Alliances and consequences

[Ironsword]

Alliances don't mean too much in this game.

^^ In the long term I absolutely agree. But in my experience they can be useful; I sometimes use new alliances to cancel previous ones, paving the way for war without loss of influence.

Also your allies can come to your aid relieving sieges and joining in with raids on other provinces. Usually it's for their gain though rather than any altruistic intentions.

The most fickle faction for breaking alliances IMHO, is the Papacy, who also have the threat of excommunication and their constant re-emerging with stacks of troops. That's AI for you!

[Ironside]

While I agree that alliances doesn't matter much, there's atleast a reason behind why they don't ally with you midgame.

They're allied with your enemies and they never seem to break that alliance by allying with you. Killing/making peace (this is mid-game remember? Still possible sometimes at this point) with those faction will make more factions willing to ally with you.

[Puzz3D]

Being allied with a faction may increase the differential in combat strength that has to exist before it will attack you.

[Heidrek]

alliances are most important at the earlier t=stages of th game when your empire is most fragile, or when you are prosecuting a war. No matter what you do though, if you start to get too strong you can count on nations banding together against you when you attack soemone.

It's actually a really good part of the game balance. France has been a major force in every XL game I've played. Routinely conquering most of europe, however, in the process they make a number of smaller enemies that can band together like a wolf pack always threatening to bring them down if they get the chance. That's your job - giving them that chance by attacking the dominant faction where it is weakest forcing them to face your new and significant threat.

With luck, the smaller wolves will gather and start nipping at the flanks while you and the main opower go head to head. Rapid expansion can leave you dangerously over streched, particularly if you've made a number of enemies to do so.