80 Years war guide: COMPLETED!

[OnvreOrrivle]

I finally made it.
About a two weeks ago i tried to win as the Netherlands in the 80 years war scenario; loosing 5 times in a row i thought the scenario was utterly broken. (or i was really dumb)
But recently after getting better at the game and reading a tip or two ¡i made it! and in 4 years (1579 - 1583). Sorry for the half-a** english, this is not my first language.

The way i won (and people who did too) is by no means an historical victory, but a "gamey" one exploiting the game mechanisms and AI, and up too this point i dont know a way to "historically" win the game.

You start with an apparent advantage:
- Dutch starting ideas means almost no inflation, bonus to infantry and siege, and a free merchant.
- One of the best rulers and heirs around with amazingly op stats (and both free 2 stars generals) (Wilhelm van Oranje 5/4/5).
- steady incomes from trade and home production
- Almost half of belgium is in your posession and +8 in war score

but that soon vanishes when you realize the humongous size of the spanish navy, the Scrooge Mc'Duck amount of cash they have and worse of the murican size army, amongst other stuff.

- Everyone around has negative opinion bout you, which means you may only get troop passage and marriages (meh) but dont ever try to think about an alliance (on this war timeline). Note that diplomacy is crucial to win this scenario, because you need troop passage for the GTFO ill talk later.
Some people on other tutorials allied with the basque (navarra) and with them to france, but with recent patches that doesn't seem to be an option anymore.

- Spain has a massive 70 plus troops army coming your way which WILL reconquer what you took.

- Dat spanish armada (20+ heavy ships, 200+ smaller ones)

- Your puny manpower (19K)

- The steady income only means able to pay loan interests-

So, the strategy is very straightforward and in two steps:
1) Step one: Stay and guard (first 2 - 3 years)
2) Step two: GTFO (last year)

Step 1: Stay and guard.
This is the first part and must be done before a year or so, hell even before you unpause. The objective is to deterr the ai from attacking (The ai usually doesnt attack your troops if they are similar in size, tech and command) and if you are fast, MAYBE go on an skirmish or two against smaller armies. But you must stay like a doge (amaze) guarding your core provinces, specially your capital city which is the war objective. You will win this war by Time and not Might.

First, get back your navy asap, it WILL be smashed if ashore, but DONT destroy it because it will diminish your war rating (Smaller navy, blah blah).
Dock it in northern province or if you are lucky and early, in anothers man port. AND REDUCE ITS FUNDING TO ZERO. You need that dough. Also, dont hire any advisor (though if you get an army engineer with +25% to fort, hire it inmmediatly, you need time over all)

Second, get some loans and hire the hell out of your mercs. If the people get upset about that (event), well so sad, you need those mercs. Create a well balanced army of 25 - 30 (including start army) and put the king on its command (dont be afraid, he never died on me).
You WILL loose money, even -70 per month because you are going way over the ideal army size and like 10 loans for this part to start. But the "ideal income" should be in around -30 to -50 ducats, if you push it too much, bankruptcy shall follow.
As i said, you must guard your core capital province for the longest you can (on this part).

For a year or two, the spanish army will send "small" doomstacks of 20 or 10 troops to recapture the flemish and spanish road provinces, aim for the last kind of stack and if you think you can take them, do it, but with caution. You may be able to kill 10 or 20k of them before getting serious loses, after that go back to capitol and recover. If you try to hard to defeat them in combat they send the ultimate doomstack (+70) and oneshot kill your army so pls dont.

Sometimes (more than often), the spaniards may send troops by boat. If that happens in your core provinces well so sad, because if there is an army close they will get magical radio communications support and kill you till dead. just dont try too loose the capitol, you may also hire "situational mercs" which you must hire at the start of the month and then inmmediatly fire before they cross the -100 cash per month

Third, Diplomacy: A tricky thing since all the patches, you will need to make a "friendly" road up to denmark, so marry and better relations all the way up to denmark. Dont spend your precious time trying to do the historical thing (allies with french and brits), they wont help you because as the ai system works they are afraid hopeless of the spanish army and navy. And you should too!

With these three things, stay alive for the 2-3 years, as it will take a while for the spanish to recover the lost provinces. Use all your skill to get more time, relieveng sieges if you can and so. Go full guerrilla.

Part two: GTFO.
99% of the times, unless you get really lucky, by the end of the second or third year the spaniards will send their doomstacks of doom: invincible groups of 40 k troops commanded by god himself (3 stars generals) too close one to another to even try 1 vs 1, and if they havent done by now, they will recover the lost provinces and start with your southern ones (specially Breda and the one south of capitol). So you must abandon all hope, and scorch all the clay).

Part 1: Scorch all south and capitol. So sad, but has to be done, the +25% defensive bonus means precious time which you almost lack. Beware that if you scorch too much you may loose money you cant afford, but you may release one or two mercs for compensation, at this point you wont fight anymore. You must wait them to be almost close to capturing at least two of your provinces but your capitol before the next step (stress on "almost", not capturing, because that means you are too late and wont escape)

Part 2: Open the gates, cross, Close the gates. With the diplomatic work you made, you should be able to run with all your army to denmark. After that, cancel the passage treaties.
The important thing is to cheat the ai into thinking that your army is now unreachable. It is critical to keep it for war standing and cheating the ai into thinking they cant do whatever they want (because they could, 80 years war on spanish side must be one of the easiest campaings)
If you stay in one of the SRI provinces adjacent to you, the spaniards will get the rights of passage and rape your army while theyre on vacation. so you need to get far away (3 provinces or so) but not too much because thay may trigger the "i do what i want" ai stance, splitting armies and capturing all your provinces. Once in denmark, you can feed your army with stones (reduce spending) but dont make it smaller.

