it after it appears in 1450.

I offer to share it with the Ottomans, and they agree, and their own increase will spread, and we get some serious cash from them as well. (About 4 gold/mth from them)

[Abe Sargent]

1 Jan, 1462 – I fabricate a claim on Corfu

Venice is losing their war with France and most of her holdings on the mainland are currently controlled by France.

14 Aug – The Ottomans declared war on Dulkadir

7 Feb,1463 – Venice loses their war.

1 Aug – I fabricate a claim on Crete

I order 2k more troops made

16 Mar, 1464 – I send a nasty insult to Venice

1 Nov – Admin Tech 5

Group of Idea Time!!!

Thoughts


Go Military in order to help secure my place in reality? I have enough MIL power that I can get an Idea right now in the military group. Maybe quality or quantity. Trade Ideas? Exploration is funny! Econ? Religious? Humanist?

I have narrowed it to Qual or Quan for protection, Trade for cash, Religious to help a lot with dealing with Muslim and Orthodox folks and to bring them around to the proper Catholic way of thinking, and if I wanted to be funny, Expansion, so I can load up my fleet with an Explorer and find America.

Pumping my troops isn’t going to help against the Turks they have too many.

I hold off making a decision for now

[Abe Sargent]

31 Jan, 1564 – They decide to continue and influence us, so more power gain is coming

4 Feb – The Ottomans annex Dulkadir without calling us for aid.

1 Apr – We capture a spy from Corfu and oust him.

22 April – The Ottomans declare war against the Mamluks and we agree to join their call for our Aid. They send us war subsidies.

3 May – Venice annexes most of Bosnia

14 Oct – We get an event and I choose to exchange some cash for stability increase.

In case you care, here is my navy:

4 transports
2 Early Carracks (the big ships)
2 Barques
2 Galleys


1 Jan, 1565 – Our ruler is now a navigator, which increases our naval proficiency in battle

7 Feb - I have an event and I choose to gain a bunch of DIP power at the cost of some corruption.

Because it’s funny, I take the Exploration Ideas Group, and then grab the first one, and I now have Colonists.

I choose native suppression policy

In this game there is a new mechanic where you can send colonists to your own holdings to increase them. I am sending my settlers to my capital of Athens to encourage growth there.

This will slowly increase my tax base, productions, and military investment there in my capital.

7 Apr – I arrive in the Mamluks rear of Banghazi on their far flank with Fezzan.

7 May – We capture it

5 July – We capture Darnah, next to Banghazi

23 Aug – We capture Bardiya, next is the fortress of Tarrana which will require a siege

8 Sept – Venice declares war on Cyprus. Their ally the Knights have chosen to join against Venice

I declare war against the Knights.

19 Sept – Tarrana is ours

Venice has annexed Corfu and Naxos

1 Dec – Morea converts – next is Achaea


1 April, 1566 = The Turks embrace the Renaissance and the cash we were getting to help them get there is now gone.

[Abe Sargent]

https://i.imgur.com/GzDvnFP.jpg


20 May - Here let me show you the current map, the war with the Mamluks, and also what I am thinking and where to expand right now as Venice is at war with Knights/Cyprus

This is the map right now, and you can see our army and navy off the coast to it’s west, as the Turks are taking their stuff in the levante and have just captured their capital. With a 99% warscore, I suspect they’ll call it here soon.

I order 4000 troops in Athens.

Now I want to move into nearby Greek provinces in the Aegean Sea as well as move int the Mediterranean. Right now, Venice is at war with The Knights and Cyprus, and neither have been assaulted. Neither have been sieged yet, and they have their armies over on Naxos and Negroponte and have captured them. As you can see, the nearby islands of Corfu, Naxos, as well as others are now Venetian, as well as their big land presence in Bohemia. I want to cut them off now, as they are tired from over-expansion, before they get too big for my three-province nation to handle.


I have two options:

1. Wait until Venice hits the armies of the two island nations, and then declare war on them, and move into Cyprus and Rhodes prior to Venice, and then siege them and take them off the map. Use the additional firepower and economic muscle for a later war with Venice for things like Corfu, Crete, Naxos, and Negroponte
2. Attack Venice right now while they are weak. They just lost a naval engagement against Cyprus in the Aegean. Attack them, blitz the nearby nations of Crete and such, and do so while the Turks are finishing up the battle with the Mamluks. Then I can focus on this war as they finish on their big one.


Which makes sense right now? By the by, I have a good economy due to around 8 or 9 cash a month for the Ottomans due to war subsides and the money I was getting for helping them embrace the Renaissance. Now that the latter is over, my current cash is dropping around 1.5 cash monthly, but I have such big reserves that I’ll be fine.

[thehitcat]

I know nothing about this game but it looks cool, so take this with a grain of salt but I think you use Venice to do your dirty work (Option 1) and take Cyprus and Rhodes out. Then with the added economic muscle you go after Crete Corfu and the others later on.

[Abe Sargent]

I know nothing about this game but it looks cool, so take this with a grain of salt but I think you use Venice to do your dirty work (Option 1) and take Cyprus and Rhodes out. Then with the added economic muscle you go after Crete Corfu and the others later on.

I hear ya! Thanks for writing and responded!



I suspect that having the Turks as muh ally will allow me to okay harder an push harder.

Abe

[Abe Sargent]

1 June, 1467 – I pause on declaring war on Venice until they have loaded their big army into a mostly-transport in the Med that my big fleet is next to.

8 June – I declare war for Corfu.

19 June – I defeat the fleet in the Gulf of Bomba. But it retreats to Crete.

24 June – The Ottomans and Mamluks come to peace, they took three provinces, and then some cash and such and we got some favors.


With my promise of land, I can call the Turks into our war anytime, but I want to see if I want take out the Venetians on my own.

With my victory, I am leaving behind some military vessels to keep their big army in Crete with their transport vessels in the harbor, while I move my army up.

1 Aug – They defeat the Knight’s navy and I move my navy to chase them down.

27 Aug – We defeat their navy again. They loaded up their army from Crete and I try to chase it down at sea.


19 Sept – I defeat their navy at sea, and crush a few transports in doing so. Having Early Carracks against a navy without them is great at winning.

29 Sept – Their transport navy is destroyed by us, and thus one army falls away.

4 Oct – I arrive at Crete with an army

6 Nov – Crete falls to us.

29 Nov – I arrive in Corfu.

1 April, 1468 – I have lost a pair of ships in some more minor skirmishes, so I order my fleet to berth for a bit.

4 Aug – The fort of Corfu falls to us.

22 Sept – I take Kosovo

12 Oct – I take Durazzo


4 Jan, 1469 – I capture their stronghold of Zeta. I have a big enough war score for Crete and Corfu. I want Naxos and Negroponte more than those two dorks, or in addition to them. I can’t get them if Rhodes and Cyprus have them.

23 Mar – I grab Raska from them

11 May – Viaski falls to us

1 June – Peace comes to The Knights and Cyprus, who both have won naval battles and captured provinces. They get some war reparations and cash. Venice gave up her core on Cyprus. I split my armies up

28 June - A big Venetian army is moving my way – around 17k strong, from their Italian provinces, I need to call it. They were probably building it up after their last wars and just finished assembling it.

8 July – We take Negroponte

12 July – We take Naxos


13 July – Peace with the Venetians

We get:

Naxos, Negroponte, Corfu, Crete – Whom we took and had claims on, and 303 gold


I put cores on Naxos, Corfu and Negroponte for fewer than 100 ADM power. Crete is a lot more.

I invest in new Military Tech. I could’ve last year, but I wanted to wait for a bit.

I get better infantry and upgraded abilities

I spend some cash to upgrade my infantry

I complete the Expand Athens mission.

[Abe Sargent]

Here’s my current state:



https://i.imgur.com/OHcEi2o.jpg


As you can see, my cash jumped up, and I have some ships on the way to being built, I am almost at enough DIP power to get my 2nd expansion idea, I have 12 troops, and we finished our mission, with the noted benefits, as well as showing you my best new acquisition, Crete. You can see it’s Greek Catholic too, Highlands, 14 development, fishing, etc It has a church and marketplace.

My others:

Naxos – Straight connected to Athens, and Negroponte – Greek, Orthodox, Coastline, 6 dev, 0.02 made here monthly, 75% autonomy, and 9.8% revoltrisk. The people here mostly work the wine trade.


Corfu – Corfu has a land connection to Yannya with the Turks, and is coastline, Fish, Greek and Orthodox, 10 development, makes us 0.08 off 10% unrest and 75% autonomy. It has a level 2 fortress which I mothball.


Negroponte – This small island chain off the north of Athens and next to Athens and Naxos via straights, the 9 development, fish, Greek Catholics make us 0.06 monthly off 75% autonomy and 7.8% unrest. It has a church and marketplace

These aren’t expensive or major right now. But take Morea or Achaea as a good example – they are making 0.29 each for me right now monthly. That’s not with any investment in their infrastructure yet.





There were a few reasons why I was okay declaring war against a much bigger country:

1. My navy’s two Early Carracks and some other vessels beat theirs. Naval supremacy in battles for islands and in the Med is very important to winning a war
2. They had just expanded and kept expanding, and were very overstretched and hadn’t had time to consolidate many gains
3. The mighty Venice had just lost to Cyprus. I was able to jump them at Sea and force one of their main navies to shore and keep it off the grid.
4. If I didn’t check Venice know, I’m not sure when I could have
5. I knew that if I was wrong, and I wasn’t able to make it work, I could bring my Turk Allies in to finish the job and promise them land.
6. I don’t care if Venice blobs deep in land, but Greece is mine. I am ATHENS!!!

[Abe Sargent]

1 Oct – Are you ready? We get exploration idea #2, which is Quest for the New World. I put an Explorer in charge of my navy and send it out


Before I head out I need to get some help. I begin to make nice with Portugal.

17 Nov – Venice announces us as their rival.

5 Jan, 1570 – The Holy Roman Emperor has passed and a new one electe.

19 March – We enter into a Royal Marriage with Portgual.

20 April =Portugal agrees to give us fleet basing rights

We now pay them monthly to let us use their ports as a place to rest and use as bases for exploration.

30 May – Our explorer, Alexandros Tocco have arrived and landed in Madeira

1 March, 1571 – The Ottomans have entered a Golden Era

I need more ships to explore, so I order some more light ships

1 July - I send a Missionary to my capital to convert it after I pull back the colonists here

16 July – My four new additions are all now core parts of my demesne,

26 Jan, 1572 – Achaea has converted to the proper faith – next is Naxos

15 June – I begin to explore the West African Sea

13 Sept – Our ruler has passed


Our new ruler:

Francisco I – 2/3/1 military, with Well Advised, 32 years old


I order our stability raised after it fell.

We have a new and strong heir, 4 yeas old

We renew our marital ties with Portugal

[Abe Sargent]

12 March, 1473 More raiding by Tunis on our coast


2 April – I spend 50 MIL power to put down Greek rebels

21 July – We finished exploring some seas, I Set out again for the West African coast

1 Jan, 1474 – Because I have been invested in DIP Ideas and not tech, I am behind others in the Western group and am able to purchase the next idea:

DIP 6 – I can build docks, and I get better colonial range and such. I would expect DIP 7 to follow soon,.

I hire a DIP Tech advisor who increases ,y colonial range by 20%

5 Feb – I fabricate a claim on Zeta in the Venician land

3 May - next exploration finished. Next target? Caribbean Sea.

9 May – I accept a military access request from Hungary


10 Dec – I spend another 50 to brutally repress the rebels.

1 March, 1475 – I fabricate a claim on Durazzo under the control of venice

I don’t believe that a renewed Athens that was anti-Venice wouldn’t head out and mobilize

In real life, the monopoly Venice had on trade in this area encouraged many nations to set out and explore other options to secure routes for spices and other goods. Sailing out and exploring for a renewed Athens, who has always been a thalassocracy makes a ton of sense.

(That’s a term and concept coined by the Greeks!)

15 Nov – I get a bonus DIP power from an event after I choose to invest in the navy rather than the army. The bonus gets me over the hump, but I am not putting it into DIP TECH 7, but instead my 3rd Idea:

Overseas Exploration – I get +50% colonial range.

I also get my first Athenian National Idea:


Dominus Athenium – We get +1 legitimacy annually

[Abe Sargent]

25 Aug, 1576 – Naxos converts

1 Oct – I order a level three coastal depot in Athens. This increases my max number of builds, trade, etc massively

I was saving for this rather than spending my gold on churches and such for muh nation. Expect to see me build up instead now.

I hand Naxos to my clergy

1 July, 1577 –

ADMIN TECH 6

I can build workshops, and farm estates

20 Oct – While my Caribbean explorations are ongoing, I order two transports built, they have arrived at the Azores, and I am sending them out with 2000 cavalry and a Conquistador to explore some lands in the Caribbean area


7 Nov – My next Government Reform is:

Centralized Bureaucracy, which reduces autonomy more quickly

28 Dec – We land on Dominica and I begin to explore elsewhere.

I send colonists to the nasty African coast area of Arguin. This will be my colonial base to cross the ocean later.

1 February, 1578 – I purchase a church in Morea.

1 March – I can choose an Age of Discovery Event. Until the next era, I go with Higher Developed Colonies. Any colonies I create with get +1 taxes, dev, and mil.

1 June – We lose our claim on Rhodes, I order more spys there to begin to work on another claim

14 Sept – Our explorer finished their Caribbean Sea mission. I send them to the Caribbean Coast next

11 Dec - I cancel our naval basing out of Portugal and gain some cash in doing so,now that I can base out of the horrible colony of Arguin

[Abe Sargent]

15 April, 1579 – I get a Native Assimilation event in Arguin and our pop thee increases

1 July – My level 1 advisor for ADM tech has passed. I hire a Treasurer who increases my taxes by 10%

This will actually increase my money made by a tiny bit

4 Sept – I grant military access to Brandenburg

1 March, 1480 – I fabricate a claim on Rhodes


1 April – I order a Workshop in Achaea

15 May – Another Native Assimilation in Arguin strikes

2 June – Arguin will be a livestock-trading province

21 June – Our expedition is finished. Next is the South Atlantic

5 July – I land my 2000 cavalry in Arguin to protect against an uprising

1 Oct – I have had a lucky year as most of the months we’ve had growth in Arguin. (In each month there is a chance that you get free people if you have colonists there, in addition to the guaranteed growth that happens annually)

2 Mar, 1481 – Native rising in Arguin

9 Mar – Defeated

1 April – Our truce with Venice ends

1 June – The pope passed and a new one was elected

1 Jan, 1481 –

DIP Tech 7 – I get some bonus range and such

1 May –

MIL Tech 6

I can build barracks and my infantry are better

18 June – The Pope has excommunicated Austria

1 Sept – Our leader gains Well Connected and that decreases our advisor costs by -20% monthly

A native uprising hits Arguin and I put it down a few days later


17 Nov – I fabricate a claim on Cyprus

26 December – Our expedition finishes. Next? Atlantic south America

[Abe Sargent]

11 Jan, 1482 – Portugal has offered me an alliance. Do I want it? Sure thing

20 Feb – Uh oh! Our ruler passes.

Our heir –

Bartolomeo – 14 years old, 2/4/5, he is too young to rule and we are under a regency


I reboost our stability back t o +3

1 July – I accept a Royal Marriage offer from Portugal

1 Dec – Rebellion put down by spending some MIL power

11 Jan 1483 – Native assimilation in Arguin

15 Sept – Our son is now of age!

He gains:

The Bold Fighter trait, and he is very strong as a general.

A consort – Francesca from Achaea

A new heir Antoinio, who is strong at 4/2/5

He is a good leader. I give him my local army in Athens to work with

19 Nov – Cyprus accepts our Royal Marriage offer after I was making nice with them’

1 January 1484 – Arguin, on the coast of Africa, is our first province. As a colony, it reached the key 1000 people.




Arguin – 6 development, Coastal Desert, Arid (reductions to building and such), Tuareg, Sunni,

I send these colonists to Barbados! Portugal is in St. Martin

1 April – My conquistador passes

22 June – Brandenburg cancelled their access

1 Dec - I order a Workshop in Crete

[Abe Sargent]

1 August, 1485 –

Idea #4 – Global Settler Increase by 20

1 Oct –

Here me show you the explored map thus far

https://i.imgur.com/wAntoMd.jpg

Let me try and zoom in a little for you. On the left is Arguin o the coast in the middle of the desert. As you can see, a little, I don’t currently see any other Europeans here other than Portugal build in St. Martin and us in Barbados. But I don’t have the coast of S. America or anywhere in the north surveyed yet

20 Jan, 1486 – My explorer finishes. I send him to West African Sea

1 May - Our explorer passes.

1 July – After returning home to it’s launching spot in Arguin, I send another Explorer – Anastasias out for a mission

1 Dec – Native uprising in Barbados, handled by the 2000 cavalry here!

[Abe Sargent]

1 Feb, 1487 – Tobacco will be the primary crop of Barbados.

13 March – Tunis raided muh coasts

27 April – My mission finished - next up is West African Coast

25 July – I get ADMIN TECH 7

I can get another Idea Group


I take Naval Ideas:

I invest immediately

Naval Idea #1 – I get better naval shock by far when fighting

I order two Early Carracks

1 Aug – Portugal has entered a Golden Age

1 Sept – I can get another Age of Discovery bonus.

I choose Justified Wars which drops my issues with massive expanding

You can choose a Golden Age once in the game, when you have at least three missions done for an era, and I have three – Embraced Renaissance, found America, have holdings on two continents. I can do it any time! It lasts 50 yeas and comes with a ton of bonuses, but I’ll wait

15 Oct – Mission finished! Next is the South Atlantic Coast in Africa

1 Nov – Natives in Barbados some up

15 Nov – Put down again

22 Nov – I get an influenza outbreak in Pontenegro and I order them to be quarantined for a decade.


14 Jan, 1488 – I get an event that give me a bonus to conversion for 5 years

10 April – Native Assimilation event

16 May – Mission over – Next is back to America!

12 July – FINALLY

After a long conversion campaign, our capital is now fully Catholic


I order up a Workshop here

1 November –

Barbados is now a full city!


Barbados – 13 development, coastal, Tuscan, Catholic, 0.30 made here after I make the Lesser Antilles a state and core it. Tobacco farmers here.

I send the colonists here to St. Vincent and I send my troops over as well to follow

[Abe Sargent]

3 May, 1489 – Tunis raids Crete

15 May – Serbia announces Venice as a rival

3 Oct – Workshop in Morea

1 Feb, 1490 – Native uprising….put down!

11 March – The Ottomans no longer consider Austria a rival and instead announce England as their new hate band. Austria does the same and now announces Poland as their rival

1 April – New Idea – I get Colonial Tariffs from Exploration #5

I begin to build a spy network in Genoa

18 June – I break the Genoan alliance. They never helped me out, and have never called on me to help them out. So very little has happened, and I have Portugal and the Turks as allies. They feel superfluous at this point

16 September – Cyprus agrees to be our ally.

6 Dec – Mission in N. America finishes. I split my navy and send part back to the Mediterranean

South American Coast is next

1 Jan, 1491 – The Mamluks are no longer rivals with Venice

1 June –

Naval Idea #2 – Improved Rams and I get better combat

I also got the next Athenian idea:

Athenian Openness - +1 Accepted Cultures

1 Sept – Native uprising, put down


1 Nov – St Vincent is going to be good at growing Coffee

6 Nov – Mission finishes. Next? American East Coast

[Abe Sargent]

1 April, 1492 – I have fabricated a claim on Scio from Genoa

20 May – I have added some more ships to my fleet in the Med.

10 June – I get a Native Assimilation event for another 100 folks join the cause.

15 Nov – Venice enters a big war against Aragon, the Papal States, Castille and Milan

15 Jan, 1593 – Another native uprising defeated

1 July – I get an event that sets up a colonial company in St Lucia next to St. Vincent. Hundreds of colonists arrive – I order my men over – there’s a strait that connects them

[Abe Sargent]

They are losing their war. Time to attack Venice.

My war goal is to take Zeta

I use my favors with the Ottomans in helping them to bring them into the war!

2 July – Our Explorer finishes his mission and I order him over to help with our new war


The Knights, Lucca join them


10 August – I put down natives in St. Lucia

1 Sept – Our colony in St. Vincent finishes! I move my colonists to St. Lucia and we’ll look at them laters

My leader gained industrious


19 Sept – I get an event that increases my taxbase in Achaea



13 Oct – I take Kosovo

18 Oct – We drive away the soldiers in Rhodes and begin a siege

1 Nov – I defeat Venice in the Gulf of Venice

1 Dec – The Ottomans win a major battle in Bosnia.


4 Dec – Raska falls to me

10 Feb, 1594 – Rhodes falls to me

1 Mar – All of Venetian Bosnia and such is under Turk or our control.

I get exploration idea 6, another colonist, and order them to Martinique – I will kill the local natives before heading over

1 April – Cotton is the primary produce of st. Lucia

3 April I rout a Venician army in Istria

1 June – Today is a big day. I combined my forces, I defeated their entire navy and captured 10 ships in the Gulf of Venice, and my leader gained a bunch of knowledge.

15 June – Bosnia falls back to Venice

1 Aug – Admin Tech #8 – courthouses

18 August- Venice loses 4 provinces and the 1st war. I move in to retake their stuff in Italy prime

2 Sept -I annex Rhodes

18 Sept – I take Frioli

10 Dec – More have fallen

12 Jan, 1595 – We have a 56 warscore. Time to push more? Or just take some fun stuff?

I keep pushing. This is my big war. I just want one province of theirs

And we all know what it is.

I white peace Siena, then Lucca

9 July – I get an event and I spend some cash to get 200 colonists in St Lucia

18 Aug – My truce with Genoa ends

19 Aug – I wage war on Genoa for Scio. They are in a bad war too.

14 Nov – My siege of the fortress in Treviso falls, this clears my way to Venice

26 Dec – I rout their army

12 Feb, 1496 – I capture Verona

I have a 96% warscore, but they still aren’t doing what I want/need them to do

15 April – I decline a peace offer

10 May – I take Scio with a small army.

22 August – I take Corsica

12 Nov – More Genoans fall

11 Dec – Rhodes is now a core

25 Dec – I take Scio from Genoa in peace, with War Reparations.

8 Jan, 1497 – Venice falls to us

[Abe Sargent]

I have a 100% warscore with the big bad – peace time!


I can take a lot of stuff. I can take Venezia and the land holding that gets to it – Treviso

Taking Treviso too is too much and pushes too many people into a potential anti-Athens push. Instead I do:

Venezia
Istria
War Reparations
410 gold
They give up their claim on Crete


https://i.imgur.com/TfXf377.jpg


Here we are!

Time to finish this war.

I order cores

Now I spend some time doing a few things;

Naval Ideas #3 – better naval morale and fire when fighting

I also get:

Athenian Pragmatism - +1 Dip Reputation

We’ll look at my new holdings and do the 50 year review a few years too late in a few moments

I finish my Build Buildings mission and get bonus taxes for the next 25 years and some extra ADM power

[Abe Sargent]

The 53 Year in Review!



Let’s begin with our province overview:

Assume that all European holdings are Greek and Catholic and all colonial ones are Tuscan and Catholic unless otherwise mentioned.

I won’t be giving you the geography and such anymore for older holdings as well.


Athens - Our capital. 2.22 cash now made here from the 29 development that occurred here. Home of a World Class Port that’s the coastal training center at it’s best, as well as a workshop and church. The folks here work the fish trade more than any others,


Achaea – This is now at 12 development, and 0.84 cash monthly with a Workshop present, Wine is the province trade good

Morea – This is now at level 12 with a Workshop and Church to have joined it’s level 2 fortress. The folks here make 1.04 cash monthly in Wine as well.

Negroponte – 10 development, Church and Marketplace, fishing trade, 0.55 in cash

Naxos – Wine is made and manufactured here, 9 dev, workshop, 0.58 produced.

