EU3 Live Stream and Giveaway

What: A two hour live stream of an EU3 game, with the audience helping to rule my fledgling empire. It's also an experiment to see if streaming a strategy game can be fun.

When: This Saturday, the 22nd at 7pm EDT to 9pm EDT.

Where: http://www.twitch.tv/weritsblog

Giveaway: There will be two giveaways during the live stream. The prizes will be EU3 Sprite Packs via Steam. The winners can choose which one they want.

First order of business is: Which country shall I play?

1) Venice
2) Portugal
3) Austria
4) Other?

You can also check out the thread on the EU3 forums for more info.

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WeritCast: Venetian Dominion Part 2

Welcome to another episode of WeritCast!  So far, so good with keeping my new years resolution of putting out one video a week :)  Today I am having a special two for the price of one deal!  Yes, they are free to begin with but lets not get bogged down in the facts.  In these videos, we take a look at Europa Universalis 3, with me playing Venice. You can find part 1 here.

In this video Venice gets its first National Idea and we take a look around the map to see what is going on in the world.  We also go to war with Algiers, which turns out not to be such a good idea.





In episode 4, the war with Algiers winds down.  Will I come out with anything?  Watch and see :)  The second war with Naples starts up, with a goal of making it my vassal.

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WeritCast: Venetian Dominion

I love me some strategy games, especially those from Paradox.  Recently, I have been playing some Europa Universalis 3, to scratch that strategy game itch.  Since I made a new years resolution to make more WeritCast videos, I thought I'd try my hand at making one for my EU3 game.

Instead of a Let's Play kind of video, I want it to be more like an After Action Report but in video form.  Basically, it is me talking over screenshots.  I'm also running a special today, two WeritCast videos for the price of one!

In Part 1, I set the stage and talk a bit about where Venice stands and where I want to go.  It also features wars with Byzantium, Milan and Austria.





In Part 2 we see the conclusion of some wars and the start of new ones.  Naples becomes my prime target, but a mistake makes the war less successful than I had hoped.  It does gain me a new ally though.





So what do you think?  Is this format entertaining at all?

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War with France

Last time, Portugal had allied with Castille in order to slow down the French expansion into the Iberian Peninsula. With the alliance in place, it was now a waiting game. I moved 6,000 men from Africa back to Portugal proper in anticipation. We also promoted a fine officer to General to lead the new army.

Sad reports came in from the other side of Europe. The Byzantine Empire has finally succumb to the armies of the Ottoman Empire.


Later on we received word that Castille has declared war on France. As required by our alliance, we too declared war. France and her allies did the same. Here is a look at the war:


As you can see, the land forces are pretty close in number. France has a large amount of cavalry and excellent leadership. This will be a tough war for us to win. Our Naval superiority doesn't mean much in this war.

Our first actions in this war were met with defeat. The French leadership really makes a big difference. Since we can't go head-to-head with them, we will go around them. The French armies worked their way into Castille and we occupied the former Castille province of Galicia. At this point we sent a diplomat to talk to France.

France had several large armies operating that we could not hope to defeat. Perhaps since we captured this province, they would be willing to call a truce. On a lark our diplomat demanded Galicia in return for peace. They accepted the offer, probably to get out 12,000 man army off the field.


During this time, the colony of Rio De Oro became a full fledged province. That only leaves the Azores as a colony. They are a drain until they become full provinces, so the sooner the better. We also gained a Land technology level, which gives us Men at Arms troops. They should help us in future wars.

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Cold War, 1400's Style

When we last left Portugal, they had won the Second Moroccan war. Back in the Iberian Peninsula, Castille was fighting against France. The battle never did turn around and France managed to occupy much of their northern territory. When peace was finally declared, Castille had to cede several provinces.


Now I have to share a border with France. My relations are actually good with them, but they are still a major threat. The more they grow, the harder they will be to deal with. Eventually they will come after Portugal too.

Castille sent a diplomat with an Alliance offer. usually I tend to avoid diplomatic obligations as they work against my colonization goals. This time I accepted. My reasoning is that France and Castille will go to war again. If Castille looses more territory it will make my life more difficult. Also, now that they have territory on my borders, it will give me a chance to seize it in the coming conflict.

