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Tinto Flavour #16 - 9th of May 2025 - Brandenburg & Prussia

Hello and welcome one more week to Tinto Flavour, the happy Fridays in which we take a look at the content of the super secret Project Caesar Europa Universalis V!

Today we will be talking about Brandenburg, and the main tag that it can form, Prussia. Therefore, today is even more special for two reasons. The first is that this is the first country that we talk about in which the content for the base country and the formable is aligned, as it was the historical result; in this category we have a few more important countries, such as England/Great Britain or Castile/Spain, of which we’ll talk more about in future TFs. The second is because we considered Brandenburg/Prussia one of the relevant tags in the period, and thus, it has more baseline content than the previous one; so far, we’ve only taken a look previously to one tag of that category, the Timurids (and you may have noticed that it was a long and meaty TF).

Let’s start now taking a look at the content, then:

The Electorate of Brandenburg was established as the Northern March in the Slavic Wends' territory. The region features loamy uplands and depressions with rivers and lakes, pine trees and heat, and a soil which is predominantly dry and sandy, but suitable for agriculture, making it to be called 'the sandbox of the Holy Roman Empire'.\n\nIn 1157, after claiming these lands from Jaxa of Köpenick, Elector Albrecht ‘the Bear’ Askanier officially became [GetCountry('BRA').GetGovernment.GetRulerTitle]. Initially limited to Havelland and Zauche, he encouraged the #italic Ostsiedlung#!'s process towards the Neumark east of the Oder, gradually incorporating it into his possessions, and colonists coming from Flanders and the Rhineland were invited to settle, fortifying their towns in the process. After his death in 1170, the Askanier dynasty continued this expansion for over 150 years, acquiring neighboring regions like the Oder Lagoon and the Uckermark, which expanded their influence to the Baltic Sea, but also led to conflicts with Denmark. However, the last Askanier, Elector Heinrich II., died without a direct heir in 1320.

Now, the von Wittelsbach dynasty has arrived, but the lack of interest in ruling over these lands casts a shadow over the future of the Electorate of Brandenburg.
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Country Selection.png

As usual, consider all UI, 2D and 3D art WIP.​

The starting situation of Brandenburg:
Brandenburg2.png

Brandenburg1.png

Brandenburg3.png

We are not attached to just showing the flatmap mode anymore! Yay!​

It starts with a similar content setup to that of Saxony, which we showed some weeks ago:
Margraviate.jpg

Right to Inherit.jpg

Magdeburg Rights.jpg

Bergordnung.jpg

Here are some of the unique advances of both Brandenburg and Prussia:
Expansive Policies.png

Soldiers of Fortune.png

Found the Kammergericht.png

Geheimer Rat.png

Army Professionalism.png

The Goose Step.png

Brandenburg & Prussia might have some military-related advances, yeah… But take into account that this approx. half of the amount available, so there are non-military-related ones.​

Let’s now take a look at the narrative content, which is quite meaty. This is one of the first starting events for Brandenburg:
Succession Issues1.png

Succession Issues2.png

Succession Issues3.png

Slightly painful…​

As you see, there are around 30 events that may be triggered after this, of varied topics, that impact the governance of Brandenburg in the first decades of the game. One of the most interesting ones are those related to the ‘False Waldemar’ event chain:
False Waldemar.png

I don’t think you should trust a guy that looks that way…​

After the year 1500, if certain triggers are met, you might receive an event regarding this Teutonic Order, which may lead to the formation of Prussia:
Teutonic Order.png

Although you can also form it organically, by expanding into the area (although the Emperor may have a say in this, as historically happened):
Form Prussia.png

A Prussian Crown.png

Compromise.png

Electorate of Prussia.png

Preussen Blau.png

This is a lovely color, isn’t it?​

You may now figure that Prussia is a country with much more content in the late game, so I’m just going to show you some of it; but take into consideration that of the following events, the first one can trigger after 1530, the second after 1637, and the others in different dates after 1700:
Kreditwerk.png

