Hochmeister Vami wrote:I love the Teutonic Order (good land on the Baltic, decent country (Prussia or Germany) it can form, Crusader faction). Europa Universalis does not reciprocate this love. Poland, Lithuania, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Holstein beat me and occupy my fertile land with their mighty doomstacks while I cry wet, manly German tears of helpless sorrow. I attempt to enter the Empire but fail because Brandenburg wants my fertile land. Livonia is weak, I cannot defend my brothers - MY BROTHERS! - from the greed of the filthy Scandinavians. Austria watches me weep in beautiful Danzig as dirty Poles caress it's magnificent German properties, and suckle on the trade power.
Strategies I've developed to try and survive and thrive:
Immediately set to work improving relations with Austria so I can join the HRE and embrace the protection of the mighty HRE, and toast bier to the Empire in large steins with the mighty armies of Austria. I attempt this by NEVER accepting an alliance with Hungary (Austria hates them like 80% of the time you start the game and they have tiny armies that Poland simply devours. While I try to get into the HRE, I build forces, ally with Livonia, and brace for Denmark to come for either Osel (Livonia) or Danzig (My only non-HRE province touching HRE provinces). This fails 100% of the time because eventually Danish + Norwegian Doomstacks land Utah Beach style on pristine German shores. Initially, the mighty Knights Teutonic crush these interlopers, but then the filthy Poles smell the blood in the water and come for my fertile lands (namely Danzig).
In an attempt to prevent the Nords from coming for me, I ally the HRE states at the base of the German Pernus - to no avail. I don't accept the Call to Arms from my HRE allies and get the -25 Prestige hit, and then the Danes come (one time they annexed Riga so they got a powerful port on the Baltic in rightful German land
) and then the Commonwealth slime come for us.I have heard that rivaling Austria's rivals helps by giving like +50 to relations. I also send "gifts" when I get the money for the buff that gives as well. I don't get to get ideas, because they take time. Time that I don't have; that is further expanded by events. If I had the time, I would totally go with Offensive Ideas, however. The Teutonics need assistance against the mighty armies of
Grandmaster Vami wrote:Once, we were a mighty force of holy knights on a mission from God to secure and forever hold the Holy Land from the Muslims. Those days are gone, and now we face annihilation. We have but one (backwter) province, the island of Rhodes. But, it is completely inhabited with Orthodox heretics! But, at least they are Christians. The barbaric Ottoman hordes sit on the coast and eye our island with lust, the fires of their heathen hostility burning in their mongrel eyes. We must escape, but we have not forgotten why we exist. We must secure the Holy Land. We must form the Kingdom of God. We must reestablish Jerusalem.
What I have tried:
I did a bit of research on this. Most common was escaping to Italian OPMs not in the HRE b/c culture and the ability to join the HRE. To secure my existence, I ally Venice (which is hard now because sometimes in the beginning of the game Venice is defending France in the 100 Years War and thus spawns with English doomstacks occupying every thing that moves in Venice, and then butter up Austria. Now the hard part. I ally Venice for their large armies and enormous navy (around like 1590+, trust in Portugal and England to be the big Naval players). One time I targeted Urbino, but they outnumbered me and England was wrecking Venice. I couldn't expand into Byzantine territory because they also outnumbered me and the Kebabs were getting busy with spraying Sunni Islam all over East Rome's face and hair (Greece). The other time, the Pope annexed Urbino so I attacked him and seized Romanga. Venice helped me win, but the Pope landed an army on Rhodes, but couldn't siege it because they were too many Knights on the island.
One suggestion I read was escaping to Africa, which allowed for quick expansion (upon getting rid of Rhodes) thanks to the African factions being primitive savages. I want to reform the Kingdom, so I'm not going to do this. Ideally, I'd like to rule a decent Mediterranean realm and eventually knock the Ottomans down a few pegs. The Knights Hospitaller need your assistance.
