Let's Rise Poland from the ashes in Victoria 2 (revived)

Paradox Interactive has improved a lot in regards to presentation

Game Opening Video

First of all, I haven't consulted any GameFAGS guide, I have completely skipped the tutorial and thus this is a blind LP, if the fact I've played Victoria:Revolutions before doesn't count. It is the first time I'm playing this game, and thus if anything foolish is done don't be surprised.

Also I promise this won't interfere in any way with the progress of my Hearts of Iron 2 LP. In any case I'm doing this with Victoria 2 1.2 patch and only using the fixes that reduce the excessive need for goods from capitalists and craftsmen. Otherwise it's purely vanilla, like was my HoI2 LP.

Finally, it will take a time for war to get serious. This LP will be far less war-ridden for the first few updates, after all Victoria games are more focused on building than on combat when compared to Hearts of Iron series and there will be little to do militarily while being landlocked and having Austria, Russia and Prussia as neighbors.

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Index

ATTEMPT #1: Ruined by Russian cowardice.

1. Intro: Krakow, an enclave of Liberty within Tyranny (in this post)
2. 1837-1851: Age of Liberals
3. 1851-1874: Victory or Death!

ATTEMPT #2

1836-1890: Clawing out of the Jackboots of Mother Russia

1. 1836 - 1878: Kraków, walcz!
2. 1878-1884: A narrow window of opportunity to retake Silesia
3. 1883-1884*: War of Silesia, Krakow's Finest Hour
4. 1885-1886: Peace is for the weak and subjugated
5. 1886-1888: War without end
6. Late 1888: The price of liberty
7. Early 1889: Dangerous setbacks
8. 1889-1890: Decline of the Austrian Empire

1891-???: Great Patriotic War

1. 1891-1892: Years of Sadness and Hope

*Again thanks to retarded and cowardly AI.


ATTEMPT #3 - Now with 1.3 patch, British India mod and homemade balance fixes



1836-1896: Taking back Polish land from the Krautz

1. 1836-1891: When a single city forges a colonial empire.
2. 1891-1892: Road to Berlin
3. 1892-1895: Attero Dominatus
4. 1895: Cod, Potatoes and Rice

1896-1905: Great Patriotic War

1. 1896-1897: The Great Patriotic War begins: Operation Barbarossa with Potato
2. 1897-1898: The Price of Independence
3. 1898-1900: Never again we shall be subjugatedl!
4. 1900-1903: The Final Liberation of Poland is Coming
5. 1904-1905: The Final Liberation of Poland and Finland

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Krakow, an enclave of Liberty within Tyranny

1836






Let the music play


The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth once was a powerful empire, during the Golden Age of Poland in the 16th and 17th centuries. Combining the might of the Polish Potato with the cunning of the Lithuanian Hitman, it stretched from Bytów at the Northwest to Dorpat at the Northeast, including even cities like Smolensk from Belarus and Kiev(called Kijow) from Ukranistan, the home of skyway. It even was among the few countries of Europe with holdings in Amerikwa, as the Polish-Lithuanian Duchy of Kurland(which needs no introduction) colonized Tobago, and Gambia.

However, during the 18th Century decline came strongly to these lands, and society began to collapse. Exploiting this decline, three powerful countries neighboring the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, all which hated her: Austria, Prussia and Russia, began to slowly carve their land, until both Poland and Lithuania were erased from the map. Upon the contrived treaties born from the carving of her territory between the three eagles, came the tiny Free City of Krakow, a tiny country, with little more than a hundred thousand of inhabitants, which came up with a democratic system of government(democratic by that epoch's standards, of course). Krakow was a dwarf among three giants, it was the last "sovereign" leftover from Poland, with apparently little hope and future as an insignificant piece of land, part of a cynical gesture of "goodwill" to let Poles still have a country under their control.

But not matter how hopeless the future seems, they know better than to give up. Thus begins the tale of a struggle of nearly a century for the freedom and emancipation two peoples.



The desire for the sovereignty of Poland, suppressed under a facade of satisfaction or at least acceptance of the current status quo, must be systematically developed within a set of ideological beliefs, a growing nationalist movement in the underground will soon serve as basis for the advancement of their State policies.



Krakow is a tiny, insignificant country, whose population is made almost exclusively of miners and its economy mostly based on the extraction of coal. There is the potential of industrialization, but with the limited resources, it will be a long time before it can happen. Among the people, also are included a minority of Jews and of Ukrainians, including artisans involved in the creation of paper and canned food. Strangely, in spite of a majority of conservatives, the Liberals are gaining ground.



The Free City of Krakow is a democratic government, but only the wealthy and the middle class have voting rights, the Upper House is chosen by the government rather than elected, the government has the right of controlling the media through censorship and ballots are not secret. Many yearn for reforms towards greater liberty, while most of the world is afraid of change, believing such reforms might draw the necessary population into Krakow, for it would then become truly an enclave of liberty, to stand alone.



