Original post was about playing muslim minors, so here are the rules I generally use now when playing muslim minors.
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Have played the Mughels (need to reduce starting army to 60k vs the 300k you start with). Uzbeks quite a few times (very challenging) and now playing Nubia (still very challenging). With any small minors I 'make-up' a scenario to help give some direction and focus to playing them. With muslim minors my favorite is conversion of infidels to the one true faith!
In doing a scenario the biggest question for me is how to give some colonial expansion in a way that makes some sense. Here is what i have used:
General guidlines (not all would apply in same game)
* All colonies/trade posts must be next an existing province under my control. This eventually would grow to any province with range of our galley ships/fleet.
* Expansion may also has the following rules. From a province with population of 700+ you may build a colony or trading post. A colony may only attach to another colony or city(700+). The maximum distance you can settle from a colonial city is (city, colony, colony, tradepost). So from any city with 700+ population you extend 3 provinces. If you still want to grow in that direction you would expand the 2nd colony into a colonial city with 700+, so it would now look like this (original city, colony, (new)colonial city, tradepost). From the new colonial city you would be able to expand just like before (new colonial city, colony, colony, tradepost)
*gaining colonists ( these are the general guidlines I choose from, not all apply to any country. pick some subset that makes sense). Note: all bonus colonists are kept track of on paper. There is no limit to the maximum number you can have (other then what you earn). Use event 17 to give your self +3 colonists, as desired).
*start with 3 or 6 colonists (1492 or whenever). The rest are earned by other events and maybe eventually by building a shipyard.
* specify a time period for non-bonus colonists (Example, from 1550-1620 we get +3 colonist per 10years) To keep tracking simple these colonist much be added (event 17) in january of that year. 1550, 1560, 1570, etc... Any excess are lost. You can still keep as many of the 'bonus' colonists you earned on your paper tracking system.
* bonus of 3 colonist when a new colony is established.
* bonus of 3 cononists when colony becomes a colonial city (700+).
* bonus of 3 colonists when colony has population over 1000+
* religious conversion bonus (based on playing sunni) +3 colonists for converting pagan/shiite province to sunni. +6 colonists for converting orthodox to sunni. +9 colonists for converting protestant/catholic province to sunni.
*if you have a no map trading rule. use the following rule: When you establish a colony next to unexplored province(s). you may then use event 59(to make a conquistador, you also get a bonus colonist). He may only explore provinces directly connected to your colony, and must then be sent back to the capital province,where he stays until he needs to explore the lands next to another new colony. When the conquistador dies you disband the remaining infantry. You can only make a new conquistador when you have a new colony with territory next to it to explore. you may NOT colonize any province that your conquistidor is currently in.
*mughal rules:
+3bonus colonists when you have annexed either of the other two countries in india (mysore and the one that start with an H.) so +6 if you annexed them both. Also, you may not colonize any coastal provinces until you have annexed both of the other powers. Once they are both annexed you may establish only one coastal province (bombay or the other one which starts with no natives). You may only build galleys with your ports (no warships or transports). You may must colonize and establish colonial cities(700+pop) in all interior provinces before you may then start colonizing coastal provinces. bonus +6 colonists when all interior provinces have at least a level one colony. bonus +6 colonists when all interior provinces have 700+ population. This also includes the land-locked provinces north of the Ganges river. You can use the other bonuses for establishment of a colony, pop 700+ and pop 100+. Once all interior provinces are 700+ pop cities you can colonize any/all coast provinces of india. No tradeposts/colonies outside of india may be established until ALL indian provinces are colonized and owned by you. Once all indian provinces are under your control you may create an explorer. Destroy the three warships and put your explor with a galley only fleet for exploration (suggest 4+ ships and watch your attrition). As long as you own AND control all provinces in india you may now establish tradeposts/colonies, but only within your current galley range. As your galleys get ports farther and farther away from india, you may establish TPs/colonies farther and farther away.
These thoughts are not well organized right now, but this is the first time I have tried to explain them to anyone. I know what i mean, sorry if it is not totally clear in written form.
Also, these rules are really there to give some limited form of colonization within that countries 'sphere' of the world. Not to build some far flung empire spanning the globe. Usually the great limiting factor is money for the very small minors and the mughals eventually run out of bonus colonists at some point, but they can still push their naval tech up and eventually build a shipyard. Once you build a shipyard you may only earn 'bonus' colonists by conversion of non-sunni provinces.
In one game using these rules the uzbeks had quickly conquered the persian empire and where able to do alot of conversions of provinces. so had enough colonists to get to lake biakal to the north and conquer most of the interior of india (other powers held most of the coast). Eventually they were converting some of the Denmark provinces north of the Swedish to sunni for more bonus colonists
These are only general guidelines. Feel free to add, ignore, modify, use them as you see fit. They add a different flavor to a standard EU game for me.
Quick example: my current Nubian game has a few simple rules. They get +3 colonist/10 years from 1520 to the end of the game. They can earn bonus colonists by converting any non-sunni provinces to sunni. They can establish any TPs/colonies within galley range. They can trade maps with anyone. They may only ally/loan money to Muslim nations. They may only build galleys. They may DoW any nation, including sunni nations. Plus, when in doubt…attack Ethiopia.
