Client State diplo-exploit?

[jimwinsor]

Ran into this clever use of the diplomacy system in a current PBEM game:

Faction A (human player) is at war with Faction B (another human player). A has seized many regions from B thus far in the war after an opening offensive, but B is a fairly large power and can still fight back.

A then asks Faction C, a neutral power, to become a client state of C. C naturally agrees, and A becomes a client of C.

What happens next is, since B and C are at peace, the war between A and B immediately ends. And A gets to keep all the occupied regions formerly owned by B.

So, it's basically a diplo-exploit: By becoming a client state of an uninvolved faction, one can take full control of war-occupied regions without a formal peace treaty. And I assume after a cooldown period (10 years?), the client can just go independent again. So, very little downside.

Not sure what the best solution here is, but does seem like an issue ...

[Pocus]

That's bad!

I'll note it and it will take top priority for the next patch (IDK when, don't ask, but there will be one). I would say the straightforwardesque solution is to have any nation becoming a CS relinquish all war-occupied regions. That's blunt, but it avoids exploiting the system.