If Krakow isn't devoured by the ravenous beasts and imperialists surrounding her, their people will forever dream with the day Poland shall have a chance of being born again, a dream which is the only reason why they haven't given up. It seems however an impossible feat, to turn a weak, tiny city into a Great Power, and to seize all rightfully Polish territory from their usurpers. There must be one way of ever having a minor chance of succeeding at that.





The government establish the budgetary policies. Education is deemed very important, for it may give the edge necessary to ensure the future of Krakow. Taxation is defined in the most politically incorrect way possible, although adjustments shall be made to ensure nobody will starve and end broke, and thus the Middle Class ends earning a large tax cut. Eventually tariffs also are lowered, once it proves that raising taxes instead shall deliver better income and hurt less the people. However there is another concern: with three countries hungry for an excuse to also erase Krakow from the map, how to ensure their sovereignty?



A "deal with the devil" is made. It is well known Austria, Prussia and Russia aren't in the mostly friendly relationship among themselves, and thus, Krakow pledges full support to the Austrian agenda in Central Europe and the government states that they are completely willing to support the Austrian military endeavors with their available military assets*. The inhabitants of Krakow eschew at the decision, and the government's popularity suffer an immediate spike downwards.

*Nothing.



Perhaps in a direct attempt to go against the typical policies of the countries that destroyed Poland, the population pressures for unrestricted religious liberties and the complete separation between Church and State, which also are an important element of the main opposition party agenda: the Liberal Party.





In what many suspect to be Russian meddling, a strong Mafia arises within the city of Krakow, to further destabilize and complicate things. Crime fighting is given a high priority within the budget, and many seek a zero tolerance policy against crime. Neither thugs, nor Prussians, nor Austrians shall break the resolve of the Polish people in Krakow.



The military budget of Krakow is already at the maximum, but that is all they can afford right now, unfortunately. The people clearly stand for slowly building up a strong army, although how is a question that in this year still have no answers. Nevertheless, there are plans to shift the focus of research to army affairs. As for Navy, totally irrelevant, obviously.



Krakow is already a tiny country. There is little hope of drawing enough people to it to turn it into something small rather than tiny if every person who arrives is treated like shit. The people hope that such measures wouldn't however trigger an even greater decline of multikulturalism, but there is very little reason for the real causes of multikult decadence: Blacks and Mozlems, to immigrate to Krakow in the first place, and all foreigners are either Jews, Ukrainians or South Germans instead.

Nevertheless, some ancestors of the typical Codexers become very upset about this development among public opinion. 1836 thus carried on, and the Conservative Party slowly losed space and popularity.




It seems that the alliance with Austria truly pissed off the inhabitants of Krakow. In an unbelievable victory with 100% of the votes, the Liberal and Lolbertarian coalition won the elections, and a new political climate was building up within Krakow.

Would this mean the dawn of the MULTIKULT ITZ or the dawn of the first steps for the rebirth of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth?

Oh wow. Good luck.

... and so ITZ begins, good luck.

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Thanks for doing this, the let's plays make it MUCH easier to pick up how to play the game.

Ah, Krakow. I didn't play Vicky 2, but in Victoria: Revolutions I remember that if your government was liberal enough, you could get masses of immigrants. On one of the forums I saw an ARR, where Krakow had population of ~10 million around the year 1890 and could single-handedly defeat Austria in a war.

By the way, Cassidy, what makes you inclined to make so many LPs with Poland?

Oh, and does these yellow stripes on the map indicate your core provinces? It would seem Paradox was very generous for Poland this time, they always gave her very few core provinces, and according the POP distribution they made, my home city was 92% Byelorussian and 8% Russian in 1836 .

Infantryman said:

By the way, Cassidy, what makes you inclined to make so many LPs with Poland?

Click to expand...

Cassidy is a fellow potato eater.

This LP looks interesting, I will check this Victoria 2 game right away.

Oh, for some reason I thought he's Kwan or something.

Why would a Pole resort to Google Translate Polish?

It's just because, with the exception of EU and CK, Poland tends to be one of the toughest ones to play in Paradox Games.

Ooo, this shall be exciting!

Zdzisiu said:

Cassidy is a fellow potato eater.

Click to expand...

Actually, he's not.

Infantryman said:

Oh, for some reason I thought he's Kwan or something.

Click to expand...

Cassidy said:

Why would a Pole resort to Google Translate Polish?

Click to expand...

Now I remember the 'some' reason.

In Victoria (including the expansion and VIP mods) it was possible to buy Congress Poland provinces from Russia with Krakow, because they had no cores there. Fun times. Is that still possible in Victoria 2?

