Fun nation for beginners

[Firing Line]

I was wondering if they're were any fun nations for beginners, I understand the basic of the games (like interface, army control, colonization etc.) but can't really find a nation I really enjoy. Any suggestions?

[SeraphLance]

It depends on what you enjoy. If you like military conquest, the Ottomans are superb. Likewise for the diplomacy game, try Austria. For colonization, try Castile or Portugal. I don't think any of the trade empires are particularly well-suited to beginners, but you might try venice or the hansa if that interests you.

[Firing Line]

I never actually really played France. I honestly have no idea what to do after the hundred years war

[Firing Line]

I was thinking about playing as the Ottomans before I mainly like colonzation and conquest so I think i'll try them ;)

[SeraphLance]

Post-HYW is mostly about consolidating your power and swallowing vassals. After that it gets a bit tricky, since you're completely surrounded by major powers. Even as the BBB that can actually be a bit daunting and make things difficult until you're more experienced with combat.

[Pozz]

People would most likely have an easier time suggesting nations for you to play if you gave some information on how you like to play these sorts of games.

Some of the easier nations are Muscowy and Sweden in my opinion (Sweden mainly early game before the rise of Russia). Both nations focusing heavily on expansion (Sweden after first breaking free of Denmark's union over them)

In the other spectre we have Portugal. Isolated with only one European nation as their neighbour, and that nation have a +25 relations with you for historically being friends. Portugal generally focuses on trade and colonization.

Finally there's France, a beast of a nation that can do pretty much everything you'd want. With rich provinces they give you the manpower you'd need for a European campaign, and with expansion in the right areas can also field a powerful navy, which can be used to winning the Americas. While in a poor position to win the race, the power can grant you control.
If expanded to the north through the weaker Burgundy you also get access to one of the best trading notes in the game, Antwerpen and you can play a trading game.

Those would be my suggestion to beginner nations, whether you'd enjoy any of them I can't say. Personally I've always found France extremely boring as you'd have to majorly ♥♥♥♥ up for there to be any challenge.

[Firing Line]

I tried Muscowy once. I declared on Novgorod and then Kazan and the Golden Horde declared war on me and I lost :/

[Pozz]

Originally posted by ManlyMan:

I tried Muscowy once. I declared on Novgorod and then Kazan and the Golden Horde declared war on me and I lost :/

Which is pretty much the only mistake one can make as Muscowy, as soon as you get a bit of land, you're so far away from any other major power that you can blob up in peace. =)

[SeraphLance]

With Muscovy, you really want strong alliances, and you want to hit novgorod *really fast*. Once you've swallowed most of novgorod, no AI horde should be able to take you. By and large though, most of Muscovy's power is lategame, when they've expanded through siberia. and unlocked all their insane manpower.

[Pozz]

Originally posted by SeraphLance:

With Muscovy, you really want strong alliances, and you want to hit novgorod *really fast*. Once you've swallowed most of novgorod, no AI horde should be able to take you. By and large though, most of Muscovy's power is lategame, when they've expanded through siberia. and unlocked all their insane manpower.

Yes and no, a lot of their power is also lack of true challenges in terms of enemies as soon as you've survived the first 20 years in an orderly manner. You have options to completely evade any for most of the game by using your siberian expansion to build into China and India rather early, and get the economy to simply squash anything that'd ever challenge you.

[crunchtime89]

I had a tough time with Muscovy... Everyone around me either hated me, or the allies that I did have absolutely loved my enemies I wanted to declare war on.. It was a very boring campaign..

The easiest nation to have fun with would be Castile->Spain for me... Let history and the present prove how easy it was to colonize the world

[Esty6]

Portugal is the 'tutorial country' in this game. Ally Castille which is very easy since they start with friendly attitude and are historical friends. Cancel your alliance with England so they don't pull you into their wars. Then you're free to explore west to America and south to Africa with your ships, you also start with land and sea explorers which other nations will only have like a hundred years later after they advance their ideas. You also already start with some islands in the Atlantic that will catapult you into exploring America before anybody else. After exploring, start colonizing and playing with trade once you have colonies in far away trade nodes.