Crete – 1.33 made here off 17 dev, with a marketplace workshop, church, and from the first trade.

Corfu – level 2 fortress, workshop, 9 dev, Orthodox, fishing, 0.25 made here. I have not elevated this to a state and use up one of my states, as the rest of the region is under the control of the Turks. You cannot missionary-ize something not a core


New:

Rhodes – 11 development, coastal islands, 0.66 made here, already cored, fish trade, with a church, workshop and level 2 fortress

Scio – 5 development, coastline, off the coast off Turkey, has a straight connection to Sugla on the mainland, wine is made here and Genoa gave it a Farm Estate with a marketplace. 0.43 made here with 6.1% unrest and 40% autonomy.


Venezia – 31 development, Venetian culture, the glass trade is primary here with a level 2 coastal center of trade, with a core ongoing, making us 0.39/monthly with 75% autonomy and just 4.1% unrest. It features a marketplace, church, workshop, courthouse and shipyard. Land crossing to Treviso.


Istria – This coastal province is next to Krain, Gorz, and LIka, under the control of Austria and Hungary. Croatian culture in the woods. It has a level one natural harbor, salt, a marketplace, workshop, and church, making us 0.11 monthly from 10 development, 75% autonomy and 10.% unrest.



Colonial:

Arguin – African, Muslim, Tuareg, Livestock, 6 dev, 0.05 made here. This just unlocked the rest of the world for me colonially.


Barbados – 13 development, Tobacco, Coastline, 0.92 made here monthly. I should start developing this with a Workshop and Church soon.

St. Vincent – 13 dev, Coffee, coastline, 0.91 monthly. See above – has a strait to St. Lucia.


St. Lucia, and Martinique are colonies currently growing


Portugal is now in Brazil

I withdraw my colonists in St. lucia and send them to Jamaica.

St. Lucia is so close to being done that I might as well get that started.

I currently have 32 ships after my war with Venice where I captured some and lost others. I need to invest into some more smaller ships. I have 6 Early Carracks, 8 light ships and 5 galleys plus transports. I have the 3rd largest navy I know of after the Ottomans and English

I have just 14k troops with 6k of those cavalry.

Athens and Venezia are in the 10 most developed holdings we know of.

I will be doing a thassalacracy and trying to grab the best colonies in the world n divergent places quickly. I don’t need a 4 development holding next to my 10 dev one when I can get a 10 development one in Africa.

My next major targets are:

Havana
Rio de Janeiro
Massachusetts
Chesapeake
Benguela


I want to leapfrog Portugal on Hispaniola and take Cuba.

Now that my naval forcelimit has increased, my salary for my ships has as well.

The current trade price of all goods:

5.0 – Gems
4.5 – Copper
4.0 – Dyes, Silk, Cocoa, Ivory
3.5 – Paper
3.0 – Glass, Tobacco, Sugar, Cotton, Spices, Chinaware, Salt, Iron, Cloth
2.5 – Incense, Fish, Wool, Wine, Grain,
2.0 – Tropical Wood, Naval Supplies, Livestock, Slaves, Fur


This represents the current demand not the real cost.

Allies – Cyprus, Portugal, Ottomans

Great Powers of the World in Order from 1-8

Ming
Ottomans
Poland
Muscovy
France
Castile
England
Denmark

There we are

[Abe Sargent]

18 March – I send out our exploration fleet

12 April – I get an event as flocks of refugees from Byzantium have reached us and we get some power in ADM, DIP, and -10% tech costs for the next 10 years

1 June – I cannot have Serbia as my rival anymore and I choose Tunis

1 July – Morocco announces us as their new rival

8 Aug – More raids by Tunis

1 Sept –

St. Lucia – 14 development, Tuscan Catholics, coastline, Cotton, they send us 0.99 monthly.

1 December – Martinique will be a good place for some sugar.

1 Jan, 1498 – Our Explorer has passed.

15 April – I have sent out another explorer from Barbados

22 Aug – I get an event that increases my naval maintenance for 5 years by 10% - this hurts


1 Sept – My peace treaty with Siena and Lucca finished

17 Sept – Venezia is now a core

I get a mission completed (expand) and I get -25% state maintenance for 25 years along with other major benefits

I am now getting 1.44 cash monthly from Venezia.

1 Oct – My heir gains a trait that gives him -5% tech cost

1 Nov – My Explorer heads out again

I choose to drop my unrest by 5% with my new Age of Discovery ability

24 Dec – I made Corfu a state with the intent of converting it and it just finished, so I can drop the use of this state (You have a limited number) but my current Corfu cash – 1.04 is too much and I can drop it later. I am keeping it for now. Baby needs the extra cash after the naval maintenance issue above, this increases my monthly surplus to about 4.78 – I did the same for Arguin.



1 Jan, 1499 – I get a native assimilation in Jamaica

1 Feb - Sugar in Jamaica as well

Here let me show you the breakdown:

https://i.imgur.com/JwNjEaH.jpg

As you can see, I am making a ton of cash ( I was saving up to upgrade Venice to level 3 coastal trade center, which I should do soon)

I also went ahead and gave you Corfu zoomed in as well as over the Caribbean so you can get a quick little update for my colonial adventures elsewhere . You can see my fleet exploring the coast of the nearby continent on their journey

1 March – I lose my claim to Durazzo. Actually let’s begin to build up a spy network in Athens for their stuff


I go ahead and spend that 1000 in Venice to upgrade the coastal network here

16 March – I send forth another expedition from Barbados

24 March – Scio is now a core: We are now getting 0.48 cash

3 May – I send a gift of 50 cash to Cyprus

I have maxed relations with them. My hope is to vassalize them soon.

I invest in a workshop for my three holdings in the Caribbean.

1 Sept – Next mission heads out for exploration

Mil Tech 7 – I can make artillery now

1 Oct – I get the final Exploration Idea - +25% naval forcelimit.

This finishes the idea and I can fabricate claims overseas.

[Abe Sargent]

1 Feb, 1500 – New pope elected after the last one passes

1 May - Istria is now a core – 0.34 monthly from it

We lost our claim on Zeta

1 June – I claim Treviso

3 June – The Ottomans declare war on the Mamluks and I agree to join them.

1 July –

Jamaica – 13 development, 0.26 made here, I have not state-made it. Coastline, Tuscan, Catholic, Sugar Farmers.

My next target is Benguela, south of Kongo on the African Coast.

8 July – Cyprus agrees to send us 30% of their trade from their nation

1 Aug –

Martinique – Sugar, 13 dev, 0.97 made here (this is a state with St. Vincent, Barbados, etc), coastline, Tuscan and Catholic and it has straits north to Dominica and south to St. Lucia.

My next colonial target is Havana

https://i.imgur.com/2kPFfhR.jpg

Big news.

We form a colonial nation here which acts as a vassal, but we get enhanced benefits as you can see. The Pope backs our claims in the Caribbean over Portugal and others, as you can see below in a Treaty of Tordesillas.

I name it the Athenian Caribbean

13 August – Whenever an event occurs that changes the economic demand of someone, there is a chance it will happen with any nation with that need. Today the “Empires need Paper” event occurs increasing their value on the market. I was the originator of this event!

The Ottomans send me some war subsides

I will use it to begin to work on another army for the use of fighting

Dec 28 – I arrive in Bangazi

WHOA!

Jan 1, 1501 - The next institution has arrived – Colonialism. Again, you get the various benefits of embracing the culture. And it begins with US. We started it! So I don’t have to worry about getting it

I gain a TON of MIL, ADM, and DIP Power as well as tons of prestige, reform points, and the place it started, Achaea, gets a permanent port bonus for the game.

11 Feb – Tunis raids us!

14 Feb – Another explorer mission heads out

26 Feb – Bangazi falls to us

14 May – I take Darnah

30 June – Bardiya falls to us

30 July -Morocco recaptured Bangazi and I order my larger and better forces to hit them

5 Aug – Hungary is undergoing a big civil war

20 Sept- I lose

26 Sept – I order another exploration expedition

12 Nov – Genoa announces us as their new rival

17 Nov – The Turks capture the Mamluks capital

1 Dec – A new government reform

I recruit my new leaders and recruits from the merchants and burghers, we reduce our advisor costs by -10% and get big bonuses from my burgher class


17 Dec -Arguin converts to Catholicism!

Next is to change the culture of it to Tuscan

[Abe Sargent]

18 Jan, 1502 – I fabricate a claim on Verona


17 March – I win a big battle in Ghazzah

30 May – I have finished every Atlantic holdings. Next is the Pacific coast of South America

1 June –

New DIP TECH 7 –

I can build shipyards, get better trade and naval morale

18 July - Another big battle in Jaffa ends my way

27 July – I capture Jaffa

16 Aug – My other army lands and the Mamluks are now dealing with proper Athenian muscle on two flanks in the coastal holdings.

7 Oct – The Ottomans take four provinces from Karaman in peace. We are still at war with the Mamluks though.

10 Nov – Three more holdings to the Turks from Ak Koyunlu

1 Dec - Coffee in Havana

13 Dec – I put down an uprising in Benguela

1 Jan, 1503 – Feh, just Fish in Benguela

1 March – Burgundy declared war on Venice, Brabant and Holland joined them

I lay claim on Friuli

7 April – Another explorer mission heads out.

1 June –

MIL TECH 8 – My cavalry are much better and I can build regimental camps.

1 July –

ADMIN TECH 9 – slight increase to my production stuff

27 July – I now control every province in North Africa that is Mamlukian

1 Aug – Our truce with Genoa expired

14 Sept – The Ottomans take peace for one more holdings, as well as War Reparations and more than 500 cash, some of which trickles down into our coffers


I order a minor claim on the Mamluks

2 Oct - I offer to help Bohemia with embracing Colonialism.

1 Nov – Native Assimilation in Havana

I order a Farm Estate I Achaea. This is a manufactory that will massively increase our wine production there, but also takes years to build.

1 Dec – Our explorer returns. Until my colonies have moved, I have explored everywhere I can from my current locations. Benguela will help a lot in this regard and I order the exploring fleet there to help.

[Abe Sargent]

15 Jan, 1504 – Tunis raids Rhodes

1 April – Rush of Colonists hits Benguela for 200

28 June – A new pope is elected

1 July – Castile enters a new Golden Age

24 Sept – I accept the decree from the Papal Decree to ban slavery.

22 Oct – The Protestant Reformation has begun in Brabant This triggers the end of the Age of Discovery, and it will end in 121 months as will benefits that end then as well.

1 Dec –

Havana – Savannah, Catholic, Tuscan, Coffee, 14 devl, heads to our local colonial nation.

Next target is Rio de Janeiro

I order a Church in Corfu

17 Dec – The Ottomans break their alliance with us.

I offer an alliance with Poland, who are a major rival/enemy to the Turks

I was willing to be the Turks ally for forever. Ah well.


1 Jan, 1505 – I accept a RM Offer from Poland

9 Jan – Rush of Colonists in Benguela

1 April –

Benguela – 14 dev, coastal, south of Kongo, Mbubtu and Fetishist, I order a missionary here, natural harbor, tropical. 0.66 made here for us monthly

Next target is Cape on South Africa

My next exploration mission is underway, this time in the Indian Ocean

19 April - I get a Gift to the State event and instead of tech, I put it into my treasury.

1 May - I call up Portugal

In this version of the game there are various options for exchanging land beyond the normal, such as demand it be turned over and such. We agree to purchase Puerto Rico for 300 cash. Expect that, slowly, we’ll buy other lands in the Caribbean now that they are not allowed here. Puerto Rico – 10 dev, sugar, coastline, Catholic, Portuguese, etc,. We don't keep it, it heads to my colonial nation.


24 May – I grab Dalmatia as a claim

[Abe Sargent]

1 March, 1506 – Cyprus agrees to become our vassal

I complete the “Acquire Subjects” mission and gain big dip bonuses.

1 April – We purchase St. Martin for 300 cash.


St. Martin – Fish, 10 dev, Catholic, Portuguese, etc


18 April – The Ottomans continue to warmonger out east

1 July – Naval Idea #4 – Better naval prestige and maintenance


14 Feb, 1507 – I convert Benguela and next is cultural change

3 Mar – Milan have declared us their rival

27 May – Our leader passes.

Our new one:

Antonio III, 4/2/5, Free Thinker

No heir or consort

I set about to find a new heir. I do with Bosnia, my 3rd RM – we get a great 6/5/6 consort

White peace with Venice after no battles really happened.

1 Oct – DIP TECH 9 - get new ships, better colonial range by 50,

22 Oct – Arguin is now Tuscan!

I get a mighty 0.39 from it!

17 Nov – We get a new heir who is 4/4/3

8 Dec – Mission finished, next exploration heads out!

11 Dec – Native Assimilation in Cape

1 Feb, 1508 – Cape is fish as well.

5 Sept – We get an event and someone donates three Carracks to the state!

15 Sept – Tunis raid on Crete

1 Oct – Sugar can be grown in Rio de Janeiro

I make a claim on the Ottomans – Yanya

1 Nov – I accept an alliance offer from Bohemia, who are big allies with Poland.

Bohemia just finished embracing Colonialism. I offer to shar with Portugal, and will be paid by them to basically purchase colonies from them. It’s a big circle of happy-ness.

[Abe Sargent]

12 Jan, 1509 – I send another exploration mission out!

28 Feb – Ottomans declare war against Wallachia

12 May – I claim Tirhala from the Turks

1 Dec – We purchase Maguana on Hispaniola for 300, Maguana – 5 dev, hills, coffee, Portuguese, Catholic, etc

24 Dec – Milan DOW’s Venice

1 Jan, 1510 – Our truce with the Turks has ended

NAVAL IDEA #5 – We get +25% bonus speed in sailor recruitment.

I get the next Athenian Idea:

Revive the Latin Greece – We get +1 prestige annually

1 Feb –

Cape – Fetishist, 18 development, Fishing trade, Xhosa, coastal trade network, Grasslands, 0.86 made here right now. I order a Missionary here.


Next target is Mauritius in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar.


15 Nov – Mission finished, more explorations ensue!

1 Dec – My colonial nation has finished bringing Dominica into their nation

1 Feb, 1511 –

Rio de Janeiro – Coastal jungle, sugar, 14 development, natural harbor, 1.04 made here, Tuscan and Catholic.

Next target is Chesapeake

3 March – The Ottomans declare war against Georgia, in the Black Sea, and their ally, Muscovy and Trebizond joins them. A big battle in the Caucasian mountains are likely to follow


16 April – the Mamluks and Ottomans are no longer rivals. The Ottomans are rivaled with Bohemia and


1 May – I claim Selanik from the Turks

[Abe Sargent]

16 July – Our truce with the Venetians has ended…

I declare war on Venice

My combined fleet is in the Gulf of Venice with a level 3 admiral and 6 carracks. I think I might win this.



9 Aug – I win the battle in the Gulf and lost a few ships but captured 8.


13 Aug – The Mamluks announce us as a rival

22 Aug. – I cross 17k troops to their capital, forts, and my war target of Treviso

The siege begins

9 Sept – Cape converts and next is cultural fun times

16 Sept – I arrive at Zeta and begin a a siege.

10 Dec – We capture Treviso

2 Feb, 1512 – Verona falls to us

9 Feb – One of my armies arrives at Dalmatia

4 April – Frioli is ours

1 July – I finish an event to make a Grand Navy and get naval bonuses all over for 25 years

I get a bonus settler event at Mauritius

1 Aug – Naval Tech 6 – I get +20% combat abilities for carracks


Mauritius is Sugar

6 Oct – Zeta falls

1 Dec – ADMIN TECH 10 – I can get another group of ideas

15 Dec – We take Dalmatia


I take their three Venetian holdings right by their former capital – Friuli, Verona, and Treviso

War Reparations and hundreds of cash.

And that’s it!

https://i.imgur.com/3aqfV4s.jpg


Here’s let’s take a look!

I zoomed in on my new three holdings so you can see them there all nice and pretty. You can also see that we are now a Great Power! We’ll come back to that laters.


All holdings are Venetian Catholic unless I tell you otherwise!

Friuli – 14 dev, hills, workshop, marketplace, church and farm estate here making wine. They have 0% unrest but 40% autonomy and make us 0.67 monthly


Treviso – To their west is Treviso, a strait connection to Venezia with a level 2 fort. Paper making in the hills here with marketplace, church, and workshop, 21 dev, and 0.89 cash.



Verona – To its west is Verona, farmlands, Grain, 24 development, natural harbor, farm estates, marketplace, courthouse, church, and workshop and makes us 0.99 monthly.


And there we are. They are already in a state with Venezia, so they were elevated and thus made perfect additions to my empire. I don’t care about any more Venice holdings and if I do war with them again it’s probably just to force-vassalize them.

[Abe Sargent]

I choose Milan as my new rival.


We take on the King title.

I purchase the final two colonies from Portugal in the area they aren’t allowed to be in. I offer to sell them Arguin, but they aren’t interested.

Barahonas – Hispaniola, 5 development, jungles, coffee

Magua – 4 dev, jungle, Hispaniola, tobacco,

These go to my colonial nation, who has already started a colony on the island to finish it out.

19 Jan – I get a Triangle Trade event and get a ton of cash and DIP development

1 Feb – Salt in Chesapeake

2 Feb – I dispatch another exploration mission into the Indian Ocean

3 June – I renew our marriage vows with Portugal

I claim another Greek holding from Turks

I grab Expansion Ideas

1 Jan, 1514

Mauritius – 15 Dev, Sugar, island, coastal, Tuscan, Catholic, they make 1.09 for us.

Next target is Ile de Bourbon, which is also here

12 Mar – I get an event which puts a free church in Mauritius

By the by, I make around 10 gold monthly (9.84)

18 April – Mauritius is the home of my next expedition

1 May – I get cores in my new holdings and they are now giving me 1.02, 1.39 and 1,41 in cash,


Just before the end of the Age of Exploration, I go ahead and enter my Golden Era!

15 May – Castile is in West Africa colonizing folks there. They have two colonies finished, another on the way and another started on the island of Fernando Po.


1 June – I order a church in Naxos

1 Sept –

Chesapeake – Marsh, 14 development, Salt growers by the local Catholic, Tuscan people, just 0.23 cash as I have not elevated Virginia to state-ness yet. This is the wealthy James Estuary.


Next colonial target is Massachusetts. I saw Denmark exploring the north area hard.

Actually, natives with the Lenape just moved there. How about Cartagena instead? Perfect location on the main land.

Hmmm… I do like the highly developed Androscoggin here in the area instead, to help be a base in the area for exploring and developing. But Cartagena for now.

I actually offer to sell Arguin to Castile but they aren’t interested either



1 November – We have entered the Era of Reformation. So long Discovery!


Major things you are rewarded for include:

Embracing Humanist or Religious Idea Groups
Converting another nation’s faith in war
Converting at least 10 provinces
Unifying culture

Stuff like that.

We have one done already and 8 provinces converted so we aren’t far away from another

11 Nov – Serbia brings in many Venetian provinces like Kosovo and Zetta

I finish a mission that couldn’t be done last Age –

Faith’s Bastion –

I get an Army of Righteousness buff for 15 years that makes my conversions and military morale massively better.

[Abe Sargent]

1 Jan, 1515 – I get an event for trading in Tobacco – we lead the world and now get much better spy defense

Our level 1 ADMIN advisor passes and I hire a new level 2 production one that jumps up my stuff. Heavily

1 Feb – Our truce with Morocco and the Mamluks expires

We get a Rush of Colonists event for Cartagena

12 April – Tunis can’t be my rival anymore so I snag the Turks

1 May – I order a Workshop in Scio and a Farm estate in Naxos

Naval Idea #7 – This finishes muh Naval ideas – I get much better naval morale, and I also get much better ship durability this Idea Group completed!

I choose to enact “Skilled Cartographers” which can only be done if I have both Naval and Exploration unlocked. It increases my naval proficiency heaviy abroad.

DIP TECH #10

I get War Galleys, Flutes, better trade and settler growth

I order 27 of my vessels to upgrade.

11 May - I have been making nice with Sofala in African, and I begin to Influence them s a Nation to increase them. I want to purchase a trading post from them, so I am making nice with them to enable that

1 June – I claim another Greek holdings from the Turks

5 July – I purchase Quelimane from Solfala


Now, this is not something I’ve done before as it’s new to the latest DLC so I wanted to try this mechanism before



Let’s look:


https://i.imgur.com/nHSLD9b.jpg

Here’s Quelimane pulled up, and as you can see, it has the wealthy ivory trade. There are also investments I can make it in too as well. East Africa is much more wealthy than west, and the coast is loaded with ivory, gems, gold, iron

Next I want to make nice with Kilwa and do the same, and pick up some land from them as well. This game mechanic is designed to demonstrate what happened in real life by a lot of colonial powers.

I have created a East African Trading Company, and Quelimane is now a part of that. I would expect nearby Angoche to be next, and Kilwa and Sofala are allies, marriage partners and such, so I am not expecting a lot of border strife. I order 2000 cavalry built here.

Remember I am also elevating Sofala, so they are getting updated tech, relations with me and finances beyond this one sale of a province. I elevate Kilwa now

[Abe Sargent]

1 Oct – Coffee in Cartagena

1 Dec –

Expansion Idea #1

I get another colonist! I send it to Massachusetts as the locals here moved away.

I also unlock the next Athenian Idea:

Latin Contracts - -1 unrest nationally

Because of bonus purchasing Ideas, right now I only need little more than 300 ADM power to get an idea rather than the normal 400. With my monthly ADM growth of 12, it doesn’t take me long to get this, and you can expect it to swell quickly and then head for some more Ideas.

28 Jan, 1516 – The next exploration has concluded. Another launches from Mauritius

2 Feb – I send a gift to Kilwa

11 May – Bosnia have DOWd Venice

Hmm

I currently have two Cardinals in the Curia in Verona and Venezia. I have a ton of Papal Influence from conversions and such. I invest some of it right now, and my chance of controlling the next papacy is 30%.

1 June – Tunis raids me again

1 Sept – I get a Native Assimilation in Cartagena

27 Oct – I purchase Angoche from Kilwa

1 Dec – The next exploration heads out

[Abe Sargent]

27 Feb, 1517 – We catch spies from Milan and oust them

2 May – My King gains Midas Touched and that will bump up tax revenue a lot


1 Sept –

MIL TECH 9 – I can improve my infantry to a new type.

Here an interesting event that just happened:


https://i.imgur.com/KTBaBNZ.jpg

Here you go:

You can see the Angoche holdings with its Ivory there as well as the offer I have from a local Kilwan to give me an improved monopoly. If I take it- Angoche moves to Slaves, and gains 2 production, gest +5 production and trade income and some bonuses to institutional spread as well.

Do I want to do that? If Angoche were a lower level trade, like Fish, then sure, I’d do it. But Ivory? It’s a valuable holding. 2 free production increases are nice though. I decline

20 Nov – I oust an agent of the Ottomans

22 Jan, 1518 - The Ottomans announce us as their new rival

1 Feb – Ile de Bourbon is good for growing sugar.

1 May – Massachusetts is good for Tobacco creation

5 Sept – I get Expansion Ideas #2 and I get a new Merchant. I send it to Alexandria to enhance our trade collections in Venice

1 Oct –

Cartagena – 9 development, Jungle, Coffee is grown here, natural harbor, tropical, Tuscan, Catholic, they make 0.14 for us right now as I have not made it state.

This was important to take as it was valuable real estate and clearly a good starting location for expansion further. Most nearby places have low value.

My next target is in North America near Massachusetts – Androscoggin, with its high tax base, I want to pull it off the map as a tempting target for Danish expansion and such in the area.

