Yin Runs England!

[yin26]

Notice the title says: "Runs" not "Ruins"...though that is a good possibility.

I'm now going to post as the head of England with an idea toward helping Vel's EU guide book, which I'm sure is on the horizon.

After finishing up with Spain, I thought about taking Portugal for a test spin...but for some reason wanted to play as England. The difficulty rating is 'Normal'...and after a few hours of play, I can see England's problems at this point in time:

** They start will some problems with the Irish...though this is relatively easy to handle.
** They have nothing to start colonizing with...and have few colonists so far in general.
** Their econ is limited.
** Their only holding on the continent is Calais...which is just a piece of fruit waiting to be eaten by the much stronger France.

Potential Tips for Vel's Guidebook:

• The effectiveness of your diplomatic efforts to improve relationships is related to the total amount of money you have in the bank. Thus, it is more cost effective to, say, send that Letter of Introduction AFTER you've spent your money doing upgrades, buying troops, sending colonists, etc. However, make sure you keep enough money on hand for rapid use of diplomats...if you need them. Oh, and always check in November or December before you get paid for the new year. Great time to use up some loose change to get a sizeable diplomatic boost...assuming your account has already been mostly spent.
• It seems that a nation's relations with you is affected by how its battles go with other nations. For example: Each time France annexed somebody, my relations with them dropped nearly 100 points! I guess this is representing how they are becoming more bold? Or is this a factor of the Bad Boy rating? At any rate, be aware that if you have worked toward a pretty good relationship, don't assume it stays that way simply because YOU haven't done anything wrong.

[yin26]

My strategy so far has been to keep France happy with me...colonize some of Africa (I already am building one colony there to a city) to help my econ later...and wait for an opporuntistic moment on the continent to gain a foothold there that can be expanded comfortably toward the late game.

[yin26]

1531: Well, I charmed the French (they fall for romance...and many, many Letter of Introduction). With a +200 relationship (that took work, people), they invited me to an alliance. So I joined. I figured with France on my side, I'm safe to build up my econ and so forth until things look better for me. And with Spain and the Turks gnawing at France, I figure they'll never see me coming...say...in 1650.

Potential Philosophical Musings for Vel's Guidebook:

"EU's greatest innovation and potentially its most aggravating element is: The Use of Time. From the quasi RTS-esque style that encourages a mostly free-flowing sense of historical inertia to the fact that you cannot overnight turn an enemy into a friend or a broken economy into the World Bank (indeed it takes game 'years,' lots of finesse, and even touches of luck to do such things in EU): You find yourself having to plan further ahead and be aware of more relationships than in any game of its kind. Ever.

Then again, this same use of time means you'll also at times feel yourself the unpitied victim of history's current and other nations' whims (not to mention some game mechanics themselves) that can periodically toss you about like a piece of drift-wood.

Fear not! This guide is dedicated to making sure that not only will you land on shore...but that you'll be able to conquer any shores you encounter along your way to World Domination."

[Kyle]

No, no, not Africa. America. So many good spots there and your colonies don't have negative growth rates.

[yin26]

The problem is I had nobody who could go into Terra Incognita! So I have been left with only going to Africa. I know from other posts that the AI doesn't go to America well anyway, so I'm sure I'll still have opportunities there later...which is kind of disappointing in a way. At any rate, it wouldn't help too much either way it seems since I hardly get any colonists as it is...

[SnowFire]

yin: Which is why you want to be protestant! Trust me, 1 colonist a year is plenty. If you order them to construct a settlement each time and not a trading post, and assuming that you have monthly income very low so you avoid inflation, you'll easily spend most of your yearly income that way.

Once some nice colonies start sprouting up in America (via Cabot, stolen maps, Drake, or whatever), you'll get the Colonial Dynamism bonus and soon you'll have more colonists than you could possibly know what to do with. I had the coast of America as mostly nice cities by 1600.

Frankly England's a bit boring because of that, you can win just by accumulating this massive colonial power base of extra income.

[Kyle]

Ah, okay. I've never played as England. Though you should start getting your explorers and conquistadors fairly soon. Plus when you go Protestant, that'll give you at least one colonist a year.

[St Leo]

I'm playing England right now on Normal/Agressive. North America up to Texas is pretty much mine (except for the Iroquois); so is Northern France (Paris is an island) + Flanders & Cologne. I've also taken Strathclyde from Scotland and Bohemia from Austria. An oversized Saxony is my vassal while the wimpy Netherlands and Pomerania are my allies. Too bad it's the 1700s already.

