Guide: MA Oceania - OMG, I think I've done it

[JimMorrison]

Originally Posted by Baalz

To be sure there's different ways to play most nations and I wouldn't begin to try and convince you that what you're suggesting could not also be effective, but I think we've got two different philosophies.

Repeat after me, Baalz - "I am sure that you can make that effective if you try, but I am also sure that what I described is effective, but I also found it interesting enough and fun enough to write an actual guide for it".



I am going to put together an SP test to goof around with them, now that you finally got around to this. I'll do a bit of a different pretender, but I like your angle a lot, so it'll just be stylistic differences.

I do think it wasn't stated strongly enough how much you want a good land holding early on, so that you have area to site search, and for Blood Hunting before you intentionally open up a land war. I think key to not being pushed straight into the water again, is to have a decent holding, so it's not just "1, 2, you're out!", but also that they know you are strong enough that even if they push you off, you will harass then and drag them down for the rest of the game. I don't think a lot of people understand that attacking an aquatic nation's land provinces without a clear plan of how to kill them off ultimately just ruins both nations' chances, for little gain.

[Baalz]

[quote=JimMorrison;675603]

Originally Posted by Baalz

I think key to not being pushed straight into the water again, is to have a decent holding, so it's not just "1, 2, you're out!", but also that they know you are strong enough that even if they push you off, you will harass then and drag them down for the rest of the game. I don't think a lot of people understand that attacking an aquatic nation's land provinces without a clear plan of how to kill them off ultimately just ruins both nations' chances, for little gain.

Yes, to me, the ideal situation is to make the other guy look at it like this:

I've only got 3 land provinces I can take before I have to go into the water to pursue this war.

Unless I'm prepared to go underwater and dig him out (!) the best case scenario is I take those three provinces without much fight but then have to defend my whole coast for a very long time while being harassed by sirens, raiders, and rituals. More likely it's going to be a bloody fight for those three provinces.

Alternatively Oceana is offering me a nice NAP and peace of mind to not have to worry about defending my long coast. Plus he's got the paths to forge a couple items I need and might be useful to help me in a fight with our mutual neighbor...

I usually try to expand with this in mind, and play my diplomacy that way. 3-4 provinces on this coast, 2 more over there, and grab that island nobody else wanted anyway. Now, wait for a good opportunity to join a war against somebody who's doing a good job of loosing already...