16 Nov – I get a native assimilation event in Massachusetts and it grows by 100

19 Dec – Another expedition concludes, and another is dispatched

[Abe Sargent]

4 Jan, 1519 – Sofala grants us military access, and I send my 2000 troops in Quelimane exploring in with a Conquistador I just picked up


15 May – Bosnia has annexed the last of Venice – they are off the map

16 Sept – We begin to annex Cyprus into the great Athenian Thassalocracy


12 Feb, 1520 – The Reformation is spreading out and now Reformed folks are joining the queue

8 April – Our next scouting expedition has returned and another comes back to us

1 August –

Massachusetts – 12 development, Tuscan catholic, Not a state, the make just 0.27 in the tobacco trade, and there is a natural harbor here in these woods.


My next colonial target is Sumbawa in the Indies.

28 Sept – Another colonial expedition heads out after the explorer returns

1 Nov – MIL TECH – 10 I can now build better artillery

[Abe Sargent]

1 Jan, 1521 –

Ile de Bourbon – 12 development, island near Mauritius, this is in a state due to how wealthy they are, I order a Workshop here, 1.01 made for us monthly, with a Tuscan Catholic folks working the Sugar trade.

My next target is closer to home – St. Kitts. I want to just knock out something easy and fast in my own zone of control where I have bonuses to expansion and where it won’t take a year for my colonists to arrive.

15 Jan – Castile declares war on Portugal. In or out?


In.

The War:

Castile, Aragon, France

Vs

Portugal, England, Athens


I might use this opportunity to hurt Spain colonially. I order some mercs built in Benguela

4 Feb – Kongo allows us to move our troops through their territory now


1 March – Cyprus is integrated into our mighty nation! I get their 5 ships (which I upgrade), and 4k army,


Cyprus – Greek, Catholic, wine trade, 18 dev, I did not en-state it, highlands, I put two military power (127) into it and it’s now level 20, I order a Farm Estate here, it had a workshop, church, and level 2 fort. It sends us 0.48 monthly.


9 March – I start building up a spy network in Genoa


16 May – My giant fleet and my great three star admiral have won some minor naval engagements – I have already captured 7 ships as well and sent them to harbor for repairs

1 June – Native uprising in Androscoggin

15 June – Ended


1 Sept- Androscoggin is going to be good for Tobacco as well


17 Jan, 1522 – My mercs landed in the islands of Sao Tome.

26 Feb – Sao Tome is ours. I have two options – Burn it down and remove it as a city, or seize it for myself. It’s a poor fishing island with a minimum development. I burn it down.

1 Mar – New Expansion Idea – We get faster colonial growth

27 April – My ship arrives at the Grain Coast and the mercs begin to unload onto a Castilian colony next.

29 April – I get a Native Assimilation in Sumbawa



8 July – Exploration mission concludes, another dispatches

15 July - Native Assimilation in St Kitts

13 Aug – I capture the mainland colony at Karou, and I burn it down.


15 Oct - We take Sierra Leone, which is also not a colony anymore, but a full blown province, so I can’t steal it, despite those sexy Dyes here.

1 Dec – St. Kitts will be the home of the Sugar trade here in the Caribbean.

Our heir is industrious

18 Dec – We capture the province of Beafada right by Sierra Leone.

[Abe Sargent]

1 Jan, 1523 – We have Chinaware in Sumbawa. I want Spices, but that’s not a bad consolation prize I suppose

1 Feb –

DIP TECH 11 – I can build Naval Equipment Manufactories, and we get 100 extra colonial range.

I order one in the capital of Athens

15 Mar – After they reestablished it as a colony, I recapture Karou

9 Sept – We get a +200 colonist event called Wave of Immigrants in Androscoggin


15 Oct- I win a big naval battle vs Aragon and capture 7 ships.

14 Feb, 1524 – Another naval victory for the juggernaut.

1 June

Androscroggin – 11 development, in the Maine region, woods, Catholic Tuscan folks make 0.39 here, tobacco farmers

My next target is Chittamaga in the Bayou estuary (of modern New Orleans)


1 Nov – I order a Naval Equipment Manufactory in Crete

1 Dec –

Expansion Idea – Organized Recruitment – I get bonus military recruitment

We get the next Athenian Idea:

Preserve the Archbishopric – We get +1 for Missionary stuff

[Abe Sargent]

14 June – 1525 – The Turks have declared war again on Georgia and are at war now with Muscovy and others.

1 July –

St. Kitts – 11 development, Sugar, Tuscan, catholic, handed to our Caribbean colony here. 0.35 made here


Next target? I’m waiting a month…



1 Aug – Or two


1 Sept –

Sumbawa – 9 development, grasslands, Chinaware, Catholic, Tuscan. They send us 0.11.

Next target is Flores, connected to Sumbawa by a strait, and East Timor, connected to Flores by a strait.

I order some troops here to defend the area

30 Oct – Every mainland Portuguese province was taken. I negotiate peace on my own

I have naval victories and colonial captures. So have a good warscore against the field.

I can take just Sierra Leone. I take Karou as it’s next to me, even though I don’t really want it that much. It’s just good defense:

https://i.imgur.com/Gr0QUhb.jpg


Here you go!

As you can see, the two coastal provinces are south of Jolof, Mali, and next to one more Castilian holding. Sierra Leone was colonized successfully, you can see the nice Dyes that are here! Up north at the big fleet is my Arguin holding where I am resting and recuperating from my naval battles.

I have my 4000 mercenaries exploring the heart of west Africa and you can see some of those results. I’m not sure where Castile might head next colonially. Maybe next to our lousy colony at Karou, which is next to Sierra Leone. As soon as my place here is cored, except me to build a fort here.

Found it, they are trying to send colonists to Canada and the isle of St. Helena

[Abe Sargent]

6 Jan, 1526 – I claim Beafada

1 March – Chitamacha will be great at trading furs.

Poland and Lithuania have united and become a nasty new power for most, but as we were allies with Poland and Bohemia pre unification, we are still besties post.

I think we have kept the Ottomans away.

Here let me give you a quick glance


https://i.imgur.com/d7UGkxd.jpg


This is a good zoomed out map right now. As you can see, the Commonwealth is big and hard to handle, while Bohemia has expanded into Hungary and taken most of it. They have good armies and land bases, and I have the naval surpiority. I just checked, and I could defeat any current Ottoman fleet in battle. I might not have a big area and zone of control locally, but my navy and small size help me defend quite ably. Thus, the Turks haven’t pushed into us. They wouldn’t like the result and what would happen, and you can all see it here.

The Turks are the #1 Great Power right now, the Commonwealth is #2 and we are #5.


1 July – Mil Tech 11 -I can build weapons manufactories, and I get better cavalry and infantry



1 Aug – I order a Naval Equipment Manufactory in Rhodes

12 Sept – After a very long journey, Cape is now Tuscan! I order a Church here, and a Workshop will follow next year



1 March, 1527 – New expansion idea – I get +1 diplomatic relations

15 Mar – I put down a native uprising in Chitimacha

1 May – Our colonial range advisor passes, and I hire a new ne who is 2 stars and thus will give us 2 DIP development monthly plus the colonial range boost as well.

1 June – I begin to Influence Vijayanagar, in India


15 June 0- Castile took a ton of Portugal’s mainland holdings

1 Aug – Dyes in Karou

[Abe Sargent]

15 Jan, 1528 – I get a colonial explosion event in East Timor and I choose to pay 50 cash for a 200 colonial increase in population there.

27 Feb - I get an event create because of how smart the Queen of Athens is and how much she is collecting knowledge from Europe. A level 3 natural scientist for 50% off and 50% off his monthly fee. I go ahead and fire our current advisor for him, and this increases my monthly ADM tech as well as increasing my development cash by 10%

10 April – I influence Pate; I am making nice with Vijayanagar


And Majaphit as well too

1 July – East Timor will make Chinaware too.

7 July – My explorer finishes the south Pacific; I send him out from Rio


1 Oct –

Chitimacha – Furs are the trade good here in the Marches of this natural harbor at the base of the Mississippi River. 0.29 made here by the Catholic, Tuscan 10 dev folks


My next target is Wampanoag by Massachusetts

5 Nov – I order a Naval Equipment Manufactory in Cape

16 Nov – Sierra Leone’s core is done, I upgrade to a state, and then send a missionary to convert it.

1 Dec – Spices in Flores

Dec 27 – The Pope passed, and we are the new papal Controller, so we can do things like excommunicate and declare crusades.

2 Jan, 1529 – after they start causing a ruckus, I grant Negroponte to the nobility



2 Mar – I put down a native uprising in East Timor

20 April – While the Turks ar deep into a major war far to the north and east, I move my troops near them and get ready to go to war. I want to d a fast war, take some Greek holdings that are rightfully my people, and then let them go.

10 May – I call for a Crusade against the Turks

11 June – I declare a Holy War against the Infidels!

28 June – I crush the Ottoman Fleet with my combined fleet

29 June – Bohemia joins my Holy War

18 July – The Commonwealth joins us

31 July – Our king passes while leading a battle

His heir – Francisco 4/4/3 with Industrious, and he’s married already, no heir, 23 years old

We have captured two new realms

1 Sept – 1 one fell

5 Sept – I begin a siege at Selanik

1 Oct – Another exploration mission heads out

11 Dec – Two more minors fells to me

Bohemia has already taken 3 provinces as well

[Abe Sargent]

1 Jan, 1530 – Athens is now the seat of a new Cardinal

4 Feb -Bohemia just crushed the Turk army in the region.

15 eb - The Turks took peace out east to focus on us

18 feb – I take another minor

1 Mar – I get a colonial explosion event in East Timor again

14 Mar - I assault and take Selanik

12 April 0- I begin the siege at Edirne

11 June – Sierra Leone converts -I order a castle here

`17 July – After defending the quickly assembled and not-fully-ready defenders in their capital, I begin a siege

2 Aug – Our heir is born and he is 4/2/5

21 Aug -Edirne falls. I order these troops to their capital to join the assault there

26 Aug – I defeat natives in East Timor

1 Oct – A big victory for the Commonwealth against the Turks

11 Oct – Bohemia loses a battle to them

15 Oct – My explorer returns and I send him back out.

14 Nov – I break up an attempt by them to siege Selanik back

18 Nov – One of my armies loses while heading back to the capital.

28 Nov – My army loses again


15 Dec – Expecting their capital to fall anytime I move my giant fleet off the coast in order to be there to catch their fleeing navy


22 Dec – Their ally, Tunis, has arrived to try and stop the onslaught here in Europe, and has 8k troops in Edirne trying to retake it.

https://i.imgur.com/j3KZQnf.jpg

Zoomed in map of the area to show you everything and their capital about to fall.

I hit unpause and it falls on the 31st

1 Jan, 1531 – Karou is now a full province:

Karou – Dyes, 3 development, Jungle, next to Sierra Leone, I order a Missionary here for the Fetishish Dyolas.


This was a free colonial gain from my war against the Iberian powers for Portugal, so there are no other colonists to send out next yet

16 Jan – My fleet has routed their fleet and captured around 13 vessels.


23 Jan – The Commonwealth takes out the major military threat of the Turks

We are in a bit place right now with their capital, and two major battles. This is a Holy War and extra incentives come from victories – military and naval.

My wargoal is to take the five Greek holdings from them. I am close.

So we keep pushing.

20 Feb – I defeat the Tunisian army

25 Feb – My fleet arrives in Tunis, denude of holdings

The captured vessels gave

27 Feb – More provinces fall as we pass to Turkey

15 Mar – We begin sieging Tunis – I invest some MIL to open a breach in the walls.


24 May – Tunis falls after we assault it

25 May – Tunis offers peace for War Reparations and some cash and I accept. Now it’s just us


1 June

East Timor – Chinaware – grasslands, strait to Flores, next to West Timor, Papuan and Animist, and I order a Missionary here. 9 dev, currently making just 0.33

Next target is West Timor

16 July - A big battle is won by Bohemia.

22 August – They rout the army and take it off the map

15 Dec – After more battles fall our way, and more provinces fall, and Bohemia has finished a siege, we now have 100% warscore

[Abe Sargent]

25 Jan, 1532 – Every European holding is now under the control of the Triangle alliance.

Peace time

We take all five Greek holdings they have, plus give Bohemia three new provinces they took, the only ones the Commonwealth captured were away from the sea and couldn’t be given to them. Plus they are big enough already. Ten we got more than 1000 cash, although that was divided based on how much you invested in the war

I captured tons of naval vessels

https://i.imgur.com/PwEgPTQ.jpg

Here you are!

We have the new Greek names for these provinces, not the Turkish names.

Get ready! All of these are Greek Orthodox with 40% autonomy

Epirus – North of Achaea, strait to Corfu, and east of Athens, Thessaly and Kastoria. This Highlands area sees 8 development, shipyard and church, features Wool, and makes us 0.22 monthly.


Thessaly – This grassland province is north of Athens, and is next to Epirus and Kastoria. 14 development in this grain farming land, they make us 0.51, with a dock, shipyard, workshop and church.

These two are in the same elevated state as Corfu

Kastoria – Adjacent to the Turks as well as Macedonia, Thessaly and Epirus, the wine-making Highlanders here make us 0.10 off 7 development and a church. This is not a state right now, by the by.

Macedonia – Natural harbor, farmlands that make cloth, this 15 development sends us 0.30 cash right now and has a castle, workshop, marketplace and church. It connects Edirne and Kastoria and is also next to three Turkish holdings

These are two of the three holdings in the Macedonian State.


Edirne – The last of our new additions, Edirne has grassland, 16 development, is next to the Turks in many places including their capital, and has 0.31 made from grain farming including a Farm Estate, Castle, Church and Workshop.


I can expand with my blood money. I grab a Trading Post in India? East Africa? The Indies?

2 Feb – I bring in the coastal Madurai in India, a Silk Trading province, and right by Sri Lanka. I thought about Goa or a nearby Spice holding province, but thus makes sense

I hold off on using the rest of my cash now as I want to upgrade my new holdings after the cores are gone

[Abe Sargent]

1 Mar – Wampanoag is just going to be boring Fish. Ah well

15 April _ I can enact my next government reform…


What kind of deliberate body do I want for my nation? I have 5 options.

I choose General Estates and get +10% production income for being relatively traditional.

13 June – Karou converts!

1 July – Expansion Idea – I get improved shipyards with =10% shipbuilding time

1 August – I spend 43 MIL to quash down some rebels in Africa in Sierra Leone and such that were lingering from my conversion attempts.

1 Sept –

Flores – Spices in this no-longer-a-colony that is straits from Sumbawa and East Timor. Animist and Papuan and I send in some Missionaries to drop that down. 0.55 made here.

It’s part of the Timor state which I already State-ified.

I send these colonists to Lombok, which connects Sumbawa and Bali via straits.


23 Jan, 1533 – East Timor converts! I order some stuff like a Church, and then I’ll do a Workshop next year – I have saved enough cash for some bigger ticket items, but we’re good for now

Sumbawa is my next Missionary target

22 Feb – I put down a rebellion in Wampanoag

I bring tiny little one province Lucca into my alliance and sphere of influence. She’s Italian, wealthy, Tuscan, etc. It makes sense, I could see myself Cyprus’ing myself there.

1 May – I use my Great Power to Influence Lucca


1 Oct –

Wampanoag – 7 development, in the same state as Massachusetts, 7 development, coastline, I order a Workshop here, 0.82 made by the Tuscan Catholics.


Next target is Delaware

30 Oct -I get a revolt of around 8k troops in Epirus

2 Dec - Defeated

[Abe Sargent]

9 Feb, 1534 – The Catholic counter-reformation has begun

11 March – Cores are completed! I am now getting 0.83, 0.46, 0.78, 0.32. and 0.37.



I order:

Farm Estate in Thessaly (after I destroy the Docks here) and Kastoria


1 April – My DIP Power has reached its max and cannot get to the next level so I begin to spend it in some provinces for upgrades to their production here and there.

11 April – My explorer passes

I embrace the Counter-Reformation

I Get:

+2 Missionaries
+3 Missionary Strength when converting heretics

-5% Idea Cost

I send missionaries to Epirus and Macedonia

22 May – Flores converts and I order up a Workshop here and I’ll do a Church next year.

1 June – I fabricate claims on Constantinople a nearby holding so the Turks

1 Aug – I have also reached max monarch power for military and will spend it on manpower infrastructure in various places


15 Sept – Wave of Immigrants to West Timor

1 Oct – Spices in West Timor

17 Oct – Sumbawa converts

1 Nov – The next exploration mission heads out from East Timor with another Explorer at the helm of this fleet.

I begin saving my cash for my next Trading Post, I have ID’d a fun one in Orissa in India.

3 Feb, 1535 – I reconfirm our marriage to the Commonwealth after their leader passes.

1 March – I can get my first of the Age of Reformation abilities that lasts until the end of the age.

I take Religious Wars and I can get -25% warscore for other nations.

Nice!

1 May –The Pope has named the La Plata region of South America exclusively Portuguese, which is fine as they have around 20% of it under their control, and I’ve steered clear.


18 May – I get a Native Assimilation in Delaware

1 June – Delaware is going to be a Tobacco producing province

16 July – Epirus converts.

Missionary to Edirne

22 Aug – Macedonia converts


France appears to have joined the colonial game. They are building a colony in, of all places Greenland. Maybe that’s as far as their colonial range will go right now? Portugal, Athens and Castile have probably taken anything nearby that would normally be used as a stepping stone.


I declare a claim on Sofya with the Turks to our north


1 Dec – Lombok is for Spices! And Lovers!

[Abe Sargent]

10 Jan, 1536 – Another exploration expedition heads out from East Timor

27 March –

We get the Bengal Delta from Orissa for a Trade Company – this province is also a trader of all things Silk.

I begin to Influence Nation another Indian Silk Maker – Junagarh

1 June This is BIG

Get ready for four Ideas:

I finish the Expansion Idea track:

I get Idea #7 – Competitive Merchants, and I get +20 Global Trade Power

I also have finished this idea group, so I get the ability to make claims against colonial nations and such out there.

However, I also get the 7th Athenian Idea:

Athenian Army Reform - +5% army and artillery combat ability

Then I get the Athenian Finish Idea as well - +10% morale to all armies


Not bad.

Any national policies I want to unlock?


I take Global Expansion which is both Expansion and Exploration and my growth increases considerably

I also take Supply Convoys and get -20% state upkeep and minus liberty desire over time.

https://i.imgur.com/jS9IbUo.jpg

Here let’s drill down into colonialization so you can see

A normal country has a small growth. For example, after investing tech and ideas in it, Castile is just at +65 on St. Helena. France? +35 for their growth rate. Portugal +95 which is why they are the only major threat to us colonially.

As you can see, I have really pushed both Idea groups for colonization. Everything from my native repression policy to everything else is here

Now here is how this works:

The number you see is my annual growth. If I send my settlers away, it would grow at 120 a year, and need 1000 total to get to city size, thus I could be at city size is roughly 100 months, with some bonuses for events that sprang up. Or minuses if we get disease or something.

Then the presence of my colonist means that each month there is a chance to get a bonus growth. In West Timor that’s 16.2% monthly. In Delaware it’s just 15.2.

This assumes you are paying the full cost of colonial maintenance. If you are, then good, and that costs around 2 cash/month for the first and 2nd colonies, then around 4 for the next and a much bigger amount for 4 and then 5 is really rough. I had four for a while as I had inherited one from Spain and my financial growth was impeded

Now that my natural growth is so high with my various investment and development, what you can expect to see me start doing is to break off my settlers about 850 or so to begin to move to the next colony, which will start right around the time the other wraps up.

I do that from Delaware right now, and then I send colonists to Inhambane, which is on the south-east Africa coast next to Sofala. It’s got a nice 9 development, has the potential for wealthy things like gold, ivory, gems, and it’s in my Quelimane state, so it’s already developmental.


18 Sept – Conversion in Edirne succeeds

[Abe Sargent]

1 Jan 1537 –


Dip Tech 12 - I get big bonuses to naval morale

Mil tech 12 – I get much better infantry and I upgrade


1 April – Another Ottoman province is claimed by us

1 July –

West Timor – 9 development, spices, Tuscan, Catholic, next to East Timor, I order a Workshop here, 0.62 made here for us monthly.

Next target is Guadeloupe


1 Sept –

Delaware – 10 dev, Tuscan, Catholic, Tobacco

Great it happened!

I was pushing my colonial nation here around and it happened:

I get two major events:

I get the Pope to decree that Eastern America is our fiefdom, so the colonial bonus applies there, and we formed the Colonial Nation that I am naming New Athens. New Athens takes Massachusetts, Chesapeake, Delaware, Androscoggin, and Wampanoag.

22 Jan, 1538 – I proclaim a guarantee on Lucca

14 Feb – I get a Native Assimilation in Lombok

1 May –

Lombok – 6 development, grasslands, island that has straits that connect Sumbawa and Bali, a state, Spices, 0.45 made here monthly from my Catholic Tuscan people.

My next target is Curacao I want to get the rest of the easy islands for France/Castile etc to take off the map and just leave Cuba and such deeper her for my Colonial Nation to finish up

29 July – I begin to build a spy network in Milan.


8 August – I begin to Influence the Chimu

9 Nov – I get a bonus colonization event in Inhambane

1 Dec – Inhambane has gold

My next explorer fleet heads out

[Abe Sargent]

1 Feb, 1539 –

Admin Tech 11 – I can build textile manufactories,

I order one in Macedonia and another in Sierra Leone

With me having 50% of my military maintenance up right now, and my transport fleet mothballed, I am making around 22 cash monthly

23.24 yo be precise, each month. That’s a lot of cash. That means, in one year, I can collect more than 250 cash, which is around


https://i.imgur.com/YUQKkaX.jpg

Here’s the cash breakdown in case you care

I’m holding that cash, which should be enough for a Trading Post from Chimu in Peru, so I can leapfrog over Portugal without putting a colony in their area

24 Mar – After finishing their Manufactories I send missionaries to Kastoria and Thessaly

1 Jul – Our king gained the Silver Tongued trait

1 Aug – I claim a province in Milan and pull my spy builder back as that’s the only one I can do so with.

17 Aug - I offer to set up a trading post with Chimu

I can’t get there it’s just outside of my colonial range.

Ah well, I go ahead and et up a Trading Post in Bali with Majaphit for 700 cash

Bali – Cloth making with the local Javanese and Hindu people, I have already made it a state, and the 15 development here is leading to a Missionary, it has a workshop, grasslands, island with a strait to Lombok, and it sends me 0.51 cash monthly right now

I order a culture change in Sumbawa and Flores.

Aug 25 – Another expedition launches from East Timor

1 October – Guadalupe is Sugar. Of course

I withdraw my colonists from Inhambane and will send them to Ambon, a 12 dev place in the Spice Isles


1 Dec – Sugar in Curacao as well

[Abe Sargent]

1 Feb, 1540 – I get some bonus prestige when I find Japan

14 June – Kastoria converts and I order a Workshop here


1 Jul – Thessaly’s conversation is also successful but it was already built up.

1 August – I can see England has joined the colonial game as well – they are in Canada as well for their first area, and then will likely spread down.

1 Jan, 1541 –


Inhambane – Jungle, gold, 9 development, Tuscan, Catholic, in a state with Quelimane, natural harbor, they make 3.88 monthly for us




I need to prioritize folks here in the way of England/France and such, and less in places like East Africa or the Indies which they aren’t getting too if I can play colonial defense

I send colonists to Quelimane

1 Mar – Another expedition heads out of East Timor

I recall my colonists in Curacao and Guadeloupe

I send them to St. Thomas and Turks and Caicos.

I might slow down finishing my colonies, but I need to get these off the map.

