I'm not a big expert on what happens east of the Oder but in several IGC's P-L get clocked badly- and very quickly- and that does seem out of line. I'm talking veritable partition by 1600. In three games I've seen Poland reduced 5 or fewer provinces by 1600.
Having played Poland I can see why:
She has the massive Russia, Crimea and usally Danes (often with Sweden) alliance on the east and the huge nasty Austro-Bohemian-Hungarian-Spanish alliance on the west. Throw in the Turks and the hostile Order and Poland is toast from the word go. I know that balance isn't the issue since Poland is a doomed state but she survives for quite some time and is even a reaosnable facsimile of a power well into this period.
Poland can't really build any useful alliances since she only has good relations with states not in Eastern Europe- there isn't even hope of some weak Pommerania/Brandeburg allaince for her. When she does start making allaince she usually get the incredibly stupid and useless Spanish alliance.
Question...assuming that relations aren't too wrong, how the hell did the Poles survive for so long and what can be done to help keep Poland a viable state.
Having played Poland I can see why:
She has the massive Russia, Crimea and usally Danes (often with Sweden) alliance on the east and the huge nasty Austro-Bohemian-Hungarian-Spanish alliance on the west. Throw in the Turks and the hostile Order and Poland is toast from the word go. I know that balance isn't the issue since Poland is a doomed state but she survives for quite some time and is even a reaosnable facsimile of a power well into this period.
Poland can't really build any useful alliances since she only has good relations with states not in Eastern Europe- there isn't even hope of some weak Pommerania/Brandeburg allaince for her. When she does start making allaince she usually get the incredibly stupid and useless Spanish alliance.
Question...assuming that relations aren't too wrong, how the hell did the Poles survive for so long and what can be done to help keep Poland a viable state.