Das Preußische Marine

By Schwerpunkt

Throughout the centuries, Prussia’s military consistently concentrated on its land power, and never sought a similar power at sea. Yet historically there were always Prussian naval forces, beginning in the days when “Prussia” meant only the Margraviate of Brandenburg. — Wikipedia

Thus I wonder why so many Prussian guides disdain a naval arm? As my intent is to entice you land-clutching Prussians out onto the open waves I will not address the land campaign nor technology development in detail. There are already other guides on the forums for that.

Before you continue, be aware this article is occasionally somewhat rakish. You have been warned.

Foremost is the understanding that as Prussia you will win land battles. With the use of merely adequate combined arms formations and tactics there is little challenge in crushing the independent German nation-states, wiping out Poland, creating alliances with European powers and expanding Indo-European centric trade. Other informative guides on this forum even provide recipes for doing all this in about 40 minutes (read that as 6 to 10 turns).

The conventional Prussian strategy is to move across Europe as you amass territories and alienate the remaining future Prussian states. From this basis we do indeed depart, well, at least a little. The Americas plead for sensible supple Prussian leather jackboot domination…erm… that is, I mean to say; political enlightenment!

At this point readers might question: why America when Europe is RIGHT HERE? Or, enough of the build-up, write what you mean. I shall do so in reply to the first point; why America?

Colonization in the Americas is a separate theater. Your reputation will not suffer overmuch aside from the English and, to a lesser degree, the French and Spanish. Russia will be your willing big-boned, cold-night mistress instead of an estranged elementary school infatuation. Austria will assume her due position as your submissive queen.

The frigid Nordic Valkrjas will warm to your domination. Sadly they must be conquered as they are petulant. Proper flirtation with England and France will keep these winsome tarts on your side. And Spain, that raven-haired temptress, will never like you. You are a blonde after all.

Gifts, trade relations and alliances are all that is required for easing these gentler nations between the sheets for a pleasant game of Master and Servant. For it is by using sheets that you will dominate. In fact I believe the musical assembly known as BERLIN has a song titled: Pleasure Victim. Fortuitous indeed.

But accomplishing this domination requires nonlinear thought. Do the things in the articles to reclaim those eager as a misguided prom date wayward Germanic states and subjugate Poland back to Prussia, particularly by using her alliances against her.

I have found that as Prussia I have only had to declare war in Europe once and that was against Saxony. So, let us begin. Opening line Italics represent a summary of that turn’s critical actions in priority order.

Sail forth: Uber Alles!

Turn 1:

Conduct diplomacy – Commission Sloop – Adjust Cabinet – Move Gentleman to School – Preposition land invasion forces.

Yes that is correct, order the building of a Sloop. I rename my ships. This Sloop will be commissioned EINS for this article. Additionally, ensure the individuals in the Army and Naval Cabinet positions possess competent and strong respective affinities. If they do not then switch your cabinet around so the best officials are in their respective positions.

Preposition your Polish and Saxon invasion forces. Send your Gentleman to his permanent school and begin military research. This college will be your armaments research center.

Turn 2:

Conduct diplomacy – Commission Sloop – Sail Sloop – Conduct Saxony and Poland land invasions.

Declare war on Saxony and throttle it. Poland will come to her aid and doom. Launch initial Polish ground offensives. Commission another Sloop (ZWEI) and sail the EINS to a Trade Theater (TT).

To access a TT do the following: With EINS selected, zoom the European regions all the way out to maximum distance. Locate the nearest light grey rectangle along the left map edge (west of that mutton dressed as lamb, England) and double click on it. This will bring up a destination map.

You will see the three major Theaters depicted in rectangle shapes as well as four smaller circles representing Trade Theaters. The smaller circles are your destination. Select one of them, for my purposes I chose the TT east of South America (SA), the Brazilian coast, though you may select any one.

I preferred SA because my future intent lies amid the scantily clad pristine Caribbean isles. And the Brazilian women are reportedly muy caliente! Dispatch the EINS and her eager crew.

Turn 3:

Conduct diplomacy – Commission Sloop – Commission Indiaman – Sail Sloop – Continue Polish campaign – Refit Land forces – Rebuild conquered lands.

