Estonia Suicidal [No Custom AI] detailed Walkthrough

[SuitedQueens]

Here how it goes. First my garrison debuffs their besieging stack. Next my main stack connects and leverages 2 Cavalry SAUs flanking stat to finish off opponent Druzina in Pursue phase. As expected Unwalled region jumped by Novgorods stack. I have to Retaliate against them to prevent strike in the back.









THE MOST unexpected action - Sweden DOWs me despite Full Cooperation and 75 Relationships. The main crux of conflict is Livonia they were previously fighting. Not all Vassals support Sweden in this ordeal. I sign Alliances with No Help with Hungary and Smolensk to reduce AI aggressiveness in the future. And thats another reason why I have to rush 8 POP in all regions - Fortifications deter AI heavily.







I send utility Peasants to provide Water based FOV to anticipate invasions, send my battered Merc to leak his wounds and Recruit 4 Noble Cavs in 1 turn to jump over my limit.





2 more regions get to 8 POP. Wise Woman shows up in one of my regions. I play Ordinate Priest on one of my regions. Mining Exploration can be chosen for +1 Metal.

[Pocus]

I have read the 1st post (yes, I'm slow).

Remarks on it:
The SAU laundering escapes me, given you can't give your recruited units directly.
I doubt that BYZ will have an island in the Baltic within its sphere of influence, but if I'm wrong, tell me.
You'll get peasants as soon as you build a peasant roundup — the unit will be added.

[SuitedQueens]

Poland proposes Alliance. I strike Full Coop with Papal States and Passage Rights with Byzantines. Nothing else out of ordinary in Diplomacy.



Last turn resolution it took exactly 4 Impulses to complete our moves, but Novgorod got lucky with queue placement, so he managed to kill my retreating Merc. His move is Big River (+2) and Plains (+2), while mine was Small River (+1) and Forest (+3). No road modifiers for us.





I put 0-1 General on utility Peasant and give Garrison command so if Sween Assaults me from the get go Garrison can have General heading it. My main stack goes through Novgorod intruders up to the potential region that Sweden gonna attack. Horse SAUs shuffle back and forth to spend 6 Impulses to synchronize with main stack. Peasant on the north makes an inquiry to reveal what Swede vassals has parked on land.



My metal I mainly got via begging allowed me to hire 2 units above SAU limit. I can get the rest via RGDs and Diplomacy.



I see Hunter Party which is Food + Pelts AND a free slot. One of the best buildings for Tribals since Furs in demand for so many necessary structures. I place the worst Character I have for Witch Trial to free up slot. I pay 150 gold to Boost Gain Character RGD.

[SuitedQueens]

I have read the 1st post (yes, I'm slow).

Remarks on it:
The SAU laundering escapes me, given you can't give your recruited units directly.
I doubt that BYZ will have an island in the Baltic within its sphere of influence, but if I'm wrong, tell me.
You'll get peasants as soon as you build a peasant roundup — the unit will be added.

Thx for checking out. I uncovered some things in the future episodes alongside glitches some of which you already fixed, but I prefer 1.0.6.1 version for SAUs in garrisons Authority losses. Posts will get more concise since I don't like to repeat myself. I will highlight details I deem important or stand out events.

Here the link for more details on the unit laundering operations:
https://www.slitherine.com/forum/viewto ... 0#p1054680

Yes indeed, Im out of Byzantine Sphere of Interest, but I still get them well dined to beg for resources later on. One of the post will describe funny glitchy loop where HRE releases one particular region, but I didn't exploit it. Still HRE, Hungary, Poland considered to be close.

[SuitedQueens]

TURN 30. I do AROUND THE WORLD summaries each 15 turns, but I put that section in the end.

Last turn resolve reveals that Osterland army is weak, but I can't get to them without blocking their port first, since if I end my turn in the water they can easily hire War Ships. And Transport ships can't block ports.



I easily beat weakened Novgorod stack and move one, but AI covers my region again on the same turn. Hopefully all that fighting on top won't ruin my structure or kill my POP by AutoPilalge rolls.
I get expected Authority losses for defeating their SAUs on my territory. My old insult based claims faded out, so now I constantly get -2.0 Authority for the new claims from Insulting again. I will stop for now since I capped out at 75 with ALL relevant nation atm. Altho we will have to pay 200 gold and some Authority for unit Transportation in Peace Deal.





