-
We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
Great Britain formed, so no more yellow/yellow clash in NA! Yay!
On the other hand, England still exists and there are now two shades of red, so nevermind :/
I'm sad that Urist met with such bad luck, though I'm hopeful that his legacy of drinking and exploding stuff will live on
On the other hand, England still exists and there are now two shades of red, so nevermind :/
I'm sad that Urist met with such bad luck, though I'm hopeful that his legacy of drinking and exploding stuff will live on
Clearing out the colonies to make Victoria II more of a challenge?
I was almost expecting a tag change since the name is still the Holy Roman Empire. I wonder how that will translate into Victoria II.
That's exactly right! And yes, there was a tag change. (I fired the decision with the console, incidentally, since normally you have to be Protestant to form Germany.)
I'm not sure if we'll see her again or not. Never say never!
Precisely. I normally don't like doing these sorts of updates without a good reason, but it was honestly pretty boring to play.
Thanks very much!
Great Britain formed, so no more yellow/yellow clash in NA! Yay!
On the other hand, England still exists and there are now two shades of red, so nevermind :/
I'm sad that Urist met with such bad luck, though I'm hopeful that his legacy of drinking and exploding stuff will live on
Well, one could say the explosion bit was actually a legacy of Stefan Urkelopopolous, but the drinking was all Urist's.
Thanks!
Another great update. I can't wait to see how things end here and the Unger attempt of claiming the "Empire" in V2.
Thanks!
I may post the final story update sooner than expected (and the end game shortly afterwards); I hope to have some more concrete news about the Vicky 2 step soon!
well, it appears that Germany will stay a republic. Shall be interesting what role the Hohenzollerns play in the continuing republic...
Chapter 40: The final days of an icon
((Author’s note: This final story update is a list of entries from the journal of Friedrich von Hohenzollern/Joachim Hector Lindner. I thought it was an appropriate end to the AAR.))
15 November 1798
It is hard coming back to Nürnberg after being in Canada for so long. My nephews are particularly upset. Konrad has become a remarkably shrewd merchant and one of the wealthiest men in Canada; sadly, most of his wealth was confiscated by the Canadians before he left. It was because he married a Canadian, I’m sure, and they argued that the wealth belonged to Canada. At least his children – Friedrich, Samuel, and Katherine – are all well. Friedrich is the oldest, having just turned 15, and I think he will join the Imperial – no, German – army. Samuel is 13 and always has a book in his hands; I think we’ve got a budding scholar there! 11-year-old Katherine is already a very charming girl, and I have no doubt she’ll have many suitors when she comes of age.
My other nephew, Maximillian, surprisingly, has joined the Catholic Church. I have the utmost respect for his faith, but it still comes as a bit of a surprise given his less than pristine past. I do not know how many Hohenzollern bastards there are wandering around Canada, and I’m certain he doesn’t either.
My brother Gregor is another matter. He’s gotten more and more despondent, and even his wife can’t talk him out of it. His children have desperately tried to get him out of his shell, but he was really hit hard when we lost our estates across the Atlantic. I suppose I understand, but we still have the family seat in the Assembly and Schloss von Hohenzollern, both of which are guaranteed by the Constitution. I even offered to let Gregor have the seat in the Assembly, but he declined.
Today, speaking of the Assembly, is the first time I’ve been at a session since we left for Canada all those years ago. The doctors says that Martin Asch, co-head of the UAI, won’t live out the year, and I think they’re right. Richard Unger is in good health, but he’s hardly a young man himself. I think the future of that party rests with Martin’s son Simeon and Richard’s son Adolph. If so, they are in capable hands. I’ve thought of joining the UAI more than once, and I might in the next couple of years, if the New Society can’t cool its rhetoric.
The big news today actually came out of the Young Bavarians (and no, I haven’t made a mistake there – they still call themselves that!) They’ve discovered some compelling documents that we have claims on part of Pomerania, Switzerland, and Poland. I wonder what will become of that?