[Abe Sargent]

13 Feb, 1542 – Another exploration heads out from East Timor

16 Feb – Native Assimilation in Turks and Caicos

1 June – ADMIN TECH 12 – I get 3 more states

1 Oct – Tobacco in Turks

21 Dec – Bali converts – I order a Textile Manufactory here

1 Feb, 1543 -We have Sugar in St. Thomas

22 Feb – The next explorer heads out

1 Mar

Curacao – 7 dev, Sugar, coastline, tropical, Catholic. Tuscan, given to our colonial nation here in the Caribbean


1 May – I claim two provinces from the Mamluks

1 Sept – Spices in Ambon

11 Sept - Wave of Immigrants at St. Thomas

I pull my colonists from it and order them to Trinidad

13 April – 1544 – We get cultural unification at East Timor

15 April – Vijayanagar has declared us their rival

21 May – They claim Madurai as their own

I order some more military folks there to help me defend in case they peel across the border

1 Oct –

Guadeloupe – Coastline, 10 Dev, Sugar trade, Tuscan, Catholic, handed to our colonial nation – 0.26 made here for us


11 November -

[Abe Sargent]

100 Year Review


King Francisco II, 37, with Industrious and Silver Tongued, 4/5/3

His heir is Francisco III, 14, with 4/2/5

My monarch power gain 13 ADM, 12 DIP, 9 MIL monthly with the focus on ADM

I am currently making 21.04 in cash beyond what I need monthly


Our Athenian bonuses give me plus prestige even when not at war or something, so it doesn’t decay, and thus we are the only nation with 100 prestige.

Actually, I’m getting one from being the Curia Controller which is also helping

We have the most techs by one and the most ideas by one

We are 5th most in development

We have the 9th best manpower

Top Ten Provinces by Taxes:

1. Rhodes, 19.4
2. Venezia, 19.38
3. Verona, 17.60
4. Treviso, 16.50
5. Athens, 15, 93
6. Cape, 14.11
7. Cyprus, 14.11
8. Crete, 12.34
9. Edirne, 10.79
10. TIE – Rio de Janeiro, Ile de Bourbon, Mauritius at 10.14


Top Ten Provinces by Production

1. Venezia, 48.06
2. Sierra Leone, 39.24
3. Athens, 30.75
4. Istria, 28.75
5. Macedonia, 23.75
6. Karou, 22.42
7. Corfu, 21.90
8. Madurai, 21.33
9. Crete, 20.33
10. Bengal Delta, 20.20


I have 44 provinces, including 4 colonies in Ambon, Turks, Trinidad and St. Thomas.

My two admirals are, by stars, much better than the rest of the admirals out there

After Ming, Ottomans and the Commonwealth, we have the 4th largest army in the world

I have the biggest navy by like 30 ships over the Ottomans.

Only Ming makes more money than us


Current Price of Trade Goods:

5.0 – Gems
4.5 – Copper
4.37 – Paper
4.0 – Ivory, Cocoa, Silk, Dyes
3.6 – Cotton, Cloth
3.0 – Glass, Tropical Wood, Tobacco, Sugar, Coffee, Spices, Slaves, Iron, Salt
2.70 – Fur
2.5 – Incense, Wine, Livestock
2.25 – Fish
2.0 – Tea, Grain, Naval Supplies
1.75 – Wool

I am the production leader in Sugar, Wine, Glass, Dyes, Fish, and my colonies are the leader of Tobacco

I am the trade leader of Tobacco

We are the 4th best trade nation by income

Allies – Lucca, Portugal, Bohemia, and the Commonwealth


Great Powers:

1. Athens
2. Ming
3. Ottomans
4. Commonwealth
5. Castile
6. Muscovy
7. France
8. England

At 9th and just a few points behind Engerland is Burgundy

My next colonial targets –

Bahamas

Passamaquoddy – This is the Maine line between our Pope-granted fiefdom in Eastern US and the growing Castilian nation just past the border, so set the border for our colony.

Maranhao – Brazil, and one of the few good ones left on the coast easily here

Actually, migrants just left, so I want to grab Pernambuco, that’s my top target.

I pull colonists from Turks to send there right now. Its on the tip of Brazil and has a huge development (12) so it’s a great target for coming in. Grab it now when it’s been recently opened.

[Abe Sargent]

https://i.imgur.com/dlHHaED.jpg


Zoomed out map of the local area with muh tiny Athens there = England has united the isles mostly, you can see the mostly Iberian Castile with just a few options left. The Commonwealth is growing, and Muscovy is as well.

Here let me show you the Americas as well:

https://i.imgur.com/S6PhsXT.jpg

Here you can see France’s colony in Greenland, Castilian and English attempts in Canada, and then me in the Caribbean and in a few places in the US.

https://i.imgur.com/EW78aHD.jpg

Here’s South America – And you can see Portugal all over the Rio da Plata region.

I still need to send up a colony on the west somewhere past their zone of control

https://i.imgur.com/JW3Q17Y.jpg

And here’s Africa for you. I’m in Cape, near Mali, Kongo, Sofala, etc. Enjoy!

[Abe Sargent]

15 November – I take a claim against Ferrera in Mantua next to Verona

17 Jan, 1545 – After making nice with Lucca, she is almost ready to become our vassal, we are getting close.

1 May –

St. Thomas – This sugar making island in the Caribbean now is under my control, and handed to my colonial nation. It makes 0.45 monthly with its 10 development, coastline, Tuscan Catholics.


1 June – We are now the world’s largest trader of Sugar, and we get a bonus of -20% war exhaustion among our people

1 Sept – Our heir has come of age and gained the Righteous trait

14 Oct – After sending a gift of 100 ducats, Lucca has agreed to become our vassal!

1 Nov – I recall my colonists from Ambon and send them to the Bahamas

In prep for a future war with the Ottomans I have been building up my nearby military and drilling with my leader and heir.

1 Feb, 1546 – Trinidad is going to be great at growing Coffee

12 April – Flores is now Tuscan – I order a Workshop here

I’ve been getting near my cap of MIL and DIP again so I’ve been investing in provinces here and there as well.

6 July – I bring Surat, in northeast India into our realm as a Trading Post I picked up from Junagarh, a nation I elevated twice.

Surat is Silk, natural harbor, and order a Textile Manufactory to join the province’s wealth. With it’s 12 development, grasslands, it’s not in a bad spot at all.

That drops me to 35 cash, but I’ll pop up back again in no time

[Abe Sargent]

1 Jan, 1547 – My peace treaty with the Turks has concluded.

I jack up maintenance more, and activate my forts that are near them.

I take a quick looksee –

My army – 78k
Commonwealth – 94k
Bohemia – 47k


The Ottomans – 100k
Tunis – 30k

So by math, the three of us in the Triangle Alliance should be able to handle the Ottomans and Tunis without their distraction.

But I really do want that distraction too.

I order 5k more troops for the border

1 Mar –

Turks and Caicos – 8 development, Coffee, Tuscan, Catholic, coastline islands, making 0.32 in that sweet sweet cash


29 Mar – I get an event in Pernambuco where some of the locals have been raiding nearby native tribes for slaves. I choose to answer it diplomatically, and reign in my folks.

14 – May – I fabricate a claim against Mantua

1 July – Pernambuco is going to be good at growing Cocoa

26 July – My next exploration mission heads out

5 Oct – I put down a native uprising in Bahamas

1 Dec

Ambon – Spices, 12 development, Tuscan, Catholic, on a strait to Ceram, tropical, coastline, they make 0.22 monthly as I have not made Ceram a state.

1 April, 1448 –

Mil tech 13 – I can build better cannons and they improve in value in battle

1 May – The Bahamas will also make some good sugar!

1 July – I can purchase another Era of Reformation ability – I wait until the next institution begins in a few months or years to see if I need some speed embracing it


10 July – The Turks declare a reconquest on us for Edirne!

[Abe Sargent]

They have called in Tunis to help them out in their war against us.


I end my drilling, I order around 5k mercs in the back of my country to hit their smaller provinces and annex them, and then I stop mothballing my transport fleet.

It’s the Triangle alliance and our various vassals (Moldova and Lucca) vs the Turks and Tunis


24 July – I combine my fleets into one big giant fleet to assault the Strait.

I have fled with my army in Edirne.

31 July – I arrive in their Turkish holdings of Biga (It connects my holdings from Edirne and Sigo)

18 Aug – They being to siege Edirne

22 Aug – I arrive in the Sea of Mamara

5 Sept – One minor to our north falls

11 Sept – Biga falls and I order this army to assault the fortress at Hudavendigar

21 Sept – Two more northern minors are under our control

28 Sept – After regaining some strength, my Edirne army is now good enough that it has arrived in their capital. I order a barrage to breach the wall with our artillery (this costs MIL monarch power)

6 Oct – Another province falls in the north

29 Oct – Another provinces is ours

4 Nov – 30k Bohemians arrive to help us in their capital

16 Nov – I take Sofya

18 Nov – After an assault, we grab Hudavendigar. I see some big Turks coming so I wanted to pull out

22 Nov -Bohemia fails to drive the Turks out of Edirne

29 Nov – They defeat my army in Hudavendigar

I send another exploration out from Rio

1 Dec – Trinidad is now a full city with Coffee, 11 dev, yadda yadda. Back to muh war

6 Dec – Edirne falls, and the army here moves to their capital to break us out of the siege that we are close to winning

15 Dec – The Mamluks takes advantage of the Turkish attention on us and declare their own Reconquest on them. I might consider sending them some war subsidies!

18 Dec – I order my folks here that are mercs to join my defeated army to help reinforce it.

22 Dec – A giant battle takes place as the battle tired force from Edirne joins our 50k but area also joined by the recent victorious army of 20k,


22 Jan, 1549 – We win the battle, but barely.

27 Jan – Tunis has landed forces in Athens and is sieging it. It’s a smaller force of just 7k.

29 Jan – We take their capital

12 Feb – I defeat a navy of more than 40 ships, all military vessels, no transports coming out the harbor in 5 days and capture 12 ships!

Naval supremacy matters. I have cut off their movement to Greece from Turkey.

I send the badly wounded ships to my Shipyard in Athens for repair


1 Mar – Castile brings in Aragon and forms Spain

My forces arrive from the capital at Edirne and I order a hull breach on the walls. They have a smaller garrison as it hasn’t had a chance to fully rebuild so I’ll assault in next month when my morale has risen

7 April – Every Euro holdings is in the hands of a Triangle Alliance member

15 Apr – Some of my forces have arrived to begin and pick at Turkish holdings. Our warscore is jacking up fast, but I need to up our warscore.

I don’t know when it happened, but Portugal joined our war (I didn’t call them) and they are blitzing Tunis hard, that’s why the warscore is up. They have captured 7 provinces in Tunis and that must be why their Athenian thrust is so small.

25 Apr – More than 40k Commonwealth forces are bleeding into Turkey after me

A large Turkish army of around 35k is moving here.

13 May – I turn down an Ottoman peace offer. They want to concentrate on the Mamluks.

21 May – The Ottomans overcome bad numbers to defeat the Commonwealth

29 May -We take Edirne back – I head to Athens

15 June – Tunis breaks off their siege of Athens seeing me coming.

18 June – I get a Wave of Immigrants event in The Bahamas, I pull back my settler here and send it to Maranhao in Brazil, a 8 development coastal province.

4 July – Canada is declared the domain and personal fiefdom of Spain by the Pope

8 July – I capture the Stronghold of Ankara

11 July – The Ottoman army loses to a counter-attack by Bohemia and the Commonwealth combined

15 Aug – My army takes Bolu, which is where their navy is squirreled away, and I moved by navy over it

19 Aug – We capture the fortress of Sugla

1 Sept – I defeat their navy and capture another 6 ships

27 Oct – I do this again with another province and defeat them again

1 Nov – Bahamas, 5 DEV, Tuscan, Catholic, joins the Caribbean, Sugar, 0.19

5 Nov – The Tunisian capital is captured by Portugal

10 Nov – All of Western Turkey is under our control. Most of Tunis is under our control.

[Abe Sargent]

Peace time!

I give these provinces to these people:

Commonwealth – Silistre on the Black Sea Coast

Bohemia – Giurgiu – Next to them, they captured it

Us:

We get SIX provinces:

Uskup, in Macedonian state, north of us, we have a claim on it

Their capital and the other Thracian province

Three Turkish holdings, including Biga, Huda… and Kochei. They are all in the same state, and include a Silk province and the straits from Greece to Turkey, so I have a good stronghold and they can blitz over.

We get 1056 cash

I wanted to toss Portugal a province or two, but it was too much as they joined the war later, but they weren’t expecting anything.

Here’s the peace deal:

https://i.imgur.com/7j96Awu.jpg


And there we are! The flags in the lower corner show that a coalition would get upset at my overexpansion, but it’s just the Turks, and they are upset anyway, really. My Holy War effect in this stage allowed me to grab more stuff!

I invest about half of my stored ADM power in cores for my area


We are using their Greek names, which change as the provinces do:


Skopje (Uskup on the map above) – North of our holdings, and part of the state of Macedonia, this holdings is 10 development, Iron, in Highlands, and is sending us 0.46 – Serbian and Orthodox. It has a church, workshop and regimental camp.


Burgas – This Thracian holdings is next to Edirne and Constantinople. It’s south of the Commonwealth in Selestre, and on the coast. As part of the same state as Edirne, it’s already state-fifed. Grasslands, coastal, 12 development, Grain farmers are here and it does have a Farm Estate. Also church, shipyard, and workshop. It sends us 0.67, and the people here are Bulgarian Orthodox.


Constantinople – The province you knew we’d get! Development of 44, farmlands, has the Bosporus Sound Toll and natural harbor, at level 2 of development. Turkish and Sunni. It has – Regimental Camp, Castle, Workshop, Church, Marketplace, Barracks, Shipyard. It sends us 3.10 with it’s Gem trade.


Karasi – Former ally known a Biga, this Turkish coastal province has straits to us in Edirne and Sigo. 11 development, Grasslands, Naval Supplies, Turkish and Sunni, 0.09 made here for us. To it’s east is Hudavindigar and it’s also north of two Turkish holdings. It has a Camp, Workshop, and Shipyard


Hudavindigar – I made a claim on this seeing this as a good potential expansion target. Has a 21 development, woods, Silk trading with 0.23 cash monthly, Turkish and Sunni, west of us in Kocaeli and west of Karasi. North of two Turkish holdings. It has a Church, Workshop, and Marketplace with a natural harbor.


Kocaeli – Strait crossing to Constantinople, east of Hudavindigar, 9 dev, Castle, church, grain farming, forest, Turkish and Sunni, they send us 0.06 cash monthly


I order one of my armies to Kocaeli, to be in the Castle. I shut down my other forts.

I move to mothball my transport fleet

I will start drilling my armies again

With me massaging my army and forts back, I am now making money again!

[Abe Sargent]

18 Nov – Portugal is now in Mexico.

9 Dec – Another exploration mission finishes – next – circumnavigate the globe

1 Jan, 1550 –

Pernambuco – Coca trading here at this 12 development, Tuscan, Catholic, Brazilian holdings near the tip. Drylands, and natural harbor. 0.36 made for us monthly

The next institution is here, and it’s the Printing Press. I take the embracing institutions Age of Reformation ability.

25 Jan -I sent up a trade company in Mombasa, under the control of Malindi, in East Africa. This is a level two natural harbor, Ivory, 12 dev coastline, Marketplace, church, and docks. It’s great because it’s between Malindi and Kilwa, and there ahs been tension between the two, so we can intervene and such, and hope for peace. I promoted Malindi three times in anticipation of doing this, and they love me here, in addition to the occasional minor gift.


29 June – We now have the right culture in Sumbawa!

England is now Great Britain

1 Nov – Passamaquoddy is with furs

1 Jan, 1551 - Tropical wood in Maranhao


1 Feb – Dip Tech 13 – we can build Brigs – a better transport vassal and I order my mothballed fleet upgraded

15 Feb – Native Assimilation in Maranhao

I withdraw these settlers for defense. I send them to the Grain Coast in Africa, adjacent to me in Karou. It’s the final part of my state here and will allow me to push the African options down coast

What I intend to do is to set up my colony here, and then immediately pull out and head elsewhere in Africa. Like Luanda, that is next to Benguela and also in that state


7 July – I pull the colonists at Passamaquoddy and send them to Sergipe in Brazil near Pernambuco.


1 Aug – I spent some MIL power to suppress rebels in Turkey

27 Aug – The Grain Coast is set up and next to Luanda

1 Sept – Quelimane converts. I order a culture change to Tuscan

26 Dec – Our heir dies while hunting. The new heir is 4/4/4 and 1 year old

[Abe Sargent]

14 Mar, 1552 – Yay?

I get an event about my Navigator adviser having a great year and we get a bonus 10% colonial range. I reach out to Chimu

1 July

Admin Tech 13 – I get +2% tax revenue increase

15 July – Four of my Turkish holdings are now cored – The first is Burgas and I order a Missionary here. The next is Hudavindigar. Then Skopdje, and I order some Missionary work here as well. Finally the big one.

1 Aug – Sao Tome next to Rio is with tropical wood.

16 Nov – Karasi and Kocaeli – Missionary for Karasi and Huda



1 April, 1553 – Our military advisor passes and I hire a new one with -10% military maintenance.

15 April –

We have completed our circumnavigation of the world! We gain a ton of stuff for being the first to do it. We did lose 5 vessels crossing the Pacific, but overall, we did well!

I turn this Explorer fleet into protecting trade here in the Caribbean


I send my Alexandrian Merchant to the Caribbean

5 July – The Commonwealth DOW’s Muscovy and I join them


1 Aug – Coffee in Sergipe

1 Oct – Skopje converts!

Oct 26 – Burgas follows – Kocaeli is next

1 Nov –

Maranhao – Marsh, 8 dev, Brazilian coast, Tropical Wood, Catholic Tuscans make us 0.10.

It’ll take a long time, but Missionary sent to Constantinople

[Abe Sargent]

3 Mar, 1554 – I send the Sao Tome colonists to Bahia, south f Sergipe

1 June –

Passamaquoddy – Fur in the woods of this 5 development, Tuscan, Catholic hold in Maine at the furthest extension of the grant given by the Pope. It was given to New Athens.

1 July – Our ruler gains the Zealot trait and that increases his missionary strength a bit

1 Sept –

Sao Tome – In the same state as Rio, jungle, Tropical Wood, 0.22 made here 6 dev, Tuscan and Catholic

1 Oct – Luanda is a Slave Trading province

11 Oct – I invest some MIL tech to squelch harshly revolt from the missionary in Constantinople

I pull colonists from Sergipe to send them to the Brazilian border with I suspect that Portugal is about ot step over. It’s not wealthy, but it can draw a line in the sand, hopefully – it’s Rio Grade do Sol


12 Feb, 1555 – Karasi converts

1 Mar – The Grain Coast is Dyes

1 May – Hudavindigar is now a Catholic province!

I order a Textile Manufactory here

21 June – The Pope dies and the new one is loyal to Spain

27 July – The Netherlands declared independence from Burgundy


23 Sept - Kocaeli converts!

[Abe Sargent]

1 May, 1556 – We announce the annexation of Lucca is underway


18 May – I pull my colonists from Luanda next to Kongo and Benguela, and then send them to Adai, which is to the east of my big Mississippi delta. I want to get the rest of the Louisiana colonial region from the expanding Portugal in Mexico.

1 July – Great News

Sergipe – 8 Dev, Drylands, Coffee, Tuscan and Catholic, part of the same state as Pernambuco, 0.20 made here after it was given away

We are given Brazil by the Pope and we have enough holdings here to make a colonial nation. That will increase my speed here in Brazil.

I name my new Nation Athenian Brazil


1 Dec – Sugar in Bahia

2 Mar, 1557 – As is Sugar in Rio Grande do Sol


I see some great expansion opportunities near my holdings ar Surat.

Here:

https://i.imgur.com/ioNY9Jk.jpg


This is where I am at right now, and I also just zoomed in for you – this is Surat, my local trading company. Now I just allied with Ifar, to replace Lucca, and that’s the blue three province here. As soon as they are at peace, I’ll grab a nearby Post with them, and I will continue to make nice with White, who is Junagarh from whom I purchased Surat and with whom I have continued to help out financially. Meanwhile, to my rear are Vijayanagar and their holdings, and they don’t like me anymore. So I am going to build up Surat, and grab some nearby trading posts, building a castle - here and another 5k troops or so. Enough to through my weight around if needed.

After that happens, I wouldn’t be surprised to see me bring Ifar into my umbrella. The great and friendly Athens!

8 August – Constantinople Converts!

I pull my colonists from Bahia and send them to the Peruvian Coast at Camana

7 Dec – Ifar is now at peace

31 Dec – I purchase Daman from them for 625, that’s to the south of my holdings. It’s a nice Cloth province. It’s in the same state as my first one at Surat, although I’ve not Stated them. (You lose the trading post if you do)

[Abe Sargent]

1 Jan, 1558 –

Grain Coast – 3 dev, Jungle, Dyes, Fetishist, Dyola, part of my Guinea state here, just make us 0.21 but I have ordered a Missionary here.




1 Feb, 1558 –

Bahia – Jungle, Coastal, Brazil, 10 dev, Tuscan, Catholic, Sugar, National Harbor, makes us 0.18 after being handed to our colonial nation


13 Mar – Our ruler has passed, and his heir is just


1 April -

Luanda – 6 Dev, Savannah, next to Benguela and multiple Kongolese holdings, Slaves, Tuscan, Catholic, part of my state of Angola, 0.52 made here


1 Sept – Lucca joins us!

Lucca – Tuscan, Catholic, Cloth, Farmland, natural harbor, Textile Manufactory, Marketplace, Workshop, Church, Dock, Courthouse, Shipyard, next to Milan and Genoa, it makes 1.66 off 30 development.

I go ahead and begin to build a spy network in Milan as I want to bring it’ Tuscan provinces under my aegis

We got their 7k troops and 10 ships

1 Oct – Adai is just going to be good for Fish, nothing more

19 Nov – Grain Coast converts and next is a Culture Shift

21 Feb, 1559- I recall my colonists to Rio Grande and send them to Matsulo, which is next to Imhambane on the coast. I need to lock out the rest of Africa. Brittany is colonized the Gold Coast and Cape Coast, France is in Fernando Po and such. I need to move to lock out major holdings elsewhere.


I also pull colonists from Adai and send them to South Africa next to Cape in Swellendam.


1 April –

Admin Tech 14 – I get another Group of Ideas, and can build Plantations


DIP Tech 14 – I can build Trade Stations and the Galleass vessel

It’s a big month!

That’s a LOT of stuff. Plantations are the manufactories that double production for everything grown of value – Sugar, Coffee, Cocoa, Cotton, Tobacco, Tea. As you’ve seen, that’s a lot. The Trade Station is double anything that’s traded, such as Furs, Slaves, Spices, and Ivory. Again, that’s a lot of muh stuff!

I start with my most valuable. Ivory and Cocoa.


Plantation in Pernambuco

Trade Station – Mombasa, Angoche

I am currently making 38 cash monthly, so that’s around 456 annually, so I can save up enough for one manufactory annually!

I still have around 500 to save for my next trading post that I don’t want to mess with



1 Dec – I claim Pisa from Milan.

1 Feb, 1560 – Rio Grande do Sol – 5 dev, marsh, Brazil, next to Portugal, Tuscan, Catholic, Sugar, been handed to the colonial overlord.


6 Feb- I have to pay more because we have others from them here, but I expand our trading post into Bharuch, another Silk province out here.

I order a Trade Station out in Louisiana

11 Oct – A new Pope is elected

23 October – WHOA!

The Pope has excommunicated Milan

I have permission to remove them from the map, or at least take their Tuscan holdings. I jack up my army funding to 100%

11 Nov – I use my Great Power ability to force Austria to break their alliance with Milan. Neither of them like this and it hurts relations and gives Milan a CB, but it’s worth it.

[Abe Sargent]

1 April, 1561 Camana is Cocoa

4 May, 1561 – Grain Coast is Tuscan (I order a Textile M here)
1 July – Everything’s ready. I have 17k troops now in Lucca, I moved an army to Verona, and we are ready to go. My navy is combined and off the coast.


