Starting as S-P, what am I doing wrong ?

[MarkCSA]

Hi there,

Tried playing this game a few times, as S-P, but am running into the following problems, if anyone can help, that would be really cool.

My games go like this:

-Scrape together some cash to start some Farms and such.

-Build some railroads

-Build some industries (Man. Goods, Luxuries etc. ). Sardinia becomes a major industrial hub.

-Build some Commerce Fleets to see if I can buy some cool stuff somewhere

So far, so good. Net Private Capital inflow around 200 per turn.

Then the following happens:

-Everybody and their grandma and her pet parakeet builds a Steel Mill and a Mechanical Parts factory, leading to massive oversupply of these goods on the world market.

-This drains all available Coal off the world market, my industries crash.

-To counter this I make Commercial agreements with the Swiss, Spaniards

-To further provide luxury goods, I sign agreements in South America and start farms and such there.

-Half my farms get Nationalized by Kleptomanic Presidentes and my coal mines are seized as well. I understand this has to do with me having sub 25 relations with these people but still it doesn't help. At all.

-Low howl, quit game in frustration.

I also never figured out what to do about Italian Unification, made it to 1858ish...... but nothing ever happened (apart from the Crimean War which I never send troops to).

Any help greatly appreciated.

[Jim-NC]

The coal crisis happens every game. Then everyone builds coal plants. My coal crisis was in about 1852, and was fixed by 1858 or so. Unfortunately, the AI overbuilds structures (they all build coal mines or steel mills at the same time).

You are building too many buildings too fast and too many railroads (rails require coal, as does most industrial plants). Try to not build as many factories as you have.

You need to have good relations (over 25) to not get your buildings stolen. The good news is that after the Italian crisis, your relations with France go to above 75 or so).

The Italian unification happens after the S-P/France vs. Austrian war. Then a series of scripted events leads to partial Italian unification. It starts with the Two Sicilies, then you will get Parma/Tuscany/ and 50% of the Papal States. You can move it along by playing unification cards.

The Austrian/S-P war can start in 1859 or so.

[MarkCSA]

Excellent, many thanks, Jim. Any other people want to weigh in?

[sagji]

Italy's BIG problem is that it doesn't have any coal resources. Coal is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL for running an economy. Some of your effort should be to building coal mines in other countries. There is one coal resource in central Italy and building on that should be a priority. With other building concentrate on things that don't require coal to operate. Be very careful about building railways - they cost coal to operate, you can't turn them off, they consume coal before any thing else can, and if you don't have the coal bad things can happen.


The unification mainly starts at the end of '59. The first real even if the treaty of Plombieres - this needs good relations with France, and you both to have less then 0 relations with Austria, and will fire mid '58. This gives a defensive treaty with France. At the end of '59 You will start annoying Austria (you can't prevent this) Austria may respond with a Declaration of War at which point France will join in if you have the treaty.

April '60 or there about Garabaldi will attack Sicily. He will usually stall at Naples - but you have a CB and can destroy the force there (the tick is to do it without being in the same area as Grabaldi). Once Garabaldi take Naples you will get Sicily, and shortly afterwards you should get Parma and Tuscany and part of the Papal States.

The unification cards are only really relevant to the alternate unification path that acts as a fallback. Once you get one of the minors to a loyalty of 60% an even will fire. Once all four nation's events have fired and it is at least 1866 Italy will unify. They do have a secondary effect of increasing Italian loyalty which has some use after you get them.

[MarkCSA]

Thanks for that, I figured out that coal was my main constraint to doing.... anything.

Does it make sense to play the cards before the Unification Events start?

[Bart]

I'm playing for the third time France to 1866 and I haven't seen yet Italy unification (or Sadowa and begining of the German unification...)
This time I have declared war to Austria in late 1859 because Austria didn't attack Italy to liberate Milan but Italy doesn't take it...

I don't know how I go ahead in the game without this two major countries... Sorry for my english fautes.

[Jim-NC]

Welcome to the forums Bart.