ARG! ATTACK me you worthless gits!!111

[FactionHeir]

Using assassins and failing an assassination counts as you declaring war, not vice versa.

As I said, the general thing will only work if the other conditions are also met.

[Whacker]

Using assassins and failing an assassination counts as you declaring war, not vice versa.

As I said, the general thing will only work if the other conditions are also met.

Yep, forgot about the assassins and me declaring war bit... Updated my list. As for the general trick, I *might* declare war on Egypt, after I purchase 3 of their 4 provinces.

HAH! Egypt *just* declared war on me. Byzantine Bulldozer Crew mobilizing! Just two Turkish family members left!

[FactionHeir]

lol

[IrishArmenian]

Train spies, command them to enter settlements. If you have enough good ones, the settlements may revolt, ripe for the taking!
If your spies get caught, that should piss them off quite well.

[Ciaran]

It's been suggested elsewhere that Vassals can't betray you (if AI, you as player can). Their only way out is to ally with someone else then choose the ally over you if you and their other ally go to war.

I´m not entirely sure whether vassals still pursue an active diplomacy as in searching new allies. I´ve not seen it myself, but that doesn´t mean it can´t happen. Existing allies are a problem, whether your allies that your vassal is at war with or your vassal´s allies that you´re at war with. Usually, once you make a faction a vassal, you automatically get ceasefires with all the parties involved, but that doesn´t prevent wars flaring back up the next turn.
Now, if you were at war with an ally of your vassal it´s best to wait for said ally to attack you, for one reason or another the diplomacy shuns attackers and keeps with the defender, as a rule (I suppose there are exceptions - I´d be surprised if there weren´t).
However, things get really ugly when you have to attack an ally of your vassal, because of your victory conditions. The only sure way to do that and keep your vassal is to goad the third party into attacking, or to use the "Visiting Comrades Incident" which I described earlier in this thread.

[fenir]

Alliance offering in Diplomacy is not a bug, it means your standing with that particular Kingdom, is not high enough to warrant an offer.

I always off money as gifts, depending on how rich you are, I offer 50k and next turn the Alliance offer comes up.
That will take you from very poor to perfect.

Personally whacker, if you want to whack the Turks, then smack them, make the alliance later.
Or plan ahead is usually what i like to do, start a war, make it fast, but make sure your leader or faction heir needs a missus.
Trail the little wench until you are ready, smack the turks, marry the wench to your horny heir, alliance back, all good.

Good thing about playing the Romans, is that the Emperor is the top pope.
Anything he says goes, he's a real rightous dude.

PS: just for interest sake, I made the turks vassels in 1146AD, my game goes by 1 turn per season, with an offer of all my cash, at the time about 860k, tribute of 50 k for 5 turns, and two provinces, mosul and bagdad. They had edessa.
They remain a good little lamb for the rest of the game, I protected them against the nasty mongols, which i fought 11 open battles, no castle seiges.
Mongols go whacked. and then again, against the Timurids.

Got to love that.

fenir