I declare war on Milan

I am not, initially, calling on any of my allies. I should be able to handle this on my own, they have around 25k troops

14 July – I capture 6 ships from our foes

6 Aug – We take Pisa – this forces their main navy to emerge

12 Aug – Brescia is ours by Verona

18 Aug – I have routed their forces off the coast

19 Aug – I arrive at Firenze

20 Aug – I arrive at their capital

22 Aug – Their main force is in Lucca beising us

15 Nov - I capture Parma

26 Nov – I assault and take Firenze, I move to their capital

21 Dec – They retake Pisa

27 Dec – We take Siena



6 Jan, 1562 – I retake Pisa

18 Jan - They retake Parma

30 Jan – We arrive at their capital and I blitz an attack


1 Feb – Swellendam is Livestock

14 Feb – Their capital falls and I order an assembled assault on Lucca

29 Mar – We break the siege.

16 April - I have an 86% warscore.

What I can I get?

I don’t need to really push against Milan. I just want the Tuscan stuff.

I take the three Tuscan holdings, one other holding for geometrical needs, War Reparations and about 500 in cash

Milan is no longer eligible to be our rival so I select Vijayanagar.


https://i.imgur.com/E17X8P0.jpg

Here is the new area we spread too. You can see my cash is +31.52 if I have 100% army funding and it’ll drop there quickly.

You can see my four captures here with Lucca from my vasal next to Lucca, and then the other three Tuscan holdings in Pisa, Siena, Firenze, and then Modena is there as well connecting Lucca and walling off the area.

All are Tuscan and Catholic unless otherwise stated, as well as 40% autonomy.

Pisa – Wine, farmlands, natural harbor, 19 development, Shipyard, Regimental Cap, Workshop, Marketplace are here, we get 0.82 in cash



Siena – 20 dev, farmlands, Glass trade, making 0.90, all o the building as above plus a Church.


Firenze – 31 development, Castle, Church, Marketplace, emporium for an internal trade center (It’s Florence), Wine makers, hills, 0.96 made here for us


Modena – Hills, 12 Dev, Romagnan culture, Livestock with a Farm Estate, Camp and Church, 0.25 cash, this is under 75% autonomy instead


Alright!

My post-war cash is heading to:

Natchitoches, north of my holdings in Louisiana to lock it in as the Portuguese are next to me

[Abe Sargent]

22 June – I grant military access to the Papal States

5 July – Mexico is granted to Portugal by the Pope

I pull colonists from Swellendam and Matsolo and I send them to Mtetwa, south of Matsolo, Comoros Island north of Madagascar and Lesser Namaqualand. I need to cut them off from rounding Africa as fast as I can. France’s Fernando Po extension is up and running and they are scary here.

Here let me show you how crowded it is here:

https://i.imgur.com/AYKQCJL.jpg

Here we have our holdings in Guinea and south of Kongo, as well as Spain in Sao Tome islands and above us in Guinea. Meanwhile Great Britain is in those two mainland provinces between Kongo and Benin/Bonoman. You have two colonies by Brittany south of Bonoman on the coast. France is in Ferdinando Po and scouting around Cape right now with an explorer. I have to lock these folks out. Period.

Now I have most of the ones you want, I just need to finish off, and then I want to grab various Indian Ocean islands to prevent them from jumping across that way to the Indies and such.

But the most important thing is to get here. Now grabbing Ivory Coast next to us in or Gabon, the two remaining open places aren’t really doing anything. I need to stop the next jump after these. These have to be a one of. I am playing colonial defense.


I order Plantations in Mauritius and Ile de Bourbon, then focus on the colonial war

1 October – Tropical Wood in Matsolo

1 Dec - The Commonwealth broke their alliance with us

[Abe Sargent]

1 Feb, 1563 – Adai – next to my Mississippi Delta holding, Marsh, fishing, 4 development, coastal, east of Portugual’s Mexico, just 0.35 made from the Tuscan Catholics


18 March – I get a bonus immigrants in Swellendam

26 June – I purchase Tanga from Kilwa, it’s next to Mombasa and part of that state. I order a Trade Station here for the Ivory it makes


31 Aug – I order a Farm Estate in Pisa after it’s been cored

16 Oct – The other three are cored. But I’m out of cash for upgrades and such for now

2 Feb, 1564 – I pull the colonists in Lesser Namaqualand and Metetwa and send them to Natal and Graaff-Reinet


1 May – Our Golden Era has ended. So sad.

Camana – Cocoa, 5 development, Highlands, on the Peruvian coast, 0.29 made here.


This gives me my home for colonizing all points north.

Friesland has set up a colony in the Ivory Coast

1 Sept – I send colonists to Xhosa – this will complete all of the South African coastals

1 Dec – Our truce with the Turks and Tunis has expired. I grabbed a few claims here and there but I don’t expect another major battle anytime soon barring them coming my way

[Abe Sargent]

1 May 1565 –

Swellendam – Steppes, coastal – east of Cape, Tuscan, Catholic, Livestock, 0.36 made here monthly

We have grain in Lesser Namaqualand

25 May – Bohemia declares war on the Turks and I join them. The Commonwealth joins them as well

3 June -I defeated their small navy in the Aegean and captured a trioof ships

11 June - I being a siege in Sugla

15 Aug- I take a minor

11 Sept 0 I begin to siege Ankara

15 Nov – Sugla falls before us

1 Dec – Mtetwa is Tropical Wood

12 Feb, 1566 – We capture Ankara

19 Feb – We win a naval battle off Anatolia when one of their provinces was captured by the Bohemian forces

24 April – Three more minors fall to us

13 July – Two more minors fall.

11 Aug – Another falls and their navy heads back out to face ours

23 Aug – I defeat their navy and capture 3 vessels

1 Nov – Ceara is with Sugar

10 Nov – Another minor is ours in Turkey

16 Nov - I pull my army off from a siege as a big 35k army looms towards me


25 Dec – Russia has formed

[Abe Sargent]

1 Jan, 1567 – Our heir has come of age and he gains some strong fighting stats. I make him a general and he’s better than anyone else at my disposal here. I hand him my Venetian army and get him drilling.

21 Jan – They scissor my army and I lose a big battle

9 Feb – The Ottomans are pushing back and have retaken three minors from our coalition

I am not in charge of this war, Bohemia is, but I would call it. They want holdings in Eastern Europe. I don’t need anything here, Turkey is hard to manage, and I don’t want something I didn’t plan for and could hold.

I’m staying in, but this is where Bohemia should pull out.

1 April – We embrace the Printing Press, thsis drops my tech needs. We’ll get some tech and such post-war

1 May – Vijayanagar is no longer a valid rival for us

15 May – The Commonwealth asked to be our ally again and I agree. The Triangle Alliance Forever!!!

1 July – Natal is going to be a Gold making province!

My army has recovered and I order it back into the fray

6 July – They take re-siege Adana back from us

22 July – I accept a request for military access from Saxony

5 Aug – Because of all of my colonies and my war costs, we are currently losing around 40 cash monthly. I start War Taxes to help pay.

1 Sept – Graaff-Reinet will be good at growing grain

7 Sept – I retake a minor

12 Oct – Another minor falls and I move to help Saxony besieging Sinop

1 Nov –

Matsolo – South of Inhambane, 10 development, jungle, coastal, tropical wood, Catholic, Tuscan, and makes us 0.53 monthly after I elevate the state it’s in, Natal. It shares that state with Mtetwa and Natal proper, plus an inland province at Limpopo, which you always want to do because of it’s very, very high chance for gold/gems compared to other places.

23 Nov - Adana and others are getting recaptured and Bohemian forces and their allies have broken the Turkish reinforcements. The Triangle Alliance has more than 150k troops on our side here on the Peninsula including two of my armies at 40k,


2 Dec – I claim Vanni, on Sri Lanka, from Vijayanagar

1 Jan, 1568 – Natchitoches is with grain (in Louisiana)

16 Jan – I capture a minor

3 Mar – We have finished sieging Sinop and brought it under our flag

25 Apr – Another minor falls

2 May – Quelimane is now Tuscan

23 May – Our Queen passes

Peasant rebellions are breaking out allover the Turkish holdings.

1 June – Xhosa is with Gold as well

I think France is being very strategic with their grabbing of colonies for future heavy push. They have Greenland, and are colonizing South Georgia near Antarctica and near the Falklands which will give them a post for heading up South America particularly on the west side.

5 June – I combine my armies into one and move to hit Trebizond heavy where a bunch of enemy forces are.

31 July – I capture a minor in front of Trebizond and now move to the castle

25 Aug – We arrive, and I invest some MIL power to crack open their walls

27 Oct – Adana falls back to the Turks after their full force of 100k cracked it open

[Abe Sargent]

1 Jan, 1569 – They push hard; and have broken many holdings. Again, this is the time for peace.

22 Feb – We have captured Trebizond, but they have taken many things back here on Turkey.

1 Mar – Comoros Islands have Naval Supplies

1 May – I have fled from the major Turkish advance to Kars in the Caucuses and am beginning the fortress there,

2 Aug – Bohemia retook Adana

17 Sept – I claim another Vijayanagar holding

25 Oct – We have captured Kars

The warscore is pretty high I can’t imagine Bohemia would want to keep this up for too much longer.

20 Nov – Bohemia’s roughly 80k defeated the Turk’s roughly 70k in a month long battle in Adana

1 Dec –

Natchitoches – the top of the three-state Louisiana, this forest province has 6 development, farming, makes us 0.40 and it is Catholic and Tuscan.

I send these colonists to Rio Grande in Brazil. The next place I want to African up is to grab the easy Brazilian coasts and that is obvious as its near the tip.

Our military advisor passes and I hire a new level 3 one that increases my land forcelimit by 10%

15 Jan, 1570 – I capture a minor province after winning a battle

22 Feb – I grant military access to Brandenburg

27 Feb – I begin the siege of another castle

22 Apr – A 2 month long campaign with each side tossing in more troops and each side having more than 100k troops was won by us.

1 May

Lesser Namaqualand – Grain, South African holding, Steppes, next to Cape, and part of its state, 4 dev, Catholic, Tuscans making us 0.17 monthly


With my war taxes and the few colonies dropping, I am now making money again, although just 0.30 cash monthly.

8 June – I capture the fort. The war score is 74 and my people are calling for peace. If I can’t convince Bohemia to call it, I doubt know what I can do but to call it and make my own peace with 27 score.

So Bohemia needs to call it.

1 July –

Mtetwa – 3 Dev, tropical wood, coastal, jungle, connects Matsolo with Natal, Tuscan, Catholci, and sends us 0.26

Natal – GOLD!!! 2.30 made monthly for us in this tropical, coastal, jungle, Tuscan Province that connects Mtetwa and Xhosa


Now I am making cash at about 33 monthly.

I pull my colonists at Comoros and send them to Mahe, the next Island into the Ocean


4 Nov – We finish another siege

[Abe Sargent]

28 Nov – Peace is made:

https://i.imgur.com/BxQWexu.jpg

There you are. Busy screen I know!

So here is what happened. The Bohemians grabbed some stuff, and gave us Sugla in Turkey. You can see the numbers there for losses on each side having lost around 300k forces. We got Sugla, the Commonwealth a holding, and Bohemia five.

Sugla – This main Turkish province is the strait that connects Scio to their nation, it features a fort, Church, workshop, natural harbor, and marketplace. Turkish and Sunni. I’ll move my Sigo army to Sugla. It has cotton, 10 dev, and just 0.11 sent to us,

I didn’t want this war or this province and the big badboy that came with it, but my ally needed me, so that’s fine.

NEXT TECH:

MIL 14 – I can get better cavalry

I mothball my forts and transports

[Abe Sargent]

2 Jan, 1571 – I send colonists to Hollhavi, the next island in the Indian Ocean. And Cocos Island, the next after it. They are going to take a while to get to (more than a year)



New Idea Group Thoughts

Trade to increase my trade power and cash

Admin to, eventually, get more states when it’s finished

Maritime to push my navy even further

Quality to strength my army (and there are a few naval bonuses in there too)

Diplomatic to strength my diplomacy options

I’m going back forth between Admin and Dip. Hmmm…

I do Dip Ideas

I grab +1 Diplomat and +1 Dip Relations from the first bit of it

This is a hard administration to administer internationally, and it takes time for diplomats to head back as well as I need to be making nice with a number of folks Right now I’m making nice with Ming China, and then I have folks like Malindi, Sofala, Kongo, Kilwa, Ifar, Orissa, Junagarh, Malacca, Chimu, Majaphit and Pasai that I am making nice because I am near them or see them as potential future trading post folks. Then Bohemia, Portugal, The Commonwealth, my three colonial nations, and building spy networks and such. I need a 4th Diplomat and more relations.


I can also enact a government reform

My options can give me:

+5 states

OR

-10% minimum autonomy in territories

I like that latter one – as you can get more cash and such from that. But the states one is just so good. I enact L’Etat ces Moi!

11 January – Trebizond has won it’s freedom and its all by itself. I offer it an alliance. Of course they accept. I will look to build my relations, vassalize it, and then annex later.

1 April –

Ceara – 7 dev, natural harbor, Sugar, drylands, next to rio Grande, Brazilian coast, 0.1 made here

28 May – Royal Marriage with Trebizond

30 June – I proclaim a guarantee for Trebizond

31 July – I send 100 ducats to Trebizond

17 Aug – Brandenburg break their military access request

1 Sept –

Ezorongondo – This small fishing hold on the African Coast is part of our Angolan state. It has fishing, three dev, Tuscan, Catholic, coastline, and makes us a mighty 0.17 monthly


I influence nation Trebizond

11 Sept – Great News! After maxing our relations, we have announced that Ifar is now our vassal. This Sikh state will be our great new light in the region!

17 Nov =Karou is now Tuscan

[Abe Sargent]

2 Jan, 1572 – Brittany is being very clever with colonization. They aren’t coming after a place that was granted by the Pope to us in Brazil or Eastern US or Portugal in La Plata or Mexico or Spain in Canada. Nope! Instead they are colonizing Columbia, where Cartagena is.

1 April – Rio Grande is with Sugar Grande

Graaff-Reinet – on the South African coast between Xhosa and Swellendem. 6 Dev, Steppes, part of the Cape of Good Hope state, Tuscan, Catholic, .38 sent monthly


1 Jan, 1573 –

Xhosa – Gold, Highlands, coastal, connects Graaff-Reinet and Natal. 3 dev, 1.90, Tuscan, catholic, part of Cape state.

Comoros – This island chain is north of Madagascar, 3 development, Naval Supplies, coastline, Tuscan, Catholic, not a state yet (part of Mozambique state). 0.02 sent to me for now…


I pull colonists from the Indian Islands to send to Brazil at Ilhaus, Porto Seguero (these connect our holdings at the tip with the developing Rio area) and Parnaiba (this is poor and connected Maranhao and Ceara)

These three will help to shore up the area.

Right now, with just four colonies, I am making 77 gold monthly at 100% funding for my army and navy.

17 Jan – We announce that Trebizond has agreed to be our vassal!

2 April, The Mamluks are now at war with the Turks


29 July – Sugla is now a core! I order a Missionary here

1 Aug – DIP IDEA #3 -I get -33% war exhaustion

11 Nov – I set up a trade outpost in Mozambique, the province we had talked about. Because it’s next to another, we have to spend twice as much as normal, and I send them 1250 ducats for it.

Mozambique – Coastline, 16 Dev, in the same state as Comoros, and Angoche, which we already have, Ivory, currently sending us 0.28 monthly. I order a Trade Station here to double it’s Ivory production – church and shipyard here as well

[Abe Sargent]

1 Jan, 1574 – We get ADM Tech 15 which just gives you Forced March


1 Feb – Mahe is now with Sugar.


19 April – Sofala keep annoying me with crap, like insults and such so I am going to stop influencing them and helping their tech and such development anymore. Right now I’ve worked overtime to keep my relations at +24 which is barely anything. I’ll let it drop, I don’t care anymore.

1 May – I have a rebellion of 12 in Sugla as we are converting them

22 May – Defeated

1 April, 1575 – Hollhavi is now with Tea

1 May – Porto Seguro with Sugar


15 May – I sell the institution to the Commonwealth and making a ton of money monthly for ten years or until it’s done. It’ll help with our cash problem as I have lots of colonies right now

Right now with 7 colonies I am getting around 50 cash, so I can set up some more.

I pull Colonists off Parnaiba and send them to Caddo which is inland north of Louisiana where Portuguese Mexico is spread fast to keep them out of Louisiana.

I pull colonists off Porto Seguero and sent them to Santee in the Eastern US to stop another key place to potentially settle in that region.


28 May – I get an event that increases the cost of Tea and Sugar worldwide by 25% it’s the ongoing normal price fluctuations, and as demand for Tea rises, both rise as well, and this lasts forever.

Because it happened under my watch and from my provinces , I get hundreds of cash and other good stuff too.

20 June – I fabricate a claim on one of the two holdings on Sardinia from Spain

17 Aug – Sugla converts

1 Nov – Ilhaus is with Coffee

1 Dec – I claim the other half of Sardinia

Friesland is in South America.

Cocos Island is going to be a good place for growing Coffee

[Abe Sargent]

1 Jan, 1576 – We now lead the world in Coffee traded, and that gives us a small bonus - +5% institution spread.

6 Jan – I pay some cash in an event to bring 200 settlers to Mahe

I purchase

Textile Manufactory in Baruch; Plantations in West Timor, Flores and Lombok,

Future Targets for Expansion:

These are my current plans for military expansion:

Mantua – This two province holding will link my Venetian and Tuscany holdings in Italy, ,and it includes Mantua and Ferrara, both of whom have strong economic value. They are allied with The Papal States, Alsace, and Nuremberg


Sardinia and Sicily – Remembering my goal to be a Thassalocracy, taking these two wealthy islands from Spain makes a lot of sense as well. Spain can keep things like their mainland stuff, I’d only want those two islands (and mayyyybe Malta).

Turks – The only holdings I see myself grabbing from the Turks are former Mamlukian ones on the coast like Aleppo or Adana. I don’t want too much here.

Genoa – The capital of Genoa is next door, and that is a wealthy, great, port of call. Bringing it in when I have Lucca next to it makes a lot of long-term sense. They are allied with the Papal States. They also have Corsica and a holding next to Genoa that’s very well developed too -

I start working on a spy network in Genoa so I can claim it
14 May – I get an event about the growth of the Ivory Trade and Mombasa’s base production rises by 2

1 June – DIP IDEA 4 – I get +25 relations.

22 June – A new Pope was elected

29 June - The Ottomans took a ton of stuff from the Mamluks.

This is why the Turks are still threat. They are expanding south and east massively, and thus as we carve off a few provinces in the Balkans or my four in Turkey proper, they are just restocking from weaker foes.

Here let me show you the map right now:


https://i.imgur.com/ksjyEhP.jpg

The Ottomans are a major blob now, they’ve just moved. Bohemia has surrounded their final two holdings in Bulgaria, and you can see how they’ve moved south into wealthy place, and east into the Caucasian mountains and grabbing up Babylon and such.

We are not checking them there, so they aren’t getting hurt too much and those of is in the Triangle Alliance can’t get too comfortable

1 Aug – Parnaiba is with coffee

[Abe Sargent]

1 Feb – 1577 –

Rio Grande – Brazilian, coastal, drylands, Sugar, 7 development, next to Ceara, near the top of the area, Sugar, 0.22 made here from Tuscan Catholics after it’s handed over to Athenian Brazil

16 Feb – After being alone and without a queen for a while, the King has gotten distracted at court as he misses his wife. I have four options, and I choose to have him through himself at the nation. For the next 10 years, as long as he is alive, we get -15% admin tech costs, but +5% MIL and Dip

11 Mar – I force some folks to break their alliance with Mantua.

1 May – We claim Genoa, and our truce with Milan has expired.

7 July – I declare war on Mantua. They are joined by their ally the Papal States.

19 July – My Venetian army routs theirs in Ferrara and begins the siege of Ferrara

22 July – I begin a siege of their capital with my Tuscan army

6 Aug – Spain announces me as their Rival

18 Aug – The Papal States are besieging Firenze

1 Sept –

Mahe – Island, Catholic, Tuscan, part of the same state that Ile be Bourbon and Mauritius are, 5 dev, coastline, Sugar, makes us 0.36 monthly.


20 Sept – After combining my armies (I left behind a siege unit) I defeat the large Papal State army – OI lost 5k troops

1 Oct -Caddo in Louisiana is going to be good a growing grain

17 Oct – We take Ferrara

22 Oct – I rout the navy after it flees Ferrara and capture 3 vessels.


1 Nov - Santee is going to be good at the fur trade

19 Nove – Firenze falls

13 Dec – The Papacy army arrives in Ferrara and begin to besiege it

30 Dec – Modena is theirs

9 Jan, 1578 – I drive them from Ferrara after splitting off my army

12 Jan – We take their capital

I now have a 43% war score and I can take one, or the other, but not both. I push back


21 Jan – My combined army wins a big battle against the Papal States

27 Jan – They take Pisa

28 Jan – One army begins a siege at Urbino

3 Feb – I begin a siege at Firenze

8 Mar – We capture Romagna

16 Mar – I win a big naval battle

4 Apr – Portugal declares war on a Mexican minor power and asks me to join so I do

1 May – Urbino falls

23 May – I retake Fireze.

I now have enough of a warscore to take my two holdings and remove Mantua from the map

[Abe Sargent]

1 June – I take our foe off the map.

I got a ton of badboy, so I need to cool off for a while no wars for a long time here.

That means I need to be a good boy.

I have two thoughts –

I stop building my Spy networks for Genoa and Spain. I can do that later if I need to.

I have 5 of 7 Diplomatic ties right now.

I offer an alliance to Genoa and the Papal States, who still love me even now.

The Papal States and Genoa are allies, and the States are the only allies of Genoa.

Both agree, and I am now in two triangle alliances where everyone loves each other – Genoa and the Papacy and Athens, and Bohemia, Athens, and the Commonwealth


https://i.imgur.com/IhNcqzN.jpg

Here’s the current map of Italy. As you can see, our two new holdings connect my Venetian ones in the upper right with my Tuscany ones in the left center. That’s important to have that link, and now I can move my troops around without needing to use transports.


I took the land as well as a few hundred ducats in peace.

Here are our new inclusions:

Ferrara – Coastal, farmlands, Romagnan, Catholic, the Po Estuary gives some bonus trade, Salt, had 17 development, makes us 0.30, is next to Verona, Mantua and Modena, has a fort, shipyard, naval equipment manufactory and marketplace. Once everything is up and running, I’ll tear down the shipyard for some better economic fun times


Mantua – Farmlands, Romagnan, Catholic, 32 development, makes us 0.40, has an emporium with is an center of trade internally, next to Ferrara, Modena and Verona, features a fort, farm estate for Livestock, church, courthouse, marketplace, workshop and church.



I use my reward cash to build a Farm Estate in Firenze for it’s Wine, and a Plantation for the Coffee in Havana

[Abe Sargent]

1 Aug –

Hollhavi – This Indian Ocean Island has 4 development, Tea, Tusca, Catholic, coastline area with 0.37 made after I elevated it- It’s in the same state as Cocos and Christmas island, and those are later

I pull my colonists in Santee and Caddo. Spain has been crossing the line in north into our space. I send some colonists up to get them to knock it off in Maine

27 Aug - Portugal is now at peace, and so are we

1 Dec – With the bonuses to tech reduction right now I can afford:

ADM TECH 26 – I can build the Mill which is the manufactory for Chinaware, Glass, Paper, Gems, and Tropical Wood.

Porto Seguero – This coastal province is in Brazil and it has Jungle, 8 dev, coastal, Sugar, 0.33 made from Catholic Tuscans and was given to my Colonial nation here .

I send these colonists to the unusual holding of Oiapoque. This is the end of my Brazilian and is next to Colombia, where Freisland has been colonizing. I want to put a line here, it’s not wealthy, but it should help to put a line in the metaphorical sand to keep Friesland out.

1 Jan, 1579 –

Ilhaus – This province, next to Porto Seguero, is another coastal one we wanted to take away. 7 development, Coffee, given to our colony, makes 0.30 in these coastal jungles.