And with Spain and the Turks gnawing at France, I figure they'll never see me coming...say...in 1650.

1. Turks?

2. You'll have to take all of their colonies to annex them in 1650. Besides, France is very strong mid-game on.

[yin26]

Frankly England's a bit boring because of that, you can win just by accumulating this massive colonial power base of extra income.

Hmmm, so I think I will NOT be doing that then. I already experienced that kind of game with Spain. Maybe I'll just try for Havanna or a few money makers, but nothing like that painting the New World map in the colors of Spain like last time. It was just too dull to win that way.

1. Turks?

2. You'll have to take all of their colonies to annex them in 1650. Besides, France is very strong mid-game on.

Well, the Turks keep causing a mess...though the French probably haven't actually seen them in battle yet (I'm just hoping, I guess). And as for taking over France, just a bit of English humor.

[ravagon]

Originally posted by yin26

And as for taking over France, just a bit of English humor.

The English would WANT to take over France?!

Actually if the Baron Yin ru(i)ns England AAR is anything like the Spanish one I think you could almost submit it as a TV series.
All throughout I was struggling not to mentally replace "Baron Yin" with "Edmund Blackadder"

[Jeje2]

But areas from India to China are worth gold, lot's and lots of gold. (I would say that the new continent can never be as profitable.

So in my last games I first made sure of going east and taking places there.

(Is the game unbalansed in this way?)


Oh Mr. BlackAdder please continue with your reports...

[Dale]

Yin:
If ya wanna interesting game play SWEDAN! In 1492 I built up my army in the west arm of Swedan and declared war on Denmark in August to kill the vassilage. Tactic, as Swedan declaring war on Denmark in August is a killer for Denmark. You leave your troops stationary and Denmark moves in for the kill and looses 3/4's of their armies from snow attrition. (This is ALSO true against the Russians with those handy larger forts on the Russian border ). Anyways, I click "declare war" and all of a sudden I find myself in a war on my own versus Denmark, Russia, Pskov and Tuet Knights. Did I get a shock!

Anyways, it's almost 1500 now and I annexed Pskov first in 1493, then Russia in 1497 (after making peace with them in 1494 chomping off Karelia which he DoW'd me for again in 1496 with Denmark) and finally just annexed Denmark in 1499 (after getting peace for Gotland and Skane in 1494). I got a white peace with Tuet's in 1493 after seeing one token army from them of 5k. The reason Denmark took so long was 'cuz my navy was stuck on the wrong side of the Danes 45 ship fleet and couldn't strike at their capital.

Anyways, in the rest of the world Spain, England and France are in a stalemate war, and Turkey is happily eating Marmaluks.

[SnowFire]

Hmm... I have never seen England really conquer France when controlled by the AI. However, in my most recent IGC, England sucked far worse than usual. I was playing USA 1492 (since this is my first IGC as opposed to GC, I took a hiatus from EU around after the first IGCs were coming out) to get kind of a "just watch" effect, and Scotland just steadily marched south taking over province after province. France randomly grabbed one or two as well. It ended up being that only the very southern coast of England and London itself remained English, and at one time this entire southern coast was rebel controlled as well (again including the capital). Then, oddly enough, France completely annexed Scotland, their allies the whole time (diplomatically). So you ended up with massive French rule over all the northern British Isles.

Later on, bits of Ireland have been randomly parcelled out (Dublin was owned by the Spanish for awhile, and now the Portugese), but there's still 4 provinces left (no stupid Free Ireland, sure the British may not have ruled it all in 1492 but they soon did and the Free Irish are a pretty nebulous concept). I figure that a nice colonial invasion of the continent would be a fitting conclusion to my game, and Ireland is a great landing spot. It's still only 1620 or something right now, so I'm continuing to build up my lands and marshall forces as it stands.

[Victor Galis]

I'm playing GC right now as Russia, and yes by the 1690s most of the world is mine (cheap infantry, superior military Tech, and idiotic AI declaring war on me because of baboy value (I conquered most of Germany in one war, since they come at you two three provinces at a time, and a new set of them declares war just when you've just about finished the first one.))

