Anyone else think its dumb Regional powers can't ally with Local ones?

[Elliott]

I've honestly only lost because of this, every time I get big enough to become a "regional power" then I can no longer ally anyone, even if they like me. It feels like a pretty ridiculous way to prevent people from getting bigger.

[curtadamsCA]

It's not a match to history, but I assume there are legitimate gameplay reasons not to allow it. Honestly, playing as the lone regional power in Gaul, I haven't had any trouble. Nobody wants to attack me first even as they constantly attack each other. I've had some trouble when multiple nation DOW me when i go on the offensive but so far nothing unmanageable.

There is still the option of vassalizing nations into pseudo-allies.

[The Former]

Sort of, but I do get the gamey point to it. It's telling you that you can't count on past alliances once your power gets too big; your former allies are now protectorates who may just as easily feel threatened by your power, and your new threats - other regional powers - are more dangerous for that uncertainty.

Prevents just being able to build a bunch of really strong alliances when you're tiny and your neighbors want strength in numbers, and then using that momentum to steamroll past much older countries.

[Elliott]

Originally posted by Sheriff of Nothingham:

Sort of, but I do get the gamey point to it. It's telling you that you can't count on past alliances once your power gets too big; your former allies are now protectorates who may just as easily feel threatened by your power, and your new threats - other regional powers - are more dangerous for that uncertainty.

Prevents just being able to build a bunch of really strong alliances when you're tiny and your neighbors want strength in numbers, and then using that momentum to steamroll past much older countries.

But why would you need to prevent that in the game? Isn't the whole point of a strategy game to be able to strategize, not to restrict what you can and can't do to get there? If they were to add some modifiers to sort of balance it out in relations I'd understand, but completely saying "no you're not even allowed to be allies" just seems lazy and breaks the fun. Its hard as it is being decimated by events that pretty much drain you of all of your Oratory and Religious power, aswell as gold. But to straight up deny the player basic relations with other nations because they're one-tile too big is absolutely flawed game design in my opinion.