Right now we just four colonies growing I am making a ton of cash – like 65/month. I would expect that to grow.

A gigantic war has erupted across Europe and pulled in the Turks and Tunis. None of our allies are involved directly although all of them are helping others, save for Portugal. It includes every major power in Europe (France, England, Spain, Austria, Commonwealth, Bohemia, Burgundy, Milan, Netherlands, Russia, etc. But not Denmark, Portugal or Athens.


26 May – At the age of 72, our ruler has passed.

His heir:

Francesco III, 27 not married nor with an heir, Bold Fighter

I spend almost 200 ADM to boost my stability back up to +3 after it fell

I take on the Title of Emperor which increases my prestige. As a result, all Latin cultures are now accepted in our realm

15 June – Royal Marriage with Trebizond

1 July –

Cocos Island – In the Indian Ocean, Dev of 3, tropical coastline with Coffee. 0.22 made here

12 July – Royal Marriage with Bohemia

1 Sept –

Parnaimba – This holding on the Brazilian coast has 3 dev, Savanna, Coffee, connected two holdings, was given to our colonial folks, and sends us 0.12

I pull back my colonists from Penobscot in Maine after setting up the line of demarcation and send them to Mayaimi in southern Florida (Miami).


11 Sept – Royal Marriage with Portugal

27 Sept – Mantua is a core and now sends us 0.46 monthly

None of my other allies are marriageable so I send marriage proposals elsewhere.

7 Oct – Austria RM

20 Oct – RM :Denmark? Yes, now we have a consort for the Emperor of Athens

I get an alliance offer from Denmark. I might as well, sure

1 Nov – DIP IDEA 5 – I get +2 Dip Reputation

28 Nov 0 Ferrara is now a core and they are sending me 0.47 monthly

[Abe Sargent]

1 Jan, 1580 – I order a Mill built in Treviso

21 Mar – Sierra Leone is now Tuscan

1 August –

Santee – Savannah, furs, Santee estuary which gives some trade bonuses, Catholic, Tuscan, in the New Athens colony, 0.23 sent to us

In case you were wondering, most of the time when I set up a new colony I am sending over an army to deal with the natives. All of the places where I’ve been doing colonies for a while are near me, so Ican dispatch my folks to the new colony, kill the locals, and then move on. That’s also why you haven’t seen any Native Assimilation events either.



12 Oct A new pop was elected

31 Oct – Coffee has dropped in value as its more available on the market

1 Nov – I order a Mill in Siena

7 Nov – I grant France military access

1 Jan, 1581 –

MIL TECH 16 – I can get much better infantry

1 May – Sokoki is with Livestock

1 June – Oiapoque is with fish

1 Nov – I order a Mill in Constantinople

[Abe Sargent]

1 Mar, 1582 –

Caddo – This island province is north of my holdings in Louisiana, and is next to Portugal’s Mexican colonial nation – savanna, grain farm, 3 dev, not a state still a territory, just makes us 0.02.

I pull my colonists in Oiapoque and send them to Bayougoula, in the Gulf Coast next to my Louisiana holdings.

1 Apr – Mayaimi with Cotton

I order Culture changes to Tuscan in Kocaeli, Hudavindagar, and Karasi

1 May – I order a Mill in East Timor

21 May – I get an event that sends 200 colonists to Sokoki for 50 cash

1 June – Penobscot is going to be a Fur trading post.

10 Sept – My truce with Milan has passed

1 Oct – Mill in Matsolo

8 Nov – I send colonists to Arequippa in Peru next to my current colonies France is here and I want to establish a boundary

17 Nov – We have a new heir. He’s not great -4/3/0. But he’s there!


1 Jan 1583 – I order a Mill in Venice

1 Feb – Dip Ideas 6 – Province War Score Cost Reduced by -20%

19 April – The mass war is over with Catholics winning and Catholicism becoming the main religion of the HRE

We get a Catholic Nation bonus with bonuses to our unrest, prestige, legitimacy and such

2 May – I pull colonists from Bayougoula and send them next door to Biloxi

1 Aug –

We announce the annexation of Ifar!!!

We expect it to take around 2 years

15 Aug – Our truce with Tunis and Ottomans expired

21 Sept – Our Queen passes

1 Dec – Our military advisor passes and I hire a new level 3 advisor who reduces our land maintenance cost

[Abe Sargent]

1 Feb, 1584 – I order a Mill in Sumbawa

29 May – I get a Good Harvest Event and more than 1500 cash is put into my treasury

I order: Plantation in Mahe; Cocos and Hollhavi

1 June

Sokoki – 4 dev, Mountains, Livestock, in New Hampshire, inland, next to Spain in multiple places.

These colonists head to Nazca in Peru on the coast next to my existing folks. This will close out the three holdings in Peru here.


1 July – Our level 3 navigator passes. I replace him with a level 3 Governor who increases our tariffs from colonies by 10%

1 June, 1585

Bayougoula is with Furs

Oiapoque – 3 dev, Tuscan, Catholic, Jungle, Fish, given to my colonial folks, just put here to be a line against Friesland expansion here.



1 July – We have annexed Ifar!

1 got 4k troops I am moving over.

Let me zoom in here for you



https://i.imgur.com/PATWjkN.jpg



Alright here is this area. All of my provinces here are Sikh, by the by. Next to Juhnpahr and I expect to pick up another Trading Post from them soon, and that will likely be my last Post here.

Here are all five of my holdings here, updated for today:

Baroda – Sikh, Gujarati, 13 dev, Grasslands, Dyes, tropical, autonomy of 60% despite being in a State, I order a Textile Manufactory here for the Dyes. We just brought this in. I also cut my autonomy by 25% but raise unrest. I am now making 0.86 without the manufactory, with 35% auto, and with Sikh and a non-accepted Culture. Imagine what this will be like once it’s up and running

I actually promote Guajarati to an accepted culture. That increases Baroda to 0.95.

Mahikantha – Sikh, Gujarati, 24 Dev, this was their capital. Cloth, Textile Manufactory, church, I order a workshop built, 1.04 made here. Already.


Bharuch – Grasslands, Silk, Textile M, 2.16 now that I’ve made Gujarati accepted, Grasslands, etc.


Surat – Ditto Bharuch whose value rose after accepting Gujarati. 2.36 made in this Silk, Manufactory, province. This was my initial holding here, a Trading Post picked up from Vijayanagar. I order the fort here to upgrade to level 2.

Daman – Hills, 16 dev, cloth, Sikh and Marathi, makes 1.34 for me. I order a Textile Manufactory here.

Right now these five provinces are sending me around 8 a month, and with the Manufactory and such about to be built will clock in at 9 or 10.

[Abe Sargent]

1 Sept – We get a new consort after renewing our marriage vows with Commonwealth

26 Oct – We announce the annexation of Trebizond has begun. The Turks are going to hate this! ��

1 Nov – Livestock in Arequippa

1 April, 1586 –

Mayaimi – This 5 dev province at the base of Florida is Catholic, Tuscan, Cotton growing, and in the hands of our colonial nation making us 0.04

I pull colonists from Biloxi and send them to Guale, south of us in Santee and such

1 July – Biloxi with Grain; Nazca with Gems

1 Aug – I finished my DIP Ideas

My 7th idea is to get a -10% Dip Tech cost.

When I finish the idea I can have a lowered stability and dip cost for my diplomatic actions.

For example, right now I have a Royal Marriage with Austria, while I was hunting for a spouse. RMs are considered a diplomatic contact. You are capped at a certain number, and anything above that cost you to lose 1 DIP power investment monthly. Well, I’ve been one over with that RM, so I want to cancel it. Normally that would come with a minor loss of prestige but also a loss of stability of 1. Now, I can cancel for just the prestige, so I do so.

Now if I want I can add some combined policies.

Dip + Naval will increase the ship surrender I battle by 33%. No thanks

Dip + Expansion can get me +10% global trade power and +1 Dip Reputation.

But this policy comes at a cost of 2 DIP power monthly, so no thanks. Actually I do, I replace Skilled Cartographers with it. Now there’s no change (Each are Dip policies)

1 Nov –

Penobscot – 6 dev, forest, coastal, Maine, Fur, Tuscan, catholic, colonial, 0.12 made

5 Nov – I join a minor battle in East Black Sea when called by my ally in Commonwealth


12 Nov – I order a Farm Estate in Natchitoches.


I pull my colonists from Arequipa and send it to Brazil in Amapa, west of Oiapoque


18 Feb, 1587 – We are attacked by the minor warriors in Sugla.

27 Feb – We lose and retreat. I order my larger Constantinople army here.

8 May – We defeat the army besieging Sugla, I chase it to Scio

29 May – We rout their army

1 Dec – I send my colonists from Nazca to Alcantara, also on the Brazilian coast

[Abe Sargent]

17Jan, 1588 – the two province strong Malindi has become my new ally, over on the cast of east Africa

21 Feb – I win a battle at Constantinople against these minors

1 April

Arequippa – South of our holdings in Camana, and on the Peruvian coast, and with 6 dev, livestock, Coastal Desert, making 0.60 and I have ordered a Farm Estate here. To the south is an unclaimed land in La Plata for Portugal, but then one over is Portugal. This is part of the state of the Peruan Coast which is also Camana and Nazca

22 June – The Commonwealth is now at peace and has gained some cash and such

17 Sept – I purchase a trading post in Tidore for 1015, which is more than normal. This was picked up from Ternate.

Tidore – Spice Island in the Halmahera Sea, has a strait connection in Halmahera. Shipyard, Church, Marketplace, Workshop, 24 Dev, coastline, tropical, Spices. I order the Shipyard deconstructed and a Trade Station here. Moluccan and Animist. We are getting 0.72 off it right now from 75% autonomy. It will be a Spice Trading treasure later!

1 Oct – I own the Glass trading market and have gained the Glass trading bonus of -5% Dip tech cost.

2 Nov – I order the culture of Constantinople to be moved back to its original Greek

We are vying with Friesland for the coastal area in Colombia. I push myself near Cartagena

26 Nov – I get an event where 200 settlers move from Goule to Bayougoula

11 Jan, 1589 – The Spanish Canadian colonial nation is losing a war, badly, with the local tribes.


I send the Sioux, Cree and Hurons war subsides

1 March –

Bayougoula – 5 dev, Furs,Cath, Tuscan, 0.15 made. See below.


We have enough territory in the area that we now have the colonial nation here that I name Athenian Bayou.

We are ceded Louisiana by the Crown!


3 Mar – After the natives burned down the Spanish colony in Missisquoi, I send in my colonists.

I have two colonial defense problems I need to worry about.

Here, let me show you a map of the Americas right now

https://i.imgur.com/aMMaIgL.jpg

This is the key area. Do you see Portugal in La Plata and in Mexico? Around Panama is Brittany, and around Suriname is Friesland, and then France is heavy on the coast of South America

So there are two problems.

The first is France and others here. I have successful blocked folks from coming around Africa through the Indian Ocean to the Indies to set up shop. Good job!

But I can’t do the opposite.

I can’t stop them from crossing the Pacific. France is smart. They grabbed Greenland and near Antarctica and the tip of the cape to send them up the west coast of South America, and they have done so. How long will it take for them to head west? They can easily grab a single island, and then another, and soon they are in the area I fought to protect. Meanwhile Portugal is colonizing Galapagos, and I should have grabbed it. My bad

That’s the first issue. I cannot defend the Indies from the pacific. Plus, I also can’t fast-colonize them as I am doing in Americas or Africa, as it can take 2 years to set up a colony. I only have 3 colonists!

Meanwhile, my 2nd issue is the west coast of America.

I always thought in the back of my head that I would set up in California. Then I could create a state out there much like Louisiana, Eastern US, Caribbean and Brazil. Makes sense, right!

What is Portugal doing in Galapagos? That’s a BIG question for me.

If they are just getting to a place from where they can hit the western part of Mexico more quickly, then that makes sense. However, if they see Galapagos as a way to grab California, then we are in a world of problems.

It will be rough for me to do all of the following:

Defend South America from Friesland,

Defend northern Eastern US from Spain

Defend Louisiana from Portugal

Defend Eastern US and close off all coastal areas as I did with Africa and mostly Brazil

Grab California unmolested

Defend against crossing across the Pacific.

Defend the Indies.



Something has to give? I can’t do it all with three little colonists.

In fact, some of these nations have more colonists than me, such as Portugal or Spain with 4. They have an internal idea that hooks them up

I need to do the following:

Take Miwok (L.A.) in California. It’s the most valuable areas in the region and would be the obvious place to set up shop in California

Take Rapanui in the Pacific Ocean to help keep folks from crossing the Pacfic. Take Hawaii. Tuamoti and Soceity, and that will likely slow down and halt any major island hopping heading west.

Rapanui is the most important.

So Miwok and Rapanui

[Abe Sargent]

1 April – We annex Trebizond!

Trebizond – Pontic, Orthodox, level 2 fort which I order upgraded, 22 power, Naval Supplies, Mountains, on the Black Sea and surrounded by Turk lands, Marketplace, Workshop, Chruch, natural harbor, with 5 ships and 7k troops. 0.58 cash right now from it. I order some troops here



3 April - I recall my colonists at Amapa and send them to Miwok

1 May – I am now the lead trader in Cocoa. We get +5% manpower recovery speed

1 June –

Biloxi – Handed to Athenian Bayou, Savanna, 5 development, grain, Tucan, Catholics, 0.09 made here


I have set up my colony at Guajira in the disputed territory, and I pull it for Rapanui

28 June – We announce that Malindi has agreed to become our vassal!

I send two missionaries to India to convert them to Catholic

1 Aug – I have not invested in DIP TECH for such a long time due to my Diplomatic Idea group that I’ve fallen behind and it’ll be cheap for the next few updates

DIP TECH 15 - +50 max colonial range, +15 settler growth and I can improve some of my ships

6 Feb, 1590 -We are now at peace with Brandenburg

1 Mar – Alcantara is rocking the Coffee trade

19 Mar – I recall colonists from Missisquoi and I send them to the Tuamatu Islands

18 May – I have to supplement my colonists with Trading Posts.


1 July –

Nazca – North of Camana on the Peruvian cost, and next to the Wanka natives in Lima, and with Gems, Tuscan, Catholic, Coastal Desert, 4 dev, making us 0.36.


I begin to influence Wanka

1 Oct - Guale has cotton

15 Oct – Portugal declares war on some Peruvian minors and I join them to be nice. But go war in Mexico or La Plata! What are you doing?

11 Nov – My small army in Camana has taken a province in Cusco. I am ordering mercs


21 Dec – Another holding is mine

29 Dec – Bharuch converts!

[Abe Sargent]

2 Jan, 1591 - I pull my colonists from Rananui (Easter Island) and send them to Kumeyaay which is the top of Baja California and the lowest Californian holding in the area

4 Feb – A third falls and I order mercs and my normal 3k cavalry to their capital

1 April – Manhikantha converts

2 June – Culture change in Kocaeli and Karasi is finished!

11 August – I have taken the capital of Cusco. I don’t really want to war or be the great assholes of the world and I prefer peace fun times to this Portugal has been losing badly, but I have taken out one of the two nations

I offer peace for them to vassalize with me.

The four province minor accepts and is now my vassal. I expect Portugal to go for peace soon

1 Sept – My colonists arrive in the Tuamotu Islands and I send them to the Society ones

4 Sept – I purchase Jambi from Pasai for 967.

This is not a super-wealthy province, but it is nicely developed (which is why it cost more) and it’s in a good spot:


Jambi – Tropical, Jungle, Incense, 21 Dev, Sunni, Sumatran, Shipyard, Church, Workshop, I Order a marketplace here, 75% autonomy, on the island of Sumatra in the Indies and next to multiple open spots on the map.


Taking Jambi gets me to a good spot for expansion, and it basically says to anybody who looks that I am here on Sumatra, head elsewhere.

22 Dec – The Turks DOW the Mamluks

5 Jan, 1592 – Baroda converts!

1 Feb – Fur in Missisquoi

1 Mar – Guajira is with Cocoa

1 Sept –

Alcantara – Coffee, Jungle, Brazil, coastal, 4 dev, 0.16 made, Tuscan and Catholic


1 Oct – Feh Just Livestock in Miwok

1 Nov –

Guale – Cotton, Savanna, on the Eastern US Coast near Santee and such, 7 dev, sent to New Athens, Tuscan, Catholic, 0.21 cash made


14 Nov – Portugal lost one of their colonies to their foes here after I pulled out, in peace.

[Abe Sargent]

1 Feb, 1593 – Fish in the Tuamatu Islands

25 Feb – I pull my colonists from the Society Islands and send them to Magdalena

1 Mar –

Amapa – Jungle, tropical, Sugar, 3 dev, coastal, in Brazil, 0.12 made for us

6 June – Miwok gets a bonus 200 colonists from a Wave of Immigrants event.

1 Aug –

MIL TECH 16 – I can upgrade my artillery

1 Sept – Tropical Wood in Rapanui

28 Nov – Surat converts

24 Dec – I get an event that will connect me with +1 Dip Relations, so I can get another ally, or such, for ten years.

I enter into an alliance with Junagarh

11 Feb, 1594 - I send my Miwok folks to next door to Salinan

1 May –

Miwok – 10 development, Savanna, natural harbor, in a five set-state with two other colonies that I am working on in Salinan and Kumeyaay. Tuscan, catholic, Livestock, making me 0.63 monthly and I order a Church.

1 June – DIP TECH 16 – my trading, range, and efficiency improve

1 Aug – Livestock in Kumeyaay

22 Sept – I proclaim a guarantee on my new ally

[Abe Sargent]

The 150 Year Review!!!


Alright folks!

The Empire of Greece

Emperor Francisco III, 42 years old, Conqueror and Bold Fighter, 4/4/4

Heir, Francisco IV, 11 years old, 4/3/0

Allies: Denmark, Portugal, Papal States, Bohemia, Junagarh, Commonwealth, Genoa

Vassals – Malindi, Cusco

My navy – 31 big vessel Galleons; 61 trade protecting smaller vessels, Early Frigates; 66 Galley class Galleas; 30 transports – 188 ships total


My army – 168,000 troops; 65k infantry, 67k cavalry, 36k artillery

Current Colonies – Magdalena, Guajira, Kumeyaay, Rapanui, Society, Tuomotu, Missiquoi


We have almost 100 more cash monthly than Ming, and are top with 254.76

We have the best prestige

We have 0% inflation despite gold

At 1448, we have the most development in the world. Ming is next at 1301 and the Commonwealth 3rd with 1199.

At 48, we have the most techs by 1 over many nations, including Genoa, Austria, and the Commonwealth


We have finished 28 ideas, no one else has yet, although a few are at 27 – such as Brittany and Ming

We are one of seven Empires in the world. Ming China, Japan, Ottomans, Ethiopia, Karabakh and Yarkand are the others

We currently have the 4th highest score after the Ottomans, Commonwealth and Ming

We have 89 provinces, which makes us the 5th largest nation in size. Nations bigger include Ming, the Commonwealth and Russia

Our ten highest provinces by taxes:

Constantinople, 23.10
Venice, 20.64
Cape, 18.92
Rhodes, 18.92
Verona, 18.92
Treviso, 17.20
Quelimane, 17.20
Firenze, 17.20
Athens, 15.4
Mahikantha, 14.50


Our top ten (non-gold) provinces by production

Venice, 49.32
Sierra Leone, 42.32
Mombasa, 38.50
Treviso, 37.65
Constantinople, 36.10
Quelimane, 32.40
Bharuch, 29.34
Ile de Bourbon, 28.12
Mauritius, 28.12
Macedonia, 28.08

Three of my provinces, 2 mines, and 1 in my colonial nation of Chesapeake, are in the top ten production in the world (of those I know of)

I have the 2nd largest army in the world after Ming China

I have, by far, the biggest navy in the world, almost double Denmark at #2.

Athenian Caribbean is #3 in the world at 81 vessels. In case you care!


Trade Goods by Current Value:

5.25 – Paper
4.5 – Tobacco, Copper
4.0 – Dyes, Silk, Cocoa, Ivory
3.75 – Sugar
3.60 – Cloth, Cotton
3.5 – Furs
3.30 – Salt, Coffee
3.0 – Gems, Glass, Tropical Wood, Spices, Chinaware, Tea, Slaves, Iron
2.75 – Incense
2.50 – Wine, Livestock
2.00 – Naval Supplies, Fish, Grain
1.75 - Wool


You can see some things drop recently, such as Gems that dropped hard, and some, such as Tobacco, that jumped.

I get trading bonuses for both leading the world in trading the item and in trading at least 20% of it. I have those in Coffee, Tobacco, Cocoa, and Sugar.

I, or my colonies, are the production leader in Sugar, Coffee, Tobacco, Spices, Cocoa, Ivory, Glass, Silks, Dyes, Fish and Wine. I am the trade leader in some as well, but I am not at 20%. I am very close in Wine and Glass.


Great Powers

1. Athens
2. Commonwealth
3. Ming China
4. Great Britain
5. Ottomans
6. Spain
7. Bohemia
8. Denmark

[Abe Sargent]

Alright…MAP TIME


World map first


https://i.imgur.com/ACvGMLq.jpg

As you can see, I have a fun little world map here for you, and you can see a number of winners here, such as Denmark, Commonwealth and Bohemia in Europe.

Let’s check in on South America now as we’ve had some movement that you’ll want to see

https://i.imgur.com/TEmOoUC.jpg

Here’s a little closer. Notice how France and Portugal lost colonies and holdings on the west coast? They both warred with natives (France’s is happening now) and they had their stuff torched! So my jump over may have worked out. Portugal hasn’t leapt over me into Baja or CA or elsewhere so we are looking good there. Notice our small Peruvian coastal provinces, and the inland four province holding next to us is Cusco.


https://i.imgur.com/ywqfUQX.jpg

See how big Portugal’s Mexico has grown? It’s pretty sizeable! You can see us in CA, the Eastern US, and Louisiana. You can see France, Britain and Spain in Canada and the north. I still need to finish off some coastal holdings, but these are pretty poor ones at 3 or 4 dev in places like Florida and such. Why would Brittany or France or someone go right next to me in a place like this when they can build near theirs?



https://i.imgur.com/IWljm7t.jpg

Here’s a quick glimpse of Ye Olde Afrique for you. We are all over the edges here from Kongo to Sofala and then in the nearby islands too. You can see us in the coastal trading posts I have slowly grabbed, as well as our vassal Malindi there too.


https://i.imgur.com/hiJY3XM.jpg

And finally here’s India and the Indies. You can see us in the small area south of Mewar and near our newest ally in the white on the ocean. You can also see our new trading post on Sumatra in Jambi,, as well as our small but build-able trade zone. This is what it’s all about!


And there we have it!

[Abe Sargent]

14 Dec – We finish converting Daman

I pull my colonists at Magdelena and send it to Chumash, in coastal California


5 Jan, 1595- I pull my colonists from Kumeyaay and send them to south of Cartagena in Antioquia – it’s a place with a large development and a big chance for Gems or Cocoa. It’s also good as a potential target as its island of me but right next to the burgeoning Brittany mammoth so I want to grab it now


18 May – The Pope passes. Congratulations Athens, you are now the owners of a shiny new Pope!

1 June – We have re-gained the Trading in Glass bonus

I order a Mill in Nazca

1 Dec –

Missisquoi – Fur, New Hampshire, next to Spain and others. 5 Dev, now with New Athens, sending us 0.12 monthly

1 Jan, 1596 –

Tuamotu Islands – Pacific Ocean, 7 dev, Cathc, Tus, not a state, 0.12 cash from Fish

Friesland have been given Columbia

1 Mar – Society Islands with Tropical Wood

1 May- Gems in Antioquia

1 June –

Guajira – Cocoa, 3 dev, grasslands, in the same state as Cartagena and Magdalena, I order a Plantation here. Currently 0.36.