So in short:
- Learn some diplomacy with alliances and fabricating claims in Africa.
- Learn battle as you fight the easily conquered muslim lands in North Africa and the uncivilized tribes in Africa.
- Learn exploration by sending your ships with explorers to the west and south
- Learn colonization by colonizing your recently discovered lands (you'll want to get your first national idea as Expansion to get the first colonist, I don't think Portugal starts with one)
- Learn trade by manipulating trade in the Americas and Africa before others have any trade power there, and maintain your power after they do, learn to use your merchants to move trade in your direction.

All this without worrying about any country attacking you, as Castille will be your cushion against France and the rest of Europe.

[Pozz]

Originally posted by Super Troll:

France.
>Kick England out
>Annex Vassals
>Conquer Europe with invincible hordes.

It is like Paradox only really tested a few nations...

Portugal or is designed for uber noobs for colonies, France for everything.

If you want a challenge try England, it can either be quite enjoyable or send you into a deep long term depression as you spend decades waiting for cooldowns and multiple bankrupcies are nations try to kick you out of Europe again and again (again you are surrounded by major powers) after annexing minors (hard as you are surrdounded by big powers) and desperately scrambling to keep your nation stable (hidious amount of negative stability events)

AI England never does well. Care to think why?


Austria can be good for novices too.

AI England never does well because AI sucks at shipping people across oceans.

Player England is super easy, abandon mainland, colonize America, never fear anything cause your superior navy will keep anyone from ever getting to your main land.

Or... You win the 100 year war, pull your troops back to Britain, and let your blue blob fight the entire Europe while you colonize.

[Dreamers]

Let's be honest here after you get experience with the game even avoiding the easy path it is inevitable that if you survive past early game you are going to be the most powerful nation unless you deliberately decided to not be.

The AI is simply too poor at pressing advantage so aside from Ottomans(and maybe Russia) who have rather big areas they tend to expand the others just stop no matter how easily they could keep going so you will outgrow them.

[Firing Line]

Originally posted by Super Troll:

Originally posted by SeraphLance:

Post-HYW is mostly about consolidating your power and swallowing vassals. After that it gets a bit tricky, since you're completely surrounded by major powers. Even as the BBB that can actually be a bit daunting and make things difficult until you're more experienced with combat.

BBB is like taking candy from a sick baby never been more bored in my life. No challenges, the hordes are too invincible. England on the other hand.... I just can't do it (and thus its very boring, for other reasons), and I always did well in Eu2 and 3!

yeah I tried England that was a though time

[Pozz]

Originally posted by ManlyMan:

Originally posted by Super Troll:

BBB is like taking candy from a sick baby never been more bored in my life. No challenges, the hordes are too invincible. England on the other hand.... I just can't do it (and thus its very boring, for other reasons), and I always did well in Eu2 and 3!

yeah I tried England that was a though time

England is fairly easy as long as you keep two things in mind.

1) As an island nation, keeping a hold on your mainland provinces is just not worth it, give them up.
2) War of the roses can happen, save as many troops as you can from the mainland, only fight the British isles, keep out of (or at least keep your troops out) of any major wars, as preperation.

As England as inexperienced player you simply give up on the French land. You pull out as many troops as you can, while you fabricate a claim on Scotland.

When the claim is fabricated you either start fabricating a second claim (if you plan on annexing Scotland) and declare war next month, or you declare war as soon as you got the 1 claim and vassal Scotland, while starting on fabricating Irish claims.

You then let your troops rest up a bit after the war, and start fighting Irish minors (invest in some mercs if your manpower isn't full and your economy allows for it).

If Norway breaks free, fabricate a claim on them, either a normal one, or if that's not possible challenge their trade in the North Sea and fabricate a trade conflict and snatch a few of the Islands (Orkney, Shetlands, Faeroe Islands, Iceland) but again, don't bother with the mainland.

England is all about accepting your losses and pull back and consolidate, instead of wasting all your resources trying with tooth and nail to keep your provinces on the mainland.

When you get a bit more experience, you can start an England game up and actually fairly comfortably win the HYW and get a personal union over France.

In terms of relations I generally try to marry Muscowy/Russia for the chances of a powerful union later in the game, and keep on good terms with Portugal and/or Castile at least early, to abuse their power on the sea together with your own to keep Britain completely impenetrable =)