Spanish Empire

[Infected Mushroom]

I thought villagers were for gathering resources.

Yeah but you can totally go all-villagers. There's even an achievement for winning without using military units!

The only way I knew how to play that game (or DID, I've long forgotten the script) was to build as fast as possible to Castle Age, rush a whole bunch of mounted Knights, and run the opponent down while making more and more Knights to follow up continuously.

If the enemy had infantry then I would make a quick judgement call about whether or not to throw my mounted knights at them and try to run down their army... or bypass them and avoid them with better mobility while targeting farmland, houses, and villagers.

It didn't work well against experienced players though. Also, once the game evolves beyond (knights ride out, knights kill enemy army, knights run around and picks off villagers, burns farms and houses), it got too complicated for me to understand and micromanage and losing was a near certainty.

[Infected Mushroom]

First of all, we need to stabilize the country. Instead of different governers governing the Americas, members of the royal family do. Then accordingly we send frequent military operations secretly dissappearing dissidents. Then we unite some viceroyalties such as the Peruvian and Patagonian.

You mean IRL the governors of the viceroyalties weren't royalty?

[Valentine Z]

Yeah but you can totally go all-villagers. There's even an achievement for winning without using military units!

The only way I knew how to play that game (or DID, I've long forgotten the script) was to build as fast as possible to Castle Age, rush a whole bunch of mounted Knights, and run the opponent down while making more and more Knights to follow up continuously.

If the enemy had infantry then I would make a quick judgement call about whether or not to throw my mounted knights at them and try to run down their army... or bypass them and avoid them with better mobility while targeting farmland, houses, and villagers.

It didn't work well against experienced players though. Also, once the game evolves beyond (knights ride out, knights kill enemy army, knights run around and picks off villagers, burns farms and houses), it got too complicated for me to understand and micromanage and losing was a near certainty.

See, now that's the thing you can do as the Spanish Empire in this scenario. Just rush the other countries while you are building your economy in the meantime.

[Kubra]

Oh, but since this is I guess an interesting question out of IM, the short answer is "I don't". I mean Spain is biggest in 1790, for Spain it's either oppose Napoleon and get fucked or support Napoleon and *still get fucked*. What am I gonna do, suddenly become a 19th century military genius and out-Napoleon Napoleon? Try to advise Napoleon on naval issues, and then get blamed for the inevitable disasterous defeat, either at Trafalgar or elsewhere?
Man, fuck it, embezzle all the gold I can and flee to Britain, where a man with a full coinpurse is always a welcomed guest.