Building Your Own Custom Union

[kgkong]

What are some folks strategies for improving the likelihood of convincing other nations to join your custom union.
Treaty port in the region definitely is a big help, as with trading with the nation. Good relationship is always a must.

But what else would I be missing? I tend to play diplomacy in the game very light. Just make sure everyone likes me, and then I expel diplomats when I get sneaky sneaky.

[teron]

Bankrolling for obligations, then leveraging those obligations.

There is a malus for them accepting if you do not have a land boarder. So sometimes colonization/conquest/protectorate/puppeting someone to get that common boarder.
Example in my US game to get Persia into my customs union I had to puppet Omen to remove the -10 not shared boarder with a union member. After that my obligation, economy and shared trade routes got me to the point they joined. Which after they joined it was easy to get Afganastan to join via obligations

If they are really close, look at their market and spam inport/export routes on them. Since trade value also makes them more interested.

Afterwards, they are in your market for a certain amount of time but could leave or be pulled away. So it can be a good idea to try obligations to get them to be a protectorate since that makes it harder for them to leave.

[Kimlin]

Originally posted by teron:

Bankrolling for obligations, then leveraging those obligations.

This has never not worked for me.

You bankroll until 80 opinion then use an obligation to force the union. Sometimes this alone is not enough. so once the opinion reaches 80 if the obligation does not force the union, absolve the obligation to get higher opinion and keep bankrolling until you get another obligation.

Sometimes defensive pacts help to increase opinion and stance or whatever the other opinion is called.

[kgkong]

See, I don't get that many obligations when I bankroll... I might get one here or there, but that's actually incredibly rare for me.

[lubed_assassin]

Originally posted by KingGorillaKong:

See, I don't get that many obligations when I bankroll... I might get one here or there, but that's actually incredibly rare for me.

it takes a while if ur waiting on one, mostly i was mass bankrolling.

[teron]

It can take a while sometimes if you are unlucky.

Alternatively, sometimes you can do bailouts for obligations or they may offer an obligation for a diplo play.

Or sometimes they might offer one for a defensive agreement/alliance, which can be especially amusing if use that obligation to make them a protectorate.

[kgkong]

I've been playing on the most aggressive AI lately and I've found I don't need to farm for obligations as much for defensive and alliance pacts. But to get custom unions, it's more so "conquer and release" with the releasable nations in the game.

I also spot debts too, but more often than not, the countries I don't want obligations from will accept my bailouts and the guys I wanna sweet talk over to my side won't take the bailout. Haven't entirely figured out what scales these agreements so much... Desperation to keep constructing and expanding industry? (Stupid America always wanting a bailout, but good luck bailing out the little guys who can really pump up your market with the base goods)

[lubed_assassin]

Originally posted by KingGorillaKong:

I've been playing on the most aggressive AI lately and I've found I don't need to farm for obligations as much for defensive and alliance pacts. But to get custom unions, it's more so "conquer and release" with the releasable nations in the game.

I also spot debts too, but more often than not, the countries I don't want obligations from will accept my bailouts and the guys I wanna sweet talk over to my side won't take the bailout. Haven't entirely figured out what scales these agreements so much... Desperation to keep constructing and expanding industry? (Stupid America always wanting a bailout, but good luck bailing out the little guys who can really pump up your market with the base goods)

Customs union are based on good relations and the AI's strategy/how they see you in their overall strat. So if their cautious or something like that you can get a defensive alliance and they will change their stance overtime. Also their is a -10 modifier for your market not being next to theirs, so adding someone next to them increases your chance to add another.

It would take you like 20 years to custom union and protectorate south america as USA if you only focus on doing that.

Honestly tho the best thing you can do is pay attention to wars in europe and wait for a revolt that kicks one group from being a great power then move in ^_^. I've snatched prussia as a vassal with Qing before or Austria as Spain.

[kgkong]

Well I got an obligation bankrolling Zululand. First one in a few days.
Haven't independence war from GB just yet, wanted to get monarchy going first (cooler flag right?) for Cape Colony/South Africa. -- This is just taking forever cause I'm getting bad RNG on the debate/stall/advance rolls.

Int. and Trade political groups wanna revolt (-120). Tried going dedicated police first to smooth this over. Nope. Suppress the groups then. Been crawling between 75 and 86. No chance of revolution.

^^^ That might be some neat info people who are always struggling with revolutions. Hold onto some extra Authority to suppress revolting political groups.

[Kimlin]

Originally posted by KingGorillaKong:

Int. and Trade political groups wanna revolt (-120). Tried going dedicated police first to smooth this over. Nope. Suppress the groups then. Been crawling between 75 and 86. No chance of revolution.

^^^ That might be some neat info people who are always struggling with revolutions. Hold onto some extra Authority to suppress revolting political groups.

That's part of my strategy with revolutions.
Suppress the IC and lower taxes.

[kgkong]

I don't usually suppress to prevent revolutions. But I thought screw it why not try and see how well this works. (Amazingly as long as you aren't screwing with the groups in events)

So am on a roll... get it? Bankroll. But yea I'm getting obligations easily now... Weird. >.>
And about 12 years to pass Monarchy. Can I get a high five? XD That was painfully slow.