Which country is good for first try?

[Juggernaut]

I just bought EUIII, and I finished tutorials and am thinking of starting the campaign.
Can one of you tell me which would be a good country for a 1st try, a country that is relatively easy and fun?

[Ragabash]

Hmmm....

• England is good to learn basics for its geographical position (island).
• France is a major power and if you like warring it's a good starting faction.
• Spain, Portugal and Aragorn can be fun as a first choice and are quite easy to start with.
• Sweden can be fun and due to its northern location is quite easy to maintain and war with.

[Lawrence of Arabia]

Juggernaut, I think you should get a mod with the Sengoku Jidai mod after you get familiar with EUIII. Judging by your avatar, I think you will like it.

[LSJ]

While learning the game I found England, France, Spain, and Portugal the best.
A bonus of them is access to oceans, where you can colonize the new world and invade your enemies from land and sea. Plus they have strong economies, England has its own island (only Scotland in the way), and France is rich in vassals.

[Fuji]

I don't really agree with picking superstate, i would pick sumthing like Austria, a pontential superstate, or Muscovy

[Juggernaut]

Thanks for the replies

I think I'll start with Muscovy or Austria.

I have one more question.
Should I throughly read through the manual before starting?
Or do you think I can just learn the game mechanics by playing through it?

[Savage_Swede]

Thanks for the replies

I think I'll start with Muscovy or Austria.

I have one more question.
Should I throughly read through the manual before starting?
Or do you think I can just learn the game mechanics by playing through it?

I'd say both. I started playing without reading the manual, but i had it close incase i needed it (which was quite a bit during the first games). And don't get disheartened if you get torn apart, it takes some time before you have control of everything

[Juggernaut]

I started as Muscovy, and I have couple questions.
:Should I get trade agreements with neighboring countries?
:Is it usual to take 50 years to develop next level of a technology?
:Is there anyway to have merchants last for more than a month in the center of trade? I send 5 of them, and if I get lucky 2 of them would succeed in taking over and they always get kicked out in a month.
:I have 160 relations points with Novgorod, but an offer of alliance always have "impossible" chance of success. Why would that be?
:Is there anyway to improve relations ship with other country apart from sending them gifts?

Juggernaut, I think you should get a mod with the Sengoku Jidai mod after you get familiar with EUIII. Judging by your avatar, I think you will like it.

Can you tell me where I can find that?

[Cúchulainn]

I started as Muscovy, and I have couple questions.
:Should I get trade agreements with neighboring countries?

I am not sure, I don't think it has many benefits.
I don't do it mainly as I am worried about inflation, BB and invasion.

:Is it usual to take 50 years to develop next level of a technology?

It takes longer for any other Culture group to develop.
I.E the Latin countries have no effects.
Muscovy is Eastern European and have a 10% increase to research cost.
The Americas have the worst penalties.

You used to be able to "Westernised" in earlier patches.
but only if you border a Catholic Latin country.

:Is there anyway to have merchants last for more than a month in the center of trade? I send 5 of them, and if I get lucky 2 of them would succeed in taking over and they always get kicked out in a month.

No, But don't bother with merchants.

:I have 160 relations points with Novgorod, but an offer of alliance always have "impossible" chance of success. Why would that be?

There is a limit to the number of alliances you can have.
Two or Three I think.
The way to cheat around it is, when the game starts, offer alliances to any of the powerful neighbours with good relation.
Sometimes you can get three, four or five this way.
Also you can ally with any vasal you have.
And I recommed doing that.

:Is there anyway to improve relations ship with other country apart from sending them gifts?

No not really.
Only programmed events have a dramatic effect on relationship.
But having their religion as tolerant, will increase it but only slightly.


If you read the txt files in the game folder, it will help you understand some of the more complicated events in the game.

Such as how to form Russia.

[Kanaric]

England is the easiest simply because the AI has problems attacking them.

Others that are a good pick is Castille, France, Timurids, Lithuania, Ottomans, Venice and Austria.

The Russians are probably one of the harder picks.

Timurids is Tribal, sure, but if you form Mughal you become despotic and very powerful. Venice is small, but rich and easily more powerful than its italian neighbors... however you need to keep austria happy with you. Timurids and Ottomans and probably among the easiest by far. The others are straight forward as well.