In the African territories I have been dealing with several rebel uprisings. The ferocity of the rebels has been surprising. It turns out my neighbors to the East, Algiers, has been funding Nationalist groups in several provinces. Their goal is to rebel and join Algiers. I also suspect France has been involved as well.

Dealing with Algiers is tricky. They are allied with Tripoli and Tunisia and more importantly, their independence is guaranteed by the Ottoman Empire. That is quite a bees nest and I'm not sure I want to poke it with a stick. I could likely win the war, France could cause some serious issues. Funding rebels may be an option, but it isn't cheap.

On the colonization front, I have settled in Rio De Oro and the Azores. Supporting these colonies has put a drain on my economy, but soon they will be self-sustaining. I also found a new African province called Taodeni.

Here is what the world looks like in 1428.

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The Second Moroccan War

A few days ago I covered the First Moroccan War in an AAR for Europa Universalis III (EU3). Portugal managed to sieze a couple valuable territories. I had the option to try and convert the people but decided against it. Conversion results in better tax revenue and lower revolt risk. However, it can take years to do and during that time the revolt risk is increased greatly.

Several years passed and our truce expired. Declaring war while having a truce will lead to a lot of other people disliking you. Morocco became embroiled in a conflict with their neighbors to the East, Algiers. This war was disastrous for them as they lost most of their standing army.

As a good neighbor, I felt obligated to protect their now defenseless citizens. Most of my Army was still in Africa, so war was declared. Facing little opposition, my forces occupied what was left of Morocco. Having no choice, they accepted a peace treaty and ceded a number of their provinces to me. The game mechanics prevent full annexation until they are down to 1 province.

With Morocco reduced to two inland provinces, I set my eyes on colonization. Portuege sailors recently discovered the island of Maderia. In the game, you accrue Colonists over time based on several factors. They set off to settle the island. We later discovered that sugar is grown here, this should be valuable as the colony grows.

When we took over the Moroccan province of Atlas, we discovered Tuat. This land was occupied by hostile natives. The Portuguese army was sent in to secure the area and colonists soon followed.

South of the newly gained province of Ifini is the unclaimed area known as Rio De Oro. We plan on moving into this area soon, but our finances do not allow for it at this time. Building colonies takes some gold.

Here is what Portugal looks like in 1420:


In related news, France and my neighbors, Castille, are at war. This could have consequences for me as time goes on. France tends to be aggressive, so I would rather not share a border with them. So far, the war is not going well for Castille, as France has occupied several provinces.

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Portugal Invades Morocco!

This weekend I had an urge to get back to my strategy gaming roots. I saw on Steam the complete Europa Universalis III package was a decent price. I've played the first two a lot and thought they were great.

I chose Portugal in the year 1399 (Grand Campaign). You can be pretty much any nation in the world at that time. Portugal is fun because they get involved in exploration and colonization.

You do get goals to help guide you. They don't need to be followed, but I will try to as I get acquainted with the game. The first given to me was to improve relations with Castille, who will eventually be Spain... maybe. I sent off a Royal Marriage request and they accepted. I figure it is good to be friends with the big neighbor to the East.

My next mission was to conquer Tangier, part of Morocco. It seems the Christians there need to be liberated. That's nice and all, but Morocco has some trade goods I am interested in too. Portugal is looking to be an economic power, so I will need those.

I assembled about 10,000 men and set course for Tangier. Once my force had arrived, I declared war and the invasion began. England, who are my allies at the start, also joined in the war as did Morocco's allies, Granada. My general (who has nice stats) began the siege. We received word that the Pope, controlled by Castille, called a Crusade against Granada. As a Catholic nation, this gives me a nice bonus. It should be known that Castille is at war with Granada too.

The Moroccan army mobilized and sent about 12,000 men against my forces. I had the terrain advantage and was able to break their morale causing them to retreat. Morale is very important, as troops with poor morale don't fight long. This was really the turning point in the war, as their main army had been defeated.

The siege of Tangier ended and we occupied the area. I sent forces to Ceuta, the neighboring province, to begin the siege. England's forces also began to land in other provinces. After we had occupied several provinces I sent a piece offering, we wanted Tangier and Ceuta. They agreed. This ended the Moroccan war.

In actual history, I do Portugal conquered Ceuta in 1415 but failed to take Tangier until 1471. I managed to get both provinces but it could have been more. My General died during the campaign and the war was dragging on my fiances. I thought it best to take their 2 richest provinces and call it a day.

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