Great Britain

[Monk]

Great Britain is one of the 12 major factions, available for play.

[Malkut]

It's hard to know where to start with Britain.

You're in an odd position, compared to what you would expect. The 13 Colonies are semi-autonomous, and resentful of any attempt to change that fact. This is a challenge, because your goal as the UK is a North American empire under your direct control. However, the only outpost on the North American continent that let's you call the shots is Rupert's Land, Canada. The Colonies can be welcomed into the Empire as equals, but only if you can conquer the Cherokee and New France.

Because it's so hard to figure out what you're supposed to be doing, I've decided to present four distinct plans which I feel will help define the overall strategy for the ascension of Great Britain during the 18th century, and those who feel overwhelmed may pick one at their convenience.

I'd also like to note that the first thing you should do, regardless of which plan you choose, is to combine your Caribbean fleets on the first turn. There is a rather nasty pirate fleet headed in the direction of one of them, and you probably want to give them a proper welcome.

1) War in Europe:

This is a high risk/high reward strategy, because the fighting takes place in your own back yard, against forces similar to your own. Prussia will soon attack your ally Austria, as the war for a Greater Germany begins. Use this opportunity to declare war on them. Sail an army from England around Denmark, and attack Berlin straight off.

Berlin is a tough nut to crack. However, taking it early gives you an extra school. Combined with Oxford, and the quickly emerging town in Canada, then you'll be able to develop a significant tech lead (this might also work on France, if you can take Paris, but watch out for your New World holdings).

From there, ally with Protestant nations, and press Catholic France and Spain in their own homelands. Build up your fleet, so that you can prevent them from returning the favor in your own home island. Once you dominate Europe as the mightiest and most advanced power in the world, then ceasing the helpless colonies of your vanquished foes will be a snap.

2) Battle for the New World:

Develop your army in England. Ideally, you'll also want square formation, and a bayonet tech that doesn't suck, if possible. Those Cherokee, they love the horses.

Once you have assembled your forces, take stock of where you want to insert them. Georgia seems like a good starting point. It's near the Colonies, it's a stone's throw away from Florida, it provides easy access to west of the Appalachians, and it won't trigger an intercontinental war with France or Spain (that's for later). If you don't care about starting such a war, then it might be better to go ahead and knock out New Orleans or Quebec.

Once you have conquered and developed the Cherokee lands, then you will be on equal terms with New France and the other native . Complete the mission that grants you dominion over the Colonies, and your conquest of the New World will be almost inevitable.

3) To take Canada:

War with the Huron Confederacy seems to be inevitable. Head it off by fortifying Moose Factory. Invest in increasing your military recruitment pool. When they declare war, pick their armies off one-by-one, as they assemble to attack your city.

Once you have artillery, it's time to strike back. Take their camp, and then begin projecting your power in the North. New France is right next door to the best developed part of your empire, so I shouldn't have to tell you what comes next.

4) Oh Calcutta!:

I haven't really dealt much with India, yet. If I were to venture a guess, I would say that allying with the Marathan Confederacy in their fight for freedom from Mughal oppression would give you an edge.

Important in all of these plans is the establishment of trade, which requires a sizable fleet. Remember to open trade routes, develop resources, and research non-military techs.

[timski]

Some early-game thoughts:

Starting Position

Diplomatically, most of central and eastern Europe is friendly towards you, although these need to be handled with care. Diplomatic problems are likely in western Europe. The biggest single problem being France, which is a perfect storm of poor historic relations, powerful military, and proximity to your territories.

Militarily, Britain has the strongest navy, not least because it starts with a 2nd-tier Dockyard, so can produce 4th and 5th rate ship immediately. There are downsides. Those better ships cost more to make and maintain, yet your starting economy is not healthy. And while Britain is probably best placed to exploit the new world, there is always a danger of spreading yourself "too thin" by trying to cover too many different threates. The ever-present threat of war with France and tendency for European mainland wars to result in European piracy, almost forces you to keep a large navy close to England: A classic cold-war scenario, that ties up a lot of resources without resolution, but does maintain the European status-quo, allowing you to focus major military actions elsewhere.

