Quick Question

[John I Tzimisces]

My first question here is the issue of core provinces. (In EUIII)

Can you lose a core over time? I know you gain them over time (playing as ethiopia, I discovered this...), but I've never really seen a core go away...

I am curious, because I want to play a resurgant greek campaign as Morea, and I've noticed, playing as Ethiopia, neighboring Swahili gained cores on me via some random event...and they didn't go away, and I know that the Ottomans have cores on Athens and the Morea.

Second question would be...how on earth do you unify italy, when Roma is a requirement, and there is a penalty for catholic nations holding rome...

[Legio XX Valeria Victrix]

I have lost cores, so it's definitely possible. It takes about 25 years to gain a core, if the province hasn't been occupied by an enemy in that time. I think it takes around 50 years to lose a core, and you have to have made no attempts to take that core in that whole time.

In my Italian unification game, I was able to do it by significantly shortening the time it took for the Italy nation event to trigger, so it didn't take me as long as it would have had I not messed with the files. I figured if I wanted to unify all the major European nations, I couldn't take a century waiting for the unification event to trigger.

I found that the Papal State event when you occupied Rome was actually helpful. It lowers your BB, so I was able to war almost non-stop and use that event to keep my BB at a reasonable level. It sucks that you have to take a prestige hit, but I found it acceptable. After I became Italy, the Rome requirement was gone, so I ceded Rome to the Papacy. Later the CPU retook it, and its been Italian ever since.

I suppose changing your religion to something Protestant would work too?

[John I Tzimisces]

Yes: From what I read on the paradox forums being any other religion and holding rome is a prestige bonus.

In any case thank you...that makes the prospect of a Morea game terrifying.