YES, I waited long enough for the perfect Peace deal proposal from Novgorod. Good time to accept it. Now my only goal is to wait out 10 turns to conclude my War with Sweden, but I have to destroy their threatening stack first.





Previous turn Witchcraft Trial granted me a better Character and 305 Gold! I pay 50 to Low Odds Place Holding and sell it. I pay extra 150 Gold to put Embezzlement Trial in Very High Odds. I actually start building Hamlet to get back up in double digits income on Manpower.









WORLD AFFAIRS:

1) Buyids will go down very soon. Abbasids perished already. Ghazanavids still stand tall with some Seljuks inclination in their territory.



2) Major Indian player on the ropes. Hopefully Manifest Destiny mechanics save them from defeat. Only 2 regions left.



3) Kipchaks lost big chunks of their territory to Khazars and Zichia



4) Fatimids made some progress at subjugating backstabbing Vassal.



5) WOW, Tribes managed to sweep up walled cities rather quickly. SOme heavy action in North Africa



6) Ghanah Empire pushes it weight against Almoravids while they struggle against a local tribe



7) Reconquista efforts halted while Castilia Absorbed Portugal and tries to conquer Leon.



HRE barely holds on. It won't be over, but they will take some time to climb out from this situation.



9) Nothing interesting in England, France, Eastern and North Europe. Pechenegs still holding on.

[Surt]

I get hit by 1.0.6.1 bug where ANY SAU killed on your territory counts as yours. Pillaging report which I won't post as often from now on unless I get really big sum of money.

Played Byzant and got -20+ auth hit several turns in a row from dying garrison SAU, falling from 80+ to 30 or so, not a nice experience.

The Emperor sent a note to the Great Magician Hocus Pokus, and he promptly transformed it to .2

Our first region reaches 8 POP, so I can start Recruiting Cavalry SAUs to replace temporary Patrol Mercs.

Is that only for barbarians, eh I mean pagans that they need pop 8?

https://ibb.co/rGcC80cv

Well well, another thing I didn't know, thanks.

I get rid off Low Military Expertise penalty, but SAU is over the limit since garrison counts as a legit stack.

Wut!!! is that not fixed in .2?

Good news. Luck stat is emptied out indeed. We purge poor character via Combat on the DRAW, which is less than 3% chance. Opponent horses run away again, but we mauled their stack on 3 combats. Thats another reason why I intend to use my Custom AI later on. Make them merge more forces before attacking typically 5 to 1 Combat Power before moving on top of your settlements. Altho I pay with Authority for that.

I consider making your AI to a scenario so it doesn't interfer with MP games.

I spend 300 money to Increase WitchCraft Trial, Gift to A Peer and play Forge Claim on the region I intend to hold in the future. Nuts and Seeds is the early game resource that okayish as a bonus for Tribals, but the main point is 5 Health.

Yeah, need to check I've increased those too.

Thx for checking out. I uncovered some things in the future episodes alongside glitches some of which you already fixed, but I prefer 1.0.6.1 version for SAUs in garrisons Authority losses. Posts will get more concise since I don't like to repeat myself. I will highlight details I deem important or stand out events.

I can say with certaincy I don't!!! .2 is much better.

[SuitedQueens]

Yes, what a coincidence. Sweden fearing for their stack life tries to avoid my stack by moving on top of my Capital without Assaulting. BUT as I said earlier troops recied via Diplomacy Exchanges or RGDs force AutoGarrison to sally out, which might be good or bad. In our case we have a clear winner. That happens for a single Impulse, so next time they fight only remaining Archers.







Finally I receive another negative token. I actually want to go down to Unstable, so I can keep my Authority higher. Right now I must maintain about -25 Authority to enable Pillaging of regions that are close to our Capital.



Poland sends exploity Request, but I told already that I won't be doing Selling Vassal status and breaking up with Liege on the next turn. Other than that I stop my Insult spree and continue begging for Gold all my above 10% chances. I send Passage Rights proposition to those who can't offer me something nice via Extortion.



