Surviving as a German Minor

[✠ Sigmar ✠]

Since this game is mainly about trade and industrialization, I am interested in playing as a German minor with a good port access such as Hamburg. My plan is to expand my borders a little bit (Bremen, Oldenburg, maybe Schleswig-Holstein and Lubeck) to get a solid base of operation and after that focus on the economic gameplay including colonial exploitation.

What worries me is the hard-coded German Unification event chain. In contrast to CK3 or EU4 and the Holy Roman Empire depicted therein, I cannot become part of "Germany" without completely losing my sovereignty in this game (which is, of course, historically accurate for the most part). If I understood correctly, after everyone involved has researched nationalism and Prussia (who else?) would fire up the unification war, I am either auto-annexed at once (in case I supported that candidate) or likely to get annexed in the subsequent peace treaty (in case I supported someone else and thus became an enemy of that candidate automatically). As a civilized trade harbour city, I am not gearing up to withstand Prussian artillery...

So, how can Hamburg or any other German Minor survive that event chain? A diplomatic guarantee of independence by a foreign power such as Great Britain or France seems an obvious possibility, but that one seems unreliable since those nations have other things to worry about. Sabotaging the unification process by not researching nationalism myself is not a viable option because technologies spread on their own, and that one is pretty early in the soc tech tree. Being friendly with Prussia herself just helps them to get powerful faster and prematurely end my existence with a "game over" screen earlier.

How does it work?

[shiggies713]

Just ally GB or France. In my current game Hannover joined the USA Bloc and screwed Prussia over.

[✠ Sigmar ✠]

Originally posted by shiggies713:

Just ally GB or France. In my current game Hannover joined the USA Bloc and screwed Prussia over.

Are alliances with a biggger and more powerful nation reliable? Do they get cancelled on a whim, or because another empire (e.g. Prussia herself) diplomatically demands cancelling the alliance from them? Do allies in this game (in contrast to certain other Pdx titles) actually help in a war strategically? If the AI is as incapable of using a fleet to conduct overseas campaigns as much as in EU4, Hamburg would be overrun by the Prussians before the first redcoats would be in sight...

[✠ Sigmar ✠]

So, for posterity, I would like to document here that, despite rumors to the contrary, playing tall and small is still viable and satisfying.

In this Hamburg run, I did not colonize at all. I just conquered some small nations in my direct vicinity and joined the British market (by joining their Power Bloc which had the principle "Market Unification") to get access to all the necessary ressources, as well as protection against Prussian expansion. I also put Greener Grass decrees on both of my states ("Elbe" and "Hanover") in order to get immigrants from all over the Commonwealth. This fueled my economy to the point of becoming a Great Power with a population of 20 million and the highest GDP per capita in the world.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3445374623

Besides, I received my Egalitarian Society achievement during this run, albeit with the help of the Unofficial 1.8.6 patch from the Steam workshop, since the achievement is still bugged for nations starting with the Slavery Banned Law. (Take this is a PSA, if you want.)

Apart from little flaws like that: Can absolutely recommend!

[Big Moustache]

except that GB seems hardcoded to kick you out of the alliance even on very friendly relation. And will war you without any repercussion. sometimes it akes 30 years, sometimes more sometimes less. But it always happen when you get too powerful for their taste

[✠ Sigmar ✠]

Originally posted by Fragoos:

except that GB seems hardcoded to kick you out of the alliance even on very friendly relation. And will war you without any repercussion. sometimes it akes 30 years, sometimes more sometimes less. But it always happen when you get too powerful for their taste

It is certainly not hard-coded, as it did not happen in my playthrough.

I think what you are talking about is a Power Bloc member getting so much prestige that he can challenge Power Bloc leadership. It is natural for the current leader to take measures to defend his position. The whole concept of my campaign here was to remain small though, and to not take colonial territory any other European power might be interested in. If you plan on becoming #1, you would probably create your own bloc rather than joining someone else's.

[Big Moustache]

Sure, i not care enough anymore to learn this games behaviour, until i know everything about it. But it seems i am not the only one to think it is hardcoded anti player bias.
https://steamcommunity.com/app/529340/discussions/0/828204733286129883/

[✠ Sigmar ✠]

Originally posted by Fragoos:

Sure, i not care enough anymore to learn this games behaviour, until i know everything about it. But it seems i am not the only one to think it is hardcoded anti player bias.
https://steamcommunity.com/app/529340/discussions/0/828204733286129883/

Facts beat "what people think" everytime. It is not hard-coded, q.e.d.; I avoided provoking Great Britain, unlike Wilhelm II did historically, and we did not get into a conflict accordingly.

[Gorgeous_Joe]

Allying with the U.S could be a good move, when i was playing as Prussia they hated me with a passion and I hadn't even interacted with them. Plus Prussia doesn't have a navy to stop them crossing the Atlantic.

[✠ Sigmar ✠]

Maybe the US in your game had bad relations with a Prussia that allied the Tsar, since Russia and the US are destined to be rivals over Alaska. I have played several games now, and in half of them, USA and Germany had excellent relations with each other, so that is not a given.

Also, you don't stop naval invasions with ships effectively. You stop them with armies stationed in the HQ where the landing happens, with a general in "Adamant defence" stance. More often than not, the invader is allied with your neighbours who hate you, and then, they have a land front to send their armies to without a naval invasion in the first place.