I have this habit, when getting into the last few turns of the game, to realize all the things I could have done better. Add a preference for the early and mid-period game, and lots of restarts results.
My favorite side to play is Russia. I'm still playing on H/H. As noted in the thread 'Selling off poor Russian provinces' I give myself a big cash boost on the first turn by selling off 4 of the starting 9 provinces. To recap:
1) Karelia sold to Denmark for 8k gold
2) Arkhangelsk sold to Persia for 8k gold
3) Don Voisko & Astrakhan sold to the Mughals for 12k gold
Persia declares war within a decade, and they don't do anything with Arkhangelsk except build up archers and muslim mobs. This is one area where autocalc battles is your friend: 45 mounted cossacks vs 600 peasants w/ pitchforks? seehttp://imgur.com/YpC40U6
Starting treasury expands from initial 6k gold to 34k gold.
I only tax Muscovy and Ukraine. The others are exempt till they're worth taxing. I re-arrange starting towns as follows:
1) The poor weavers in Muscovy north is dismantled and replaced with a church.
2) The poor weavers in Muscovy east is dismantled and replaced with a school.
3) The growing tavern in Muscovy east is dismantled and replaced with a weavers.
With the initial cash bonus, I also upgrade the two remaining fur traders to markets.
The first new town slightly south of Moscow is made into a school, and this becomes the primary school to upgrade up to and including modern university.
I send my starting priest to Bashkira to convert them fully. Bashkira and Komi get one new town and these both become schools. So by fairly early I have 5 schools operating. (When the Bashkira and Komi schools become wealthy, which always happens eventually, I convert them into industries. Only then do I tax Komi. I avoid building a school in Tartariya, it always seems to lead to trouble. Luga, though, in Ingria works well for a school when it appears.
The starting school at Nizhny Novgorod is eventually replaced by a smith but not until other schools are operational. This means that Muscovy gets 3 schools, and I specalize one each for military, industrial, and enlightenment tech and allocate gentlemen appropriately. This means that gentlemen (unless on tech-stealing duty) all remain within Muscovy. I also go the Museum route for Muscovy to help keep order and because Moscow gets a unique top museum structure.
The reason I restarted my most recent game is that I had only 5 years left to get my required southern provinces (which includes Persia) and these were occupied by stack after stack of hindus. (seehttp://imgur.com/8gPqr96 ) I figured I could do better. I'm also not helping to slow down Maratha by denuding the treasuries of the Mughals and Persia.
Prior to this strategy, I would always trade Karelia to Sweden for Estonia & Livonia when Sweden suggests. Then go after Georgia and Dagestan as soon as possible after finishing off Crimean Khanate. Then I would get to trade for a few turns until the Ottomans blockaded my port in Crimea.
The selling-off provinces strategy means the south is quiet until Maratha moves up. I don't have to worry about Georgia and/or Dagestan, neither moves into Don Voisko or Astrakhan either when the Mughals are there or when they rebel after the Mughals are destroyed. My prior experience suggests that going after Georgia and Dagestan must be done very early and quickly to avoid the large stacks of european style line infantry that these provinces will produce once they get going.
My goals for the restart was to give me more time to go after these southern provinces, including Persia.
It's important to concentrate on food production early. Indeed, for this restart I researched common land enclosures even before canister. On first turn, all provinces get a road upgrade. Most of the town-wealth bonus from roads comes from basic roads so except for Muscovy and Ukraine basic roads will do. In prior games I over-emphasized roads and governance buildings too early.
I build civilian governance structures everywhere except Komi (I want the Siberian Hunters), Moldavia when I conquer it, and Astrakhan when I take it back. Thus, only the poorest provinces get military governors. In crimea and (later) transylvania I take down the military HQ and build civilian structures. Crimea and Transylvania can eventually get very rich (as will Hungary if you replace the military HQ).
So now it's 1760 and I've conquered all my long campaign victory provinces in Europe. I still need to take Rumelia (I've done everything I can to keep the Ottomans in the game, including giving them back all the balkan provinces I had taken from them and built up in exchange for peace. They are the only current player fighting the hindus). So now I have some 40 years to make war against Maratha. (I figure I can grab Rumelia at my leisure). Poland is reduced to a couple single-slot-city provinces and the Prussians are little better off. The Dutch have taken most of western europe, though.
Nonetheless, I should be in good shape, with a line of fortress cities separating me and the Dutch in Europe, while on the southern front, Georgia and Dagestan are still there, still at peace, and Don Voisko and Astrakhan remain rebel provinces. I would move in but am hoping I can get the Maratha to clear out Georgia and Dagestan, which woud hopefully weaken them as both these provinces have full stacks of european style line infantry.
My plan is to start a war with Maratha, but not with Georgia and Dagestan. Maybe the hindus will move thru Caucasia to get to me, that's my hope anyway. The Ottomans are quite powerful but except for Egypt are confined to europe, all their middle eastern lands having been assimilated into Maratha. Thinking about launching a naval invasion with a stack of Tatar cavalry (btw, I'm preferring Tatars to Kamluks because they're cheaper to maintain, 160/turn instead of 180, not to mention they reload much faster than Kamluks) and just raiding Maratha lands. Of course with my luck they'll instead send a fleet halfway around the world and attack Archangel or something.
Hopefully, my steampunk Russian baltic fleet will be ready for them. 'Steampunk' as in:
1) no middling ships. Only Admirals First Rate and Heavy First Rate for the big hitters. Maybe some 2nd Rates especially if I capture any.