My main stack ended up in the water, so we have 25% increase in Upkeep which hits us hard. I also Disband gifted Archers. No recruitment for now.



Heretics doesn't matter since we are Pagan. Our whole population classified as Heretics. Highlighted event is Bandits no longer active. Nice random event for the Noble death to help us raise money for Gifts to our Vassal. I switch Message Log to self since I no longer scared of what AI can do.



I want to build more food, but Shepard House is not it. Wool into Cloth into Village we can't afford for now due to slot restrictions. Traders Borough is the best building, so easy PseudoShuffle.



I get Gift RGD and use it on our only decent 30 Loyalty Char, whom I don't plan to dispose of.

[SuitedQueens]

Low Authority allows us to Pillage the region, while I Disband Mercs and Levies. Hope that we can spawn another Bandit Lair on the islands. Only SAUs left to minimize the costs. I assign Stingy leader too for further Upkeep reduction. Right now I need gold for Gifts to form up a proper stack for serious action.



I play Remove Hostiles on the only region where I don't risk losing Impediment with Great Trades capability. Lathvia approaches us from the south. Hope no DOW follows once our borders connect.

[SuitedQueens]

Heres the example why Pillages and Diplomacy is so important for success. We get some from Disband as well. I start sending offers to form a proper stack.





For now I will be rotating between this two targets eligible for Raids. I can't Raid Novgorod or any nations with above 0 Relationships. I continue to Send Gifts to Novgorod and Levonia.



Oops, Thieves Hideout appears in my Capital., Also my first Edict of the game. I can't build Food or Health because my army ends up on top of Region and I risk to lose Positive Impediment prematurely.





We get Liberate Region, which is a nice decision to get yourself Free Vassal or for Multiplayer tricks. For free Vassal you need Administration perks AND high Admin Rating (which we have). I dump odds of one of the defensive decision for extra 150 Gold.

[SuitedQueens]

Oops. We have been repelled seems like by Big Fail as well. Unlucky roll, so our stack will stay here waiting to recover and rolling to remove Wolves.



I can't waste time, so I edict for Livestock and great Food Producing base stats Pigsty. Finally I get Charcoal Burner in the centralized region. All Crude Smelters will produce extra Metal from now on.





I will cast Gain Character on Leaderless Peasant to hopefully get another decent General after I get results on Hungary deal.

[SuitedQueens]

Our Vassal reveals that there are no threat from Sweden at all. Our ally reveals that Latgalia is very weak, so I DOW them and hire supports. I need Pillaging action to keep my economy running. I would get regions to trade for Knights as well.





I build Crude Smelter and Peasant Roundoup as PseudoShuffles. Thats the structure we need, but not right now. Hungary declined Send Units, but we can do with what we have atm.

[SuitedQueens]

Novgorod finally goes in War with Suomi, so I can save me some Gift money. Otherwise not much new for Diplomacy. I Insult a few nations to push relationships with my Allies to 100.



Religious troubles random event finally ends. We don't care about another Heretic. I Edict for Great Trades trader. Thats free value and legacy increase in the future.

[SuitedQueens]

Poland keeps me afloat while 5 other nations refuse to concede to my begging. Opponent stack has hilarious general given terrain. I switch to 1-1 just in case I will be proclaimed defender. I queue up Assault + intercept move. Hopefully I get 2 regions and destroy his stack.





Peasant Roundup shuffle shows me Shepard House again, so I decide to edict for Pastoral Council. Horse Herds don't want to show up. Altho 5 out of my 6 Baltic Noble Horsemen got Improved Equipment already.



I receive Witchcraft trial, so I intend to rotate my worst Character. I don't his Loyalty, his Combat stats and perk are bad. Pay 150 gold to boost Assassinate Peer.





I send White Peace to Sweedland

[SuitedQueens]

We get lucky with Siege roll, so defenders Sally Out instantly. Screen number 2 shows why do you want to have a least 2 Heavy Foot in your army. The most common non-Capital cities will have 2 powerful Garrison units. Somehow they etched out a draw first time. The next Big Loss lead to their character death.