There are 2 distinct types of region: Those that can build a wide range of capital buildings, and those that cannot. Ireland is restricted to basic colonial administration, in contrast to Edinburgh, which can build a wide range of capital buildings. The intuitive first move - to try and develop Ireland and benefit from it's large (3 million) population - has limited potential.

The population of Scotland and Ireland are in decline, while growth in England is very slow. Happiness is not high. At best this means you will not gain new sqaures within the region for development. At worst, you could see a rebellion. Long-term, this will mostly be addressed through research. Short term, consider dropping European lower-class tax slightly. Garrisoning units is not terribly effective, because the upkeep cost often outweighs tax benefit. Ireland is a particular problem, due to its high population, and lack of building potential.

Britain has a strong trading position, which initially is restricted by port capacity (check the reasons why there is no trade under Diplomacy). You cannot upgrade Greenwich without a lot of research. However, the next harbor to develop is Bristol, which can give England a second trading port. Push for anything that gives improved population growth in the first few turns (reduced tax, farms, related research).

The first tier of construction normally gives the most significant individual increase, as well as costing the least to build. So as a rule of thumb, always build on any empty squares before upgrading. England and Scotland start with 2 unused farm squares, so build on those immediately. There are also several unused squares in North America. In a few turns you can increase exports from North America by 3 or 4 times, simply by adding Fur trappers to Rupert's Land and a plantation in the Bahamas. That generates a lot of money!

Lastly, the first Prime Minister is a liability, and can easily be replaced at the start (you can kick one minister per turn).

Logical strategy

It will become apparent that there is more money to be made from trade than taxataion of the population. That shifts priorities away from European conquest, towards new world expansion. Plus the 13 Colonies mission and overall campaign objectives support that expansion. All topped off by the initial naval strength and ease of accessing the new world from Britain.

It is easy to get drawn into North America, since you start there. But don't leave India to late. It takes years just to travel there, is a campaign objective, and is exploited by other western Europeans.

It is inevitable that you will get caught up in European wars, but with a strong naval defense, I suspect there is no need to get embroiled in major conquests on the continent. It's important to get away from the "MTW mindset", that immediately propels Britain towards invading Europe, because that's the only place to expand.

Be careful not to get left behind: Technology and buildings all give exponential benefits. The further the game progresses, the harder it will be for you to catch up. Finding a balance between expansion/trade and the technology/build race is hard: A large geographic empire can easily fall because it is 10 years behind prevailing technology, or lacks sufficient buildings to support a powerful economy. Staying out of Europe (and so not being able to pilfer existing research facilities) can slow the pace of research, so be prepared to steal or trade research (particularly trade with those European nations that are not in the new world, so not likely to be fighting you).

Great Britain can do almost everything from its starting position, but that does not mean it should do everything! Focus on specific areas for territorial expansion, and coexist with everyone else as best you can.

[MikeV]

Be careful not to get left behind: Technology and buildings all give exponential benefits. The further the game progresses, the harder it will be for you to catch up.

At the start, three countries have one tech apiece that Britain hasn't yet researched. Using Diplomacy or a Gentleman to acquire them can get you caught up in the tech race.

• French have Physiocracy (Philospohy)
• Prussians have Plug Bayonets (Military)
• Ottomans have Improved Grenades (Military)

Looking at the prestige screen, France and Spain start out as the leaders. If you are going for a prestige win, you'll have to slow them down. One way is to use your Rake(s) to sabotage their colleges and/or assassinate their Gentlemen researchers.

Another way is to simply conquer them and take them out of the game. France has only two continental regions. Spain has four (Sicily is part of Naples, not a separate region), plus Corsica. Taking the home region first deals them a significant economic blow. Taking all of their European possessions causes their overseas regions to rebel and become independent.

Your other two main rivals, Portugal and the Dutch United Provinces, are even easier: they have only the one home region each.

[MikeV]

The population of Scotland and Ireland are in decline, while growth in England is very slow. Happiness is not high.

Plus, Ireland has a high % Catholic population. Consider sending your first Protestant Missionary there, to speed up the conversion rate. When a new town emerges, build a church school there.

Promote growth in all three regions by upgrading your farms, once you've research the Common Land Enclosures (Industrial) tech.

[Maleficus]

4) Oh Calcutta!:

I haven't really dealt much with India, yet. If I were to venture a guess, I would say that allying with the Marathan Confederacy in their fight for freedom from Mughal oppression would give you an edge.

