I've provisionally put myself down for Britain + Ireland, so I should probably summarise my ideas so far.
Eire: Eire should start off as a cutting-edge country, full of advanced ideas and with a rapidly expanding economy. However, the difficulties of controlling such a large empire with so few Irishmen will eventually take its toll, and later in the game Eire will be a lot more on the defensive, suffering colonial troubles earlier than most powers. (The problems will be triggered by countrysize - Eire is a victim of its own success!) It can either try to cling on at all costs, or go for more of an 'Irish Commonwealth' - a network of friendly but loosely controlled areas which allow Ireland to maintain its colonial influence without having to fight constant battles to hang on.
As far as the Iberians are concerned, the default is for Eire to open its doors to Iberian refugees, as it's desperate for people to man its navy and set up colonies. But in doing so, it will also get Muslims coming to Ireland, and it will have to decide whether to send them off to the colonies or send them back to Iberia. The former will have consequences for Eire later, both good and bad. If Eire goes for Iberia itself, it will be initially welcomed as a saviour of Catholicism, but again, the more land Ireland tries to keep, the more pressure it will face, and relations may quickly sour between the Irish and the Iberians if Ireland makes the wrong choices.
Scotland: Scotland starts small (only 5 provinces), but with considerable influence over both England and Norway. It's in for a real fight early on if it wants to hold onto either or both of them, but it can be done, and success will make Scotland all the stronger for the extra leaders as well as the extra land. Scotland is not much of a coloniser early on, as most of its efforts are focused on fending off its many enemies and keeping its appendages on board, but later on, it may try to barge its way into colonial affairs by taking advantage of Eire's weakness.
Brittany: Brittany starts with Wessex as a vassal, but inherits it if Scotland tries to invade. It may become primarily a British power after the Reformation, but then again, it may not. I'll have to discuss Brittany with MattyG.
Hansa: The Hansa are not primarily a British power, but they have their interests. If they manage to hold onto their corner for long enough, it will be fully assimilated into the League and become a decent source of manpower. If, however, their foothold is lost, it will seriously undermine their trade network (ie: they'll lose the COT in Antwerp). Only a weak or cowardly Hansa will give up London and Kent without a fight, and it will tend to be in their interests to prevent either Brittany or Scotland from unifying England by supporting the weaker of the two. At the same time, a Scottish Norway is good, as it weakens Kalmar, as is a strong Brittany to weaken Burgundy... plenty for the Hansa to think about here.
Eire: Eire should start off as a cutting-edge country, full of advanced ideas and with a rapidly expanding economy. However, the difficulties of controlling such a large empire with so few Irishmen will eventually take its toll, and later in the game Eire will be a lot more on the defensive, suffering colonial troubles earlier than most powers. (The problems will be triggered by countrysize - Eire is a victim of its own success!) It can either try to cling on at all costs, or go for more of an 'Irish Commonwealth' - a network of friendly but loosely controlled areas which allow Ireland to maintain its colonial influence without having to fight constant battles to hang on.
As far as the Iberians are concerned, the default is for Eire to open its doors to Iberian refugees, as it's desperate for people to man its navy and set up colonies. But in doing so, it will also get Muslims coming to Ireland, and it will have to decide whether to send them off to the colonies or send them back to Iberia. The former will have consequences for Eire later, both good and bad. If Eire goes for Iberia itself, it will be initially welcomed as a saviour of Catholicism, but again, the more land Ireland tries to keep, the more pressure it will face, and relations may quickly sour between the Irish and the Iberians if Ireland makes the wrong choices.
Scotland: Scotland starts small (only 5 provinces), but with considerable influence over both England and Norway. It's in for a real fight early on if it wants to hold onto either or both of them, but it can be done, and success will make Scotland all the stronger for the extra leaders as well as the extra land. Scotland is not much of a coloniser early on, as most of its efforts are focused on fending off its many enemies and keeping its appendages on board, but later on, it may try to barge its way into colonial affairs by taking advantage of Eire's weakness.
Brittany: Brittany starts with Wessex as a vassal, but inherits it if Scotland tries to invade. It may become primarily a British power after the Reformation, but then again, it may not. I'll have to discuss Brittany with MattyG.
Hansa: The Hansa are not primarily a British power, but they have their interests. If they manage to hold onto their corner for long enough, it will be fully assimilated into the League and become a decent source of manpower. If, however, their foothold is lost, it will seriously undermine their trade network (ie: they'll lose the COT in Antwerp). Only a weak or cowardly Hansa will give up London and Kent without a fight, and it will tend to be in their interests to prevent either Brittany or Scotland from unifying England by supporting the weaker of the two. At the same time, a Scottish Norway is good, as it weakens Kalmar, as is a strong Brittany to weaken Burgundy... plenty for the Hansa to think about here.
