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The best one-province nations for a "Playing Tall" run in EU5
This video presents the top 10 nations with a one-province minor (OPM) in Europa Universalis V that are best suited for "Playing Tall." "Playing Tall" means focusing on economic development and diplomatic development instead of war. The video covers nations such as Ayodhya, Zurich, Ryukyu, Cuba, Singapore, Oman, the Knights Hospitaller, the Victual Brothers, Tenochtitlan, and Florence, highlighting their unique strengths and opportunities.
1. 🎮 Introduction to "Playing Tall" with OPM Nations in EU5
- ✅ The video introduces the concept of "Playing Tall" in Europa Universalis V, where small nations succeed through economic development and diplomacy instead of war.
- ✅ It presents the best one-province minor (OPM) nations that have enormous potential despite their small size.
- ✅ These OPMs can house populations of over 1 million people, have stronger economies than Spain, and boast unique events and formable nations.
00:00 - 00:31
1. 🎮 Introduction to "Playing Tall" with OPM Nations in EU5
- ✅ The video introduces the concept of "Playing Tall" in Europa Universalis V, where small nations succeed through economic development and diplomacy instead of war.
- ✅ It presents the best one-province minor (OPM) nations that have enormous potential despite their small size.
- ✅ These OPMs can house populations of over 1 million people, have stronger economies than Spain, and boast unique events and formable nations.
00:32 - 01:39
2. 🏯 Ayodhya: A Spicy OPM Nation with Unique Government Reforms
- ✅ Ayodhya, the precursor to Ayutthaya, is a small but interesting nation that is ideal for an OPM campaign.
- ✅ They start with a rice field and a capital with 18 buildings.
- ✅ Their Buddhist rulers have the Mandala system, which allows them to establish tributary states, as well as a Karma modifier that grants discipline and diplomatic prestige.
- ✅ They can found the nation of Siam by waiting for the "Founding of Ayutthaya" event between the campaign start and 1400 AD, which gives you gold, a city, or the opportunity to annex all your neighbors immediately.
- ✅ Unique to the Thai and Siamese monarchies are bonuses for elephant cavalry, subject loyalty, a flat development boost in all provinces, and a +10% crown power reform.
01:40 - 02:41
3. 🏦 Zurich: A Wealthy Free City with Military Potential
- ✅ Zurich is a free city with high development and topography in Western Europe.
- ✅ They print money with university fees and their capital has 14 buildings and two craft breweries.
- ✅ You can either join the Swiss Confederation diplomatically or militarily.
- ✅ Neutrality is overrated, and with 1,000 men, Zurich is stronger than all its neighbors except Austria.
- ✅ Founding Switzerland unlocks a reform that guarantees the success of parliament every 5 years.
- ✅ You can stay as a free city to access hundreds of exclusive events, choose to give up verticality to become the HRE, or ultimately found Germany through war.
02:42 - 03:37
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03:38 - 05:11
5. 🏴☠️ Ryukyu: A Pirate Republic Aiming to Conquer the "Three Mountains"
- ✅ Ryukyu is a nation that can be unlocked by any Okinawan nation.
- ✅ There are two ways to form this Ytokracy: The easy way is the military unification of Okinawa as Chuan, the difficult way is the pirate republic of the Satsunan Islands.
- ✅ Founding Ryukyu with either strategy earns you the "Three Mountains" achievement, one of the rarest in the game.
- ✅ If you do it as a pirate, you get a republic with a better government reform and monthly events that give you a steady stream of fiat currency and automatic saves.
- ✅ This sushi sovereignty is fantastic for playing "Tall" and you can colonize Taiwan and beyond while plundering your neighbors for loot and profit.
05:12 - 06:32
6. 🇨🇺 Cuba: A Colonial Nation with Unique Mechanics and Challenges
- ✅ Cuba is a colonial nation that can be founded by any non-native colonial country.
- ✅ You can start as the High Judge of Sardinia-Arboria and colonize the Caribbean.