Important in all of these plans is the establishment of trade, which requires a sizable fleet. Remember to open trade routes, develop resources, and research non-military techs.

From my experience, I found that Neroon Kot is a good place to start your invasion of India, as it, like the other Mughal cities in the north-east, is often lightly defended.

[denmj]

Trade is by far the best money maker in the game.

Build trader ships and get them to the 4 trade zones asap. With 4 traders in each zone and trade treatys you can easily make 2x as much in trade as you make in taxes. Allowing you to control Ireland by tax rather then occupation. Also Ireland you can build up as a military goverment so you can atleast build troops there faster and it will give you access to better troops. You will get less growth and less money from the region this way but in the long run it will pay off.

The first priority for me as Britian has been to take out the pirates in the two southern areas. This adds two regions to your empire and gets rid of the only real threat in the trade zones to your trade ships.

The pirates can be dealt with easily with about 6 line units or so. They have no forts and no land units so they only spawn milita type units to defend with. I sent my units over on a sloop going wide till I could come in close to avoid thier ships. After taking both locations the ships disappear. Removing them as a threat and ending that war. It also gives you a good deal of prestige as well as bloods your units in easy fights.

Those line units now form the backbone of your expiditionary forces. Where you go from there is up to you. Either stay in europe ( not a good idea IMHO) go to North America or go to india. Both India and North America are good choices as they are both rich areas. North America is my choice simply because with three regions I can get 13+ new regions. I also wait to hit North America and the indians will usally take florida from spain. Then I attack at florida move up to georgia then over to the nation to finish off those requirements. Leaving only New France to take care of. The Iraquoi Nation are good to have as allies as well.

Diplomacy there are several ways to go with this. Try to ally with everyone that will or try and drop the ones you would rather not be allied to. For example ally with prussia and sweden so you can drop any other alliances. Then drop those alliances and sue for peace. This in effect keeps you out of alot of european wars. But does mean you will have to declare war on France to get New France. You want as many trade partners as you can get and want to make sure you have no unused trade routes as that is just wasted money.

Your navy doesn't have to be overwhelming just good enough to keep your trade routes open and keep from being ganged up on. I used two fleets around the british isles. Moving one or the other into port as needed for repairs. With the priates taken out the small starting fleet in the American theater was enough to keep what I needed open or provide transport for my troops.

Technology is by far the biggest factor for britian as you can't really afford a huge army or even a huge navy off the bat. So what you have has to be good and strong. Trade for some technologies if you can. With the money will be making from trade routes you can eventually buy them off other people.

[MikeV]

ally with Protestant nations, and press Catholic France and Spain

Folks haven't discussed the religion aspect much in these forums, but this is an important point. When playing a Protestant faction, the Catholic factions will never like you very much. But the other Protestant factions seem much more agreeable, at least in the beginning.

I've tried a round of Diplomacy at the start of the 1st turn, setting up alliances and trade agreements with as many other factions as possible, except France and Spain. Whenever a war breaks out, I tend to honor the alliance, if it doesn't put me in an impossibly vulnerable position.

War against France or Spain is a great opportunity ... to gobble up their overseas colonies! It's also a good way to strangle them economically (by blockading their home region's port and/or raiding their trade routes, and kicking them out of trade spots).

The only thing to watch out for is the population unrest when capturing a region with a different religion that your own (also true vs. the Islamic factions). It's important to destroy the region's Religious building and replace it with one of your own. It's also useful to repair and keep the Happiness building, if their is one: worker strikes can escalate into full-blown Rebellion, if they get too unhappy.

[MikeV]

Develop your army in England. Ideally, you'll also want square formation, and a bayonet tech that doesn't suck, if possible. Those Cherokee, they love the horses.

Once you have assembled your forces, take stock of where you want to insert them. Georgia seems like a good starting point.

More specifically, develop your army's technology in England. Britain can be a good example of quality over quantity, especially vs. the natives in the New World.

The other thing to keep in mind is that Britain is the emerging naval superpower of this era. The sea is your highway -- getting involved deep in land-locked territory severely limits your flexibility.

One thing you can do to reinforce Rupert's Land is to use the Caribbean force that just defeated the Pirates. For that reason, it's useful to capture Trinidad and Tobago first, then the Leeward Islands, then head north.

