Annex versus trade.

**Upxl** · 04-04-2009, 11:35

I noticed that most of the factions even those with no more then one province are income wise more beneficial to me with trade then i was to conquer them.

Like in my mid-late UP campaign the Italian states produces me several thousands of gold in trade but their capital only provides a mere thousand.
Is this correct or am i overlooking something?
Just wouldn’t make much sense.

**Kulgan** · 04-04-2009, 18:48

I believe every faction has a ' king's purse ' a sort of standard income to get the game going I guess. You can check this out in the financial summary of your faction.

**Sisco Americanus** · 04-04-2009, 22:31

Yes, I've noticed this too. I've taken to making small factions my protectorates and then trading with them instead of conquering them. I get half their income as a protectorate fee and I get money from trading with them. Plus, I get a buffer state with a mysteriously strong standing army (which I don't have to pay to maintain) that will automatically go to war along with me if I'm attacked. Assuming theirs isn't a territory you must take as part of your victory conditions, it's a win-win.

**Major Robert Dump** · 04-04-2009, 22:59

Or don't do either and blockade their land trade route. If they are hostile and you need an army to defend your border anyway well you might as well just point and click on that little paved road and numnumnum. Can be very profitable.

**Upxl** · 04-04-2009, 23:37

Protectorates you say,…? Hmm yes, yes interesting indeed.
But then kind sir how do I contain my desire for gore and untameable bloodlust?

No this really is interesting; can you believe I never even considered that option?
I’m an RTW child you know.
Those bad habits of not taking protectorates/alliances serious is still manifested deep within me, time for a change then hu…

Originally Posted by Major Robert Dump

Or don't do either and blockade their land trade route. If they are hostile and you need an army to defend your border anyway well you might as well just point and click on that little paved road and numnumnum. Can be very profitable.

spoken like a true general.

@ Kulgan: I once had a girlfriend in Opwijk.
When she decided to dump me she wrote me a letter.

I was only 13 but it still hurts none the less.
I’ll bet it had everything to do with that teenage kid with the cool bicycle

**antisocialmunky** · 04-04-2009, 23:46

The German States are wonderful protectorates if you don't have to conquer most of them. They are great buffer states.

Originally Posted by Upxl

I’ll bet it had everything to do with that teenage kid with the cool bicycle

That's funny, one time I impressed this girl with my bike and had her write a Dear John to her 13 year-old boyfriend.

Yes, I know that was in bad taste, but I'm just kidding around.

**Subotan** · 04-05-2009, 00:36

Likewise you can't trade with your own provinces. Which is, uh, a bit weird.

**Fisherking** · 04-05-2009, 09:12

I would disagree.

Most of the time trade is never more than 2000 per turn and even if it is a protectorate you will usually receive more cash owning the province than the combined trade an tribute. If the province has trade resources then you are far better off owning it than trading with it.

I would never try to take over a protectorate, but a mere trade partner is no protection from me.

There are a few exceptions though. Sometimes the garrison is not worth having the region.

**Upxl** · 04-05-2009, 12:48

Actually in my later campaign I have few nations that go below or don’t come close to 2000.
With the Italian states for instance trade profit has been more then 3000.
Last night I did the test and invaded the Italian peninsula.
I didn’t look at the details but apparently my total income improved.

Originally Posted by antisocialmunky

That's funny, one time I impressed this girl with my bike and had her write a Dear John to her 13 year-old boyfriend.

I sir demand satisfaction!!

**Fisherking** · 04-05-2009, 15:24

The two best trade partners I have found in the game are GB and Russia, though I seldom hesitate to attack if I need to. This usually means Russia, of course. The northern provinces are rich in furs which are better in your hands and Russia almost always is will to make peace with a trade agreement once it looses a few regions, as long is one is Moscow.

**anweRU** · 04-05-2009, 17:00

The base trade income you get is proportional to the number of (contiguous) provinces owned by the nation in its home theater. I'm not sure if population plays a role. Thus Russia and the Ottoman empire are (almost) always the two best nations to trade with.

In my current Dutch campaign, the Russians never captured a coastal province, and even lost Karelia to the Swedes. The Swedes were my second largest trade partner (after the Ottomans and before GB), until the idiot AI declared war on Hannover (no border, Hannover doesn't even have a port yet!).

**aimlesswanderer** · 04-06-2009, 15:05

As Prussia I have knocked off Austria, UP, France, and Spain. I have made protectorates whenever I could, as long as they are on the periphery of the empire, like Savoy, Italian States, err, Dagestan, and any of the American factions small enough. I can't trade with many of them, but I get income from them at least. It seems like you can only make single province factions protectorates, no matter how crap they are. Sadly pesky Venice didn't want to become a protectorate (or even peace) after losing Venice, (won't even if I offer 30k + tech), and neither did Genoa, so they had to die... after I built my first ship so I could get to them.

The Austrians were down to a single province and I made them a protectorate, but the buggers declared war on me a few turns later, which surprised me, and they didn't last long. Haven't had any trouble with the others. Think I am making 8k from them all, not inc trade.