Kreditwerk2.png


Pietism.png

Pietism2.png


Canton System.png

Canton System2.png


Kant.png


Clausewitz.png

Clausewitz2.png

Did you know that the Engine we use is named after him?​

And some other content that you might get in the last two ages, as well:
Soldier King of Prussia1.png

Prussian Monarchy.png


Sanssouci.png

And that’s all for today! It was an intense week! And the next one, even more, since we will start publishing a second Tinto Flavour on Tuesdays! Therefore, the schedule will be the following:
  • Monday -> Tinto Maps Feedback for Great Britain & Ireland
  • Tuesday -> Tinto Flavour about Vijayanagar and other ‘minor’ Indian countries
  • Wednesday -> Tinto Talks about Hinduism, Jainism and Sikhism
  • Friday -> Tinto Flavour about Delhi
Cheers!
 
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Pavía said:
1. Yes, through the event that I've shown.
2. The Hohenzollern start in Hohenzollern, a Unique Location Minor that owns Balingen, so they can end up ruling organically. But some events may lead to them to end up as rulers of Brandenburg, too.
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Do they also rule in Nuremeberg?
 
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Pavía said:
The location of Brandenburg is owned by the Bishopric of Brandenburgum, so...
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You also still have a similar error in Schwerin. The location Bützow should be owned by the Bishopric of Schwerin (it is also where the bishop resided, while the cathedral was in Schwerin itself), while the location Schwerin would be the County of Schwerin.

The Bishopric of Brandenburgum should own its own location (Ziesar, practically the western half of the Treuenbrietzen location), with additional ownership of the titular cathedral in the city of Brandenburg (if there is any worship building).

You managed similar with the Bishopics of Lübeck and Bremen..
 
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Pavía said:
Since we don't use the system 'Admin Tech = 10/20/etc' as EU4, the only way to gatelocking this effectively would be to add an 'Is Age of Absolutism' requisite, which we think would feel arbitrary and opposite to dynamic content. But we're open to suggestions on how to improve the immersion about this, as usual.
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I think a point for many was it should not even be possible to conquer all that land so early and so fast and so (seemingly) easy in the hre and bordering it. But I think that is something the community did talk themselfs into rather than a result of an explicit Tinto talk.
 
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matfer13 said:
View attachment 1294127
Ansbach wasn't a thing yet in 1337 though, so there should be two Nuremberg, a free city and a Burgraviate(monarchy), I suppose the problem is with the naming, so the city could use its German name?
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Well then you're also running into the problem that the Burggraviate of Nuremberg doesn't actually own the location of Nuremberg.
The residence of the Burggraves was in Cadolzburg, which is not a location, before it was moved to Ansbach. They sold the Burggraviate to the city in 1427.
I guess they chose to go with Ansbach as the name, because that's what it was for most of the time period.
 
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I don't want to get too much off topic but I think that the middle map would be much better if it had a thinner or no dark outline inside the country at all. I looks too much like Vic 3, which is not bad but it just doesn't work with smaller countries. Or I might be wrong or not accustomed to the mapmode. Appreciate the work you've been putting in!
 
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Pavía said:
Since we don't use the system 'Admin Tech = 10/20/etc' as EU4, the only way to gatelocking this effectively would be to add an 'Is Age of Absolutism' requisite, which we think would feel arbitrary and opposite to dynamic content. But we're open to suggestions on how to improve the immersion about this, as usual.
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My suggesTion would be to lock prussia behind Lutheranism or Calvinism.
 
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Mef said:
Why does Brandenburg get cb fabrication speed?
View attachment 1294092
This is what it looked like after the Peace of Westphalia, more than 300 years after the start of the game. Very similar borders, except for the acquisition of Pomerania which was partitioned with Sweden, who also claimed the throne of the extinct dynasty.