Once you've dispatched the Hurons (and/or the Iroquois, depending on how restless they get), it's time to sail back south. Georgia is a good choice, because it's one of the two Cherokee regions required to fulfill the mission -- which you want to do, as it increases your revenue from the 13 Colonies from 50% to 100%, and gives you full control over what they build.

[MikeV]

I haven't really dealt much with India, yet. If I were to venture a guess, I would say that allying with the Marathan Confederacy in their fight for freedom from Mughal oppression would give you an edge.

In between the two, Mysore is a 1-province minor. It requires a 2-stack force to conquer them, but you need a lot of troops in India, anyway. From there, you can operate against either the Empire or the Confederacy.

One thing to keep in mind, the latter has more coastal provinces: easier for a naval superpower to take.

[MikeV]

Important in all of these plans is the establishment of trade, which requires a sizable fleet. Remember to open trade routes, develop resources, and research non-military techs.

Money, money, and yet more money! Ca$h is king, and trade spots are key.

As a naval power with plenty of trade ports at start, Britain can build and send Indiamen to three of the four trade zones right away. The Portuguese start in one spot off Brazil, but the others are available. They start in two spots off West Africa, but the others are open. East Africa is open, but Portugal, Spain, and Maratha race to get there. The Dutch and Maratha usually end up with the spots in the East Indies.

Still, being prompt can net Britain the majority of trade spots, and a healthy economy, for the rest of the century. Also, war with Portugal, Spain, and the Dutch can increase your share.

Although the exact mechanics of trade aren't documented well, it's important to remember that the trade has to flow to and from the faction's home region. Expanding the number and size of trade ports there increases the faction's overall trade capacity (and, therefore, income level).

[Malkut]

There is also the question of what to do with Rupert's Land. Eventually, the Huron are going to come for it. There seems to be very little that you can do to stop it.

One strategy is to build it up and defend it, but this may not always be easy. If you're busy elsewhere - say, locked in a desperate struggle with France - then that money could be better spent elsewhere.

In my current game, I was at war with France from very early. They had steamrolled the Colonies, and made it as far south as Boston, while threatening the UP's home territory. Defending Moose Factory didn't seem very likely, and wasn't high on my list of priorities.

Instead of trying to fight for it, I traded it to a minor faction. Made them a Protectorate, even. If the Huron take it, I'll just come back when I'm not so busy, and take it back for myself. It's like getting a free protectorate.

[erebrus]

There is also the question of what to do with Rupert's Land. Eventually, the Huron are going to come for it. There seems to be very little that you can do to stop it.

One strategy is to build it up and defend it, but this may not always be easy. If you're busy elsewhere - say, locked in a desperate struggle with France - then that money could be better spent elsewhere.

In my current game, I was at war with France from very early. They had steamrolled the Colonies, and made it as far south as Boston, while threatening the UP's home territory. Defending Moose Factory didn't seem very likely, and wasn't high on my list of priorities.

Instead of trying to fight for it, I traded it to a minor faction. Made them a Protectorate, even. If the Huron take it, I'll just come back when I'm not so busy, and take it back for myself. It's like getting a free protectorate.

Giving a region doesn't quite make it free I think...
Yes, Huron will declare war on you, but a 5-6 unit stack usually is enough to intimidate them if you place it correctly. If you leave them in the city, they will send small raiding parties to your villages. If you station your forces on the villages, then they might go for your city. Anyway, careful intimidation is more than enough to keep them at bay and I don't think throwing away your only mainland colony in america to be a very good idea

[Malkut]

Giving a region doesn't quite make it free I think...

It does if I plan on taking it back. I didn't give it away immediately, I waited until they attacked me, and I already had an experienced army in Canada fighting the French. All I have to do is swoop in and beat what's left of their army after they take it.

So maybe not quite free, but very inexpensive, and it'll pay off in the long run.

[Ja'chyra]

Ok, here’s my take on GB played on H/H.

You start off with 6 regions, 3 in each of the Americas and Europe.

Europe - England
Scotland
Ireland

Americas - Jamaica
Bahamas
Rupert’s Land

2 armies in England and Ireland and 4 fleets in the Irish Sea, English Channel, Caribbean and East Atlantic.