8 February 1799
They do not make Foreign Ministers like they used to. Karl Uhlig died a few days ago, and our new Foreign Minister is Joseph Wacht. He seems a decent sort, and thinks he could keep a war against Poland localized. That would be quite an achievement if he could!
I’ve also had news from my nephew Maximillian – he’s gotten permission from Rome to set up a Guild of St. Luke here. That’s wonderful news!
It will cost us some money, certainly, but it should also help attract some of the Church’s best and brightest here to Germany. Oh! I’ve also started writing my paper again. I had some capable subordinates running it in the past, but with so little to do these days, it’s good to get my voice in print. I think I can still do a lot of good here, and between my seat and my paper I think I can, perhaps, bring the New Society a little bit farther away from the precipice of outright treason. I’ve had words with Leopold von Baumgarten more than once, but he doesn’t want to even consider just accepting a republic and moving on. I’ve firmly told him that no Hohenzollern will take the throne, but I don’t think he believes me.
19 June 1799
I think I see now why so many people were upset when I personally took to the field. That’s what Consul Höhn has done; he’s off to Poland to fight that part of our war. There have already been some rumblings of reforms here in the Assembly; if he stays away too long, I think we are in for some difficult days.
The good news is that all three countries – Poland, Pomerania, and Switzerland – are in a single war.
Richard Unger is the Chancellor now; Martin Asch died a few months ago. He is trying to keep a middle course between the Alliance’s increasingly radical pacifism and the calls of the Young Bavarians and the New Society for world domination. I’m not sure he’ll succeed. Martin’s son Simeon is starting to make a play for the leadership of the UAI, and I think he’ll get it if this war doesn’t end soon.
2 January 1800
Well, one Hohenzollern is certainly enjoying a meteoric rise! Maximillian is Archbishop of Nürnberg now. I don’t think we’ve ever been so close to Rome. The Pope, no doubt, is worried that we are his most powerful neighbor, and there have been a few Assemblymen who argue that, in order to “secure” the Papacy, they should accept German domination. Maybe this decision of his will help neutralize that.
I’m really worried about Gregor. He wasn’t at Maximillian’s ordination ceremony. I haven’t even seen him for a few days. I hope everything is okay!
23 September 1800
Consul Höhn is quickly becoming unpopular here, and the Alliance has finally decided to take advantage. They’ve pushed through a whole pallet of reforms, and they even got the New Society to agree!
What set everything in motion was this defeat in Warsaw. The war has been going really well – a number of countries have already signed treaties with us – but I think the Consul got greedy.
Considering the success our troops had against Hungary, for example, it’s difficult to blame the Assembly.
The reforms have been fairly complex, but there are a few major changes. The Consul’s power has been reduced, with a lot of that power being divided equally among the various ministers here in the capital. He remains our head of state, but the Chancellor, at the very least, is becoming his equal in domestic matters. The most significant reform has been the removal of his powers to determine foreign policy; most of that has gone to the Foreign Minister, but the Assembly as a whole must now determine war and peace.
They’ve also recreated the Conclave of Stadtholders – this was the price the New Society demanded – as a collective of every governor in the realm. The Conclave gets to name the Chancellor, and since only a member of the Conclave can be named to the position, Leopold von Baumgarten is the new Chancellor. (There are a lot of different ways to choose Stadtholders – a few are even still hereditary, but most have some sort of elections). The Conclave has inherited a great deal of economic and domestic power, while the Assembly gets the foreign and military policy.
Since I am Stadtholder von Nürnberg, I’m a member of the Conclave. Gregor has been elected to the Assembly, but he never attends meetings. The only person he talks to is that Bulgarian Nemski Gospod – Gregor apparently wants him to make renovations to our Schloss. I don’t know what the Schloss needs, but if it makes Gregor happy, I’ll not oppose him.
