The Ottoman Empire

[ambrose33]

January 1st 1419: I have just started a new game in EU2 as Turkey. I have many options in which i can chose, i can attack byzantine, or the mameluks but what country should i attack first? which country should i annex to expand my imperial rule? i have the world at my hand so help me decide on how to shape my country.

[Nikolai]

It's wise to forcevassalize your muslim neightbours, and take your christian neightbours out. Byzantium is important to take fast, or at least before 1453. Do not take the Mameluks before sometime after 1500(check the event files), and then take their capital IIRC, and you will get an event giving you all of the Mameluk empire! Then take all your CB-shields. After that, you can do almost anything!

[Dinner]

I agree, first force vassalize the turkish minors then go after the Byzentines and annex them. This will give you a supply center. From 1450-1500 I'd try to build up in the balkans or work towards annexing Astrokhan. Then after 1500 you annex the Mameluks. From there you want to conquor all the arab cultured proviences you can.

[Ecthy]

expand into Europe first, there you'll lose less troops to attrition... go for Hungary as well, it's a paper tiger

[Dinner]

You'll need the man power from the Turkish minors. Sure, they contribute next to nothing to you economy but you have CB shields on them and you want to vassalize them ASAP so you diplo-annex them that much sooner.

Once your man power is sorted out your going to need money and that means you should conquor Byzantium and create that center of trade. Once you have the center of trade you can expand any where you like. I would try to gain every non-mameluk provience which you have a CB shield on and then work on taking the CoT in Astrokhan then when the 1500s roll around you can capture the Mameluk's capital and event annex them as well.

[Ecthy]

Thing is, in the early game you can't upkeep your army. So you need to conquer many provinces quickly. SE Europe is easier and quicker conquered than Asia Minor.

[Eli]

The Ottomans rock. I conqured half of Europe in my second game ever.

[Ecthy]

and that's coming from a complete strategic layman as well

[Dinner]

So how did it turn out?

[Heresson]

If You do not conquer those little states in SE quickly, Hungary, Bohemia, Venice and the like will do that

[Nikolai]

...which could be a good idea really. BB-wise I mean.

[Heresson]

BB? What's BB?

[Nikolai]

BadBoy You get much more BB if you annex a one province minor than if you take the same province from one of those countries after they've taken it. As long as they're not in an alliance, ut could be an idea to let them take the small ones.

[Heresson]

Oh, so that's what You mean! Ah, I'd rather take them easy and get BB than involve in a long exhausting war with some Hungarian Empire

[Micha]

Getting too many BB will involve you in a long exhausting war with everyone