Commission another Sloop (DREI), commission an Indiaman trade vessel (PRIMUS) and sail the ZWEI to what will become “your” TT.

If you battle well on land and limit your causalities, thus reducing your reequipping costs, you should consider beginning improvement production on your trade port.

Remember, reinforcements for land units require the unit to remain stationary for two turns. If you wish to move them during that period invest your gold elsewhere. Perhaps rebuilding damage buildings.

I politely recommend reading the guide Artillery 102. This provides some concepts to enable land battle success while minimizing causalities. Continue reclaiming Poland and chatting with the neighbors.

Turn 4:

Conduct diplomacy – Commission Indiaman – Sail Sloop – Raise Infantry and Cavalry Preußische Marine units – Continue Polish campaign – Refit Land forces – Rebuild conquered lands.

You now have a new Gentleman, or perhaps received him on your last turn. In either case, send him to the Saxony school and there he will stay, researching Industry technology forever more. Commission an Indiaman trade ship (SECUNDUS).

Continue the early period main effort of absorbing Poland. Each turn continue to maintain good political relations with Russia, Austria, England, France and Spain if you can. If you have an alliance that one of the nations (often Austria) breaks, woo the fickle lass back into the boudoir.

Launch DREI toward the TT. Recruit a top line Infantry and a top line Cavalry unit in Berlin. These will be your Preußische Marine forces.

Turn 5:

Conduct diplomacy – Embark Preußische Marines on PRIMUS and sail – Raise Infantry and Cavalry Preußische Marine units – Continue Polish campaign – Refit Land forces – Rebuild conquered lands.

Conduct standard diplomatic, trade and tax functions. Continue Poland campaign as it nears completion. With the Preußische Marines aboard, launch the PRIMUS toward your chosen TT.

Turn 6:

Conduct diplomacy – Embark Preußische Marines on SECUNDUS and sail – Commission Brig – Refit Land forces – Continue Polish campaign – Rebuild conquered lands.

Conduct standard diplomatic, trade and tax functions. Consolidate former Polish states. With the Preußische Marines aboard, launch the SECUNDUS toward your chosen TT. Commission a Brig, the SEESKORPION.

Turn 7:

Conduct diplomacy – Occupy anchorages – Launch Brig – Invade Westphalia – Reposition land forces – Refit land forces – Rebuild conquered lands.

Saxony is yours, as is Poland, and Westphalia has probably declared war on you. If Westphalia declares war, and she will eventually, maneuver your forces toward invasion positions.

On the high seas you now have three (3) Sloops, two (2) Indiaman and one (1) Brig headed to, or in, the TT. Launch the SEESKORPION toward your chosen TT. The EINS should enter the TT this turn. Move her to occupy the farthest circled yellow anchor position she can range. This should be the second anchorage position from the entry rectangle.

Based on my experience this anchorage can be occupied by another nation. Place your cursor over the position before sailing and if double arrows do not appear do not try to sail to that anchorage. Sail for the first open anchorage.

Depending on how proficiently you wage land battles and your gold situation, consider upgrading/converting one of your new ports to a shipwright to build the upper tiers in your future global dominating navy. This is not a priority. You do not need larger than a sixth class ship just yet.

Properly piloted sixth classes can often defeat two or three of any other AI controlled vessels that you may encounter afloat at this time of the conquest. Go to Youtube, enter “EMPIRE: Total War Naval battles�? and review the tactics.

This, by the way, includes the fearsome pirate Galleons. In fact, with practice you can capture a Galleon with a Sloop. Target the sails with Chain and when the Galleon is out of sail, (the little white crescent on top of the shop circular icon will be gone) position your Sloop 45 degrees off either the bow or stern and rake the Galleon decks with Grapeshot.

Do not use Cannonballs as you want a pristine prize. Be very careful, one full broadside from a Galleon can and will explode a Sloop. Galleys are a bit more difficult but still manageable with more practice. Run a few isolated battles outside your campaign as training.

Turn 8:

Conduct diplomacy – Occupy anchorages – Reposition land forces – Refit land forces – Rebuild conquered lands.