What? I was sure he is a Pole. Damn, need to update my Cassidy.txt

Great!

But you have just selected one of the most difficult countries in the whole game, in my games Krakow usually gets annexed in the first 5-10 years of the game.

That said, good luck. You'll need it

Posting in a cassidy LP. Keep up the good fight.

Bravo, bring the potatolands to glory!

In before

: x

moar

spekkio said:

In before

: x

Click to expand...

Ask and ye shall receive bro:

: x

Seeing all those charts and sliders is getting me hot.

Guys, I know this is supposed to be a blind LP, but is the fact capitalists are shown with 0 income even after lowering rich taxes to 0 a bug?

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1837-1851: Age of




Theme For the lulz



Shortly after the victory of the Liberal Party and of the mulitkult full citizenship rights, a new sparkle of liberalism ignites all over Europe, and the ancien regimes are thus threatened by these developments, while Krakow stands at the vanguard of liberalism. Among the inhabitants, support for liberalism grows every day, and a pressure for greater political rights begins slowly.







According to a counter-intelligence specialist called nomask, Jewmasons and the so called "New World Order" conspire against the sovereignty of Krakow, for the recreation of Poland would go against their supposed agenda of causing two world wars to ensure the luciferian Zionist supremacy over Earth and the creation of a fascist world government in two centuries from now. In answer to several rumors of a major global conspiracy to destroy Krakow, the government begins a crackdown against secret societies like the Illuminati and the Freemasonry.



Surprisingly, this ends benefitting the very ruling liberal party that cracked down on these alleged conspiracies by these secret societies , which means that you don't even know what you don't know. Maybe the very government of Krakow is part of ITZ too.



The development of the concepts behind Ideological thought is concluded, with time, several inventions shall greatly increase the degree of pluralism within Krakow, attracting a greater quantity of immigrants or at least curtailing emigration.



After that, the priority is to keep up, to the best of their ability, with the military technologies of the great powers. And thus there will be mostly military research from now on. The alliance with Austria may yet open an opportunity to reclaim part of the rightfully Polish homeland.



Second Greece?



Unfortunately, because Principals are always wussies, the movement is suppressed, but the repression simply triggers the simpathy of even more people to liberty and the awesomeness of the idea of Krakow becoming the second Greece. Their army would never get past 3000 men, that should ITZ come in the form of a war, would have to face hundreds of thousands, like Leonidas and his men did in the past. Fortunately, however, the less than loved alliance with Austria seemed to be a solid safety net to avoid ITZ. However, only by combining the military prowess of the Spartans with the diplomatic, cultural and technological prowess of Athenians shall Krakow ever stand a chance of recreating Poland.





In face of growing political advances, the typical troglodytes begin to consider open rebellion against Krakow. However, fortunately, years of heavy investment in literacy have contributed to curtail the growth of such fringe groups that herp derp on how things were much better back in feudalism times.



In another interesting development, workers begin to self-organize, supporting each other through their own private pension and unemployment safety nets and credit cooperatives. The liberal party see this as a natural consequence of the minarchist agenda of the government, that private individuals from all social classes shall slowly fill the gaps left by an once much more interventionist State through private organizations, and thus it carries on successfully among the poor people.

It would in truth become the first private "bank" of Krakow, an interesting development indeed that something like this came from the initiative of average people and nationals rather than from Jew hands. In spite of some baaw about this organization supposedy serving as a front for preaching anarchism and socialism, the government refuses to intervene, as a growing belief in freedom swepts through Krakow.



In a long road of military developments to come, the tiny army of Krakow is now completely professionalized, and merit rather than social upbringing shall define who will get promotions through higher ranks from now on. A major improvement in competence comes as a large swath of incompetents who were in high ranked positions only because of nepotism are dismissed.



A book greatly criticizing the current methods of voting where only the middle class and the wealthy have voting rights, the persecution against socialist unions, the fact the Upper house is chosen by the government rather than through voting and all other "anti-democratic" details of the current government. It was ultimately promoting the idea of Unniversal suffrage: the right to vote for every adult person, regardless of gender and wealth. The book spreads through all of the city, further pushing people towards the Liberals agenda. A gradual proccess of democratization is going on, with better political rights gradually being granted to the people.



Strangely, the liberal government decides to censor a liberal newspaper, but this only serves to further promote the liberal cause rather than the opposite. This act also triggers a strong popular pressure for the establishment of unrestricted freedom of press.





In 1842, after successions of multiple liberal governments trying to promote greater and greater reforms towards political freedom, military research is temporarily suspended to allow the development of railroads within Krakow. The creation of railroads shall give a great boost to the future industrialization of Krakow, but strangely, a capitalist class hasn't risen yet.