5 August 1803
The 1801 election was surprisingly dull. Since the Consul has lost a lot of his former power, Höhn was reelected without much competition. It doesn’t hurt that we won the war, either, acquiring all of our former lands.
It’s a good thing, too – if it took another war, it would require a vote by the Assembly, and that would be a difficult vote to win. The UAI is now headed by Simeon Asch, and Simeon is one of the most hardened pacifists I know. Apart from domestic policy, Simeon is more a candidate for the Alliance than the UAI, but Richard Unger has lost all power to oppose him. Adolph is of Simeon’s temperament, so when Richard dies, I fear there may be a fusion between the Alliance and the UAI.
Perhaps the most interesting development was Georg von Arnim-Boitzenburg’s defection – and subsequent leadership – of the Young Bavarians. That name, finally, is dead. They are now simply called the Imperialists. I always thought Georg was a bit odd, but he apparently wants to reclaim the entire Empire – by force if necessary – and even expand into Asia. Leopold von Baumgarten even thinks that’s mad, and the New Society has quietly drifted to the left, politically speaking. Gregor, my brother, joined the Imperialists and has been reawakened, at least for now, in attempting to reacquire Canada. I think it will all come to naught, but the Imperialists are starting to attract a lot of attention. If they win the Foreign Minister’s spot in the next election, we could be in for an interesting few years.
9 May 1805
A new election came and went. The Alliance keeps chipping away at the Consul’s power; he currently only holds one official role, as head of the German Army and Navy. I don’t even remember who the Marshal is.
The new Consul is from the Alliance, and it’s pretty clear he’s only there to be a placeholder. The real ruler of Germany is the Chancellor, and a shuffling of the Conclave in the last two years has given a majority to the UAI, which means Simeon Asch is Chancellor. Simeon and the new Consul work well together, and I have no doubt there will be great things for Germany as a result.
12 September 1808
It has been a difficult year, journal. I had hoped politics would reinvigorate Gregor. He and Javier de Leon had gotten into any number of debates over the proper role of the Consul in German politics, and Gregor threatened to run for Consul in 1809.
About that time, the Schloss von Hohenzollern completely collapsed, killing his wife and our mother, Sara (who reached 103, bless her!). It seems that Gospod had been working to shore up the foundations and had almost finished when one of his workers made a tragic mistake with a support beam.
Gregor, this time, didn’t sink into depression. He simply killed himself by jumping into the giant sinkhole that used to be our home. Gospod was beside himself – he offered to rebuild our home at no cost – but I, for one, think the past ought to stay buried. Maximillian presided over Gregor’s funeral; I may have been the only one who didn’t cry, but only because I have to stay strong for my nephew, grandnephews, and grandniece. It is a minor miracle that Hauptmann Friedrich von Hohenzollern was away in training; Katherine was not so fortunate. In fact, she missed dying in the same accident by a matter of minutes, as she was late home from university. God knows what we would have done if we lost her too. Without Maximillian’s incredible strength, I don’t know if I could go on. I am so proud of him, even more than Friedrich or Katherine, although I will never admit that anywhere but here.
22 March 1810
Every time I read that last entry, I get angrier and angrier. I have no reason to be proud of Maximillian now, even though he’s a Cardinal now. It seems that Maximillian is just as irresponsible and ambitious as ever before; instead of supporting his father, he used his office as Archbishop to prevent his father’s burial in consecrated ground. Normally, he would have gone into the family crypt, but we lost that when we lost the Schloss. Gregor was so proud of his son that he had made it part of his will to be buried in consecrated ground, the first of our family to be so buried despite our family motto.
When Maximillian denied his request, I almost killed my nephew right then and there. Konrad talked me out of it. My older nephew – I should say my only nephew – is my main support right now. He’s taken his father’s seat in the Assembly. He has thrived and prospered thanks to hard work and a little luck, and is one of the wealthiest men in the republic.
