How to effectively use diplomacy?

**Boriak** · October 26, 2009, 05:42 AM

The title says it all. It seems this is the one part on this game I cannot wrap my mind around. Sure, I can make Trade Rights deals and Map Information, but Making Alliances it the best I can do. Maintaining alliances, ending expensive wars, getting protectorates and waging war on a common enemy, that's something I cannot do.

Anyone want to tell me how it's done? I strive to create as realistic atmosphere in this game as possible. That means avoiding blitzes, doing everything with care and precision. It's who I am.

**The Hedge Knight** · October 26, 2009, 05:58 AM

The enemy never becomes protectorate... Maybee if you have a ten infulence diplomat and their last town is being beseiged by seven stacks...

The key is to give the enemy what it wants, 200 gold a turn as a gift will keep an allience.

**magraev** · October 26, 2009, 07:11 AM

Protectorates are possible, but very difficult to obtain.

You have to do it before you capture a lot of the enemy's settlements. I've managed to get the Romans as protectorate as Carthage. The Indie Greeks had reduced them to two settlements, and I then booted the indies out of Italy. The Romans betrayed our alliance and I smashed their army. The next turn they asked for a ceasefire, and I countered with an offer of 10.000 and a protectorate. They accepted.

**Grimbold** · October 26, 2009, 05:58 PM

And for how long did it last ?

**The Hedge Knight** · October 26, 2009, 06:08 PM

Tell you waht though, little trick if a faction tries to get you to become protectorate you can charge them (i can get 15000 from most factions) then cancel in the same turn.

**chazap** · October 26, 2009, 07:31 PM

there is the other alternative....a force diplomacy move.....if a faction no matter how many territories it owns just can't muster the armies it takes to beat you, then you force them to become a protectorate state...

**Spartan198** · November 05, 2009, 04:52 PM

The only truly effective way to use diplomacy in RTW is by stamping the opposing faction out of existence...

**Scutarii** · November 07, 2009, 11:07 PM

Diplomacy is broken in RTW. Basically only good for DOW's, and that's done outside of the diplo screen.

**Zarax** · November 08, 2009, 03:02 AM

AI understands diplomacy only when it's short on money, something that rarely happens in most mods...

**gaius_caesar** · November 08, 2009, 03:42 AM

with brute force of course... at least it always works for me...

**GoldShield Guard** · November 08, 2009, 10:47 AM

What are the benefits of having another faction as your protectorate? What do you earn? It never happened to me, so I am really curious.

**Spartan198** · November 08, 2009, 01:26 PM

Originally Posted by GoldShield Guard

What are the benefits of having another faction as your protectorate? What do you earn? It never happened to me, so I am really curious.

I don't typically make protectorates. They always seemed more likely to attack me than factions I'm at war with!

**Grimbold** · November 08, 2009, 03:02 PM

This one time when i forced diplomacy on Scythia and got them as my protectorate ( pre-fix ), they gave me money every turn, without me asking for it.

**DimeBagHo** · November 08, 2009, 03:13 PM

Unfortunately protectorates are bugged. Former protectorates keep giving you money even after their protectorate status ends. I never use them.

**Grimbold** · November 08, 2009, 04:44 PM

Can harldy get a faction to be my protectorate anyway.

**Spartan198** · November 09, 2009, 02:06 PM

Originally Posted by DimeBagHo

Unfortunately protectorates are bugged. Former protectorates keep giving you money even after their protectorate status ends. I never use them.

And if you become another faction's protectorate, your treasury continues to empty even after protectorate status ends.

**devilbean** · November 08, 2009, 12:04 PM

How to effectively use diplomacy?

Recruit big stacks and go to war.

Seriously though, waging war on a common enemy can happen if the AI and you are both at war with a third party anyways and you propose the alliance then. Usually they'll accept it without demanding any payment. Most of the time the AI won't declare war on other factions when you demand it, but then I stopped bothering with diplomacy a long time ago. The best way to do things is to use force diplomacy when you believe it necessary to maintain 'acceptable behavior' from the AI's. That doesn't necessarily mean cheating; if you offer something that is profitable to the AI and it refuses, it just needs to be shown the way.