Okay, update 1.
To form the Netherlands, we'll need to take Friesland and Utrecht, and hold them for 50 years. But that can wait. We start off in a personal union under Hainaut, which means we don't actually have our own king. So step one is to change that. Our military forces are fairly pitiful, just 1000 infantry and 1000 cavalry but they're better than Hainaut's. I've started construction on another 1000 of each, so we'll have some reinforcements if everything goes pear-shaped, which is unlikely. We'll also need to cross Brabant to get there, so I'll request military from them. We're also going to need money, so I've sent out 3 starting merchants to Lubeck, the richest centre of trade in Europe. We'll probably end up with merchants in all of them, but Lubeck should bring a nice boost to our income.
As you can see, we're losing a little money each month, and the new soldiers won't help there, but hopefully our merchants will boost this. This is also the research window, showing our levels in government, production, trade, land and naval techs. Everyone starts at level 3, but I'm hoping to pull ahead with the merchant incomes.
These are the sliders for our country, each effecting various things. We're all the way to free trade, so our merchants are more likely to compete others away and get more money. We're also fairly centralised, which gives useful bonuses, but is normally hard to get to because moving the slider in that direction tends to make rebels pop up.
Here's the empire at the moment. Bohemia's emperor, giving them massive bonuses to manpower, used for building and recruiting troops, and land forcelimits, allowing them to field more troops for cheaper. They'll also join in wars amongst the rest of the HRE if you don't have a cassus belli, so I'm going to play cautiously. Unless I'm elected as emperor, of course, although it looks like Austria's next in line for the moment.
Here we have a detailed list of our provinces, including income and manpower. This is useful later in the game, especially when the Reformation starts up and your provinces start switching religion.
EDIT: And here's the rest of the decade.
We quickly get a mission to increase the size of our army, so this is good. It'll give us a small amount of prestige and army tradition when we complete it, which will probably be when our new soldiers are done.
Hainaut has signed an alliance with Munster (the German one, not the Irish one) by now, so the war might not be as quick as I'd hoped. Once I've crushed Hainut's army, I'll send the cavalry back to Holland and let the infantry get to work on the siege, and hopefully beat off anything Munster sends at us. As a result, we're now independant.
He's a good military leader and diplomat, but not so good on the administration side. This effects our research rates as well as a few other things like infamy and war exhaustion.
The troops move into Hainaut and quickly defeat the forces there.
We lost few troops, so the siege is already going well. There's new troops being built, but they'll be a pushover. I'll send the cavalry up to Holland for defense for now.
The second battle doesn't go as well as I'd hoped, and we lose a few hundred men, although we win the battle. The siege continues.
Luckily, Hainaut aren't building any more troops, so we should control the province by the end of the year. And more good news, I noticed Munster seem to have decided not to join the war. Hainaut is as good as ours.
In mid May, our king produces an heir. This is excellent news.
In July, our forces are large enough to satisfy our mission, so we get a new one.
This could give us a way to annex Friesland without a war, so this is good. It'll also increase our Legitimacy, which is always a good thing. Friesland aren't all that interesting in a marriage, however, so I'm sending them money. I've also reinforced the besieging troops in preparation for an assault on the walls. I've hired an advisor to increase or trade efficiency, which will bring in a little more money.
Our troops assaulted the walls in January, but failed to kill all the defenders. The siege continues, but it shouldn't be long until the city falls. In February, the city surrendered.
I annexed the province, so Hainaut no longer exists, and started sending merchants to Venezia.
England asked to ally with us in August, 1401. I declined, since France wouldn't like that and they're a little closer. Liguria's centre of trade is getting rich, so I've started sending merchants there too.
In May 1402, Burgundy stopped allowing our merchants to their centres of trade. We don't have any merchants in Antwerpen, but it's a bad sign. They might be thinking of a war.
In October, I attacked some rebels in Brabant's provinces, since they're being nice and letting our troops move through their country.
In February, 1403 I sent merchants to Alexandria. We're now making a good bit of money from them.
Burgundy also attack Brabant. This could be bad. I'd rather not have Burgundy cut Hainaut off from Holland and Zeeland, and they outnumber us heavily.
In August, I sent merchants to all the centres of trade left, then shifted our treasury so we were researching faster. If Burgundy attack us, we're going to need all the advantages we can get. I also commissioned a tapestry to increase Legitimacy. Friesland still refuses to enter a royal marriage with us.
In May, 1404 I hired an advisor to increase our investment towards land tech.
In June, the emperor reformed the HRE slightly. It's benificial to all members and the emperor, but could be the start of a slide towards total domination of the member states. I voted to pass the reform, since it's benificial.
In August, England requests an alliance again. I accept, since it'll probably keep Burgundy off me.
In October, the war between Burgundy and Brabant ends, with Burgundy gaining the province of Brabant. I request military access from them, but they refuse. I'm going to have to ply them with money.
In June, 1405, Gelre request a royal marriage. I accept, since Friesland is still refusing ours.
In August, England attack France, and request I join the war. I reluctantly decline, since I can't afford to annoy France.
In September I gain military access from Burgundy. At least that was money well spent.
In December, I finally gain a royal marriage with Friesland, and we gain a new mission: Make the Palitinate votes for us as Holy Roman Emperor. I start sending money immediately.
In January, 1406, Aragon requests an alliance with us. I accept, still hoping to keep Burgundy away. I also begin construction of 2 carracks to strengthen our navy.
In November, Lorraine requests an alliance. I decline.
In May, 1407 we reach level 4 in land tech. At level 5, we will unlock new infantry units. I believe I am the first to the level, as France and England are both still at 3.
In July, the Hanseatic Trade League opens a trading station in Hainaut. More money for me!
In October, Burgundy attacks Liege, and in November, the city surrenders. The province is annexed.
In December, our naval tech reaches level 4, and I enact a land reform in Holland. We also gain a wave of innovation random event, slightly decreasing tech level costs for 6 months.
In January, 1408, a new centre of trade opens in Reykjavik, and England requests an alliance. I gladly accept while sending merchants to the new centre.
In April, Burgundy is excommunicated by the English contolled Pope. This could be handy.
In May, Burgundy annexes Luxemburg. I order the recruitement of 2000 more troops.
In October, we gain Government tech level 4, allowing us to build temples to reduce the stability costs of provinces, and allowing us to take our first national idea.
I take National Trade Policy to increase our trade efficiency by 10%.
In November, we grant the Hansa trade rights to our salt, so we'll only trade it through Lubeck, their centre of trade. This makes us a little more money.
In February, 1409, we gain trade tech level 4.
In June, Burgundy allows our merchants into Antwerpen again. I breathe a sigh of relief, then warn Friesland and Utrecht against entering any wars. If they do, I'll get a cassus belli on them, so I'll be able to declare war on them without taking a stablity hit or getting the emperor involved.
In September, Production tech finally increases to level 4.
In January, 1410, I can move a slider again. I'll let you lot decide which one. The red bars indicate we can't move beyond that, but you can ignore the one on Centralisation/Decentralisation, since we started past it.
EDIT: Also, when the time comes, will we stay Catholic or go Protestant or Reformed?
Poll