The death of Gregor and Maximillian’s betrayal has awakened a fire in me. I may be almost 80, but I have purpose again. I started getting involved in government again as part of the cholera relief effort – I am now the only living ex-Consul, which is a surprise to me. Yes, some of them were old, but Leopold Höhn was only 49. Richard Unger died too, and Javier de Leon may have one week more. With so much leadership lost in one disaster, I was one of the few experienced officials able to coordinate the effort to recover.
When Chancellor Asch tried to use his power to take control of my effort, I used my influence to trigger a vote of no-confidence in him; I am now Chancellor. With my new office, I immediately took the Archbishopric of Nürnberg from Maximillian. It doesn’t matter, since he’s a Cardinal, but it is one of the few things I could do to hurt him. I also sent a personal letter to the Pope, asking for permission to bury my brother where he wanted to be buried. He refused.
That is why we now have a Church of Germany and… I am its head, it would seem.
You know, I’ve never been a religious man, and I don’t intend to start now. In fact, I just passed two measures stripping the Roman Catholic Church of most of its power remaining in Germany.
The New Society is delighted – they are all but ready to proclaim Kaiser again – but what they don’t know is that I intend to give at least my religious title to the Assembly to deal with as they will. I may also resign as Chancellor; I have what I wanted, mostly. My brother is buried in land consecrated by the Church of Germany, and I have hired Nemski Gospod (with Konrad’s money, of course, since I have little of my own) to build a new family crypt with as many of the remains as he can recover over my brother’s burial place. Nemski thinks that most of the catacombs should be preserved, just inaccessible right now. I hope he is right.
9 May 1813
My decision to resign the Chancellorship was a wise one. There have been all matter of nationalist uprisings since our decision to abandon the Roman Catholic Church, the largest of which was dangerously close to Nürnberg.
I don’t think we’ll ever rejoin the Catholics; indeed, I doubt we would be welcome even if he wanted to, since Maximillian has, somehow, become the Pope. It completely boggles my mind that the Catholic Church would want somebody so faithless as its head, but it has at least bought Germany some time.
Our new Consul is Ferdinand Maria Schumann.
He was formerly the Minister of the Interior, and a fine one. He is exactly the sort of leader we need to keep our country together. The Minister of the Interior inherited the Corps of Gendarmeries and has very effectively prevented any number of revolts. I hope he will continue to do so in the years to come. He has the vote of the Stadtholder of Nürnberg, at any rate.
1 January 1821
I think this will be my final journal entry. Immediately after the Imperials got their Foreign Minister, I resigned as Stadtholder in protest. It seems to have worked – there has been no thought of “reclaiming Canada”, even by Hirsch – and Konrad is now my replacement as Stadtholder.
I’ve used my retirement wisely, I think. I’ve written a couple of books, and of course I continue to work with my newspaper. I’ll leave that to Konrad too. My one regret is that we haven’t quite gotten a lid on the rebellions. Schumann has done everything he could, but I worry that after he loses office later this year that the republic may explode into outright civil war. A lot will depend on who succeeds him. I just hope it isn’t Georg – that lunatic will “solve” our problem by declaring war on Canada. Canada killed my brother; I want nothing more to do with it.
Of course, it isn’t my problem any longer. I will not survive the night, it seems. The family is in good hands, and I am sure God will forgive us for leaving the Catholic Church.
That’s all that matters. God and the family.
A little maudlin, I know, but I think that it was a fitting way to end this AAR. We’ll still have the endgame in a day or two, and then I’ll make my Big Announcement for the Next AAR.
Until then, my friends!
Oh no, not the Schloss. Now that it's gone, I realise that I had expected it to linger throughout the story as a way of tying everything back to the early era. I suppose that the Pope will be worried now since his giant northern neighbour has renounced proper Catholicism. Big Announcements sound intriguing.
That was a bit depressing for the Hohenzollerns. Their home collapsed and they're practically broke. I certainly hope their lot improves, since I'm always rooting for them.
