Bay 12 Games Forum

I've just notice that this sweet modpack has been released for the latest expansion to S.T.A.L.K.E.R.

http://www.moddb.com/mods/call-of-pripyat-complete

I'm redownloding CoP from Steam currently and I'll try out the mod later today. The trailer looks breathtaking and I'm looking forward to the feature list.

Thought I'd share.

Magna Mundi Ultimate - Safavid Persia 1559

I started of as a Turkic tribe call Qara Koyunlu. They were Sunni until the Shi'ite Safavid dynasty seized power and formed the Persian nation.

What came later was a series of conquest that made me feel a bit overconfident. It's the beauty of Magna Mundi that it  can make your situation change dramatically from descizions you made many decades prior. As you see by my borders alone I am in bit of a predicament and my planned expansion eastward into India might prove impossible, I'm probably going to the thrashed and then downward spiral...

Despite having vast, rich, fully converted provinces, a gold mine and a CoT I can only muster fund to keep a standing army of around 40 000 men.

Now look at my neighbors. Two of them, Ottoman Empire and Russia muster respectively the biggest and the second biggest army in the world, 80 000 dudes a pop. Both are obviously hostile. Ottomans are pissed because I'm a heretic major power converting or annexing all their friendly Sunni minors. I've ended up on Russia's short list too by engaging in the colonial CoT in Crimea. The Khanate is my vassal and it has two Russian cores on it's provinces.

It's probably my fault why the Russians are so beefy so early on. Earlier this century Poland also crusaded against me and ended up losing their entire army trying to take Crimea. I white peaced out but the weakened Poland was easy prey for Muscovy so now I face with a much worse foe.

If I manage to defend against this Russian invasion(I will likely lose the CoT). My hopes of expanding east look grim still. Transoxania musters an adequate 40 000 strong military and is allied with Delhi that packs another 40 000.

For HttT you should get MMU : Magna Mundi Ultimate

It's a rushed update for the mod that incorporates the features for the HttT expansion to MMP.

It's less balanced but thus more fun and hectic than MMP.

For your first game I recommend taking any nation from the "interesting in this period" list for the 1453 start. They can usually hold their ground if governed COMPETENTLY. Playing random minors hold the risk that even if you do outstandingly the MM event system will get you pulverized.

I was thinking of starting an LP myself of my current MMU game as it is very interesting.

Its a Quara Koyunlu -> Persia game. I'm already three decades after the Safavid dynasty took power and Sunni QK became the Shi'ite Theocracy Persia. My holdings are modern day Iran + parts of Georgia and the Crimean CoT. I was hoping to expand further to India but MM seems to have other plans as I got hit by a Religious War event. Mass Sunni uprising all over the empire and Ottomans just waiting to declare war .

If you are deadset on playing European minors then I suggest Lubeck and Bavaria in Germany and Brittany in France. Don't say we didn't warn you though.

I you are having trouble getting a positive yearly budget without minting I suggest reducing your military below the forcelimit and then also lowering their maintenance. Brandenburg, being in the HRE doesn't feel like it needs a fast response team in case of a defensive war. Unless you are struggling badly with rebellions then lowering army maintenance in peace time will help your economy.

Also you have to assess whether your merchants are worth the money you spend sending them.

How about The Witcher? Pretty big, plenty of exploration. It's a bit more story driven than most of the games you've mentioned. There are "chapters" between witch you can't really move freely but there are many sidequests within them.

I bet someone already said Arcanum but I'll mention it anyway.

Wow. I feel I've accomplished something when I manage to expand as Muscovy in Magna Mundi. Playing a small country with the mods rules for attrition and infamy must be very nerve wracking.