Playing Russia

[Aurelian]

Thanks to a HD crash, I'll have to start again.....

[Aurelian]

To continue with Turn 1, Early Jan 1850.

[Aurelian]

Turn 2: Build a mechanical parts factory in Tver. Leave taxes etc be.

Turn 3: Steel import subsidy available. Gain 1 SOI (Sphere of influence) in Omsk. US Congress rejects Naval extension project. Merchants to three areas.

Turn 4: Put 10 steel up for sale.

[Aurelian]

The merchants I sent (The Pith helmets circled in red.)

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: Aurelian

Turn 2: Build a mechanical parts factory in Tver. Leave taxes etc be.

Turn 3: Steel import subsidy available. Gain 1 SOI (Sphere of influence) in Omsk. US Congress rejects Naval extension project. Merchants to three areas.

Turn 4: Put 10 steel up for sale.

warspite1

So all these stocks with 0 against them - don't you have to buy some of this stuff? Also those with a lot - how do you know how much you are using each turn and thus what is safe to sell?

[loki100]

ORIGINAL: warspite1

So all these stocks with 0 against them - don't you have to buy some of this stuff? Also those with a lot - how do you know how much you are using each turn and thus what is safe to sell?

goods are divided into 4 categories. Some are specific industrial inputs (steel etc) and you either have it or you don't. The others are grouped as food/common/luxury (some of these are also industrial inputs). So you don't need all the foodstuffs to feed your populace but you do need some variety (& some are more useful than others, eg cereals). So first you need volume and then you need variety, so up to a point you can satisfy your population with missing lines in terms of stocks.

Equally the 0 at the top means you have no stock, not that you have no production/import/consumption. So you may have some (for eg from artisans) but its not enough to meet demands and build up a stock.

You need to look at the F4 screen in its entirety to see this as the 3 rows below the top show planned production, usage and consumption (all are estimates but give you a handle on the flows). Finally you can opt to retain a particular good from your population and use it as a cash export.

At the start, stocks aren't too critical except for coal that tends to have a global shortage in the early-mid 1850s (not too bad for Russia due to domestic production), so I'd be putting those chemicals up for sale - remember that your trade fleets off someone else's coast means they can buy from you (as well as allowing you to buy from them). Also wood and canned food tend to sell well.

Final comment on trade and production strategy. PoN doesn't reward autarky (not least in SP you will crash the world economy and that will hurt you). So before building something, check its not easier/cheaper to import (often is)

[Aurelian]

You only have to buy them if you can't make them and your population wants them. Then again......

[Aurelian]

A useful screen.

[Aurelian]

Turn 5: More discoveries. Iron mine in Kursk. Try Professional Schools Law.

Turn 6: 1pt inflation due to a private capital shortage. Some regions are unhappy with high taxes. New decree, Road Netwoks. Choose it. Parliment rejects Professional Schools. (What Parliment?)

Turn 7: Roads can now be built. Buy some products in Caribbean. Build roads in Kursk and Lugansk. Nothing else done.

Turn 8: Supress local unrest. -1 National Morale, reduce militancy an average of 3%. Put chemicals for sale. Start to import all the stuff I have 0 of. Reduce excise and tarrif by 1%, raise corporate taxes by 1%. Put more on the export market. (Listen's to loki100.)

@Loki100, feel free to offer advice, criticize, whatever. This is a learning experience for me, and I know there will be things I forget/overlook.

[Aurelian]

Trying to get some colonies. Early May. (Sent the merchants in earlier.)

[warspite1]

So just so I understand what's going on - what territories / areas have you sent the Colonial Merchants too? Presumably these are areas that became part of Russia?

Have you checked history to see when/how the Russians incorporated this territory in real life? - just out of interest - don't know if it will help in the game at all.

[Aurelian]

ORIGINAL: warspite1

So just so I understand what's going on - what territories / areas have you sent the Colonial Merchants too? Presumably these are areas that became part of Russia?

Have you checked history to see when/how the Russians incorporated this territory in real life? - just out of interest - don't know if it will help in the game at all.

I sent them to Kazakhstan, (which at the moment is a Protectorate), and Turkmenistan, (Khiva, which is the capital)

Khiva is a Russian objective city. The whole territory is Russian influenced.

How they did in real life, I don't know. But I suspect it involved lots of bayonets.

From the manual:

Colonial troops(including native troops, colonial brigades, and expeditionary forces) can take from 25%-75% less
attrition in hostile climates than standard troops.