Pirates are holding council on the appearance of this upstart Prussian navy while the Nordic Valkrjas and French tarts are brooding. Conduct standard land and diplomatic functions, sooth and charm the chilled shield-maids. This is a rather important step as you want them astride things other than your trade route. Keep them satisfied… for now. Forget the French. They will catfight the English.

You should also have obtained Westphalia by cunningly seizing the small town just east of their capital. This lures their mobile reaction force out of the capital to be destroyed in detail during Westphalia’s turn and you can disdainfully sweep aside the civilian flint musketry units inside the capital on your turn.

This fight should immediately follow the AIs turn and you will be engaging an already damaged starfort. Take advantage of this by deploying your artillery along an undamaged aspect of the fort.

The ZWEI should enter your TT this turn. In the TT, sail the ZWEI to the first open anchorage or one you occupy and reposition the EINS to the farthest anchorage she can sail to and occupy. The TT should be filling up by now.

I have rarely entered with my second ship and not seen two spaces already occupied by other nations. There is good news however. Wars and other factors can and will cause the other nations to vacate their trade anchorages. You reoccupy the anchorages without having to declare war.

Turn 9:

Conduct diplomacy – Occupy anchorages – Reposition land forces – Invade LGS – Refit land forces – Rebuild conquered lands.

The DREI arrives and either supports all fleet repositioning to occupy an open anchorage or joins either Sloop on its current anchorage. It is of little matter which occurs at this point.

At this time in the campaign a Lesser Germanic State (LGS) will usually declare war on you each turn until they are all comfortably reabsorbed into the Greater Prussian hegemony. Oddly enough this tends to be independent action allowing them to be concentrated on and absorbed one at a time.

Move your land forces accordingly and defeat the offending nation as outlined previously. Then do the standard tax, refit and rebuild adjustments.

Turn 10:

Conduct diplomacy – Occupy anchorages – Reposition land forces – Invade LGS – Refit land forces – Rebuild conquered lands.

The PRIMUS arrives and either supports fleet repositioning to occupy an open anchorage or joins a Sloop on a current anchorage. It is of little matter which occurs at this point. Now you have to make a decision. The PRIMUS carries your initial contingent of Preußische Marines. You can either sail into the New World with one Infantry and one Cavalry unit aboard a Sloop or await the arrival of the SECUNDUS next turn. Then sail with four Preußische Marine units, two of each, aboard a Sloop.

At this moment in the campaign things become very interesting. You have a solid hold on Greater Prussia in Europe with solid trade treaties and a few alliances. Russia will not attack you if you have allied with Austria and the Ottoman Empire. That is to say I have never had them attack me with those alliances intact. In fact, Russia is usually an indifferent to friendly trading partner by this point.

The Nordic states are unfriendly yet still trading. England is begging for a trade route, which you have no doubt cancelled because she can’t keep her ports open with France continually ravaging her. England still maintains the alliance in hopes of wooing your return. I trade closer to home with land countries, aside from the Americas and TT of course.

It is only 1705 and your TT has two trade vessels worth of gold flowing into the coffers. You may have had the funds to launch more trade ships along with another Brig to exploit your TT, which is even better.

Notice I do not state the term: Guard. You are guarding nothing; you are seizing everything with your Sloops positioned at the east and west entries and a Brig enroute to the TT. Any pirate fleet, aside from a mega-fleet (these WILL appear later in the game) that enters to challenge the TT is assimilated into your fleet or sold for prize gold.

A word of caution is in order. You will have observed that I used the term should frequently when discussing ship movement. You shall in all probability encounter other ships along your sea route and this can slow your movement a tad. Merely adjust the sequence and do not engage in a naval battle…yet.

You have built all your farms to the second tier, as well as a few other supporting structures, and can stabilize the Greater Prussia hegemony with profits between five to eight thousand gold each turn. It could be more but I maintain a significant army and navy. This amount will only grow as you exploit…erm…I mean, enlighten, the New World!

New World enlightenment is the next process article I will author, if people desire that strategy of course. But you have spent enough time reading this methodology, go execute it.

There are a myriad of manners, variation and options for the Preußische Marine approach. You will discover your own innovations from this solid foundation. I will however provide one teaser; I like Caribbean isles and their immodest clothing fashions.