Protectorates? No problem!

[Centurio Nixalsverdrus]

i would like a protecterate just tp fill up dead space on the campagn map. i would like to be able to give protecterates varios p[rovinces which have no financial or strategic importance to me and are simply a drain on the resources.

Although I strongly agree with you that there are some provinces which you really don't want to conquer, I have to tell you that no settlement actually drains your treasury. Every settlement adds to your treasury, as long as you don't count the buildings' costs you build there as a drain.

[Bootsiuv]

Maybe he means provinces which are too expensive to control i.e. require a large garrison and are constantly attacked, meaning new soldiers must be trained to defend them. If you're spending thousands of mnai every turn in troop retraining and reinforcments for some dinky land-locked town in the mddle of the desert, I would say that settlement would be a drain on your empire.

[KARTLOS]

Maybe he means provinces which are too expensive to control i.e. require a large garrison and are constantly attacked, meaning new soldiers must be trained to defend them. If you're spending thousands of mnai every turn in troop retraining and reinforcments for some dinky land-locked town in the mddle of the desert, I would say that settlement would be a drain on your empire.

exactly in my case it is provinces in the heart of germany, whilst my capital is in armenia.
i have been taking a few provinces off the sweboz as part of a "punishment" campaign against the sweboz. (the impudent barbarians joined up with the getai and attacked my black seas ports).
i require a full stack in one of the provinces to defend it and mainitain order.

ideally i could give some german provinces to a docile client state.

[Conqueror]

I've been quite successful in using protectorates in my Seleukid campaign. Granted, I did use the force diplomacy mod to make the factions submit after I'd fought them to the brink of destruction. At first I had much trouble with my vassals conspiring with other factions, allying with them then starting a war and backstabbing me. But I learned how to counter that by keeping careful eye on their alliances and striking first against those factions.

So if you have a protectorate that has a nearby ally, you should start a war against them because if you don't strike first they'll build up an invasion force and attack you - and when that happens your protectorate will backstab you.