Let me begin with: this game is nuts!

I recently bought it and have been loving every second of it, to the point of near addiction. Things skyrocketed when I got the "Extended Timeline" mod and went back to 51 A.D.

The game is exactly the game I've always been looking for. It's got the empire management of Civ (to a much greater depth), the military strategy of Risk, and an amazing diplomacy system. I'll admit there are things that annoy me (like having a 100% warscore, but not being able to annex the place) or the unclear requirements for decisions or diplomatic options to unlock. But those are minor issues for me.

This is the first strategy game I've actually felt terror in. I'm playing as the Goth's (51 A.D.). Now, according to the "official history" (cycling through the start year), Goth was adsorbed and was no more somewhere around 70 A.D.

This is no longer the case, as I have conquered Old Prussia, Vandals, Vindi, Gipris, and some of Darcia and Quadi. Burgandy and I have been allies from the start, but seeing as how I encompass them, it might be time to break that...

Here is where the fear and panic kicked in. In 125, Darcia declared war on me. No issue, I thought, they only have 4 provinces and a pitiful army...I can take them. Then I saw the Romans...and remembered. Darcia is often allied with Rome. Well, I'm [censored].

Next time? No mercy for Darcia.

Does anyone have any good stories from this game?

Anyone interested in a game sometime? It'd be great to have a few Beth members on a server together. Start year is negotiable (51 AD is kinda dull)

Playing as the Hanseatic League. After I helped the Netherlands gain their independence from Austria, they stayed my faithful allies for a good century. However, for some reason they slowly turned away from me and eventually, with Sweden, declared war on me. Now, here's the great part: I was at least two military tech levels behind the both of them. There was no way I was winning a straight up fight, even pitting my 50,000 strong army against their 15,000. So I adopted a new tactics. My fleet was the largest in the world, I controlled Denmark, and Prussia was enemies will Sweden. So the Swedes weren't getting to me by land. I parked my entire fleet in the Oresund, and laughed as the huge Swedish army just sat there in Skane twiddling their thumbs. Meanwhile, I maneuvered my army around that of the Dutch, and while they sat their hammering away at my level 7 forts, I beseiged and captured the entire Netherlands before they captured a single territory. I let them be, after taking all of their money and Antwerp.

It's good to have the strongest economy and fleet in the world.

Of course, then the Austrians declared war on me, and brought the Russians and Brandenburg in. That was a real oh [censored] moment, until the Prussians took care of the Russians, and I found out the level 7 fort matched with proactive seigecraft tactics even works on the Austrians.