- ✅ To increase the population, you can release Italian Catholic territories to have a Nahwa majority, convert to the Aztec faith, found the nation of Guantanamo, and play a one-province campaign by switching the culture to Nahwa and eventually reforming the government into an Atal paddle.
- ✅ With unique mechanics like the Columbian Exchange, you can choose your own trade goods like cigars, mourning, and a failing economy.
06:33 - 07:36
7. 🇸🇬 Singapore: A Developed Dictatorship with Potential for Capitalism
- ✅ Singapore is a Theana with a Mandala government form that allows tributary states, exclusive advancements that grant population growth and character gerontology, and the ability to invite Hindu gurus for further fertility modifiers.
- ✅ Singapore's coastal capital earns almost +10 ducats profit from the first day of your campaign.
- ✅ Your Prime Minister can diplomatically vassalize melees through marriage, and you can use yoga to regularly undergo a posture check in the game.
- ✅ The capital of Thick Anna has a straight line that prevents armies from penetrating, almost 20 starting buildings employing 30,000 citizens, and smells like a combination of incense and sardines.
- ✅ Once you have built a navy, your island nation is impregnable to outside influences.
- ✅ Its position in the heart of the most valuable maritime trade routes gives this future tax haven a heavenly potential for capitalism with Chinese characteristics.
07:37 - 08:48
8. 🇴🇲 Oman: A Coastal Nation with Unique Innovations and Colonial Potential
- ✅ Oman may look small, but don't be fooled by its starting size.
- ✅ With access to the sea and an embodied faith that offers trade and shipping advantages, you'll say "Oh man" when you see the nine unique innovations that exist only in this nation.
- ✅ After you get your free coastal plot, I recommend invading your neighbor, who now has a weakened army, conquering Hormuz in a peace treaty, and moving your capital to this easily defended island city, which houses 19 buildings.
- ✅ With 17 historical events, you can take control of Kilwa and Zanzibar, unlock unique colonial cabinet actions, and even found the nation of Arabia if you want to trade "Tall" for sand-sprawl and almost worthless RGOs.
- ✅ Like all Islamic faiths, Oman has access to the mysticism and jurisprudence mechanics, making this colonial coastal land ideal for unlocking technology and securing Stone Town.
08:49 - 10:00
9. 🏥 The Knights Hospitaller: A Theocratic Nation Focused on Health and Wealth
- ✅ The Knights Hospitaller began in 1337 with an island city with 19 buildings, including the unique Order Fortress and Order Headquarters.
- ✅ A third of this military order's population belonged to its labor pool and 3% to its navy, making this French Catholic country and its 100 crusaders ready and able to defend their territory.
- ✅ Their second unique government reform, Crusade in the Sea, allows for effective free galley recruitment as well as the ability to passively earn savings through privateering.
- ✅ Forced recruitment allows for the rapid expansion of your volunteer economy and events that give you buckets of ducats.
- ✅ With 22 events and 14 innovations, these knights won't say "knee" to the land of milk and honey and can earn the Crusader King achievement by taking Jerusalem in a crusade and founding the titular nation.
10:01 - 11:35
10. 🏴☠️ The Victual Brothers: A Bizarre Pirate Republic with Nordic Influence
- ✅ The Victual Brothers are a bizarre and obscure nation that you've probably never heard of.
- ✅ To play as this rare republic, you either have to watch or play Sweden until 1380, a time when you can invest in switching religions to Norse to earn saves and build the economy of Visby and your future island homeland.
- ✅ From February 1380 you will receive the event "Republic of the Victual Brothers", which allows you to choose option three, also known as a life of piracy.
- ✅ This gives you a new pirate republic with 1,000 ducats, 1,000 sailors and a huge free navy.
- ✅ The main reason I love this Botocracy for a "Tall" campaign is that it has the aforementioned Pirate Brothers government reform, which gives you a free additional reform and, more importantly, the ability to yink Thrs.
- ✅ These Vice Brothers and their navy will make sauce out of any enemy that declares war on you.
- ✅ With the optional Nordic faith, you can use Savory to send volunteers with your fleet to Visby.
