[EU3] Excommunication Spamming

**Kip** · September 14, 2009, 03:06 PM

...is currently ruining my game.

I'm Austria, and have formed a triumvirate of sorts with a powerful France and Poland. These two nations love me, but of course we've made mutual enemies. Here's what's happening. Currently, the curia is dominated by Castille and Hungary, both of whom hate me to death (-200). I've saved the game, and reloaded multiple times, and this is completely unavoidable. Normally, I don't reload, but this is just stupid and unrealistic.

Castille is currently Papal Controller, and excommunicates me. Fair enough, I've fought like 5 wars against them. But, in a few months, Hungary takes over as Papal Controller. I am excommunicated again. France and Poland, as Catholic countries, get a big relations hit each time I'm excommed... and the cycle continues, with Castille and Hungary alternately taking over the curia, excommunicating me again, resulting in Poland and France both breaking alliances with me.

This is just silly. If they've excommunicated my king, then they should have to wait until he dies to excommunicate me again. I deserve the excommunication I'm sure, but this unending cycle is just ruining the game. The best part is both Castille and Hungary have 2 cardinals in the curia (everyone else has 1), and it seems like Papal Controller is a coin-flip every month between the two.

Is there any way to avoid this? I've loaded the game three or four times and burnt my entire treasury trying to bribe cardinals, and I've never been successful once.

Sorry to complain, and I know it sounds like I'm upset because I'm losing. I'm okay with losing; I just want to lose for a reason that makes sense, and something that doesn't feel like just a glitch in the game mechanic.

**Romanos IV** · September 14, 2009, 03:11 PM

afaik, you are excommunicated not only because of your relation with the Curia Controller, but also because of your bb points. I would recommend to either wait your bb to reduce below 4-6 or, altenitevely (I lost my spelling here) you could convert to Protestant/Reformed.

**Kip** · September 14, 2009, 03:20 PM

Originally Posted by Romanos IV

afaik, you are excommunicated not only because of your relation with the Curia Controller, but also because of your bb points. I would recommend to either wait your bb to reduce below 4-6 or, altenitevely (I lost my spelling here) you could convert to Protestant/Reformed.

That's a good thought, but my badboy is actual at zero right now (I haven't annexed a province in several years now). I don't want to convert though, because that means breaking alliance with France and Poland, and the breaking of that alliance is the reason that the excom spam is making me so upset.

**shadyrome** · September 14, 2009, 06:38 PM

How come when you become a Papal Controller You can't excommunicate nations ?

**Kip** · September 14, 2009, 06:44 PM

You can, it's (I believe) at the very bottom of the list of diplomatic options, and its only available under certain conditions that I'm not too sure of.

On another note: I tried a couple playthroughs converting to Protestantism, since as of now I'm going to lose France and Poland as allies anyways, and now I'll avoid all the annoying penalties and such. Every time I do this (besides the hassle of massive stability hits and rebellions), the Catholic League that I once led seems to always decide its prudent to invade and completely overwhelm me

(I'm the only Protestant nation besides Brandenburg in the entire continent).

**Kip** · September 15, 2009, 07:57 AM

Update:

I figured out that you can prevent excommunication by having good relations with the pope. I had to reload to an earlier save (something like 20 or 30 years) to avoid the perpetual excom cycle, and then I've just kept my relations with the pope at 200 (to be safe, it feels like it would only have to be 100 or so), and no more excommunications. Phew.

**shadyrome** · September 17, 2009, 08:29 AM

Can you show me a screenshot how to Excommunicate nations?

**zznɟ ǝɥʇ** · September 17, 2009, 11:32 AM

it'll be at the very bottom of the diplomacy options when you're papal controller. you can only excommunicate catholics.

**shadyrome** · September 17, 2009, 12:02 PM

Originally Posted by zznɟ ǝɥʇ

it'll be at the very bottom of the diplomacy options when you're papal controller. you can only excommunicate catholics.

Can you screenshot it? I can't seem to find it.

**Musthavename** · September 17, 2009, 12:25 PM

Go onto the country you want to excommunicate, so you can see the options to "Declare War" or "Royal Marriage" etc... Scroll down to the very bottom of that list. If you're papal controller, the options "Excommunicate / Lift Excommunication" and "Declare Crusade" will appear be there. If you're not papal controller, they won't.

**shadyrome** · September 17, 2009, 06:27 PM

Originally Posted by Musthavename

Go onto the country you want to excommunicate, so you can see the options to "Declare War" or "Royal Marriage" etc... Scroll down to the very bottom of that list. If you're papal controller, the options "Excommunicate / Lift Excommunication" and "Declare Crusade" will appear be there. If you're not papal controller, they won't.

Yea thanks!!! I never knew u can stroll down. Rep

**therussian** · September 17, 2009, 03:11 PM

The best thing to do is just vassalise the Papal States. That's what I did with Austria.

Though it means that you probably won't be getting Roma for a while, unless the Pope still holds Romagna when you get to him.

**Kanaric** · September 19, 2009, 12:18 PM

Never vassalized the papal states before, lol. Does it give you control of the curia at all times?

I usually always just annexed them, lol.

**therussian** · September 20, 2009, 11:51 AM

No, that has nothing to do with it, it's just that my relations with the Papal States was always hovering around 190-200, so I can pretty much never get excommunicated. I ended up annexing them a few days ago.

On another note, I really think that the Statute of Restraint and Appeals should make it so you can't get excommunicated. It's just the logical decision.