Vassals.

[SmokedSalmon]

I was just about to attack Byzantine when they became a vassal to Russia, that makes six for Russia.

How to break them away from Russia, I don't want to take on the world.

 

[ETa]

I was just about to attack Byzantine when they became a vassal to Russia, that makes six for Russia.

How to break them away from Russia, I don't want to take on the world.

Vassals can break free, when their land, pop and a third target is met. I think the target percentages were shown when you hover the mouse on the diplomacy hyperlink. Anyway just go after mother Russia.

 

[mechaerik]

@ETa, that would be a capitulated vassal. Voluntary vassals can only break free when they want to. And if that's true, then there isn't much you can do to dislodge them, besides attack them to prove that their master can't protect them.

 

[Deathstar]

Strike down Russia as hard as you can. If everything goes as planned, Russia should lose her vassals like a domino.

 

[IAM]

Strike down Russia as hard as you can. If everything goes as planned, Russia should lose her vassals like a domino.

Yes.

You can try to drive diplomatic wedges between masters and voluntary vassals. Flood the vassal with a different relegion, gift a city that will create border tension, have a powerful allie attack Russia. With the last one you may just be giving the Russias another vassal though

 

[Scoottr]

turn vassals off and don't look back...my choice

 

[Sydney Posada]

I was just about to attack Byzantine when they became a vassal to Russia, that makes six for Russia.

How to break them away from Russia, I don't want to take on the world.

If Russia is attackable, I would try to wage a lightning war against Russia with the goal of diminishing their population and land as quickly as possible, razing cities when necessary. If you do it quickly enough, the vassals will break free before they can bring their military might to bear against you. Then you can sue for peace with them individually. You better build up an overwhelming force before you start the war, however. If you're too slow, Russia + 6 vassals will in all likelihood annihilate you...

turn vassals off and don't look back...my choice

I love vassals, though I do love having them waaaaay more than my opponents having them! There's something insanely satisfying about declaring war on a distant continent and having all four vassals of your continent declaring at the same time. It's especially satisfying when your intercontinental rival also has his own legion of vassals; the war trumpet declaration sound can easily take over a minute with each vassal declaring on every other civ!

There is of course the problem of keeping your vassals up-to-date tech-wise. If you gift them techs, there’s the very real possibility of their trading with other powerful civs. The way I’ve found to remedy this (esp. once I’ve vassalized my whole continent) is to keep them in a constant state of war with your main rival and his vassals. Then sue for peace, and 10 turns later declare again. After a while, your vassals will have built up so many “You declared war on us” modifiers with them that tech trading just ain’t gonna happen, even during peacetime.

Good times…

 

[rabidveggie]

I just turn tech brokering off. Even then I'm sure to only keep my vassals up to date with my opponents while lording my own tech edge over them.

 

[Sydney Posada]

I just turn tech brokering off. Even then I'm sure to only keep my vassals up to date with my opponents while lording my own tech edge over them.

If they have no chance of breaking free from me, I don't mind getting them all the way caught up, so long as they don't trade it to non-vassals. What's there to fear?

 

[Ataxerxes]

If they have no chance of breaking free from me, I don't mind getting them all the way caught up, so long as they don't trade it to non-vassals. What's there to fear?

Even if you keep them at furious with everybody else (hard to do), there is one to worry about - Mansa Musa. He's very quick to vassalize, a pretty good researcher himself and is always up for a trade. Espionage might be another concern.

What I like to do is to keep my vassal up to date on one branch of the tree and then ask them to research the next tech for me (not an essential or a war tech). It saves a few turns of research, even though your vassals research slower than you do 99% of the time.

 

[Deathstar]

Unless the AI offer to be my vassal, I'll usually take their beaker and commerce city. When they finally capitulate, I make them tech useless stuff like horseriding (which can a while if I crippled you as planned). You gotta watch your underlings with a sharp eye ya know.