Part 3: Before they capture the capitol (please hope they dont), start sending peace treaties accepting defeat. They will ask for two or three of your provinces and some money or two, dont give them more than two provinces (hopefully Breda and Limburg, with bad luck Zealand). By this date (4 or 5th year of the war) you have survived long enough to admit your "defeat", But you have won your independence! Which is nice!.

Things to do after:
- Destroy ALL your army, sounds harsh but you need to repay the 30 - 50 unpaid loans you have. You should repay them all by 1620 or 1630 as i did. Diploannex everyone you can because you need their taxes. You are not a proper power on any sense untill you conquer something. If you are not traumatized by the loan god, then you may also want to build every commercial building you can in provinces.
- Play like the real dutch did, Money uber alles. Merchants, Mercs and Moneymaking
- If you start colonizing, get all the territory from New York to north coast of florida, before everything else. (try to not invade historical "canadian" or "spanish" territory)
If you conquer the guyanas (which by this point are too damn close to spanish colonies), do it aiming to the south conquering as much of brazil you can with the same caution.
- Same with south-africa, Australia, east-indies.

By the end of the game you can be a real super-power, but beware of the other guys, play smart and hide your navy at any war, almost everyone has a better navy than you until late game.

On late game you may get wars declared by brits, portuguese or, hell no, Spain/France.
Good relationship with spain is impossible (duuh), the same goes to the Brit since you will be always on dispute of the english channel. but you can ally yourselves with the French and their monster army ( i even allied myself to the Hansa and Russia, so no fear). Beware of your colonies, they love to get in wars which may involve you.

If you get war declared by the monster empires, hide your navy as fast and you can and aim for "commando missions" everywhere you can capturing all provinces they own overseas (beware of navys though, that mean almost free warscore for them).

I also won a war against spain, it hurted a lot but i "won" thanks to an alliance with the french who smashed them good.

Hope this guide has been interesting and useful, and again sorry for the "english".

[OnvreOrrivle]

PS. Sorry for the long post!
As i dont have potatoes for image, here have a Mr Potato Ascii.

░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░▄▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀░▄▄░░░░░░░░░░░
░░░░░░░░░░░▄▀██▀░░░░░░░░░░░▀▀▄░░░░░░░░░
░░░░░░░░░░▀▄░░▀▀▄▄░░░░░░░░░░░█▄▄░░░░░░░
░░░░░░░░░░░░█▄▄░░░▀▀▀▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▀▀░█░░░░░░
░░░░░░░▄▀▀▀▄█▄░▀▀▀▄▄▄▄░░░░░░░░▄▄▀░░░░░░
░░░░░▄▀░░▄█▀████▄▄░▄██████▀▀▀▀█░▄░░░░░░
░░░░░▀░▄▀█░░░████▀░▀▀▀▀▀▀▀░░░░█░░▀▀▄░░░
░░░░█░░▀▄▀░▄▀░░▀▄░░▄▄▄▄░░░░░░░█░▀░░▀▄░░
░░░░▀▄░▄▀░█▀░▄▄░█░█░░░░█░░░░░░█░░█░░█░░
░░░░░▀█▀░░█░░▀▀░██▀░██░█░░░░░░░▄░█░░▀░░
░░▄▄▄▄█░░░▀▄░░▄█▄█░░░░░█░░░░░░░█▀░░█░░░
▄▀▄▄▄▄▀░░░░░▀█▀░░▀█▄▄▄▀░░░░░░░░█▄▀▀░░░░
▀░░▀▄█░░░░░▄▄▀░░░░█░░░░░░░░░░░▄▀▀▄░░░░░
░▀▄░▀█░▄▄░▄▀░░░░░░░▀░░░░░░░░░░█░░░▀▄░░░
░░░█░██▀▀▀██░░░░░░░▄▀░░░░░░░░░▀▄▄▄░░▀▄░
░▄█░▄█▀█▀▀░▄▀█▄▄▀█▀█▀▄░░░░░░░░▄▀▀▀▀▀░░█
█▄▄▀███▄▀▄█░░█░░█░█░▀▄█░░░░░░░█░▄██▀▀▀▀
░░▀████▀▄░▀▀▀█▄▄█▄▄█▄▀░░░░░░░▄▀█████░░░
▄█▀▀░▄░▀▄▀█▄░████████░░░░░░░▄▀██▄█▄▀░░░

[Mcrone]

Good guide. You should consider putting this in the guide section.

[AlphaMikeOmega]

Thanks. I might disagree on the part about using your navy: the Spanish rarely sent more than one galleon at once to the Netherlands, but you have 10 which you can use to defeat their navy one section at a time (and hopefully destroy some transports with soldiers on them). I'm guessing your first language is Spanish, based on the upside-down exclamation mark, the lowercase words for nationalities, and the muddling of a "v" with a "b" in DeusVult. Si eso es verdad, vuestra ingles es mejor que mi español.

UPDATE: The second time I tried, the French did not offer access immediately and the Spanish did not start with an army in the Netherlands, so I was able to fend off their first few armies when they arrived by ship, although they did send a large chunk of their navy and they managed to overwhelm me, so I ceded two provinces and paid some money in the end.

[The Dude67]

How did you get that font for your name?