How to have a Vassal?

[Popvox]

true, colonies can be really annoying, especially if an obscure religion that no one else is runing as state gets spread to the new world and they adopt it (seems to happen quite a lot unless you bring along missionaries), and don't forget the -1 modifier for all other A.I's, IIRC this accumulates so 3 vassals will give you -3 with all AI's (obviously not your vasssals). This can mean that with one or two vassals who have an obscure religion or had many wars in the past, combined with your -2 diplo penalites with other A.I's, you can soon find that your little power block is everyone's worst enemy

@ continetal op you should have asked for all their resources, they probably would have refused, but if they accept you're essentially gettting a load of resources without the hassle of overseas maintenence

 

[FriendoftheDork]

As it stands there is no way to release a vassal from your control - It is the vassal who decides

Every ten turns any voluntary vassal (on'es who became vassals when not at war) can choose to end the agreement if they wish, they often won't unless they have somehow grown much stronger than you or you are forcing them to too many wars they don't want to fight

Capitulated vassals (one's who were accquired as part of a peace deal) only have this option if they meet certain requirements (half the land AND half the pop of the master, or only half the lands they started with when they entered the agreement)

In either case, if the vassal decides to break the agreement, you can either choose to peacefully let the vassal go, or you can declare war on the vassal.

The vassal agreement can also be broken if you make too many unreasonable resource demands and the vassal decides it will refuse to give up the resource. When this happens you and the vassal are instantly locked in a state of war, which is then fought in the same way that any convential war would be.

Note to f35acepilot, it is true they can refuse a resource demand, but they cannot refuse your first demand for one resource (I once assumed it was first demand altogether, so you could ask for as many as you wanted in the first demand. Needless to say Persia wern't best pleased when they're new volentary master demanded all their resources)

Not quite true about having to accept resource demands, I've had a stubborn AI (Joao) actually declare war on me right after accepting a surrender because he didn't want to give away a single resource. After taking 2 more cities he becomes my vassal again. Just to be sure I save before asking for resources and lo and behold he refuses again! I loaded and adopted a "don't ask, don't care" policy instead as it was a huge huge map and I was tired of fighting him in Africa.

 

[selectron]

I like to use vassals as a buffer between an enemy and I, fight invasive forces and plunderers on their land rather than mine.

 

[Ataxerxes]

One additional point for vassals. If they have only one of multiple resources you don't have, you can trade for several of his only resources.

Ex: Vassal has one corn and one spice. Instead of demanding one of them and then wondering if he'll get the only aluminum later. Trade him one excess resource for his corn and another excess resource for his spice and still have your option to demand something later.

I realize conquering all his cities would also get the resources, but I find chain conquering at the end for a conquest victory at the end a lot easier than dom, especially on large maps (ex: Earth 18)