2) lots of steam ships.
3) lots of rocket ships.
4) and gallies!
Perhaps you can guess that Russians are my favorite side to play (haven't yet played as Spanish or Ottomans though).
My favorite side to play is Russia. I'm still playing on H/H. As noted in the thread 'Selling off poor Russian provinces' I give myself a big cash boost on the first turn by selling off 4 of the starting 9 provinces. To recap:
1) Karelia sold to Denmark for 8k gold
2) Arkhangelsk sold to Persia for 8k gold
3) Don Voisko & Astrakhan sold to the Mughals for 12k gold
Persia declares war within a decade, and they don't do anything with Arkhangelsk except build up archers and muslim mobs. This is one area where autocalc battles is your friend: 45 mounted cossacks vs 600 peasants w/ pitchforks? see
Starting treasury expands from initial 6k gold to 34k gold.
I only tax Muscovy and Ukraine. The others are exempt till they're worth taxing. I re-arrange starting towns as follows:
1) The poor weavers in Muscovy north is dismantled and replaced with a church.
2) The poor weavers in Muscovy east is dismantled and replaced with a school.
3) The growing tavern in Muscovy east is dismantled and replaced with a weavers.
With the initial cash bonus, I also upgrade the two remaining fur traders to markets.
The first new town slightly south of Moscow is made into a school, and this becomes the primary school to upgrade up to and including modern university.
I send my starting priest to Bashkira to convert them fully. Bashkira and Komi get one new town and these both become schools. So by fairly early I have 5 schools operating. (When the Bashkira and Komi schools become wealthy, which always happens eventually, I convert them into industries. Only then do I tax Komi. I avoid building a school in Tartariya, it always seems to lead to trouble. Luga, though, in Ingria works well for a school when it appears.
The starting school at Nizhny Novgorod is eventually replaced by a smith but not until other schools are operational. This means that Muscovy gets 3 schools, and I specalize one each for military, industrial, and enlightenment tech and allocate gentlemen appropriately. This means that gentlemen (unless on tech-stealing duty) all remain within Muscovy. I also go the Museum route for Muscovy to help keep order and because Moscow gets a unique top museum structure.
The reason I restarted my most recent game is that I had only 5 years left to get my required southern provinces (which includes Persia) and these were occupied by stack after stack of hindus. (see
Prior to this strategy, I would always trade Karelia to Sweden for Estonia & Livonia when Sweden suggests. Then go after Georgia and Dagestan as soon as possible after finishing off Crimean Khanate. Then I would get to trade for a few turns until the Ottomans blockaded my port in Crimea.
The selling-off provinces strategy means the south is quiet until Maratha moves up. I don't have to worry about Georgia and/or Dagestan, neither moves into Don Voisko or Astrakhan either when the Mughals are there or when they rebel after the Mughals are destroyed. My prior experience suggests that going after Georgia and Dagestan must be done very early and quickly to avoid the large stacks of european style line infantry that these provinces will produce once they get going.
My goals for the restart was to give me more time to go after these southern provinces, including Persia.
It's important to concentrate on food production early. Indeed, for this restart I researched common land enclosures even before canister. On first turn, all provinces get a road upgrade. Most of the town-wealth bonus from roads comes from basic roads so except for Muscovy and Ukraine basic roads will do. In prior games I over-emphasized roads and governance buildings too early.
I build civilian governance structures everywhere except Komi (I want the Siberian Hunters), Moldavia when I conquer it, and Astrakhan when I take it back. Thus, only the poorest provinces get military governors. In crimea and (later) transylvania I take down the military HQ and build civilian structures. Crimea and Transylvania can eventually get very rich (as will Hungary if you replace the military HQ).
So now it's 1760 and I've conquered all my long campaign victory provinces in Europe. I still need to take Rumelia (I've done everything I can to keep the Ottomans in the game, including giving them back all the balkan provinces I had taken from them and built up in exchange for peace. They are the only current player fighting the hindus). So now I have some 40 years to make war against Maratha. (I figure I can grab Rumelia at my leisure). Poland is reduced to a couple single-slot-city provinces and the Prussians are little better off. The Dutch have taken most of western europe, though.
Nonetheless, I should be in good shape, with a line of fortress cities separating me and the Dutch in Europe, while on the southern front, Georgia and Dagestan are still there, still at peace, and Don Voisko and Astrakhan remain rebel provinces. I would move in but am hoping I can get the Maratha to clear out Georgia and Dagestan, which woud hopefully weaken them as both these provinces have full stacks of european style line infantry.
My plan is to start a war with Maratha, but not with Georgia and Dagestan. Maybe the hindus will move thru Caucasia to get to me, that's my hope anyway. The Ottomans are quite powerful but except for Egypt are confined to europe, all their middle eastern lands having been assimilated into Maratha. Thinking about launching a naval invasion with a stack of Tatar cavalry (btw, I'm preferring Tatars to Kamluks because they're cheaper to maintain, 160/turn instead of 180, not to mention they reload much faster than Kamluks) and just raiding Maratha lands. Of course with my luck they'll instead send a fleet halfway around the world and attack Archangel or something.
Hopefully, my steampunk Russian baltic fleet will be ready for them. 'Steampunk' as in:
1) no middling ships. Only Admirals First Rate and Heavy First Rate for the big hitters. Maybe some 2nd Rates especially if I capture any.
2) lots of steam ships.
3) lots of rocket ships.
4) and gallies!
Perhaps you can guess that Russians are my favorite side to play (haven't yet played as Spanish or Ottomans though).