Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Ugh. . . France

Yesterday England, my ally, asked me to help defend them in a war against France.  For a moment I hesitated but did accept my way into this war.  I had no real intention of defending England, I was just going to continue colonizing Brazil.  

Within the first year of the war I was made to regret my decision.   Large ships started to enter my waters and blockaded my ports.  I took a look at the score and noticed that there was France and roughly eleven allies on one side of this war and the other side was made up of England and me (Portugal).  

France wasn't actually the nation that came to conquer me. It was Poland that wanted my blood.  5,000 men jumped from their boats and landed on my shores.   An additional 15,000 men arrived by land through Castille (Spain).  

My army was only 6,000 men at this point so they were out numbered nearly 3 to 1.  I sued for peace.  Although I was being invaded by Poland it was France I had to negotiate with.  They were the lead party in this war.   France agreed to let me out of this mess on the following conditions.  

I had to give them a ton of money which would require several loans to pay.  These loans would increase inflation and cause me to pay interest.  In addition, France demanded that I end my relationship with England and Castille.   

While I mulled over this offer the Polish army continued to besiege my cities.   I accepted the deal and the armies walked away.  I immediately sent a diplomat to Castille to explain I still wanted to be friends with him.   Then, I sent another diplomat, this one went to France.  No, I don't want to be friends with the French, but it was time to befriend this world power. . .for now.

This experience was one of the stories that came out of a game I have been playing over the past week.  Europa Universalis 4 is a massively complex game of politics, exploration, war, and economics.  Once you figure it out it is an amazing game.   Some games tell you a story.  This game allows you to create a story.  That's what makes it so great. 

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