- ✅ Your neighbors may outnumber you militarily, but with boats bound, you can deploy your forces throughout the Baltic Sea and avoid conflicts to multiply your population.
- ✅ This brotherhood of boat brothers can easily become the largest and most populous nation in Europe.
- ✅ However, I would recommend moving your OPM to Sicily or Sardinia to increase population capacity.
11:36 - 12:56
11. ☀️ Tenochtitlan: A Pre-Columbian OPM with Vertical Potential
- ✅ Tenochtitlan is the best small nation to achieve vertical elevation in North and South America.
- ✅ There are 16 historical events, 13 country bonuses, and a litany of unique buildings for this misunderstood Mesoamerican monarchy.
- ✅ With a population of nearly 100,000 on a Minecraft survival island, this OPM is a bustling metropolis.
- ✅ Like any heart-to-heart faith, Tenochtitlan's Nahwa religion grants them the exclusive Alto Pedal government reform, which prevents you from taking land, but allows the selection of peaceful deities, the ability to seek unpaid work.
- ✅ Montazuma starts as a vassal of his neighbor, but with an independent CB and 300 Spartan regulars, you can easily fight for freedom, organically engage in organ donation, and become independent.
12:57 - 14:28
12. 🇮🇹 Florence: The Best Small Nation for Wealth and Centralization
- ✅ Florence is the best small nation to stock up on carbs, cash and centralization.
- ✅ This Penny-Polity has 35 historical events, 13 innovations, and a monstrous capital metropolis that has a capacity of nearly 1 million in 1337.
- ✅ This proto-Italian stallion spawned Dante, Da Vinci, and Machiavelli, and the game won't let you forget it, as you'll be bombarded with events from the Medisi Prince, fat stacks of ducats, and even the opportunity to release and play as the Bank of Medici if you prefer a landless campaign.
- ✅ The Italian peninsula is the heart of the Renaissance and you get every institution for free.
- ✅ You own one of the highest developments with 35 and your ridiculously profitable silk RGO grants three profit per investment.
- ✅ These Italians can found Tuscany, Italy or Rome if you want a dirty bulk and go far, and they even have an extra cabinet advisor for a total of three because Machiavelli is serious.
- ✅ Since Florence starts from Pizzeria within three international organizations, you can simply pu another nation through marriage.
- ✅ Form a defensive league and enter into an alliance with anyone to get the achievement of being in all clubs.
- ✅ Likewise, this lasagna legend, the city that starts with 23 buildings, is the perfect foundation for the city skyline achievement once you trigger the colossal order to create 177 more industries.
14:29 - 16:33
13. ⭐ Honorable Mentions: Other Notable OPM Nations
- ✅ Holland, Brabant and Bruges are perhaps the most obvious picks for powers that punch above their weight and dominate the economy.
- ✅ Venice and Genoa are slightly less "Tall" as they are located in Southern Europe, but I don't pick them over Florence as their territories are vast and less centralized and their level of power is more like that of a tier three kingdom rather than an OPM.
- ✅ Dominion over the Isle of Man is another solid pick for a one-province polity with potential, as their Galley Lords government reform allows for incredible naval stacking and privateering profit potential.
- ✅ Outside of Europe, our next mentions are "Tall" and wide, which probably just means "thick."
- ✅ Kilwa has massive development, an insane arbor, easy access to gold, and the ability to zink Zanzibar early for plenty of profit.
- ✅ If you play as Vijayanagar or another nation bordering Delhi and wage a victorious war against them, you can release the saves of your cultures, which amounts to a few million pop boost that catapults your nation into superpower status.
- ✅ The Korean kingdom of Kuro would have been one of the best small nations to play "Tall" if the developers hadn't added hundreds of sites to their nation.
- ✅ Majapahit is a fantastic pick for Java gaming enthusiasts as they start with a few million people in a tiny area and a subject state swarm that covers half of Southeast Asia.
16:34 - 17:41
14. 👍 Support and Acknowledgements
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