1 Sept – Magdalena has coffee

1 Dec –

Kumeyaay – Part of the coastal California, at the tip of Baja California in Mexico and California, coastal, drylands, Livestock 8 devk, Catholic and Tuscan, and I order a Farm estate here. 0.57 currently

[Abe Sargent]

1 Jan, 1597 – I send my colonists from Chumash to Pomo, which is just north of Miwok

1 May – Fur trade is good for Salinan

22 May - I Recall my colonist from Salinan and dispatch them to Pamlico in the Carolinas which has a near 60% chance of Tobacco.

22 June - Peace with the Turks and Mamluks

10 Dec – I purchase a trading post on the island of Borneo from a local minor nation from the Philippines that spread.

Samarinda – 22 dev, coastal, jungle, adjacent to the folks I purchased it from - Maguindanao, with shipyard, church, workshop and marketplace. I destroy the shipyard for a trade station. I make 0.26 right now from the Borean Hindus. It’s next to unclaimed territory in the south, and again, it will help to demonstrate to any onlooks that a major island has my presence and to head elsewhere. I hope.



2 Feb, 1598 – I send colonists to Chicora which will connect Pamlico and Waccamaw on the shores, and likely be another Tobacco place

1 April –

Rapanui – (Easter Island) – 3 Dev, Tropical Wood, Cath, Tuscan, coastline, 0.02 made (not a state)


1 Jul – Livestock in Chumash

22 Aug – I am given a gift of thousands of ducats, and I sent it to the Caribbean to help develop their holdings more


17 Nov – Portugal demands we join them in another Peruvian war against the minors here and I have been making nice, sending them subsidies, influencing them, and more, plus Portugal has all of Mexico to worry about and they lost their last war here after I vassalized one of their folks.

Is Portugal still worth it as an ally?

We are their only ally. I decline.

I send their target war subsidies

[Abe Sargent]

1 Jan, 1599 –

Antioquia – Gems, 7 development, in the Bogota state, south of Cartagena, 0.13 made here, Tuscan and Catholic

I send these colonists to Mariquita to its south


1 April –

ADM TECH 17 – I can build Universities, and I can build another 5 states

16 April - I pull my Chicora colonist and send them to Narraganset


25 August – We announce the annexation of Malindi has begun!


We expect it to take around 2 years



1 Sept –

Society Islands – Tropical Wood, 3 dev, Tuscan, Catholic, islands in the Pacific, I have not made them a state, 0.04 sent to us.


We have gained the bonus for training in Tropical Wood


6 Oct – We have finished changed the Turk culture in Hudavindigar to Tuscan

1 Nov – Livestock in Pomo


11 Nov – A massive war erupts in Europe

France, Bohemia, Commonwealth, and Brittany

Vs

Spain, Tunis, Naples, Austria,


12 Dec – I get a Trading in Wine bonus



1 Jan, 1600


We get the new era’s institution – Global Trade – it started next door in Genoa, so the institution should spread quickly in Europe to our stuff

In ten years the Age of Reformation will be ending

1 Feb –

Magdalena – between two other holdings on the coast, Tuscan, Catholic, grasslands, coffee, in a state already with Cartagena and others, sends us 0.27 monthly and I order a plantation here.


22 Mar – I establish Sunday Schools

I send my 5k troops in California on a mission to find the Seven Cities of Gold

7 Apr – I make the area around Trebizond a state and then I order a Missionary here


1 May – Get ready for a big trade owner event. We have the most traded Cotton. As a result? +20 global settler increase!


21 June – After the eruption of the Peruvian volcano Huaynaputina, prices worldwide for grain and wine will drop 75% for two years

1 Aug – In news that shocks no one, Pamlico is going to be growing Tobacco

I pull my colonists in Narraganset and send them to Connecticut right next door

6 Sept – Colonial explosion in Chumash and I pay 50 expand it

I pull my Pomo colonists and ship them to Quinnipiac

1 Oct – Good news and bad news. The awesome potential of Marquita is wasted on Livestock but Chicora will be with Tobacco

I pull the colonists here and send them to Conoy (Delaware)

[Abe Sargent]

1 Feb, 1601 –

Salinan – south of Miwok, north of Chumash, 6 dev, highlands, Fur Trade, Catholic, Tuscans, 0.39 made monthly


1 May – Trebizond converts. Now I order a culture shift to Tuscan

1 June –

Chumash – Drylands, 6 dev, Livestock, 0.34 made here

10 Aug – We have finished annexing Malindi –

Malindi- Swahili, Sunni, Iron, natural harbor, Dock, church, marketplace, weapons manufactory, 0.56 off 75% autonomy, 20 Dev. Coastline – connects Mombasa and Lamu


Lamu – coastal, next to Ajuraan, 11 dev, trade station for ivory, Sunni, Swahili, church, workshop, also 75% auto, and makes us 0.39 right now.


10 Sept – We have announced the annexation of Cusco!

1 April, 1602 – Tobacco in Narraganset

1 July – Fur in Conoy

3 Aug – Tupinamda has agreed to send us 50% of their trade power. They are the three province natives on the tip of Brazil. I’ve been making nice with them as a potential for future annexation

8 Oct – I break my royal ties with Portugal.

1 Nov – Naval Supplies in Narraganset

17 Nov – I create an alliance with Ming. Given my continuing development in the region, Ming makes sense. I want to remove any potential threats from them and work together. We both have the Turks and Vijayanagar as rivals and enemies, so we have that in common. It makes sense. I will begin to build up my power base in in the Indies as well. Right now I have more than 30k troops and a fleet of almost 20 ships in India; but my Indies is much smaller. I send some folks in to help out.

1 Dec –

Pamlico – Tobacco, coastal, 5 Dev, coastline, Tuscan, Cath, handed to the colonial nation of New Athens, I order a Plantation here. Currently making 0.26 in the state of North Carolina

I pull my colonists in Quinnipiac and sent them to Ais in Florida

15 Dec – I destroy the shipyard in Jambi and order a Trade Station there. We had an event that increased the value of Incense to 3.62. So let’s push it.

[Abe Sargent]

1 Feb, 1603 – In Connecticut we have Tobacco

1 April –

Pomo – Mountains, Livestock, north of Miwok, 3 dev, 0.16 made here.



I’ll head north to Yuki and Klamath here on the coast that are mountains like Pomo with poor dev, but like it, have a solid shot at gold. Or even the Chinook holding north of that.


We now have a new colonial nation – Athens West (My name for CA) . The Pope has given us the region.



I was sorting of hoping that my 5th holding here would turn over CA to a colonial nation!

I pull colonists from Connecticut and send them to Chinook which is the Columbian River Estuary

1 May – I order a Mill in Mtetwa; and the Fort in Koceali to be upgraded to the next level of strength

7 Oct - I offer an alliance to another Peruvian local power, next to us and Cusco, and which won their war against Portugal. My hope it to encourage others to play keep-away.

1 Nov – Our military advisor passes and I hire a new 3 star one.


1 Mar, 1604 –

Chicora – Tobacco here, savannah, North Carolina state, handed to New Athens, 5 dev, 0.35 made here.


Now that my colonies have ebbed to 6 I am making 80 gs monthly, btw

I pull our colonist from Conoy and dispatch them to Timuca in Florida

15 Mar - I embrace Global Trade!

I get another merchant and I send it to Zanzibar. I begin to send a local fleet that I’ve been waiting on to protect trade there.


5 June – The big giant war across Europe has ended.

1 July – I gain the bonus for trading in Slaves and Ivory – Zanzibar for the win!

I get +25% for slaves in trade and +2 dip reputation from Ivory

1 Aug – MIL TECH 17 – I get much better cavalry

[Abe Sargent]

1 Sept – Ready for the Final Government Reform?

There are four options:


Political Absolutism – We increase our absolutism ratings (for later Eras)


Legislative Houses – We get the ability to pass more policies (polices are those things I can pass from combining multiple Ideas)


Become a Republic – We lose 3 government reforms

We gain:

+1 Diplomat
+1 Military leader without upkeep
+10 States allowed


And we have an effect called “Republican Cultural Sufferance” and for non-accepted cultures we get bonuses and it won’t be as bad for those provinces.


And we become a Republic, and lose heirs and Royal Marriages and get a new elected leader every 4 years

Become a Theocracy – We lose 6 government reforms, don’t get the Cultural Sufferance buff, but we have the same benefits from the Republic with states and such



Given the history of Athens, can I chose anything other than Republic?

I choose for us to be an Oligarchy

Republicanism as we really embrace our Republican nature

I choose Sortition so we will have a lottery among qualified candidates to choose the leader – this was the primary tool for choosing in ancient Athens as it removes factionalism




Admin Divisions for +5 states

We were just put on the Republic slider of government reform and we made some choices.

It looks like my states remained the same as I moved up the ladder. So I could have capped myself, but I instead choose to ease to Republic. But now I have more reform choices coming.

[Abe Sargent]

25 Oct – We get an event – The Increase of the Spice Trade – we get thousands of cash and prestige and Spices will be increasing in value


1 Nov –

Mariquita – Livestock, Mountains, 5 development, internal, next to Brittany, us in Antioquia, and next to some natives in the Musicia tribe.

We get a Colonial Nation in Colombia even though there isn’t much left. I name it Athenian Colombia

4 Nov – I pull my colonists from Ais in Florida and send them to Midway in the Pacific

1 Dec – We are getting cash from knowledge sharing with the Commonwealth

1 Feb, 1605 –

Conoy – Fur trading in Maryland, 6 dev, grasslands, handed to New Athens, 0.22 made here


1 May – We have finished annexing Cusco!

2 May – The colonial nation of Athenian Peru forms

Here let me show you a map and then the provinces we just brought in.


https://i.imgur.com/w1lcIWO.jpg


As you can see, my three holdings on the Sea that I made are here, as well as the four we just annexed, and I pulled up the best of those, which is that sweet gold.

To our south is our new ally in the area, Pacajes, as well as a colony of Portugal – they keep getting burned by locals, and you can see France to our south as well. Soon I should just colonize them myself and pull them off the map.

I would not be surprised to see us embrace either Wanka to our north or Pacajes to our interior. Pacajes is rich, literally, and Wanka ain;t bad.


Ayaviri – Mountains, 8 Dev, Inti faith, Aimara culture, wool, currently not a state, just makes us 0.07 with 75% autonomy. Ayaviri is north of us in the Mountains. They are next to Wanka. Has a marketplace and church.


Quero – Jungle, Wool made here, 8 dev, Inti and Quechua, has a marketplace and church as well, send us 0.10 in cash. Inland of Ayaviri. North of Wanka.

These two are in the same state, but given how poor they are, I want to keep my states on my own right now.

Puno – Gold, Mountains, Inti, Aimara, 11 development, church and marketplace. I did make this a state. 1.54 sent monthly to us.


Macaya – Grain, mountains, Inti, marketplace, church, Aimara culture, send us 0.16 with their 11 development.

Now I won’t shift culture or faiths here for a bit, as I want to keep myself from pissing off the locals, and converting their faith and culture tends to do that. I’ll wait for a bit. I can afford to. I’m getting my gold cash already and I don’t really care about the other three right now.


Actually I can’t send Missionaries as they ain’t mine anymore, sorry about that.

I push my relationship with Pacajes and try to get it really high.

[Abe Sargent]

24 June – We form an East India Trade Company. We get another merchant and I sent it out

1 July – Tobacco in Ais

I send our colonists from Tumucua to Calusa in Florida.

1 Aug - We get the bonus for leading the world in spice trading!

1 Sept –

Narraganset – Forest, 6 Dev, Tobacco, handed to New Athens, gives us 0.35

22 Nov 0- I recall our colonists at Chinook and send them south to Suislaw, also on the coast in CA


1 Jan, 1606 –

Quinnipiac – Naval Supplies, 5 dev, 0.19 made here


15 June – I pull colonists from two Florida holdings and send them to Yustaga and Appalachee which are the final two Florida holdings. This should remove the final costal areas for N. America from our regions

1 July –

Connecticut – 6 dev, Tobacco, 0.25 made here


30 July – I pull my colonists from Midway and send them to one of the two Brazilian coastal areas that I need to keep folks away from settling my areas in the Americas

1 Aug – DIP TECH 17 – I can get better colonial rage, trade range, and now I can build Merchantmen vessels as well as a Trade Depot in cities which is an upgrade of the Marketplace

4 Aug – Pacajas agrees to be our vassals!

27 Sept – Ming breaks their alliance with us and declares us their rival

22 Oct – For 867 cash we purchase from our ally, Junagahr, the province of Khambat


Khambat – Hindu, Gujarati, dev 18, grasslands, coastal, Cloth, 0.98 made here, with the accepted Gujarati culture. Workshop, marketplace, dock, shipyard, I destroy the dock for a Textile Manufactory.

While here I also send some Trade stations up here for the traders heading to the local trade station at Gujarat that I have 2nd most in trade.

1 Nov – Feh. Just Grain in Timucua in Florida

[Abe Sargent]

1 Jan, 1607 – Fur in Chinook

17 Jan – Why am I getting a Native Assimilation event in Timucua? Looks like I forgot to smash the natives I order my Floridan army over to hit them

6 Feb – France has won some land wars and is expanding a lot so I excommunicate them with my Papal control to see what others can do to them

11 June – We ally with the Tupinamba(now that Ming is no longer an option, they are the three holding native nation by the tip of Brazil)

3 Nov – We are now the appropriate overlords for Tupinamba


22 Dec – Our ruler passes!

Random selection is…

Agapios Saraceno – 4/4/4


30 Dec – I set up some Trade Stations in major East African holdings

1 Mar, 1608 – Calusa is a good place for Cotton.


19 Nov – I build a few more Stations in high profile places like Silk province and such

1 Dec – Belem with Naval Supplies and it gained some pop as we pipe in marriageable women


Ais – Florida, Tobacco, Savanah, 3 dev, 0.19 made here, New Athens,

[Abe Sargent]

9 Jan, 1609 – I side with our Burghers in a major class conflict, and other two castes drop in loyalty considerably, but my Burgher’s skyrockets.


19 Jan - An event occurs that increases the price of Glass.

1 Feb –

Timucua – Grain, Florida Marsh, 3 dev, 0.05 cash made for us


1 Mar – Fish in the Midway Islands

22 Mar – We get an event – European Trade in Ming China – the price of Chinaware rises considerably and we get a ton of cash and such as these economic changes occur in our place.


We purchase Ibo from Kilwa as a Trading Post

Ibo – 18 dev, purchased for 1250 from Kilwa, next to us in Mozambique and part of that state. Sunni, Swahili, Ivory, coastline, 0.28 sent to us, workshop, shipyard, and regimental camp are here. I destroy the camp and order a Trade Station built here

1 April – Tobacco in Yuataga out in Florida

29 April – The Pope has passed, and we control the next one!

1 May – Apalachee with Cotton out in Florida

6 June – I recall my colonists in Belem and send them to another CA coastal province at Chehalis

1 Feb, 1610

The Age of Reformation has finished!


The Age of Absolutism has begun!


You are looking to do things like win a Religious War, have China with a mandate of 50%, and such.

I already have two goals accomplished – Have at least 5 universities, and at least 3 Trade Companies

29 Mar - I get a Shipyard fire in Crete.


12 April – I begin to make nice with Mewar – I influence them, send them a gift, etc

1 June –

Chinook – Forest, 7 dev, Colombia estuary, handed to Athens West, 0.25 made, Fur Trade, etc.


I am currently colonizing one to the north and south as well.

I pull colonists and send them to Marajo out in Brazil on the coast.

[Abe Sargent]

6 Jan, 1611 – We get a call for helping Denmark. They declared war with Russia. Russia is allied with Genoa.

We are now at war with Genoa and Russia, with Denmark

I intend to push a bit in the south

I begin pushing for some naval battles in the Mediterranean


22 Jan – I defeat a Genoa navy in the Sea of Marmara

11 Feb – Another big victory by another of our fleets.

15 Feb – The siege of Genoa has begun after we force back a army

1 Mar – We capture a minor province

7 Mar – They begin to besiege Mantua

29 Mar – We drive them from Mantua

15 April – My Trebizond army has arrived in the Genoan provinces in the Black Sea.

1 May –

Belem – 3 dev, jungle, Naval Supplies, handed to Brazil


16 May – We take Abkhazia

25 June – Another Black Sea province falls to us

1 Aug –

Calusa – Cotton, 3 dev, New Athens, Florida,

5 Aug – The last Black Sea holdings of Genoa is ours

29 Sept – Genoa is ours!

8 Nov – I capture Albenga

17 Dec – I hire some mercs from the Commonwealth to harass Russia up north

14 Jan, 1612 – I land my Trebizond army at Corsica

19 Feb – We capture Genoa

4 Mar – We rout the combined Genoan fleet with our combined fleet

I have fully defeated and captured every one of their holdings

I can’t take more than one province from Russia in peace, my warscore ain;t that good.

We take Genoa


Genoa – 38 dev, Paper, Ligurian Catholic, natural harbor, center of trade, hills, marketplace, workshop, camp, fortress, shipyard, currently sending us 0.69 monthly.

[Abe Sargent]

27 April – I send colonists to Muturu on the Brazilian Coast

1 May – Naval Supplies in Siuslaw on the CA Coast

1 Sept –

Yustaga- Florida, Marsh, tobacco, 3 Dev, now with New Athens, 0.13 made here


10 Sept – The local tribe, Mapuche, won a lot of La Plata in southern South America from Portugal. Like 8 or 10 holdings strong

18 Sept – Wanka accepts our alliance offer

1 Oct –

Apalachee – This is my final Florida holdings – 4 dev, Marsh, Cotton, etc

8 Dec – After losing a bunch of wars, Milan is down to one holding. I offer them an alliance. They accept.

1 Jan, 1613 – Marajo with Tropical Wood

1 Feb – I proclaim a Guarantee on Milan

7 Feb – I send more colonist to Athens West and it’s coast

1 Mar –

Midway Islands – 3 dev, Fish, not a state, only gives us 0.02 monthly. It’s here to stop folks from crossing the ocean.

I pull colonists in Muturu and send them to Ceram, the Spice Island with a land connection to a holding I already have in Ambon

There are currently 11 Trade Goods I have the trade bonus for – Wine, Sugar, Spices, Tropical Wood, Ivory, Slaves, Tobacco, Coffee, Cocoa, Cotton, and Glass.


I am the trade leader in these, but I’m not at 20%

Fish – 18.4%
Livestock – 17.5%
Gem – 17.3%
Salt – 16.0%
Cloth 15.2%


1 May – Livestock in Chehalis

7 Sept – Genoa is now all cored up and ready to punch someone in the face


I destroy the camp and order a Mill here for the Paper


22 Nov – Milan agrees to be our vassal

[Abe Sargent]

1 Feb, 1614 – DIP TECH 18 – I get great naval morale and I can build the Gratiot

15 Feb –

We purchase a Trading Post at Pate, next to our Malindi holdings, from Ajuuraan, on the coast. It has Cloth, Savannah, 17 dev, we spent 1200, natural harbor, Shipyard, marketplace, and church, Swahili and Sunni, I order the Shipyard destroyed and a Textile Manufactory here.


26 June – I am given a gift of 5500 cash when I demand the money up front for granting a monopoly.

1 July –

ADM TECH 18 – We can get a new Idea!!!

Possible –


Trade?

Humanist?


Plutocratic? (It replaces Aristocratic ideas for certain republics)

Admin?


If I choose a MIL TECH then I can get the first two Ideas on that chain immediately.

I grab Trade Idea



1 Sept –

Vijayanagar is getting too big. They are waging war in the Indies, moved in the Indian Ocean and such.

So lets looks and see what I can see for bringing them down.

Vijay – 7th richest nation by income, manpower 69k, Mil Tech 15, 6th largest army at 96k, 5th largest navy at 66 ships, and so forth.

I order a big navy from the Mediterranean to Madurai. I also order more troops here in my three Indian zones of control.

1 Oct – Para, Brazil, is with gems

I begin making some claims on Vijayanagar

1 Nov – Fish in Muturu

Brittany has leaped over us in CA and is in Alaska, heavily


11 Dec – I pull colonists from Ceram and send them to Halmahera, here in the Spice Islands – it has a strait to our Trading Post at Tidore and a local power in Ternate

I pull colonists on the West Coast and send them to Sumba

17 Dec – Wanka agrees to be our vassal

1 Jan, 1615 – Salt is the primary trade in Klamath

I am doing a lot to prepare for war against Vijayanagar. I’m not expecting this to be a big land grab, but instead the opportunity to weaken them.

1 July – We gain the trading bonus for Fish! We get +25% national sailors growth (Sailors are naval manpower)

1 Sept –

Siuslaw – Coastal CA, Naval Supplies, 0.16 made, 5 dev, Mountains, handed to Athens West


1 Dec – We get the first DIP Idea – better global trade power - +20%

19 March, 1616 – I put down a rebellion in Khambhat

1 April – MIL TECH 18 – I can upgrade my Cannons and Horsies, so I do so. Now we'll be ready to beat them better.

11 April – I convince Junagahr to break their alliance with Vijayanagar

8 May – Orissa agrees to give us military access.

17 June – A new Pope is elected and the Papal States control him

24 July – I pull my colonists from Halmahera and Sumba and send them to Kiribati and Tonga in the Pacific

2 Aug – Our fleet arrives in India. Once I’d repaired tit in our harbor, I’ll have it shadow a Vijayanagari fleet as I am almost ready to declare war.

19 Sept – We begin the annexation of vassal Pacajes

1 Nov –

Marajo – Brazilian Coast,3 Dev, handed to colonial nation, Tropical Wood, makes us 0.07 monthly


7 Dec –

We are ready.

Before we begin, let’s discuss my many preparations for this war

1. Fleet. I have my major fleet and I consolidated a lot on my way over. I have a fleet of 74 vessels in the Comorin Cape, off the southern tip of India, where my Trading Post in Madurai is. It’s where two navies totaling 38 ships from Vijayanagar are right now crossing. I can take out both in a single battle. This fleet has 19 large vessels, the Galleon, as well as 19 Early Frigates, as well as 9 captured Galiots from previous wars in the Mediterranean that I wasn’t using (although this isn’t the best use of them) and 24 Merchantmen. My foe has many transports – just 6 large ships and 11 small ones in their fleet, and then all transports. I have a level 2 Admiral who is battle hardened at the lead.
2. Three major armies. I have a large 20+ group of armies, with three generals on the three flanks of Vijayanagar. One from south in Madurai, one from the north east on the Orissan flank, and one on the north west from Surat. Each has a general and one of those a Conquistador that I was exploring from on the Athens West area. Each three major army is there and ready to rock.
3. I have a backup merc army under the command of my leader on the NW flank as well and their job is to take small provinces, besiege things, and such. They are not one of my battle plans.

My foes have 15k troops in Sri Lanka in the strait leading from Maduria to the island. My plan is to win in the Comorin Cape, and leave a big enough fleet here to prevent them from crossing. I have more than 80k troops assembled, and a giant fleet that’s bigger than their entire army, plus my navy in Gujarat if I need to bring it over.

Ready? Let’s do it!

[thehitcat]

This has been a fascinating look at a game I've never played but now want to play pretty badly. A question for you when you are done smashing VJ. Other than the game itself which of the DLC are you running (a quick look at Steam shows 42 available)? Also are you running any content from say the Steam Workshop? I'd love to dive into this but it feels like i might want to wait for the next Steam Sale or Paradox weekend :) Thanks

[Abe Sargent]

This has been a fascinating look at a game I've never played but now want to play pretty badly. A question for you when you are done smashing VJ. Other than the game itself which of the DLC are you running (a quick look at Steam shows 42 available)? Also are you running any content from say the Steam Workshop? I'd love to dive into this but it feels like i might want to wait for the next Steam Sale or Paradox weekend :) Thanks

Great questions! Thanks for reading!


I only have the DLCs proper, not the visual unit packs and such. I also don't use any mods from Workshop.


Many DLCs add a lot to the game, especially the earlier ones. I do think having ones that are pertinent to where and whom you are playing makes sens,e like Third Rome and Cossacks for a Russian dynasty.