ErrantOne
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Have played the Mughels (need to reduce starting army to 60k vs the 300k you start with). Uzbeks quite a few times (very challenging) and now playing Nubia (still very challenging). With any small minors I 'make-up' a scenario to help give some direction and focus to playing them. With muslim minors my favorite is conversion of infidels to the one true faith!
In doing a scenario the biggest question for me is how to give some colonial expansion in a way that makes some sense. Here is what i have used:
General guidlines (not all would apply in same game)
* All colonies/trade posts must be next an existing province under my control. This eventually would grow to any province with range of our galley ships/fleet.
* Expansion may also has the following rules. From a province with population of 700+ you may build a colony or trading post. A colony may only attach to another colony or city(700+). The maximum distance you can settle from a colonial city is (city, colony, colony, tradepost). So from any city with 700+ population you extend 3 provinces. If you still want to grow in that direction you would expand the 2nd colony into a colonial city with 700+, so it would now look like this (original city, colony, (new)colonial city, tradepost). From the new colonial city you would be able to expand just like before (new colonial city, colony, colony, tradepost)
*gaining colonists ( these are the general guidlines I choose from, not all apply to any country. pick some subset that makes sense). Note: all bonus colonists are kept track of on paper. There is no limit to the maximum number you can have (other then what you earn). Use event 17 to give your self +3 colonists, as desired).
*start with 3 or 6 colonists (1492 or whenever). The rest are earned by other events and maybe eventually by building a shipyard.
* specify a time period for non-bonus colonists (Example, from 1550-1620 we get +3 colonist per 10years) To keep tracking simple these colonist much be added (event 17) in january of that year. 1550, 1560, 1570, etc... Any excess are lost. You can still keep as many of the 'bonus' colonists you earned on your paper tracking system.
* bonus of 3 colonist when a new colony is established.
* bonus of 3 cononists when colony becomes a colonial city (700+).
* bonus of 3 colonists when colony has population over 1000+
* religious conversion bonus (based on playing sunni) +3 colonists for converting pagan/shiite province to sunni. +6 colonists for converting orthodox to sunni. +9 colonists for converting protestant/catholic province to sunni.
*if you have a no map trading rule. use the following rule: When you establish a colony next to unexplored province(s). you may then use event 59(to make a conquistador, you also get a bonus colonist). He may only explore provinces directly connected to your colony, and must then be sent back to the capital province,where he stays until he needs to explore the lands next to another new colony. When the conquistador dies you disband the remaining infantry. You can only make a new conquistador when you have a new colony with territory next to it to explore. you may NOT colonize any province that your conquistidor is currently in.
*mughal rules:
+3bonus colonists when you have annexed either of the other two countries in india (mysore and the one that start with an H.) so +6 if you annexed them both. Also, you may not colonize any coastal provinces until you have annexed both of the other powers. Once they are both annexed you may establish only one coastal province (bombay or the other one which starts with no natives). You may only build galleys with your ports (no warships or transports). You may must colonize and establish colonial cities(700+pop) in all interior provinces before you may then start colonizing coastal provinces. bonus +6 colonists when all interior provinces have at least a level one colony. bonus +6 colonists when all interior provinces have 700+ population. This also includes the land-locked provinces north of the Ganges river. You can use the other bonuses for establishment of a colony, pop 700+ and pop 100+. Once all interior provinces are 700+ pop cities you can colonize any/all coast provinces of india. No tradeposts/colonies outside of india may be established until ALL indian provinces are colonized and owned by you. Once all indian provinces are under your control you may create an explorer. Destroy the three warships and put your explor with a galley only fleet for exploration (suggest 4+ ships and watch your attrition). As long as you own AND control all provinces in india you may now establish tradeposts/colonies, but only within your current galley range. As your galleys get ports farther and farther away from india, you may establish TPs/colonies farther and farther away.
These thoughts are not well organized right now, but this is the first time I have tried to explain them to anyone. I know what i mean, sorry if it is not totally clear in written form.
Also, these rules are really there to give some limited form of colonization within that countries 'sphere' of the world. Not to build some far flung empire spanning the globe. Usually the great limiting factor is money for the very small minors and the mughals eventually run out of bonus colonists at some point, but they can still push their naval tech up and eventually build a shipyard. Once you build a shipyard you may only earn 'bonus' colonists by conversion of non-sunni provinces.
In one game using these rules the uzbeks had quickly conquered the persian empire and where able to do alot of conversions of provinces. so had enough colonists to get to lake biakal to the north and conquer most of the interior of india (other powers held most of the coast). Eventually they were converting some of the Denmark provinces north of the Swedish to sunni for more bonus colonists
These are only general guidelines. Feel free to add, ignore, modify, use them as you see fit. They add a different flavor to a standard EU game for me.
Quick example: my current Nubian game has a few simple rules. They get +3 colonist/10 years from 1520 to the end of the game. They can earn bonus colonists by converting any non-sunni provinces to sunni. They can establish any TPs/colonies within galley range. They can trade maps with anyone. They may only ally/loan money to Muslim nations. They may only build galleys. They may DoW any nation, including sunni nations. Plus, when in doubt…attack Ethiopia.
ErrantOne