First things first, move Newton into your school at Cambridge and start your research, I went for the college upgrade first but pretty soon you’ll be wanting to research farms to allow your villages to grow. After that just aim to complement your play style, I like to turtle so spread out my research across the different areas instead of focusing on one. If you like to win the game in 20 turns you’ll be wanting the military tech tree, but this approach isn’t for me.

Next you’ll be wanting to establish long and short term goals I went for integrating the 13 colonies and establishing a foothold in India respectively. The foothold in India I wanted within 10 turns and integrating the 13 colonies within 25, I know, a generous timescale but I like to take my time. As well as these two goals I also aimed to keep a hold of all my existing provinces and try to stay out of large wars, especially in Europe.

First steps.

So I’ve got my research started and my goals established. First thing was build a couple of Indiamen in the Americas and 1 in England to send of to the trading theatres asap. I also trained up 3 units of LI in England and 2 in Jamaica. I moved my general and my unit of pikemen into Ireland to help keep the peace and upgraded the happiness building (?) in Scotland and the farm in Rupert’s Land to help Fort Rupert grow. The unit of militia and Yeomen left in Ireland I moved down to England to form part of my expedition to India.

As for diplomacy, choose your allies carefully as Europe will soon be embroiled in some major land wars, especially between Austria and Prussia and another between Sweden and Denmark. I chose to go with Austria and Denmark to keep Russia off my back and allow the opportunity to raid Sweden’s trade routes and fleets. I also allied with some of the smaller nations and the Maharata in India.

As for my Regions, England is your big money earner and has a port in Portsmouth that can produce 4th raters straight away although you might be a bit short on cash to begin with. Jamaica is the only place in the Americas where you can produce LI and you’re going to need them against the Cherokee’s. Rupert’s Land is only 5 or 6 turns away from developing Fort Rupert which can either be used for income, priests or research but is going to be getting some loving from the Huron Confederacy pretty soon so you’re going to need some troops there.

I also rearranged my 4 fleets a bit, the ones near the home countries I kept as 2 but changed some ships around allocating most of my brigs and sloops, and admiral and a 6th rate for my expedition to India, the rest remained to protect Britain. In the Americas I merged both fleets and attacked the pirate fleet NE of Jamaica, make sure you play the battle right through to a Decisive Victory continuing the battle if necessary to allow you to capture any ships that are left. I lost 2 sloops and captured all 3 ships and that Fluyt is very handy at this stage.

At the end of this turn you’ll get the mission to capture Georgia, Cherokee Nation and New France so that the 13 colonies will join you, they are already a Protectorate. You’ll also get a few wars starting in Europe and maybe the Iroquois declaring against the colonies. I sent my damaged Americas fleet back to Jamaica for repairs and trained another 2 LI there ready for invading the mainland. I also started upgrading my trade buildings trained more LI and 1 cavalry unit in London.

The next turn is where it gets interesting. Your Indiamen are ready so send them off to Brazil and the Ivory coast to establish trading routes and load up you army from England onto your India fleet and send them on their way. Also embark the troops in Jamaica onto your Sloops and Brigs and send off to the Bahamas to pick up more men and then onto Georgia, I kept the rest of my ships in another fleet to escort my Indiamen past the pirate islands, and I needed them as well.

So you’re only 3 turns in and you’ve got 2 expeditionary forces on their way, one landing this turn, had a naval engagement with pirates and had to decide where you stand on European politics, this turn you’re going to have to land you army on mainland America, I chose to land in the 13 Colonies region next to Georgia so that I can declare war and take Georgia in the same turn. Your Indiamen and India fleet will take a few turns to arrive so you can concentrate on the Americas for the present, start aiming Rupert’s Land to building up your military and send the army you landed to take Georgia, if you’re lucky the Cherokee’s will have taken Florida from Spain allowing you to grab this as well without disrupting world politics. If you’re unlucky the Iroquois will have dec’d the 13 colonies and you may need to help them out to preserve your future empire.

From this point on you will be focusing on India and the Americas while developing your home countries and building up your forces, if you’re more brutal than me you may venture into European land wars or naval encounters but I had enough with India and the Americas to keep me happy, not to mention keeping a handle on pirate raids, I didn’t want to wipe them out as they are a good source of naval combat and prize ships if you can manage it.