The next screen shows how hard it is to get nearby same religion same ethnicity small region to Pillageable status. I have to use my 10 Loyalty penalty General and have -30 National Authority + disassemble building to have a chance. I will do one lap while my units effectiveness restores. Some archers sit at 0.



I get AMAZING character in terms of Stats and PERK. One of the major issues with lvl 1 Nations is Trading Range 2 and therefore missing goods. Both bonuses help with that. Persecuted char gets me 230 gold as well.



I finally get Horses Herd for the significant effects. I place Concession in my future lands.

[SuitedQueens]

We sign Peace with Sweden, so I have to butter them up with Gifts. Each Gift would drop my Relationships with my Allies. Instead I can exploit by say Insulting Poland, but counteracting by Insulting 2 Poland enemies. But I won't do that. I ask them to Make Peace with Sweden.





Time to Pillage 2nd regions, catch Latgalia stack and move on top of their Capital. Last turn Pilalge neted me 350 gold! And I still have to restore some Effectivness, so no Assaults.



We placed Minor Fiefdom in our future region, which overall is a very good building. Somehow we got Unrest in our region. Martial Law refers to the fact that 100 Power stack dumps about 2-3 percent of Revolt chance. But currently Revolts are weak since their power derived from the number of POPs. Usually your garrison can beat them 9 out of 10 times no matter city size.





We get Religious Troubles from time to time because all our Priests work on Infrastructure. Chiefs House finally appears.

[SuitedQueens]

With my Custom AI setting AI won't be that predictable. Here they run because they realize that their Combat Power is weak. We both moved, but random order of Factions for that Impulse puts me as Defender.





Since I didnt Assault right away opponent has a chance to assign Defensive General. Siege and Food checks before move, so I can patrol his territory trying to intercept any sneaky stacks while starving him.



I get 4th Disorder token. We Edict for Horses and spend 300 gold to increase Form Vassal and From Peasant to Freeman.

[SuitedQueens]

I catch one of the perpetrators. Jihad starts. I hurl Insults at nations that Hungary and Poland fighting with. We consistently start getting 2 Authority per turn. New Thieves Gangs forming up.







I Edict Noble Houses to facilitate Freemans increase. Receive ANOTHER Witch Trial which I'm gonna use on my uncle. Then I spend 300 gold to dump 2 more decisions.

[SuitedQueens]

I catch another unit and see that future Garrison gonna consume 7 Food. This region will grow in 2 turns, which would be a perfect opportunity to jump on them, but I currently have to starve their capital which will start withering away after this turn.

What I can do to Exploit is to move on top of them now, drop a single unit and move out. Move back on the next turn when they Sally Out to break a Siege. But I won't be doing that. Otherwise Garrison can repel stack with Combat Power 2 times lesser than their nominal value, so you can use Harass stack to blockade with defensive general.





Hungary and Poland refused to sign Peace with Sweden, so thats a lost cause. Both Poland and Hungary have a nice Heavy Cav to get via Diplomacy tho, so we are still good. Suomi got in altercation with Sweden again, so I can stop spending money on Gifts for now. My Insults help to keep up Authority at -30.





Uncle left 230 gold. But thats not the end of the bloodbath. We draw Assassinate Peer card, so another Noble will go down. Initiation Ritual is a clear choice.

[SuitedQueens]

The last tour before Assaulting their capital. It will be a glorious battle. Knowing AI they might sally out now. Nothing new for diplomacy beside the fact that I stop sending Gifts to my Vassal because he reached 50 Relationship.



Clergy survives assassination attempt. Their loyalty drops from 85 to 55, so I reassign back to Peasant for perk effects. We get Ivory and Tusk trader in rotation. 3 turns left for the last region to grow to 8 POP.

[SuitedQueens]

I catch some stragglers. Smolensk seizes the opportunity to gain control of region to the south without Peace deal by being in war with Latgalia, but not with Polotsk. 10 timer started long time ago. I didn't need this region and actually ok that Smolensk got it. We will be Assaulting next turn and moving on top of the next region.



Occultist establishes Labaratory in our lands. We get another shot at Clergy who escaped Assassination attempt. If it doesn't work his Loyalty might go down below 30, which is scary. The last Chief House gonna be constructed.