Interesting Diplomacy

[chunkynut]

I started a Spanish campaign last night and decided to send my 2 princesses that you start with to the Portuguese and the French as part of my plan to take on the Moors (who I gave trade rights for 1000fl). I also am being strict about not starting wars with my catholic brothers (if they attack me there will be no mercy though ).

So the Portuguese wanted an alliance and the french wanted a marriage alliance. They both initiated an alliance with the Moors, but Portugal broke it by besieging Corboda and being a dutiful ally I attacked the Moors fleet blockading Lisbon. At the point before the Portuguese attack on the Moors my relations with Portugal were Very Good and France were Outstanding. France then ended our alliance and then the next turn blockaded Valencia in an act of war.

I had a stack of half mercs and half my cavalry and was ready to send it off on a crusade to keep the Pope happy along the northern med by land and wandered into Zagorva (sp?) in north eastern Spain that the French had taken. The moors asked for peace at 1020fl tribute for 2 turns and I accepted to help out my bank balance, and went to French and offered peace and they were begging for it with an army on their land and I got 1000fl for 10 turns from them with trade rights! I then made that army into a crusading army and left by sea for the holy land (thought the land route may have its issues around northern italy).

As an aside my other princess made a beeline for northern italy (she had 3 charm) and got marriage to a Venitian general from Venice and he hired some mercs and besieged Venice. I took Venice after they sallied with a superior army. But thats not dimplomacy

I was surprised the French sided with the Moors, and that the Moors sued for peace ... but apart from that I am happy with the outcome

Anyone else had experiences like this?

edit: Venice was excommunicated so not a catholic brother (to clear that up)

[Doug-Thompson]

Sadly, no.

[Quillan]

In my Spanish campaign that I started this past Friday, I made marriage alliances with both the French and English. The French backstabbed me early on; I think it's hardcoded that they just dislike the Spanish. The English one held for 70 years or so, but I wasn't keeping up diplomatic relations with them either. The Portuguese wanted a normal alliance with me, which I signed, then later they asked for assistance against the Moors, which I agreed to since I wanted the heathens off the Iberian peninsula anyway. Of course, as soon as I pushed the Moors out of Cordoba the Portuguese attacked me. I've never been able to make peace with the Moors, so that war's been going on for close to 100 years now. The French have made peace and attacked again, at least 4 times in that span of years. They've been excommunicated and reconciled 3 times this campaign.

[Kraxis]

What?


You can have allies and ceasefires? Never heard of such nonsense.

[Lochar]

I have never been offered a marriage alliance, altho I am still on my first LONG campaign as English.

I really felt bad for Scotland tho, they never moved fast enough and I slurped up all the rebel provinces on them. The never built up an army except at the beginning which they got repulsed by rebels.

Finally I gave them money, made them an ally and gave them military rights, I figured let them have some room to move and maybe they would go attack an enemy. Heh with 1 general unit and swordsmen they attacked Inverness I think its called. Well Nottingham housed my better troops and still had a general around, I just went and sieged their last province.


Its seems getting factions to become Vassals is harder than it was in RTW.

[PseRamesses]

I really felt bad for Scotland tho, they never moved fast enough and I slurped up all the rebel provinces on them.

In my most recent game the Scots had taken York, Caernarvon, Dublin and Inverness and were allied with the English who only had their starting provinces. They never broke that alliance throughout the game.

Its seems getting factions to become Vassals is harder than it was in RTW.

I think roughly the same criterias as in RTW are required. As the Byz I´ve got Venice as vassals in almost every game after taking Iraklion, Ragusa and Zagreb from them. As the French I got Milan once and as the English the Scots so it´s not impossible. Good luck!

[chunkynut]

Has anyone noticed that the Muslim nations tend to want peace at cost than the catholic factions?

Eygpt will always ask for a ceasefire if you take a region in a crusade, and so far in my spanish campaign as mentioned above the Moor asked for peace.

[Rameusb5]

All I know about diplomacy is that both the HRE and Milan are dirty backstabbing liars. (They both broke their alliances with me and then made an alliance between themselves in 2 turns, and they did this in TWO consecutive campaigns!)

The OP indicated that they might be more willing to agree to a ceasfire if you have a massive army marching through their lands. Is this true? I would actually like to NOT have my entire eastern boarders embroiled in a war, but neither country will listen to reason. Would sending a massive army into their territories change their minds?

[Beefeater]

Well the Danes offered me (as France) a ceasefire when I was besieging one of their three remaining cities, which was nice. After a bit of bargaining I got the city in exchange for peace and a tribute split into six 1,000 florin chunks over six turns. Not so shabby :)

This was on Vh/Vh, and the Danes I think needed peace to concentrate on their ongoing war against the Poles.

[chunkynut]

Having a large stack of troops on their land does seem to improve your chances of getting a deal out of them. I would suggest maybe hanging around for a couple of turns in a defensible position to increase unrest and hurt their bank balance.

The thing that annoys me tho is the fact that if you attack a fleet blockading you (or a beseiging army), your relations with that faction decrease .... surely this is not right as you are just defending your lands etc.

Although you can attack these armies/fleets and not be excommunicated if threatened by the Pope.

[Quickening]

Has anyone noticed that the Muslim nations tend to want peace at cost than the catholic factions?

Eygpt will always ask for a ceasefire if you take a region in a crusade, and so far in my spanish campaign as mentioned above the Moor asked for peace.

Lucky you. I took Jerusalem from the Egyptians in a Crusade and they went mental. It was me that ended up begging for a ceasefire I never got it.

[chunkynut]

Lucky you. I took Jerusalem from the Egyptians in a Crusade and they went mental. It was me that ended up begging for a ceasefire I never got it.

Yeah at the moment the eygptians are going mental ... i think the ceasefire was just to train more troops and forment discent in my city, antioch. They made threats then blockaded me, and the city is revolting.

Oh well, the crusade got the Pope on my side, he's now dead and the Pope is one of my cardinals

[Shahed]

Wow that was great. I've had no such luck with the Turks, everyone hates me for no valid reason. Although I could have vassaled the Egys many times, I'm going for conquest. Other than that my diplomatic relations have been war all the way from turn 4 till turn 90 something and nothing else.

What's more if I want trading rights I usually have to pay some silly 500 or 1000 FL amount or no one wants to trade either.

[chunkynut]

I had another example, I control all of spain bar Pamplona and Zargorva (north east iberian) and these regions are owned by the french. I'm currently the largest military power, at war with france and have blockaded the said regions (about 5-10 turns) and beseige pamplona (1 turn).

Asked for ceasefire and it said Very Generous, added trade rights and tried to get 1000Fl a turn for 10 turns but the french are broke, so I asked for Pamplona and nothing else and this is the counter offer I got.



4500 Fl for pamplona wasn't bad especially as they went to war with me soon after I had paid it and now I have Zargorva too. I'm playing on Medium.