I wouldn't want to do every single DLC while learning the game at the same time, but you can turn on which DLCs to use for a given campaign.

I'd recommend a stater nation like Portugal or the Turks for your first campaign.

Getting a Bundle with the first few expansions during the upcoming holiday sale would make sense.

[Abe Sargent]

16 Dec – My siege army arrives in Thana and begins to siege them

18 Dec -I win at Comorian Cape and capture a dozen ships
I send my bounty to Madurai to heal up and join the fighting

26 Dec – I have begun the siege of Daulatabad

1 Jan, 1617 –

Chehalis – Coastal CA, north of Chinook, Livestock, 6 dev, forests, now with Athens West

9 Jan – I capture a minor and order my troops to the minor where their navy fled (Venad)

1 Feb – Yuki in Coastal CA is now going to be good with, yuck, Fish.

19 Feb – Two minors fell, and their fleet was hit – I captured 5 more ships

25 Mar – Big news. Two more minors have fallen, we defeated their fleet again, captured 3 more ships, and routed it, the combined two fleets are gone, and we also captured Daulatabad

28 Mar – I use an event to “hire” a cardinal from the nation of Genoa and bring him into our stable of Cardinals in Mantua. We spend a few hundred cash.

14 April – My main army has arrived at the fort of Bidar and begins a siege.


11 May – Three minors have fallen, but they have recaptured one.

I move to intercept a 19k strong army that has arrived in the south.

29 May – I win a quick but minor skirmish in Kumari right after they retook it from me.

A big army is moving to Bidar. I break off everything but a small siege unit from Thana to combine my armies and protest this 27k large army.

My Bidarian force is 23k, so with the cavalry, and some artillery and inf from the other army, that’s another 15k easy to help.

5 June – I win in the south, but I need to regroup as I was smashed hard.

18 June – Three minors fell to me

21 July – We capture Bidar

8 Aug – My combined army defeats theirs

9 Aug – The siege of Mughal begins, and this is next to their capital, Vijaynagar, with my major inland force.

5 Sept – We regain enough str that I move my southern army back out again aggressively. I send it to a nearby fort at Gingee

11 Sept – I defeat a small, hastily assembled army of mercs on the north-east flank near Orissa.

14 Sept – My patrolling navy here at Gujarat ran into one of theirs and we crushed it.

23 Sept – The siege of Thana ends. We have taken it.

1 Oct – Ceram with Incense

6 Oct – The siege of Gingee begins

9 Oct – I have taken Mudgal after an assault. I order my main army to their capital

22 Oct – About 4 minors are mine

29 Oct – We have routed their merc army in the NE.

1 Nov – TRADE IDEA #2 – I get another merchant and I send it to Genoa

1 Dec – We are now leading to Gems.

22 Dec – Two more minors are ours.

12 Feb, 1618 – We have captured their capital!

5 Mar – We capture Gingee

I now have an 83% warscore.

I could get this:

All 14 coastal provinces that connect my NW Holdings with Madurai. Those are just a 66 warscore only.

That would basically bring in the entire west coast of India under my control, if that’s what I wanted, and would increase my badboy by a massive 58. Although only Indian folks would care. That would really smash Vijayanagar hard, and punch them in the face.

That would include 2 Cloth, 1 Gems, and 10 Spice provinces

Shoot, I could even spend just 3 warscore and toss in The Maldives.


I could also just do Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and a few coastal here at the tip. I could take 6 mainland holdings, all 6 Sri Lankan ones, and the Maldives, for an 88%? Nah that’s too much, I’d have to drop a mainland.

Here is something I was expecting to do:

Release Kotte – Sri Lanka and Gujarat, and

Give us Vanni on Sri Lanka, straight from Madurai, and then maybe two mainland holdings near Madurai, and then call it.

Vijayanagar loses 3 to us, and then 10 total to Kotte and Gujarat.


It’s basically the same warscore to release nations than it is to take them it seems.

It’s 3 each for Maldives, as a good example.

I didn’t expect to be a warmonger in places like this here. But this is a war that Vijayanagar brought on themselves. I made nice. I elevated them multiple times. I gave them cash. I purchased two trading posts for some serious cash. They had a lot to gain by staying on our side. Instead they sent spies, claims, broke off relations, made us their enemy and rival. So I did the same.

They cause us to be at loggerheads.

Given that, I’m fine stealing from them myself.

I take everything mentioned above. The entire coast. And I add in The Maldives as well. I wasn’t expecting to be the typical warmonger, but this is a problem that Vijayanagar started.


I also grab a few inland provinces up north. I have a little extra score and I use it to force them to release a one-province minor on the North east named Jeypore



I have a massive badboy hit, but my goal of ending the Vijaynagar threat is worth it. This prevents them from taking the smaller nations later:

None of these cores were expensive, the most developed were around 50. Many were in the 30s.

[Abe Sargent]

https://i.imgur.com/fHM3TKo.jpg

Here is Athenian India, zoomed out.

You can see that I have landlocked Vijayanagar on the west coast, and my holdings are now connected, which is pretty cool

Maldives – This island chain, at the bottom of your map, has Gems, coastline, 5 development, Malayam culture, Sunni faith, with a dock and workshop. It’s a part of my Indian Ocean Island state.

Let’s go with my worst provinces in the north, and then dance down the coast to Madurai.

All of these are Hindu

Baglana – Hills, 7 dev, Grain, Marathi culture, part of the state had already going, and sending us a cool 0.04 for now. This was a throw in as it was internal and next to three of my old holdings and now adjacent to two others.


Nasik – Jungle, inland, Paper, Marathi, 11 DEV, 0.04 cash – inland and next to Baglana, west of Daulatabad, east of Thana,


Daulatabad – Hills, level 2 fort, inland center of trade, paper, 13 dev, east of Baglana and and Nasik, 0.06 made here

I grabbed these two with their wealthy Paper potential as well as taking the local fort of Daulatabad off the table.

Thana – Hills, coastal, Cloth, south of Daman and north of Chaul, 9 dev, Marathi culture, 0.09 made here, natural harbor, marketplace

Chaul – Next is Chaul, Hills, north of Dabhol, Cloth, 11 Dev, 0.07 made here Marathi, Regimental Camp, Shipyard, Marketplace, natural harbor


From here until the end, the rest are Spices unless otherwise states

Dabhol – Next is Dabhol, and it’s north of Rajapur, Marathi Culture, Hills, 10 Dev, 0.08 cash


Rajapur – Hills, north of Goa, 5 dev, 0.03 made here. Marathi lives here as well.

These four – Thana – Rajapur are part of one state called Konkan.


Goa – 13 development, harbor, coastal center of trade, south of Rajapur and north of Hannavara, Marathi, 0.11 made here.

Honnavara – North of North Kanara, Hills, Kannada people, 5 Dev, 0.04 cash

North Kanara – North of South Kanara, Hills, Kannada, 11 Dev, 0.09 cash, natural harbor

South Kanara – North of Cannanore, Jungle, Tropical Wood, Workshop, Church, Kannada folks live here, with 9 dev, and send us 0.08


These four make up the State Kanara

Cannanore – Jungle, natural harbor, north of Calicut, Workshop, Marketplace, 8 dev, 0.03 heads our way. Malaylam people.

Calicut – Malaylam people, Jungle, 7 dev, natural harbor, workshop and marketplace, 0.03, north of Kochin.

Kochin – Jungle, 8 dev, Malaylam folks, 0.03 sent, north of Venad.

Venad – 5 dev, Jungle, Malaylam, 0.02 made. North of Kumari.


Kumari – Tip of India. Jungle, Malaylam, 0.06 made with 7 dev. Connects with Venad on its north west and Tirunelveli on its’ north-east.

These five holdings make the Malabar state.

Tirunelveli – Gems, 11 dev, grasslands, Tamil culture, Workshop, Church, Shipyard, and Camp. It’s in the same state as Madurai and is next to it on the coast. I snag 0.19 from it.


Now I was expecting to use my cash for Trading Post or elsewhere, but this area needs serious investment to make it sing.

I’ll see you when my cores are old and due.

I disband all of my mercs, and then repair my navy and I’ll send most of it back although I’ll leave some behind.

I send my armies back to Bengal Delta, Madurai and Daulatabad

[Abe Sargent]

17 Mar -I cancel my culture change in Daman. I move Marathi to accepted.

30 Mar – I use my fulfilled mission from decades ago to drop the years of separatism by five for the next 25 years.

19 April – I cancel military access with Orissa.

2 July – I pull my colonists from Tonga and Kiribati and send them to Rio Branco inland to cut off Friesland expansion internally into Brazil from Colombia and Squamish where Alaska hits CA and right in the middle of Brittany’s Alaskan push

1 Aug –

Para – Gems, Brazil, 3 Dev, Coastal, given to Brazil. Jungle, makes us 0.07

1 Sept –

Klamath – Coastal CA, Salt, Mountains, 5 Dev, 0.20 made here


1 Oct – Halmahera has Spices-hera

1 Nov –

Muturu – Brazil, coastal, 3 dev, Fish, Jungle, handed over, 0.03 made here


1 Jan, 1619 – Rebellion in Dabhol

5 Feb They capture Dabhol

26 Feb – We arrive in Dabhol.

6 Mar – We defeat the rebels

1 Apr – Incense in Sumba

7 Apr – Dabhol falls

5 Sept -Trebizond is now Tuscan!

1 Dec – I can choose my first ability for our current age!

We choose an ability that grants us +5% admin efficacy until the 4th and final age.

[Abe Sargent]

9 Feb, 1620 – Trade Idea #3 - +25% Trade Range

4 April – I pull the colonists after they set up in Rio Branco and send them to the spice Island - Yamdena

1 July – Tropical Wood in Kiribati

1 sept – In Tonga we have Gems; and…

Yuki – Coastal CA, mountains, 3 Dev, Fish. Sad, because it had a good chance of Gold. 0.02 made here, handed to New Athens


I don’t have any troops in the Maldives and we are having some rebel issues there so I invest 47 MIL power to quash the rebels there.

12 Nov – Rebellion in Nasik

4 Dec - Defeated

4 Jan, 1621 – The Commonwealth DOWd the great Horde and I join their war

I will send over my 22k Trebizond army to help out.

3 Feb – Kongo is deep in war with the UK. I send subsides

9 Mar – All of our gathered provinces are now Cores.

1 April – Rio Branco with Coffee

30 April – My army has arrived in the Great Horde and I begin helping out.

15 June - Capture Terek

22 June – I force GB and Kongo to peace. GB doesn’t want them they are warring for Benin but they are allies and GB has gone deep into Kongo.

22 July – We capture another minor province

1 Aug –

Ceram – 7 Dev, strait to Ambon, Incense, in a state already, Tuscan, Catholic, 0.46 made here in this coastline area


1 Oct – Squamash with Fur

7 Oct – Another minor falls

1 Nov –

Halmahera – Next to Ternate and Tidore, Spices, 6 Dev, Coastline, Tuscan and Catholic.


I pull colonists from Squamash and send them to Tuvalu in the Pacific


5 Dec – We capture another minor and now all Great Horde things are under the control of us or the Commonwealth

I am going to spending a lot of money in West India for a while – no trading posts or manufactories elsewhere save for big provinces.

[Abe Sargent]

2 Oct, 1622 – The Commonwealth goes to peace

1 Apr, 1623

Sumba – Incense, 7 Dev, 0.29 made here, coastline

I send colonists to Belitung, an island near the traditional entrance to the area

1 Aug – We have finished annexing Pacajes!


Here’s the big reason to do so:


Potosi – Gold, Mountains, home of Cerro Rico, the biggest silver mine during this era who gives an effect for +3 goods produced here. With 60% autonomy I’m getting 4.85 monthly

All of these have gone to our colonial nation – I have brought in 3 Wool, 1 Grain, 2 Gold, 1 Copper, 1 Salt, 1 Gems, and 1 Cloth

9 Aug – I send colonists to Palembang. It’s next to Jambi and I am going to do this part of the island


22 Oct – I pull colonists from Tuvalu and dispatch them to Bengkulu in eth same area as Palembang

1 Nov – Sardinia revolted and won independence.

They agree to be our new ally.


Kiribati – Tropical Wood, 3 Dev, 0.03 made here

1 Feb, 1624 – Yamdena with Chinaware

1 June –

Squamish – 5 dev, woods, Fur trade, handed to Athens West


8 July – The pope passes and we become the new controller from the Papal States

1 September –

Tonga – 3 dev, Gems, 0.07 made here for us, pacific Island


11 Oct – Milan is going to be annexed by us

22 Nov – I purchase Thatta from Mewar. I was making nice with them for years and years for this, and there’s a lull in the updates of India while I’m making around 300 cash monthly with my low number of colonies. Thatta is the home of the Gujarat trade node. Cloth, Indus Estuary bump, 12 dev, Cloth, 0.15 made here right now from the Sindh Hindu folk.

1 Dec –

Rio Branco – Coffee, 3 Dev, internal holdings we took to stop further internal pushing by Friesland here.


8 Dec – I recall my colonists in Belitung and send them to Tulangbawang at the end of this Sumatra island and next to other colonies we are build here.

[Abe Sargent]

1 Jan, 1625- TRADE IDEA #4 - +10% Trade Efficiency

3 Mar – I pull my colonists from Palembang and send them to the island here at a strait 0- Bangka



28 Mar – Spain has declared war on Portugal to take their capital

1 April – I send a Missionary to Khambhat

17 April – I pull colonists from Bengkulu and send them to Melodia in inner South America to define our colonial line in the sand.

24 June – Rebellion in Venad

12 July - Finished

I have offered Ternate an alliance, and they accept. They are next to me in the Indies.

1 Dec – Tuvalu with Tropical Wood

1 Jan, 1626 – Milan is annexed!

They had just one province left:

Brescia – Hills, Lombard Catholics, Cloth trade, with Textile Manufactory, 24 dev, University, Regimental Camp, Church, Workshop, I order a Trade depot here, and we are currently getting 1.50 as its in a state with Mantua already.


29 Jan – Khambhat converts


https://i.imgur.com/849ZHVO.jpg

Here, let me drill down into these vassalizations. I am about to vassalize Ternate. Now for 30 or 40 years I’ve been influencing them, helping their tech development, keeping nice, and then I purchased a Trade Company from them in Tidore a long time ago. Now I have the next door holdings in Halmahera. I think this is a good way to see what’s happening. As you can see, everything works with this save for the religious dichotomy as they are Animist. But this would make real sense as well. Many places joined with cash and a welcome shoulder as opposed to war expansion, and this is just putting that in play.

Ternate is our vassal!

In fact I’ll be annexing it later (You need to control it for at least 10 years, be at peace, and have maxed relations to annex). Your DIP growth slows while you are annexing too, by the by, and it takes up one of my precious diplomats for the entire time. And my diplomatic reputation takes a little temporary hit at the end of the process. My current ruler has a 6 DIP so I am getting a lot of DIP power monthly and I wanted to take advantage of it right now.

[Abe Sargent]

1 Apr – I send a Missionary to Maldives

Because of it’s high developed state, this took decades and decades. But Constantinople is now converted back to Greek culture!

1 July – We now have the trade bonus for Incense! It gives our people who are in the true faith a happier life experience

28 Aug- I pull colonists from Melodia and send them next door to Asunsion.


1 Jan, 1627 – DIP IDEA #5 – We get another merchant – I send it to collect from the Chesapeake Bay.

We announce the annexation of the Native Tribe Tupinamba at the tip of Brazil in three holdings.


I upgrade all of the natural harbors here In India to level 2 by spending 200 cash each.


I send colonists to Fiji and New Caledonia

12 May – The Maldives converts

1 June – Incense in Belitung

1 Sept – Chinaware in Palembang

14 Sept – We spend 1363 to purchase Palopo from Majaphit here in the Indies, and it’s on Sulawesi Island, next to some unclaimed territory here as well as next to Makassar, which is one of the centers of trade here, but Majaphit wasn’t willing to sell it to me. Palopo is with Spices, Hills, Sulawesi culture, Hindu faith, they make 0.22 right now. But it’ll rise as I commit.

For example, right now I’m bringing in 7.85 a month from Tidore. That’s a lot.

1 Nov – Spices in Bengkulu

1 Feb, 1628 – We have ADM Tech and can build Cathedrals that are upgrades of churches.

1 Mar –

Yamdena – 10 Dev, island in the Spice Isles, Chinaware, Cath/Tuscan, 0.82 made here. I order a Mill built here.

1 Sept – Spices in Tulangbawang

1 Oct – Annexation occurs! Brazilian Athens gets three holdings, a Cocoa, Grain and Coffee.

[Abe Sargent]

I want to pause and unpack the ledger not unlike my normal 50 year reviews I do. I’m considering handing this up, and before I do, I thought this would be fun.


Techs and Ideas:

We have 33 Ideas done, with just 2 left in our Trade group. This is the same number as Ming and is tied for the most.

We have 55 techs and we are tied for the most, and at least 20 nations are just one behind us at 54 including Ming, Commonwealth and such



Army/Navy:

Army size is 257k, the largest over Ming by 40k.

With 269 ships, my navy is bigger then Denmark at 148, or the Athenian Caribbean at 114.

Our number of heavy ships at 42 is bigger than a lot of navies total. Only 17 navies are bigger, and three are our colonies!



Income:

At 625 in cash, we gross considerably more than Ming at 225. The Caribbean is 3rd at 160.


The vast majority of powers in Europe have remained Catholic and quelled any reformations. Today, just 12 provinces are Protestant, none are Reformed, and just one nation is Orthodox.


My Top Ten Provinces by Taxes

1. Constantinople, 28.03
2. Genoa, 22.89
3. Corfu, 20.69
4. Venezia, 20.69
5. Cape, 18.92
6. Mahikantha, 18.92
7. Rhodes, 18.92
8. Verona, 18.92
9. Four nations with 17.20 – Crete, Firenze, Quelimane, Treviso


My Top Ten (Non-Gold) Provinces by Production

1. Tidore, 84.54
2. Venezia, 70.66
3. Madurai, 63.63
4. Bengal Delta, 47.08
5. Mombasa, 43.12
6. Samarinda, 42.56
7. Constantinople, 41.40
8. Bharauch, 40.77
9. Sierra Leone, 38.44
10. Mahikantha, 37.55


Great Powers in Order

1. Athens
2. Ming China
3. Commonwealth
4. Ottoman Turks
5. Great Britain
6. Vijayanagar
7. Bohemia
8. Spain

Top Ten Trading Posts in the World, and Trade Power

1. Caribbean, 954
2. Ragusa, 703
3. Zanzibar, 479
4. Constantinople, 351
5. Gujarat, 343
6. Coromandel, 338
7. Venice, 323
8. Alexandria, 311
9. Chesapeake Bay, 282
10. Brazil, 262

Trade Goods by Street Value

5.25 – Paper
5.0 – Silk
4.50 – Glass, Spices, Chinaware, Iron, Tobacco
4.0 – Ivory, Cocoa, Dyes
3.75 – Sugar
3.62 – Incense
3.60 – Cotton, Cloth
3.50 – Fur
3.45 – Copper
3.30 – Coffee, Salt
3.0 – Gems, Tea, Slaves, Tropical Wood
2.5 - Livestock, Wine
2.00 – Grain, Fish
1.75 – Wool


As you can see, some goods rose, like Glass, Chinaware, Iron and such while others dropped hard, like Copper and Gems.


Strategic Goods:

These are the goods that I both have 20% trade control and have the highest in the world:

Tobacco, Sugar, Coffee, Spices, Ivory, Slaves, Gem, Glass, Wine, Fish, Incense, Cotton, Tropical Wood, and Cocoa.

Ming is the leader in Chinaware and Tea

No one else leads in anything. I would expect that we will challenge Ming China at Chinaware with the many new colonies we just added that will add to our profile in The Moluccas and Malacca that I have traders at.

We are close in Salt, Livestock, Dyes, and Grain.

We own 124 provinces – just three nations – Ming, Commonwealth, Turks, are bigger.

[Abe Sargent]

Let’s review the maps!

https://i.imgur.com/cXe2EE9.jpg

Here’s north America – you can see Brittany in the Central American region around Panama and such as well as all around Alaska. Note that Spanish Canada currently at war, but huge, and Newfoundland is the colonial region of the Great Britain empire. Portugal Mexico is spreading, and you can see Athens West in CA, New Athens in the eastern Us, as well as Louisiana, and the Caribbean.

Now South America

https://i.imgur.com/wwjvHpc.jpg

This is South America. Here you can see us all around the coast for Brazil, as well as our holdings in Peru, and Colombia. Frisian Colombia is big and growing inland. In the south you have France and Portugal vying for control of the La Plata region and Portugal’s Rio is their colonial nation, The Mapuche tribe has grown as it takes stuff from Portugal. You can see me spreading in the south and locking out Portugal from coming north.


https://i.imgur.com/FSC28yp.jpg

Here’s muh Africa. You can see we have South African coast still locked down and have spread a little with annexations and Trading Posts Later I’d expect to grab outstanding land inland and the rest of South Africa, as well as Trading Posts from Kongo, and there’s at least 20-25 holdings here I would take.

https://i.imgur.com/Rzg9dwq.jpg

The Indies are already my favorite place to explore and grab. You can see my ongoing development here as we are currently colonizing the rest of Sumatra as well as posts on Borneo and Sulawesi islands. I have readied a nice Chinaware holdings in Malacca in Johor as my next big Trading Post.

Not much has changed in India. Vijayanagar absorbed more stuff around it to it’s east. I am subsiding and funding the still-existent nations to its north and trying to keep it in check. You can see my latest trading post in the indus river estuary in Marra, to the far upper left corner of this map. I have made friends for a long time with folks up there, such as Fars in order to put myself there safely.


https://i.imgur.com/jTtxjmD.jpg

This is not uncommon to see in Europe by this time, and it suits history as well. Many nations are being brought together, and we are seeing consolidations, such as the British Isles now under one rule. We have been surrounded by the Turks, and then the key triangle alliance of Bohemia and the Commonwealth that has really made this thing work, and that’s why I think we’ve had peace for ages. I have the cash that, if I cared to, I could have gone deep into Europe, but I felt that a few expansions I the Med and tehn out elsewhere made sense, as we were like Portugal. Landlocked from expansion by the allies that keep you alive (Either the Turks as my first ally, or Bohemia/Commonwealth) now and thus heading out to sea after establishing my local economic base.


https://i.imgur.com/Rr3IvtG.jpg


Russia for the win.

The big winners of this dynasty are my current ally Denmark, who absorbed all of Scandinavia, the Commonwealth of Poland and Lithuania that has pushed out hard, Bohemia, Great Britain that has many holdings in mainland Europe still, and more.

Enjoy, and thanks for reading!!!

[thehitcat]

Great questions! Thanks for reading!


I only have the DLCs proper, not the visual unit packs and such. I also don't use any mods from Workshop.


Many DLCs add a lot to the game, especially the earlier ones. I do think having ones that are pertinent to where and whom you are playing makes sens,e like Third Rome and Cossacks for a Russian dynasty.

I wouldn't want to do every single DLC while learning the game at the same time, but you can turn on which DLCs to use for a given campaign.

I'd recommend a stater nation like Portugal or the Turks for your first campaign.

Getting a Bundle with the first few expansions during the upcoming holiday sale would make sense.

So for those of you thinking about taking the plunge (maybe it's just me.) EU4 and all of it's DLC but the newest, Dharma, are on sale on Steam through November 1. I just picked up some of the big early ones and am going to get started this weekend as I've reached a point in my XCom2 LongWar that is a good place to hold for a bit.

[Abe Sargent]

So for those of you thinking about taking the plunge (maybe it's just me.) EU4 and all of it's DLC but the newest, Dharma, are on sale on Steam through November 1. I just picked up some of the big early ones and am going to get started this weekend as I've reached a point in my XCom2 LongWar that is a good place to hold for a bit.

Excellent, enjoy!