[quadalpha]

You should get moving on your 13 Colonies mission pretty quickly as both France and Spain accomplish their missions in a few turns. The colonies are usually stupid enough to trade provinces like Maine and New England to the French.

[Siven]

What d you end up doing with Ireland?

Myself, i change their trade port to a dockyard as the trade port only adds to the region wealth of Ireland which to be fair is nothing compared to having another trading port in England which then also adds more sea trade lanes and therefore trade agreements.

Anyone else do the same? and do you think its worthwhile changing Portsmouths dock into a trading port for more trade agreemenst at the start too?

[anweRU]

AFAIK, Ireland is connected to England via a land route (the double arrow), and hence the trade port counts towards your available slots. I would have to check when I get home in ~ 9 hours or so.

[Furunculus]

First Turn:
> put english army on channel fleet and set sail for the north-eastern most indian province (calcutta?)
> recruit two infranty units into the irish army from dublin
> demolish oxford

Second Turn:
> rebuild oxford as a school
> start teching social and economy trees
> start upgrading economy buildings

Third Turn:
> use english army in the channel fleet to take calcutta
> put irish army in the north-sea fleet and set sail for new-france

Fifth Turn:
> use irish army to take new-france, and then immediately sue for peace, the french will accept

Turns Six to Twenty:
> consolidate gains, upgrade territories, continue teching society and economic trees exclusively

Turns Twenty to Fifty:
> take all of mughal northern india
> take all of central canada and northern united states
> destroy fishing ports and replace with trading ports

Turns Fifty to Ninety:
> take rest of non UP north america including the two remaining mission territories
> take rest of mainland india by destroying marathra, mysore and portugal
> start teching up military tree
> destroy fishing ports and replace with trading ports

Turns Ninety to One-Hundred:
> take remaining mission territories of windward isles and gibralter for the 1750 mission
> start building up fleets of four 2nd rates and four Indiamen

Turns One-Hundred to One-Twenty:
> send 2ndRate/Indiamen to forcibly remove NPC's from trade-zone spots
> upgrade foreign ports to at least the 3000 gold upgrade level

Turns One-Twenty to One-Forty
> build fleets of 1st rates and place them atchoke points such as the channel, gibralter, transfer zones, etc
> strangle the world trade of your enemies and reap the benefit of owning every single trade-zone point.

Turns One-Forty Onward:
> blockade all european ports and strangle all european trade.

[MikeV]

Myself, i change their trade port to a dockyard as the trade port only adds to the region wealth of Ireland which to be fair is nothing compared to having another trading port in England which then also adds more sea trade lanes and therefore trade agreements.

Anyone else do the same? and do you think its worthwhile changing Portsmouths dock into a trading port for more trade agreemenst at the start too?

Seems like a good move. But, every faction that has a water-accessible home region has a shipyard. Is this just stylistic, or is there some connection (research?) that requires it?

[A Very Super Market]

A shipyard lets you make advanced warships. That should be enough to convince you, no?
The strategic location of Portsmouth, directly in the English channel, allows you to easily retreat when confronted with too large of a fleet, as well as choke the trade of the Northern factions, as well as Le Havre, Brest, Antwerp and Rotterdam


And... quintiple posts all the time... man....

[Walrus]

GB was my first campaign, i went into it without having played RTI or any of the tutorials, only from previous experience in the TW games.

From an expansion and conquest point of view, i took a different approach to most of what is listed here. I ignored the thirteen colonies mission - thinking that war with France would not be worthwhile, and the other territories required were simply inaccessible. Instead, my plan was to conquer most of Canada and north america. I built up my infrastructure in the UK, built some forces in rupert's land, and went to war with the Hurons.
I wasnt aware of the potential profitability of the trade theatres at this point, so i neglected them, simply sending 1 trade fleet to brazil and 1 to the ivory coast. I recommend putting a lot more effort into this however, as they provide an excellent sustained income.

At this point i should note that Ireland - being a major source of annoyance due to low public order - starts the game as having a 70-30 religious balance in favour of Catholicism (ie 70% catholic). I didnt notice this for a long long time (being new to the game) - but when i did, i tore down the existing town and rebuilt it as a school, and sent my protestant preacher over there. I recommend doing this in turn 1, as it simply cements order in your home regions and allows you to increase taxes etc without any need for concern.