Is this enough historical expansion to justify this modifier from the Age of Traditions?
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Yeah its more based on the prussian "kaiserboo" meme/pop-cultural perception of the german empire as an expansionist force than actual reality of Brandenburg in the EU5 period.

Oh, and in 1337, Brandenburg was essentially still in anarchic conditions. The Wittelbach dynasty barely managed to control it, the locals were deeply discontent, and even beat to death a local bishop. Additionally, all of its neighbours still harboured claims on Brandenburgian lands (they partitioned the country during the interregnum). This was just 13 years after the Brandenburgian Interregnum, which devastated the country, and 4 years after the war with Pomerania. It also caused a sharp rise in the privileges received by burghers and local cities. Ludwig I was more interested in his domains in southern germany or helping restore his in-laws in denmark and appointed the Zollerns as Stadtholders in 1345 to rule in his absence.

The starting situation is waay too forgiving to Brandenburg.
 
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Not a fan of this much militaristic focus for late game Prussia when it's been a result of events divorced from the game start by centuries. I know, I know, focus on "historic content" rather than "alt history" and all. But when you're pushing such deterministic outcomes (with very high modifiers compared to what we saw in most other Tinto Flavors to boot) without a regard for the historical context leading to them, that actually strikes me as more alt history approach than the alternative.
 
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IMO the canton system should either boost discipline or morale instead of just giving more manpower
Mef said:
When watching ThePlaymaker’s Brandenburg-Prussia video I noticed that at one point he changed primary culture from Markish to Brandenburgish.
Are you determined to keep both cultures? There have been several posts in the feedback thread explaining that this split makes no sense.

Markish is named after the Mark Brandenburg, Brandenburgish is named after the Mark Brandenburg. It’s literally the same culture.

The only difference is a modern linguistic detail: Brandenburgish refers to the parts of the Markish dialect inside modern Brandenburg, but there are also Markisch speakers in Altmark (in modern Saxony-Anhalt). I don’t see a reason for why the game should make this distinction because it’s based on modern political borders.
But what makes this even worse is that the current distribution of Markish and Brandenburgish in the game is the exact opposite of this modern distinction - Altmark is completely Brandenburgish but Brandenburg is Markish. It just doesn’t make any sense.

It’s also worth noting that the Markish culture is very new in 1337, it emerged from a large variety of cultures/languages that was spoken by 12th/13th century settlers which mostly came from the lands to the west - Angria, Westphalia and Flanders.
There is no reason to bring modern linguistic distinctions into this.

Source (in German): https://brandenburgikon.net/index.php/de/sachlexikon/sprachlandschaft
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Totally agree here (plus, I am a local from Berlin). If you want to refer to the Low German dialect spoken in Brandenburg at that time, the one influenced by Slawic languages, Lower Franconian, etc., then it should be called Markish. Brandenburgish would include all dialects spoken in the Mark Brandenburg; that is also South Brandenburgish, which emerged in the 16th century and which is often classified as Central German (due to heavy Saxon influences); the South Brandenburgish formed the basis of the Berlin dialect.

I would say get rid of that distinction, make everything Markish, root it in Low German dialects, and make South Brandenburgish appear in the 16th century as a hybrid culture that spreads in the south and in Berlin if necessary (as an event).
 
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How does tag flavor work if you form Germany or the HRE, since there’s so many German tags? Do you inherit the flavor of whatever tag you formed Germany/HRE with, or do those tags have their own flavor which takes precidence?
 
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Pavía said:
Also, not on you, but on other forum members, now that we're talking about this topic: Don't bring other threads/posts to the Tinto Talks/Flavour ones, please, as mixing conversations/topics doesn't help us to gather and apply the feedback, at all.
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Left a bunch of notes on easily correctable mistakes in the Carpathia feedback thread, back when it was fresh; make sure to read them over there (as it appears that they haven't been yet taken into account, sadly)
 
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