Shifting Alliances and the War of the League of Cambrai

[Kurblius]

In EU3, you can actually start at the beginning of the League of Cambrai, with Austria, France, Aragon, and the Papal States all at war against poor Venice. However, the game doesn't allow for the backstabbing and shifting alliances that characterize the war. I believe Venice actually ends up getting in bed and allying with each of her enemies in the course of the war, and thereby managed to emerge from the war relatively unscathed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_the_League_of_Cambrai

I propose that a spy action of some sort be added that will allow third-party countries to weaken relations between two allied nations. Should relations fall below zero, the alliance breaks and the countries become more amendable to a peace deal. With sufficient improvement in relations, former enemies might even become allies in the same war. A template for this could be the current spy option available to merchant republics to weaken the relationship between rival merchant republics and their league members. Success effectively reduces relations by 50.

Just a thought.

 

[Arizal]

+1
This is a thing that would make diplomacy more realistic, and for anything that makes diplomacy more realistic. I would add however that this shouldn't be too easy. Strong alliances should also be possible. And while we are at this, I will repeat for the xth time that I would like some difference between truces and peaces.

 

[Andy_Dandy]

+1 if it can be done without ruining the AI and making it too easy to exploit for the human player.

 

[Marco Dandolo]

The whole Italian Wars were a concert of backstabbing and shifting alliances. I like the idea.

 

[generalolaf]

Great idea. This would make diplomacy so much more fun

 

[Eh up me duck]

That's a crazy war. Just look at the table for how states switched sides.

 

[Chamboozer]

That was one of the worst aspects of EUIII, once a country hated you at -200 relations, there was no chance of allying them even if the alliance were necessary for survival. I hope the coalition system fixes this and shifting alliances become much more likely.