[scottishranger]

While a Russian faction is a very tough start, especially with Lithuania menacing on the border, if you can manage to unite with Novgorod and then turn east on Kazan, you will be able to start the Russian steamroller. If you can then defeat Kazan and take a few provinces you will be in a great position. You can move south and gain access to the Black Sea or you can go to Sweden and get their Finnish Provinces. The only thing you have to worry about is Lithuania/Poland. Unless you are strong enough to turn them back, a war declared between you will normally result in crippling loss to you.

[Woad-Warrior]

Japan? Ming's easy too.

[Edelward]

Mecklenburg is an option which has some challenge , yet not that hard

[eventhorizen]

I would suggest France if you want to experience self reliance, land wars, and lots of superpower/pawn political goings-on.

England is more of a colonisation, rare and expensive resource producing isolationist game.

Venice is good for a merchant/trade, technology race, religion and culture crossroads experience.


I would suggest learning the mechanics of economy and of diplomacy/repution/prestige from the manual and game as a priority. EU has some interesting possibilities and playstyles that are entireally dependant upon how your nation makes it money.

A couple of examples would be.

1. Huge land based Empire. Massive yearly tax revenue meaning you can field large standing armies.

2. Merchant Republics/Trade Empires. Highly efficient merchants accruing the largest possible monthly equaling incredibly rapid technology research.

3. Small production and land focused countries. Research and stability benefits of being small combined to fast production rates and high morale/low upkeep for military units, and research speed dependant upon your production efficiency and the quality, volume, and demand of the resources you deal with.

The best slider settings for a Merchant nation/maximum technology generally oppose those slider settings for an efficient, cheap and lethal land army with the ability to wage long and successive wars.

Careful tweaking of these influences relevant to the geographical and political enviroment you find yourself within can enable you to overcome these problems. If you are a strong land based production state, embargoing a merchant republic that produces your highest value resource is doubly, triply, or even four times as effective as you might otherwise think. Ability to trade in a centre of trade means nothing to you, only regional demand for your goods and your ability to produce them, whereas ability to trade means everything for them and efficiency of production provides very little benefit for their highly expensive land forces. So fabricate a claim, incite hatred against their merchants, and support a few revolts, then sit back and strike at the precise moment you think they are weakest and take that province of theirs that produces the goods you rely upon.

If you want to dive in at the deep end I would suggest Ottomans, Lithuania, Tuscany, or Brandenburg. Survival of the fittest.

[Kanaric]

Japan? Ming's easy too.

Europe is more fun for a first game, imo. Plus you get to see more things.

[The Mongol]

I'm acquiring this game + expansion and I have a question.

Is there any websites with a full faction list? I mainly want to know all of the factions inhabiting the Americas. I might start as the Aztecs if it isn't too difficult.

[Fabolous]

I'm acquiring this game + expansion and I have a question.

Is there any websites with a full faction list? I mainly want to know all of the factions inhabiting the Americas. I might start as the Aztecs if it isn't too difficult.

Its borderline impossible. The way the game mechanics are set up, playing a pagan nation is like dropping the soap in jail. I don't know of a full list of nations, but there are so many, I mean its over 280. Off the top of my head (and I could well be wrong) there are around 8 tribes in the Americas, Aztecs, Incas, Mayans, Zapotec, Hurons, Creek, Cherokee and Shawnee.


EDIT: Personally, I started with France and tend to recommend it to everyone. Portugal is a great choice if you prefer less violence. If you want to be small but possibly very powerful, Mecklenburg is the choice.

[The Mongol]

Why? Everybody kills Pagans? Or they have trouble developing?

Anyways, wow, 280 factions. Thanks for listing some Americas factions too, cool stuff.

[Fabolous]

Why? Everybody kills Pagans? Or they have trouble developing?

Their tech develops epicly slower (at 1/10 the speed in fact) so their troops are greatly outclassed. Further, pagan nations lands can be annexed at any time if controlled, not just annexed in peace settlements, so the euro nations can just take each province and then sieze it. If the pagan nation takes it back, it would only be able to take it back in a peace settlement. So basically, if your greatly inferior troops lose a battle, and therefore a province, you have little chance of getting it back.

Anyways, wow, 280 factions. Thanks for listing some Americas factions too, cool stuff.

I forget a couple in America, the Iroqois for one. But yeah, massive number of factions. Not all of those are availavle at any given start date of course, you can't play as the USA or Brazil in 1453, obviously.

[Juggernaut]

Thanks for all the replies(I'm struggling as Muscovy now, having lost a war against Kazan)
Should I get NA expansion pack?
From what I hear, not only does it add a new campaign but it has loads of improvement and features for the original game as well.