All Vassal Challenge

[Askthepizzaguy]

Medieval 2: Total Vassalage!

The objective: Own all provinces on the map, but you CANNOT ELIMINATE FACTIONS!!! Force every opposing faction to be your vassal, and secure all other provinces. Bonus points for getting the Mongols, Timurids, and Aztecs.

Version: Pre-kingdoms, LTC or vanilla, your choice of version.
No other mods.
Difficulty: H/H to VH/VH only.

Think you have what it takes to own the entire world? This time, you don't get to simply seize every territory. You MUST allow ALL opposing factions to continue to exist! It's more realistic... even the British empire made most of it's territories protectorates, vassals, or provinces that were self-governed. The reason being that a hundred thousand British troops could not patrol and police all of Africa, America, Asia, and Australia. In other words, rule by proxy, rather than by force, was the watchword of real empires.

True, in this campaign you will probably exercise direct control over at least half of the map. However, in order to secure all those vassal states, you will most likely have to GIFT provinces back to them... leaving even fewer states under your direct control.

I often hear that M2TW isn't challenging enough. How's this for a challenge?
Who will be the first to make every state their vassal, and control all provinces?

To all participants in the challenge: Post your results here, as well as any comments. I look forward to your reactions and the results of your efforts. The added danger of this campaign is that certain factions might get eliminated by other nations... you have to stop this from happening! Every faction must exist in this challenge!



=================

Until the challenge is actually completed:
The Vassal Contest:
Who can obtain the most vassal states in terms of factions controlled?
(alternatively, in the event of a tie, number of vassal provinces)

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Question: Is it even possible? Won't know until you try.
I will partake in this challenge. But give me some time, I currently have an 8 turn HRE challenge to win, followed by a Total Independence campaign, followed by a Rome Total War Blitzkrieg campaign, followed by this... and I have college and a full time job. So could be a bit. Any takers? Or am I the only lunatic willing to try?

[Ibn-Khaldun]

This is more for me than the blitz challenge so after I have reminded myself how to play medieval on VH/VH haven't truely played it for a long time )I'll give it a try

[seari]

I'm going to try this for sure.
I have a few questions.

1)Can I let a faction hold only 1 province, surrounded by my provinces and no sea access to ensure they won't attack someone?

2)May I use spies/assassins?

3)And i have heard that global reputation drops over time if you're playing on VH. Is this true and how do you encounter this aside from being at war with everyone and releasing prisoners/occupying cities?

I'll post screenshots but first I must find time to try this challenge.
Stupid school

I think it will work the best with Hungary.=> fast access to Middle east and jerusalem/antioch. You give baghdad to Vassal-turkey and you will get no jihads/crusades which will destroy your vassal-alliances.

[TinCow]

How long until askthepizzaguy starts up a challenge requiring you to use nothing but Peasants? M2TW: Serf's Up!

[Ramses II CP]

Yeah, on VH campaign difficulty your reputation is going to go through the floor in a hurry. Might be best to try it on H/VH. It'll still decline, but it'll be manageable.

I'm thinking you almost have to go catholic here and possibly one of the Italian factions, for that fast access to the Popester. Move fast, ink alliances in one direction and make war in the other, then return provinces to the enemy to boost relations sufficient to make them accept vassalage. One thing you will need is a good economy to pay for keeping your relations on an even keel.

When you're ready to go after the ones you allied with at the start find a pretext for war (Like excommunication) and go to town.

France would probably be a good one for this style again, as you could go get England and Scotland fairly quickly, then work through Iberia. Could be a problem keeping Milan/Venice/Hungary from getting eliminated though.

I'm pretty busy at the moment, but I'll given this a try eventually.

[predaturd]

i dont think you can get the pope to be a vassal nor the aztecs mongols or timurids :(
well i can try for everyone else then:)

[Jedi Bruno]

That's really going to be a hard challenge indeed... Perhaps using only peasants armies would be a little bit easier.
I'm now doing a Scotland campaign at VH/VH and even tough I have a nice good reputation, those English bastards just won't bow to me! Every time I turn my back there is a almost full stack of billmen knocking at Bruges!(God Bless my Highlander army).

[Askthepizzaguy]

i dont think you can get the pope to be a vassal nor the aztecs mongols or timurids :(
well i can try for everyone else then:)

I have heard reports that the Pope will accept vassalage if you're a non-catholic...

And if you gift him rome for the trouble, perhaps...

That's really going to be a hard challenge indeed... Perhaps using only peasants armies would be a little bit easier.
I'm now doing a Scotland campaign at VH/VH and even tough I have a nice good reputation, those English bastards just won't bow to me! Every time I turn my back there is a almost full stack of billmen knocking at Bruges!(God Bless my Highlander army).

Frankly an all-peasant army wouldn't be much of a challenge, as a blitzer that's pretty much all I have to fight with anyway.

Obviously this would exclude general's bodyguard units, as there is no way to play without them without modding the game.

[Askthepizzaguy]

I'm going to try this for sure.
I have a few questions.

1)Can I let a faction hold only 1 province, surrounded by my provinces and no sea access to ensure they won't attack someone?

YES

2)May I use spies/assassins?

YES

3)And i have heard that global reputation drops over time if you're playing on VH. Is this true and how do you encounter this aside from being at war with everyone and releasing prisoners/occupying cities?

Generally, gifting maps and promises to attack works, followed by tiny amounts of florins. Establish an "embassy" (diplomat) for every nation and work HARD or your diplomatic skill.

YOU CANNOT WIN THIS CHALLENGE WITHOUT SUPERIOR DIPLOMACY SKILLS.

I'll post screenshots but first I must find time to try this challenge.
Stupid school

I think it will work the best with Hungary.=> fast access to Middle east and jerusalem/antioch. You give baghdad to Vassal-turkey and you will get no jihads/crusades which will destroy your vassal-alliances.

Intriguing theory...

My replies in bold.

EDIT: Pizzaguy's 800th post