In 1844, following the creation of constitutional rights of freedom of press and the right to secret ballots, The liberals also finally give unrestricted freedom of activity to all workers unions regardless of ideology. These reforms are slowly making of Krakow the most democratic and free country of the entire Earth, ahead of every other country in these facts, including Amerikwa. Other interesting development happened in the beginning of 1844: Russian declared war on Austria!

This could be the chance for reclaiming Congress Poland, but wisely, the government of Krakow decided to wait and be sure about who was going to win this war before intervening.



Austria was completely humiliated by the potato eaters and vodca drinkers of Russia, being forced to come with a humiliating peace treaty. The Russians had frighteningly large forces at their disposal. Had Krakow intervened, it would certainly be erased from the map right now. However, after that, Krakow entered in Russia's sphere of influence, which could mean much in the future.



The constant reforms and progress have slowly led to the decline of more radical factions that sought the complete overthrow of the current government, like anarchists, lolbertarians and commies, and the level of stability grew considerably once the most violent tensions were over and peace was secured, in 1846. The implementation of rights to votes to everyone, except the rich people votes counted thrice and the middle class votes twice, also was approaching Krakow from a kind of democracy that would only be solidified in the next century for most of the world.





In 1847, Krakow has become the vanguard of political freedom in Earth, and the world standard of democracy. No other country in the world combined the degree of constitutionally granted political freedoms Krakow had, and its 66% and growing plurality was ensuring occasional influxes of immigrants, correcting a relative loss of population during the previous years to the New World. Ironically, the grant of universal suffrage would prove to be the end for the Liberal Party after winning all elections during 11 years, for a large amount of conservatives and nationalists among the poor people once deprived of the right to vote would get to the ballots. The opposition party promised they wouldn't raise taxes, for the growing prosperity of Krakow led them from once flat 50% taxes to now flat 30% taxes for all classes.

May the time come to export this liberty and defeat the forces of tyranny from East, West and South, somehow.





The consequences of beeing the most free nation of the entire world soon come, as a golden age of discovery comes to Krakow, giving to the tiny country some prestige as free flow of information ensues to it the development of things the great tyrannies have long delayed beneath their jackboots.

: x



In 1850, the result of near a decade of diplomatic maneuvers ensue that now Krakow is in alliance with both Austria and Russia, for it became clear how strategically incompetent the Austrians are. This gives to Krakow an unparalleled but risky opportunity of, one day, use both countries to seize their rightful land from Prussia, by triggering old rivalries between them and Prussia in a great war. However, it shall be an all-or-nothing decision, for once it is made, it would be either victory or subjugation. These "pact with devils" were necessary evils, but so far they haven't brought any direct benefits to Krakow. But that could change, if the risks were worth.



Like the alliance with Austria brought the downfall of the previous ruling party's popularity, the alliance with Russia was no different. A new conservative and extremely jingoistic party won the elections, promoting an agenda of promoting the sovereignty of Krakow, an euphemisms for what was known as a promise to attempt reclaiming their rightful lands. The nationalist party won in an incredibly disputed election campaign, the first done under fully democratic rights of voting. Due to the heavy competition and lack of monopolization of popular opinion among only two parties, they won with a total of only 27.59% of votes, supported by a coalition of other conservative parties that together utterly crushed the Liberals. Immediately the Multikult was dismissed. Only those willing to naturalize themselves as Poles by assimilating the Polish culture shall be given voting rights from now on.



To promote the formation of a capitalist class, the national focus, which stood for a long time in basic industries like cement and steel because all of them have coal as one of their primary materials for manufacture, was shifted to the promotion of captialists, and slowly this brought results, although it would take a time for the first industry to be built as these men, mostly who once were artisans, begin to consider opportunities of becoming even more wealthy.



To incentive industrialization, in 1853, while growing pressures for taking what is rightfully theirs from Prussia came from the population, the first railroad networks were concluded along Krakow, bringing many logistical benefits to the existing coal mines and to the industries to come, and marking the possible beginning of the late industrialization of the Free City.

When shall be the right time to attack Prussia with the help of Austrian and Russian soldiers? That is the question. That would put every German State at war, and potentially France as well. Could the time be now, that Krakow was the "small loved kid" of both Austria and Russia?

How fast does the game play? Are the turns 1 day like EU or 1 hour like HoI? It would seem that a game would be completed very quickly if it runs at the same speeds as EU3 yet the maximum game length is ~90 years.

Destroid said:

How fast does the game play? Are the turns 1 day like EU or 1 hour like HoI? It would seem that a game would be completed very quickly if it runs at the same speeds as EU3 yet the maximum game length is ~90 years.

Click to expand...

1 turn = 1 day.

The game makes up for the shorter length by a much better and more detailed gameplay.

Anyway, my hat's off to you if you start winning back territory before you invent Machine Guns.