Going back over to the Americas - it took a while, but eventually i managed to launch a successful assault on the Huron capitol. This got me the benefit of gold mines and quite a profitable region. My next conquest was the very northwest territory (cant remember the name) held by some native americans. I struggled slightly here due to not knowing how to counter their "charge and zerg" tactics, but took the territory nonetheless. This meant i had 3 very secure territories in north america/canada, earning me a solid income without much need for protection.

I contined my canadian expansion, looking to take the village in the northeast of america (again, cant remember the name) and the black hills village held by the aptly named Plains Nation. These presented me with a lot more trouble - especially since i was quite behind in both trade and more importantly, research (remember, first campaign, didnt know what i was doing half the time!). The more astute player should invest in some military technologies to help conquer these. The eventual tactic that worked for me, after repeated failures, was to build a fort. Normally, the natives had a full stack in their home city, and another half-full stack camped outside. As soon as i ventured into their territory (and ended turn), they would attack with a full stack, which i would defeat, but then the rest of their troops would join the fray and drive me back. The successful try, i took the offensive, destroyed their outer standing army and then constructed a fort for my wounded army - and left them there to heal. The natives would instantly try to attack again, but with the benefit of the fortifications i could drive them off and march against their now-weakly defended cities.

At this stage then, i now hold 5 regions in north america, netting me an excellent income. I have also taken steps to establishing trade with anyone and everyone. Additionally, i recognised the importance of a strong navy to the british faction, and worked on this - controlling the british channel and all nearby trade lanes.


At this point, i felt i should turn my attentions away from america - it was not worth risking war with france or the more powerful iriquois. Early on in the game - about turn 2 - Sweden and Prussia had both declared war on me, and i felt that the best next step would be to assault the former. Its very easy to land an army over on Denmark (who in my game had been conquered in their homeland by the swedes and retreated to Iceland), and from here i simply pushed throughout the north-scandinavian lands. There were some losses, but i was able to keep sending strong troops from London via boat (i had built my navy and controlled the seas, enabling my to transport troops without trouble) and eventually push the swedes back. Having eventually destroyed them and gained a number of extremely profitable regions, i opted for a quick swoop on Iceland (the last refuge of the danes) whilst i built up the economy of the newly conquered swedish lands.

At this stage, i still had Prussia raiding me and generally being a nuisance, so i figured that an assault on them would help rid me of an enemy, and importantly grant me a foothold in continental europe.
Note - this is at about the year 1730, and i have an income of 15-20k per turn, enabling me to amass an impressive army. I marched from Sweden into Prussia - taking Berlin and East Prussia (their only provinces) and ensuring a quick end to that war.

The biggest challenge lay ahead - Poland-Lithuania had also declared war on me quite early into the game, and had succeeded in taking over most of eastern europe. This was my first "serious" war, but i was well prepared, with excellent technologies and an unmatched income. I used my most experienced two generals from the america and sweden campaigns (10-star generals, both of them) to launch the offensives. Generally, after conquering a territory i would keep it garrisoned for 3-4 turns whilst i built up the public order and recruited militia to garrison the provinces, and then moved the main army on. One of the big problems here was religion - make sure to knock down all catholic churches and rebuild them as protestant ones, and send all your preachers to here to try to establish a protestant majority to help with public order.

The war went on, eventually Poland crumbled before my might, and i set my sights on India (about 1750 now) - Mysore remained a free province, and the island of Ceylon had been overrun by rebels - two easy targets then. I sent my best general and a full stack to Ceylon, and captured it with few problems. This island would serve as my base of operations for the India campaign - i garrisoned it and upgraded the infrastructure, then sent my troops into Mysore to capture that region, giving me a foothold in mainland India.

Meanwhile, with my other general, i went back to america and pushed south from the black plains - i took the newly emerged Mexico, and then pushed east from there into cherokee territory, whilst sending more troops towards Quebec (also independant now - i avoided war with any of the major european powers even at this point), claiming the required territories to complete the thirteen colonies mission. With the colonies under my control, i stood firmly in control of north american east coast, and pushed my armies in all directions to eradicate any provinces not yet under my control.


