A Tip for Getting Vassals?

Having been at war for the French for a long time, they were reduced to around four provinces, still with reasonable armies. In the diplomacy screen, their power was rated as "Supreme" (as was mine, playing as Scots). A French diplomat approached my Citadel, and offered me a Ceasefire, if I would pay a tribute of something like 26,000 for two turns. Obviously I refused, and just mucking about, I offered them to become my Vassals, for which I would pay them 1,200. Surprise, surprise, they refused. However, to my shock, they offered to become a Vassal for something in the high 20,000's region. After some bartering, this came down to 18,000 and they became a Vassal.

I have never got a Vassal or Protectorate in a TW game before. I was really shocked when I made this deal. At the time, I was besieging a Citadel, so I wonder if that can have a big influnece in these deals? Just a though, it could be pretty useful in future.

And a random thought, it seems strange fighting against the French with their Scots Guard Longbowmen, when you are the Scots.

Well word is, keep your reputation up and it's more likely.

I made Byazntium a vassal once playing as Turks. They had one province left so I sent a stack there. I got them to agree for a couple thousand florins. So I tried to up relations with them by giving money but they got pissed and immediately broke the alliance(How can they do that????)Needless to say, they paid for it with their lives.:whip:

Generally, if you have a good reputation, and they send an emissary to you to ask for a ceasefire, they will agree to a vassalage, given some payment (I usually give them back one of the territories I've taken from them).

A while ago I was playing as Sicily and was going about my business as usual taking Durazzo, Tripoli, Tunis, Cagliari, Ajaccio and Florence initially. Some 10 years into the game (I play 2turns/ year) France was X:ed and Marseilles revolted so I seized it quickly. This pissed off Milan so they attacked me in Florence and I thought, hmm let´s do some outsourcing, so I gave them Marseilles but didn´t offer peace. I launched a crusade from the Marseilles region on Milan and on the way there I took Genoa and the general there fled to Marseilles after a breif battle outside Genoa. I took Genoa and Milan and turned towards Marseilles where one general and some rabble troops where but stopped at their border and sent in a diplo offering them a vassalage which they accepted.
By now HRE attacked Florence so I hurried back and repelled and layed seige to Bologna. Took it and they sued for peace instantly. This had obviously pissed of Venice so the harmlessly blockaded my port in Naples so I seized Venice, sacked Zagreb and Durazzo which I gave to my allies Byzantium after raizing its infrastructure and converting Ragusa into a town. Venice soon accepted my vassalage offer stranded as they were on Crete.
Some years later the pope was closing to 60 so I launched a crusade on Jerusalem and took it while in the same turn attacked Rome. I took it too and in the following peace deal I had to pay the pope 12k and gave him Jerusalem but kept Rome, he he! Next turn he dies, I´m not X:ed anymore and Italy is all miiiiine, muahhhhaaa!

slightly off topic

is the only advantage of getting vassals the fact that u dont have to administer those provinces but they still count as your own?

can vassals later backstab you and attack you?

Vassals can break off. You should give a vassal state a way to expand some other direction. If you do not, they will probably not accept vassalage, or just try to expand through you. So if they have no where to go, you are better off conquering them.

in rtw, vassals also give you all of their money once their treasury is above a certain mark but i am not sure if that is what happens in m2tw