Earlier in the game when it was still balanced, I suckered England (now my ally) into trading maps... So I have colonies on most of the eastern seabord (Started as a couple, then English tradeposts got burned by Spain and I expanded), Quebec, and tradeposts allover the back country (I hit the all armies can explore tech fairly early, France took out a bunch of my ill defended trade posts, but I will soon march on Paris for that crime)

Actually, the biggest size increase I ever managed, was playing as Moldova. Took a loan, built a large army and together with Austria and Bavaria annexed Hungary, increasing my size 700% in 5 years Then things went sour But hey, Moldova annexing Hungary, then beating the **** out of Turkey for two provinces, before Poland decided to end my little winning streak Curse Poland But I beat it up good as Russia, yeah, beat Poland into the ground.

[Dauphin]

I tend to build an alliance with Austria and Helvetia (and any other countries that would be able to attack France) as quickly as possible. That way when France invariably declares war on you they first target Helvetia, leaving you time to take Picardy and another northern French province.

If you agree a peace with France before Helvetia is annexed (depends on how useful the Austrians are being) then you can make good in-roads into France, provided you maintain the Austrian alliance. The French will quickly capitulate if you can taking the Ile de France.

Having mainland allies is a very useful deterrent against the French taking Calais

[yin26]

My strategy was a bit more obvious, I guess: I paid off France through Letters of Introduction and now they have me in their military alliance! Hard to imagine France and England with a +200 relationship. They never even tried to take Calais, so this leaves me lots of options.

I have decided NOT to colonize in this game, which is really making things tougher on me for sure. However, I think that will make for a far more interesting game from a strategic point of view...though it's a much slower pace.

[Victor Galis]

Eschewing colonization In the short term that allows you more resources for colonial domination, but the quickest route to fantastic wealth is discovering China and taking their CoT with your merchants.

[yin26]

Hmmmm, I think getting a monopoly in China is fair enough. That I'll do if I can, but I got too easy a game with colonies as Spain last time, so I'm trying to keep it a challenge.

[Victor Galis]

Maybe, but as England you don't quite have the same ability as Spain to colonize. With their head start it should make for some more interesting colonial wars that way, but then I like colonies for their own sake... I own the Eastern seaboard from Penobscot to the Carolinas as Russia (yeah... really). Most of these were peacefully acquired when the previous owner of a tradepost found himself suddenly without a tradepost, and with a 3rd party (me) colonizing the province. Only Carolina was captured from the Spanish, becuase they will not stop declaring war on me, and will not drop their trade embargo. Fools! I already am in position to defeat them in Europe in the mountains of Helvetia and on battlefields of Belgium, and as soon as I overrun France, I will be able to attack their heartland, and finish the task that Aragon and Granada began!

[St Leo]

All throughout I was struggling not to mentally replace "Baron Yin" with "Edmund Blackadder"

Why not George or Baldric?

[Shadowstrike]

With England, I find myself diploannexing Germany, one minor at a time, then wait out till EoT before unifying my two beachheads into one single English buffer zone against French/Austrian/Spainish imperialism.

[Victor Galis]

Bah, Germany is to be militarily annexed five minors at a time

[Shadowstrike]

I find the subtleness of diplo annexation much more satisfying. Brtue force and machoism is fun, but not after you've done it ad nauseum. *cough*Russian world conquest*cough*

[Victor Galis]

"I find the subtleness of diplo annexation much more satisfying."

-No one is stupid enough to let themselves be annexed by me... well there were about 4 powers in 300 yrs.

"*cough*Russian world conquest*cough*"

-It's so much easier at France. Russia is much more complex, though you get to kick the Muslim's ***es. (No stability hit once you convince them to put a trade embargo on you.)

[shawng1]

My usual start with England is unification of the Isles. I simply refuse to allow Scotland to make the "Old Alliance" with France. Military-annex it before they can make the Alliance. Norfolk is a good enough general to ensure ultimate victory.

From there, (after the requisite putting down of revolts), its consolidation until the Reformation. I convert first opportunity, then I start making alliances with the German states as they convert. Hannover is the best bet. Vassilize them quickly, ally with Brandenburg, and then you have a workable Prot. alliance against any conceivable religious war.

I usually grow by diplomacy and colonization (NA first, then Africa, then Asia). Favorite provinces are Newfoundland, Isle Royale, Manhatten, California, Table, and everyone's fave, Mekong.

Once I think I'm ready to get warlike, my favorite things to do are to resume hostilities with the French (of course), and remove the Pope from Rome.