This brings me to the stage i am now at - a solid foothold in India, most of North America under my control, and an impressive empire in eastern Europe and scandinavia. The year is about 1780, and i have somewhat grown bored of the campaign, i only need claim a few indian territories, sail some fleets towards egypt and malta, and the campaign is won.

[Mek Simmur al Ragaski]

I am only 35 turns into my campaign as Great Britain, however I have learned a lot, and how to create advantages for yourself.

Firstly, in order to maintain peace, and create trading safety, I took both Trinidad and Tobago and the Antigua Islands, eliminating the Pirates and gaining an economy booster. I also began to create a trade fleet that would be sent to the Ivory Coast. It may be beneficial to drop taxes in certain regions to encourage growth, so that villages will grow quicker and therefore you are more likely to earn money. Start to research economic techs.

After a few turns of upgrading economic buildings, the Huron Confederacy, the Iriquois and the Cherokee Nations declared war on me. Not having done anything to provoke this, I decided that it was better to fight them rather than having a crippling war with Spain and France. So bring soldiers from Britain (You may want to start building these on the first turn) and start to create an army in Jamaica. Finally when my army was ready, I noticed that Florida had been taken by the Cherokee nations, along with half of the Thirteen Colonies territories (They had from Florida up to Maryland, with Pennsylvania going to the Iriquois. However the TC had taken Arcadia.

Land on Florida and take it, and within the same turn if possible attack Georgia. Soldiers from Britain landed further up north to prevent the Iriquouis and the Cherokee Nations from expanding further. It should be difficult to defeat the Cherokee Nations from here, just take all of the TC's previous colonies back, and then march inland and take the two cities inland. Lower Louisiana had rebelled against the Cherokee after they had taken it from the French, so it was easy pickings.

Next, try to take the Iriquouis out. Use one army to attack Michigan, while using the other to attack their main territories along the river. Once both the Cherokee and Iriquouis have been taken out, I have a sizeable piece of land in the Americas. Now to annex the French. Firstly, try to gain good relations with the Spanish. Try and get trade rights and give them some techs if possible. Build up a fleet in Britain to combat any French navies. Now, in my campaign the TC attacked Quebec and took it. So I traded most of my southern territories for it. However doing this completes the mission and therefore you get complete control of the TC. Now send an stack if you have one into Louisiana, and another to take Montreal. You may also want to think about taking French Guyana and the Leeward Islands. Now you should have a large amount of land and wealth at your disposal.

This is as far as I have got in my campaign. My next few moves would be to take the Newfoundland, take out the Pueblo nations and then think about attacking the Huron Confederacy, the Plains Nations and the Inuit nations so you have complete control of North America. Then either go for India, start with Europe or you could kick the Spanish out of the Americas and establish your dominance.

I have left out most of the economic information, and just explained where I went and who I attacked.

[Dreadnought2]

One strategy I've used in both BG and UP campaigns is to leave one of the Pirates bases intact for a while. I've used my navy to capture a few pirate galleons/fluyts, repair them then form 'trade protection squadrons' with a few brigs for backup (and pursuit of enemy routers). Send 'em down to the trade ports so they're still making money but use them to bushwack any follow-on pirate fleets - simply capture more galleons/fluyts and repeat. Just remember, 'chain-shot' is your friend!

Once you kill off all the pirate bases, you're limited to knocking off Spanish galleons or Dutch Fluyts (which may or may not be an option for diplomatic reasons).

Once I've captured a decent number of galleons, I try to keep at least one such squadron in each trade zone (often with a Admiral's 3rd rate as flagship) and it's proven itself very handy when other nations decide to go commerce raiding...

Cheers,
Dreadnought2

[oz_wwjd]

well the first pirate fleet that I encountered has about 10 galleons/race-galleons and fluyts,with a second group of the same as reinforcements. Frankly I didn't think anything I had would stand a chance against that many pirate ships,so I killed them before they could totally devastate my trade fleets,as that was the majority of my income at the time..

[Slaists]

One tip for Britain: at the beginning try to "tighten the belt" and reduce nobility taxes to minimum for your American theater. It goes a long way in producing economic growth (and higher future taxes) + you won't be losing much income with the raw American provinces. Tax the middle class (that's how it's done in real life too...)! Until middle game, there is not much population growth anyway (with taxes or without) because agricultural techs are lacking.