What This Plan Does
This is a generic 30-day plan applicable to any nation. It takes you from game start through your first successful war, establishing a stable foundation for future expansion. Follow it week by week, and you'll avoid common mistakes while building a strong economy and military.
Tip
Flexibility: This plan is generic and works for any nation. Adjust timing and priorities based on your specific starting situation, but follow the core sequence: stabilize economy → set up trade → prepare war → execute.
Week 1: Stabilize Economy
Goal: Ensure your population can work and your economy is functioning.
Tasks
- Review food and housing: Check population satisfaction. If you see red warnings for food or housing, fix these first. Build food production and housing before expanding manufactories.
- Fill basic needs: Ensure all locations have sufficient food and housing. Populations need these basics before they can work.
- Choose one primary market: Pick your capital market or nearest coastal hub. This will be your focus for the first weeks.
- Build one marketplace: Build your first marketplace in your capital or primary trade hub. This expands trade capacity and enables trade routes.
- Staff existing buildings: Ensure all existing buildings are fully staffed. Check employment levels and fill any open jobs.
Success Criteria
By the end of Week 1, you should have:
- Food and housing satisfied in core provinces
- One marketplace built in your primary trade hub
- All existing buildings staffed
- No red warnings for food, housing, or employment
Week 2: Set Up Trade
Goal: Establish your first profitable trade route and verify capacity is working.
Tasks
- Establish one short, high-margin export route: Create one export route to a nearby market with good prices. Keep it short and protected.
- Verify capacity > 0 with headroom: Check that your market's capacity is sufficient (with room for growth). If capacity is tight, pause low-profit routes or build another marketplace.
- Pause low-profit routes if needed: If capacity is tight, pause the least profitable routes to free capacity for better ones.
- Avoid non-essential building: Don't build new structures until trade is stable. Focus on trade capacity and routes first.
Success Criteria
By the end of Week 2, you should have:
- One profitable trade route operating
- Market capacity > 0 with headroom for growth
- Trade income flowing consistently
- No capacity bottlenecks blocking trade
Week 3: Prepare First War
Goal: Prepare for your first war with proper maintenance, allies, and objectives.
Tasks
- Secure one strong ally: Find one strong ally to deter counter-attacks and provide support. Avoid multi-front commitments early.
- Raise maintenance before war: Increase army/navy maintenance to maximum before declaring war. Low maintenance means weak armies and immediate defeats.
- Boost morale: Ensure your armies have high morale. Raise maintenance and wait for morale to recover before war.
- Identify forts and crossings: Locate enemy forts and river crossings. These are your primary objectives. Plan your siege priorities.
- Plan supply routes: Map supply-safe routes to your objectives. Plan your advance paths and retreat routes.
- Prepare mercenary budget: Set aside cash for mercenaries to use as siege soak. Mercenaries can absorb siege casualties while your main army maintains strength.
Success Criteria
By the end of Week 3, you should have:
- One strong ally secured
- Maintenance raised to maximum
- Clear objectives identified (forts, crossings, strategic provinces)
- Supply routes planned
- Cash reserves for mercenaries
Week 4: Execute and Reset
Goal: Win your first war efficiently and prepare for the next phase.
Tasks
- Take key positions quickly: Strike for forts, crossings, and strategic provinces first. Don't chase enemy armies—focus on objectives.
- Use naval blockades if applicable: If you have naval superiority, use blockades to cut off supply and force quicker surrenders.
- Prioritize cash and position in peace: Take cash, war reparations, and strategic provinces in peace deals. Don't overextend with too much territory at once.
- Lower maintenance after peace: Reduce army/navy maintenance during peace to save cash for infrastructure and future wars.
- Restaff economy: Ensure all buildings are staffed and economy is stable before starting another war.
- Repair supply and infrastructure: Rebuild any damaged infrastructure and improve supply lines. Plan your next expansion.
- Assess next steps: Evaluate your position. Do you need more trade capacity? More infrastructure? Another war? Plan accordingly.
Success Criteria
By the end of Week 4, you should have:
- Won your first war with clear objectives
- Gained cash, war reparations, or strategic provinces
- Maintenance lowered during peace
- Economy restaffed and stable
- Clear plan for next 30 days
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
Don't make these mistakes during your first 30 days:
- Building without staffing: Never build new structures before staffing existing ones. Fill jobs first, then expand.
- Trading with zero capacity: Always check capacity before creating routes. Build marketplaces first.
- Starting wars at low maintenance: Always raise maintenance before declaring war. Low maintenance leads to immediate defeats.
- Fighting on multiple fronts: Focus on one theater at a time. Multiple fronts exhaust resources.
- Overextending in peace deals: Take cash and position over maximum territory. Good peace deals now are better than perfect ones later.