I'm curious about how all this anti-imperialist sentiment will play out once you move onto Victoria II, since it's arguably a game entirely about imperialism.
I'm curious about how all this anti-imperialist sentiment will play out once you move onto Victoria II, since it's arguably a game entirely about imperialism.
I'm sure the Hohenzollerns shall remain relevant and powerful. This is the Hohenzollerns megacampaign, after all
A fitting end to a brilliant AAR. Well done, Mr. Avindian!
A fitting end to a brilliant AAR. Well done, Mr. Avindian!
You won't be waiting long!
I went back and forth on destroying it -- technically, EU3 destroys Royal Palaces as soon as you get a Republic -- but I thought it would be an apropos image for the end of the game.
I do, too, surprisingly.
That was a bit depressing for the Hohenzollerns. Their home collapsed and they're practically broke. I certainly hope their lot improves, since I'm always rooting for them.
I'm curious about how all this anti-imperialist sentiment will play out once you move onto Victoria II, since it's arguably a game entirely about imperialism.
It should be an interesting clash (which was the entire point)!
I'm sure the Hohenzollerns shall remain relevant and powerful. This is the Hohenzollerns megacampaign, after all
A fitting end to a brilliant AAR. Well done, Mr. Avindian!
Thanks very much!
I'm still working out the kinks; I've got a bit of extra time today and tomorrow, so I think I'll just give it a go and see what happens. I will be making some edits for RP purposes.
I'll be updating here soon!
Endgame
We begin with the court.
Two advisors for diplomacy; in reality, I could have chosen something better, but sometimes EU3 bogs down a bit.
My economy:
If I’d focused more on the navy, it would be comparable with the other techs. Everyone anywhere near my technical levels is an OPM or close to it.
The army and navy:
I think maybe now you understand why I was a bit worried when I saw 52,000 soldiers pop at the end of the story – that’s almost 20% of my current army. It was put down, but it was surprisingly close.
My ideas and sliders:
Nations sorted by income:
Sure, I’ve got twice the income of Ming and no inflation. I think the real story is how well France is still doing, especially because of their colonies.
Armies:
I’d love to know how much France is spending on the army to be anywhere near me.
Navies:
One of the things I love about EUIV is that they made small ships mean something. The only reason I have even one of those (and 13 galleys) is because I captured them. Note I only have one fewer big ship than GB.
Every ruler during EU3:
Pies:
Yearly income:
There is one part of EU3 I’ve always been awful at – trade. Another reason I like EUIV!
Expenditure:
Yeah, that fleet is getting pricey.
As if you needed proof, I stink at trade:
Finally, some maps!
I don’t remember why I never got around to vassalizing Hungary – I think I cancelled the mission, or maybe failed it.
Africa:
Asia:
North America:
South America:
And finally, two world maps:
So, that concludes my final EU3 AAR! I hope you enjoyed it.
…
…
Oh, right, the announcement. I almost forgot! The next installment of the Hohenzollerns will not have contests for characters.
…
…
Because it is 100% Interactive! Ever since I participated in BigBadBob’s The Presidents, I wanted to do an interactive Vicky 2 AAR; I was just waiting for the right opportunity. What I found especially appealing about including one in this megacampaign is how many great characters I got in this AAR (and, of course, the CKII AAR). No worries, my friends in the Soviet AAR: that will still continue, and you may of course participate in both!
If you have a character who would still be alive in 1836, you are free to take that character directly into Vicky 2 (that’s pretty much only dodedo and, if he wanted a temporary character, Davout), although you don’t have to.
For now, I’ll take questions/suggestions in this thread about the new AAR. I’ve already got a pretty rigid framework set up – accompanied by five pages of rules, of course – but if I get a great idea, I’ll be happy to implement it there! I plan to work on the conversion and the prologue for the next AAR this weekend, so have your character ideas in mind for when I officially open the AAR next week.
Wow! That's one unexpected delight, really.
Congrats on finishing this
Thanks very much!