1.3.1 Ultimate Diplomacy Solution: Tribal Reservations!...

[Slaists]

Here is my invaluable "diplomatic" tip for 1.3.1. This applies especially well when you're playing on VH campaign difficulty and the AI seems to be able to crank out stack after stack of troops despite having no trade whatsoever.

If you want to secure a flank for your faction and NOT take additional AI territory or wipe out the respective enemy attacking you completely, or do "scorched earth tactic" by burning the AI's infrastructure you should take the border provinces and give them to the Native Americans (whichever faction of theirs is still alive at the time).

1. The natives will do the burning down the infrastructure bit for you while your army can move on to the next target right away rather than waiting a turn to do the burning
2. Your AI enemy's troops will be kindly escorted out from the freshly baked tribal reservation
3. It will take time for your AI enemy to declare a war on the natives (to retake their territory); all that time, your flank will be secure since the Native Americans usually do not attack anyone in Europe or India
4. Once your AI enemy retakes the territory, it has to rebuild everything; your flank will still be safe during the rebuild
5. For an additional bonus, declare war on the Native Americans BEFORE you give them the territory. That way, your army does not get teleported out and can move around the reservation freely...

For #5, you could arrange a military access treaty with the tribe. However, that's only likely to get you into diplomatic trouble later. When some ally of yours declares war on the Native Americans (or vice versa), you'd end up getting a huge (and global) diplomatic hit for "dishonoring treaties" for joining a war against someone you have military access with...

That's the way of "diplomacy" in 1.3.1 ETW...



p.s. Previously, I suggested giving the buffer zone to any remote faction. Giving it to anyone else but the Native Americans, would result in the infrastructure not being destroyed and the ports of the new territory owner being raided if they have a trade agreement with you. The Native Americans work better, especially Inuits and Plains Indians since they're not likely to be wiped out by the AI in their mainland.