Your colonial military forces should consist of Colonial Brigades and Expeditionary Brigades (and native troops, if
you can get them) because these enjoy significant protection against attrition and Supply decay in hostile colonial
climates where larger Units would fall apart. Identify any troop elements you have with high Detection Values, as
these are invaluable for uncovering hidden troops in their own region and adjoining regions.

So if I do send troops, it will not be the regular army.

[Aurelian]

Have to end this as someone forgot to move the files before the twice yearly reformat/install of everything........

Restart tomorrow.

[loki100]

ORIGINAL: Aurelian

ORIGINAL: warspite1

So just so I understand what's going on - what territories / areas have you sent the Colonial Merchants too? Presumably these are areas that became part of Russia?

Have you checked history to see when/how the Russians incorporated this territory in real life? - just out of interest - don't know if it will help in the game at all.

I sent them to Kazakhstan, (which at the moment is a Protectorate), and Turkmenistan, (Khiva, which is the capital)

Khiva is a Russian objective city. The whole territory is Russian influenced.

How they did in real life, I don't know. But I suspect it involved lots of bayonets.

From the manual:

Colonial troops(including native troops, colonial brigades, and expeditionary forces) can take from 25%-75% less
attrition in hostile climates than standard troops.

Your colonial military forces should consist of Colonial Brigades and Expeditionary Brigades (and native troops, if
you can get them) because these enjoy significant protection against attrition and Supply decay in hostile colonial
climates where larger Units would fall apart. Identify any troop elements you have with high Detection Values, as
these are invaluable for uncovering hidden troops in their own region and adjoining regions.

So if I do send troops, it will not be the regular army.

Not sure about Russia (in game), so this maybe crap advice, but you can go a long way with the colonial cards before you need to fight. Peaceful assimilation of a colony gives you the native troops and they in turn are great for rebel whacking and movement in poor terrain.

Way to build this up is to put in the merchants and missionaries and trade posts. At some stage you'll be able to play the 'bribing cards' get your CP up to around 30-35, then a judicious mix of military cards, then you can start the process to a colony.

In real life, the above is a good proxy for what the Russians did with Bukhara, but Khiva took 3 major campaigns (2 ended in utter defeat), the last worked as by then they had a decent rail line running down from the Urals.

Key to PoN is never forget is a marathon not a sprint, so if 3-4 uears are needed to fuss with the colonial route it is, in the end, more efficient than brute force.

[Aurelian]

ORIGINAL: loki100

ORIGINAL: Aurelian

ORIGINAL: warspite1

So just so I understand what's going on - what territories / areas have you sent the Colonial Merchants too? Presumably these are areas that became part of Russia?

Have you checked history to see when/how the Russians incorporated this territory in real life? - just out of interest - don't know if it will help in the game at all.

I sent them to Kazakhstan, (which at the moment is a Protectorate), and Turkmenistan, (Khiva, which is the capital)

Khiva is a Russian objective city. The whole territory is Russian influenced.

How they did in real life, I don't know. But I suspect it involved lots of bayonets.

From the manual:

Colonial troops(including native troops, colonial brigades, and expeditionary forces) can take from 25%-75% less
attrition in hostile climates than standard troops.

Your colonial military forces should consist of Colonial Brigades and Expeditionary Brigades (and native troops, if
you can get them) because these enjoy significant protection against attrition and Supply decay in hostile colonial
climates where larger Units would fall apart. Identify any troop elements you have with high Detection Values, as
these are invaluable for uncovering hidden troops in their own region and adjoining regions.

So if I do send troops, it will not be the regular army.

Not sure about Russia (in game), so this maybe crap advice, but you can go a long way with the colonial cards before you need to fight. Peaceful assimilation of a colony gives you the native troops and they in turn are great for rebel whacking and movement in poor terrain.

Way to build this up is to put in the merchants and missionaries and trade posts. At some stage you'll be able to play the 'bribing cards' get your CP up to around 30-35, then a judicious mix of military cards, then you can start the process to a colony.

In real life, the above is a good proxy for what the Russians did with Bukhara, but Khiva took 3 major campaigns (2 ended in utter defeat), the last worked as by then they had a decent rail line running down from the Urals.

Key to PoN is never forget is a marathon not a sprint, so if 3-4 uears are needed to fuss with the colonial route it is, in the end, more efficient than brute force.

No advice is crap advice This all makes sense. What I plan to do with the restart is to get Kazakhstan from Protectorate to Colony while being nice and peaceful with Khiva. All the while trying to industrialize and try to not let things like chemicals get so stocked up.

And you're right, it's a marathon. Not suited for the impatient.