What's your favorite country to play in EU2?

[Nikolai]

Originally posted by Oerdin
Three colonies. Two in Greenland and one in Iceland. Norway always ends up annexed by one of the other Scandinavian powers (90% Denmark, 10% Sweden).

Not always, but mostly. And it never survives 100% intact.

[Dinner]

I like to play Sweden but the reality is it isn't very challenging. Like clock work here's how it goes: 1419 through 1450 attack Novgorod take northern colonies and Ugric proviences before they can build Russian culture and Orthodoxed religion on them. Spend 50 years or so colonizing and building up proviences while trying to get Norway happy with me and unhappy with Denmark. 1500 declare the end of the Kalmar union and hope Norway decides not to let Denmark annex them but they almost always do.

Spend next 100 years fighting Denmark/Norway and annexing them. Then it's just deciding if I want to colonize or build an Empire in Europe but either way no one can seriously harm me.

[Nikolai]

I'd cancel the vassalization ASAP. And IIRC, the Norwegian AI will have to decide what to to then immiately. It speed things up a bit.

[Dinner]

I don't tax myself and I try to live off of trade, census taxes (not given to overlord), and the value of goods produced. That means the vassalization doesn't do much to me other then provent me from entering new alliances. I typically want to sort things out in northern Russia and build up my low population proviences/colonies before I take on Denmark and conquor all Scandinavian cultured proviences.

[Micha]

Originally posted by Oerdin
...while trying to get Norway happy with me and unhappy with Denmark. 1500 declare the end of the Kalmar union and hope Norway decides not to let Denmark annex them but they almost always do.

Why do you care for Norway´s relations? Their decision is not influenced by anything, it´s entirely random. I don´t know the exact number but I think it was something like 15:1 for choice A (be annexed by Denmark)...

That´s what most people don´t like with EU2, the AI doesn´t evaluate its decisions...

[Nikolai]

It's 80% for the historical choice, and the rest for the unhistorical.

[Micha]

Really? Hm, so it´s only 4:1 ... Anyway, there´s no sense in bribing Norway before the end of the Kalmar Union...

[Nikolai]

I agree.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Micha


Why do you care for Norway´s relations? Their decision is not influenced by anything, it´s entirely random. I don´t know the exact number but I think it was something like 15:1 for choice A (be annexed by Denmark)...

That´s what most people don´t like with EU2, the AI doesn´t evaluate its decisions...

I'm care about relations because I'm trying to keep Norway in alliance with me while getting the Danes to dishonor the alliance. I was thinking if the Norweigens were at war with Demark or if they had bad relations with demark then they would be less likely to accept annexation by Denmark thus clearing the way for annexation by me.

[Nikolai]

If Norway is in war, it can't be annex. If it's in war with Denmark, it isn't a vassal anymore. BTW, the annexation is an event, so relations is not important in this case.

[Odin]

I have just started a game as Sweden. I have taken 2 provences in the Karelian (sp?) region from Novgorod, and have taken the provence of Skane from Denmark after they declared war on me when I refused to let King Hans take the thrown and cancelled my vassalage to them. I couldn't annex Denmark because I only had the five transports I start with (and can't build more untill I reach the next naval tech level) and so coulden't capture Gotland island, as it had 40,000 troops stationed there. (and hence I could not get the 100% advantage I need for annexation). Once I get enough transports I will induce them to declare war on me and I'll take the rest of Denmark, and Norway too if they are joined by then. After that I am hoping to capture the rest of Novgorod (if it not conquered by Moscovy/Russia by then), or take over some of the principalities in northern Germany, Holstein and Bremen look like nice pickings.

[Heresson]

Me, I'm currently playing Gelre. I played a similar game once, as Brabant. Then, I didn't form Netherlands. Perhaps because Brabant was not part of the (EU) 3 northern provinces. As then, as today I decided to limit my interest to Greater Netherlands, which in this game I declared provinces of Dutch culture + all bordering them + Palatinat perhaps.
At the beginning, I allied with France and fought Burgundy. I could've gotten more, but France signed peace giving me Flanders only. It's a COT though
Then, came bad times. I was divided into two parts, and my capita was for a long time under occupation of neighbouring German duchies. Only after a long time did I manage to capture all Dutech provinces. France didn't help me much, it was weak in this game. I was actually close to being defeated in this game, which took me by suprise. But what saved me was lack of funds. i'd never took a loan myself. I used it to buy off my deadly enemies from the war and crush the rest Eventually my allaince with France came to an end and I even fought it. I could've conquered more, but except for Great Netherlands, I decided to keep Meklemburg only - the accidental gains I decided to free as vassals (and they were then usually eaten by someone).

[aeturneus]

Last couple of games I've played my ancestral Friesland, in AGCEEP, and formed the Netherlands asap (1560), then pursued a global trade domination strategy + colonization of North America. Being close to the French capital with easy CB's from trade makes it a cinch to get french maps and then the french colonies shortly after forming NL. The French don't seem to strengthen their fortifications much at that point, even in Paris, and it's easy to fortify the NL, so you can pretty much have your way with them and capture their capital and a couple other provinces with William of Orange before they finish seiging anything.

I'm now trying to do something with Xhosa in South Africa in vanilla Eu2, and am learning a lot about the fundamentals of the game since it's a very challenging starting position.

[Cookie Monster]

I like playing Japan in the grand campaign.

[Heresson]

I have done it, but there are so many revolts... It's completely annoying