improving your EH

So in my game 3 position which I took to learn the ropes, I've implemented the norfolk system, which hasn't seemed to impact my EH at all really yet, though it was only just implemented.

I asked this last turn about going to milled coins and also of revaluing coinage.

For the papal states in 1738 to introduce milled coinage would cost £1.8M, and to revalue the coinage from livres to pounds at the same time would cost an insane £30M. (perhaps the 30M isn't so insane to some but it is many times the full annual income of the papal states. I think EH would have to go to 11 to make it worthwhile!)

I think I will implement milled coins and see if that can help improve our EH. My guess is that being corrupt Italians, that raising EH for us is harder than honest hard-working protestant states like England :-).

What's other people's experience been in trying to raise EH? What has worked, what hasn't?

I must admit I have always struggled to improve my EH and have yet to find a 'surefire' way of getting it up.

Trade investments, of course, do seem to work. I once played England and it seemed developing and introducing improved steam engines into mining had quite an effect whilst in various Chinese positions I have found that by 'rediscovering' certain lost trades and devices that can be manufactured for overseas trade has worked.

I've never found road improvements to have much of an effect but canal improvements have worked.

Roads usually help a bit (1 point) in my experience.
Canals is better (perhaps 2 points), but a lot more expensive.
Lowering the tax rate is always a good way to improve EH, but there is of course a short term loss of income.

I revalued the Spanish currency to parity with the £ many years ago and haven't found my EH to be any better. Suspending all taxation for the last 3 years has added about 2 EH points; implemented to avoid a predicted recession. Investing in trade always boasts income regardless of a flagging EH.

One of the problems with EH, is that you don't control all the factors.

It is true that lowering taxes helps, investing in trade also. However if your trade partners have a high tax at there boarders then your EH will suffer. If there are a number of nations with low tax regimes then this will spread the advantage of higher EH more thinnly among them all.

If a number of nations all trade in the same product in the same market then not only will trade but also EH in general suffer.

Lowering tax on Nobles will have more E H benefit than that on the Commoners, it will also help Honour score.

An improved administration with the introduction of book keeping in a standardised way can( don't quote me on this , I may sue) improve Eh & tax income in one fell swipe.

There are always the underlying factors that we mere mortals are not aware of, I can only say that finding out how your competators are doing may release information that is beneficial to your own cause.

What I have never been able to understand is the seeming lack of a link beteen EH & Harvest.

One position has a bumper harvest and its EH is dire.

Another has a famine and EH is a happy 7/8.

Keep trying all the usual things like Canals etc but gave up trying to understand EH years ago.

The only thing proven without a shadow of doubt is that if thousands of Ottoman Cavalry try to burn your Country down to the bedrock and nail your tax collectors to walls then this is bad for EH. I am told that being invaded by more civilized opponents does not always hammer your EH.
Can anyone confirm or deny this?

Oddly being invaded does not seem to be as bad for trade as a Naval Blockade which again seems strange to me.

Finally on the subject of enclosures I have never passed a "enclosure act" but if in possession of large areas of undeveloped land due to colonies/Ukraine/cleared forest etc have gone around buying out small holders to make small plots into larger farms. With small farmers then being resettled on larger farms in the colonies etc.

Not sure if it does anything for EH and/or grain production but it does seem to avoid social problems. Real downside is the cost

I have been exposed to foreign invasion with several towns captured and blockaded, but no serious impact to EH so income goes up. As long as it is on 6 or more all is good. But you are in very deep trouble if your capital is lost or cut of from the outside.

It must be said however that the enemy have not really doing any kind of scorched earth policy, some burning and raiding killing civilians but nothing that will impact EH.

Hapsburg wrote:I revalued the Spanish currency to parity with the £ many years ago and haven't found my EH to be any better. Suspending all taxation for the last 3 years has added about 2 EH points; implemented to avoid a predicted recession. Investing in trade always boasts income regardless of a flagging EH.

Given the cost of revaluing currency, I'm surprised there is no real benefit.

Revalued currency in Games 1,2& 3 at the time it had a definate improvement in EH in Game 1 it went upto 10 and stayed there for about 18 months. Admitted in Game 2 I have only revalued to 5:1 because of cost, however economically in the long run it seems to have been beneficial.

Well, perhaps there might be a stage of economic development where it would be worthwhile, but given the numbers above, I can't see doing it before the game ends in 1750 unless a major miracle occurs in the papal states economy...

In the Gam ein question, EH stayed between 7 & 9 for about 10 game years, even managed to outdo England for a year as the major trading nation.

I sometimes think that EH is a bit of a red herring as my income levels increase (and on occasion have decreased) at rates that seem to not reflect changes in EH.

In G8, for example, my income has increased in the last year by 10% (split roughly 50-50 between extra income through taxation and trade) yet EH is only 6, so I would expect a lot lower income increase.

A EH of 6 should increase your tax income about 10%
5 and it will stay even
4 and it will decrease about 10%
Higher and lower numbers are less certain.

Trade income is less related to EH, I have seen trade increasing significantly while tax income decreased at EH 4.

Strangely, G8 is the first time I have found that is the case Ardagor. Going back to my first game, G3 as Denmark, I had EH of 7 and 8 at one time yet income increases were in the region of 3 or 4%. Not that I'm complaining in G8

I agree on trade income, it does seem completely separate to EH. I think this part of the game makes it interesting and a real challenge, it's a bit like reality I guess!

Trade is always better when it is done early in the year, A trade investment will gradually decline over time, or take a bigger knock if there is a major investment or tax change by another position.

EH I don't think you can put in simple 10% blocks there is much more to it than that. Infrastructure, administration are also factors in the equation as to how much income you receive.

Tax incomes for the various groups are intertwinned so raise the tax on the Nobles they raise the rents on the commoners to get the money. But which does the most harm to EH.