Butua

Primary culture

Shona (Southern African)

Capital province

Butua (1185)

Government

Tribal Despotism

State religion

Fetishist

Technology group

Central African

Butua ideas

Please help with verifying or updating this infobox. It was last verified for version 1.33.

Traditions:

+10% Morale of armies

−10% Infantry cost

Legacy of Zimbabwe

−10% Construction cost

Strict Gold Trade Regulations

+0.10 Yearly inflation reduction

Empowering the Rozwi

+10% Infantry combat ability

Hierarchical Tax Organization

+10% National tax modifier

Regular Training

+5% Discipline

Monotheistic Worship

−1 National unrest

Vashambadzi

+10% Trade efficiency

Ambition:

−10% Shock damage received

For the area, see Butua (area).

Butua is a landlocked country in southern East Africa. The only neighbor is its overlord of Mutapa.

Decisions[edit | edit source]

Butua can form the Rozwi Empire.

id

Establish Rozwi

We are warriors. We have expelled the foreign menace, pacified the land of Zimbabwe, built great stone cities, mined gold from the depths of the earth, hunted ferocious beasts, protected the trade and united the people. We are the Rozwi!

Potential requirements

The country:

was never an end-game nation.
is Butua
is not the Holy Roman Empire, The Papal State
has not yet enacted this decision.
is not a colonial nation.

If the country is AI-controlled then it:

is not a custom nation
is not a former colonial nation.
has at least 3 cities
Rozwi Empire does not exist

Playing with normal or historical nations

Allow

Rozwi Empire does not exist.
The country:

is not a subject nation other than a tributary state.
is not at war
is not a nomad nation.
owns the core provinces:
- Butua area
- Lower Zambezi area
- Zimbabwe area

Effects

The country:

becomes Rozwi Empire.
gains 25 prestige.
gets new missions if 'Origins' DLC is active
gets the event ‘New Traditions & Ambitions’, unless it has custom or Butua ideas
increases rank to kingdom, if it is a duchy
removes all provinces from the Holy Roman Empire, if it is a member and not an elector or the emperor.
gets “Increased Centralization” for 20 years, giving:
- −0.05 monthly autonomy change,
- +1 national unrest.

AI will always take this decision.

AI gives "high priority" (400) to this decision

Strategy[edit | edit source]

The below is one of many player suggested strategies for Butua. Bear in mind, due to the dynamic nature of the game, it may unfold differently for other players.

Starting situation[edit | edit source]

Butua is a tiny, two-province vassal of Mutapa. It is very poor, but its capital produces gold and so Butua begins with enough income to build over its force limit and hire an adviser or two. Butua is tribal and begins with no institutions, but the coastal provinces of Kilwa and Sofala have Feudalism and will spread it to the Zambezi region. Lastly, Butua has very strong national ideas that will make it a very powerful empire once its neighbors have been eliminated.

Unfortunately, Butua begins on a time limit: Mutapa will initiate the process of annexation a decade after the game starts and it will only take a year to complete the process. If Butua is to have any hope of survival, it needs to secure support for its independence from its overlord's rivals, who will themselves become the next obstacle to Butua's rise once Mutapa lies in ashes.

This guide will explain various strategies to help Butua secure its dominance over southeastern Africa. Since the requirements for the Rozwi Empire are in Butua's immediate path of expansion, this can also be considered a guide for that achievement.

Opening moves and preparations[edit | edit source]

The absolute first priority is to see which other countries have chosen Mutapa as a rival because these countries will be very amenable to supporting Butua's struggle for freedom. They may need some nudging though, but improving relations with them should convince them to help. Kilwa is the optimal choice because its more advanced armies (Kilwa starts with more technologies than Mutapa) will crush anything Mutapa sends against them. Maravi is also a good choice because it is mostly equal to Mutapa in power. If the player secures the assistance of both, the war against Mutapa will be fairly easy. It is a good idea to make the official request for support as soon as possible or one of the potential allies may get dragged into a war, which will bar Butua from asking support until the war ends.

Butua will need to prepare well to defeat Mutapa. Reaching military tech 3 and building up as many troops as the economy will allow is paramount; the force limit should not be a barrier. Player can alternatively focus on developing the capital to increase manpower and money to support larger armies and also to rush for Feudalism. If the player can save up enough ducats, building a fort in the capital will be a huge asset because Mutapa and its allies will be forced to waste soldiers and time on a siege, especially since the wargoal of an independence war is to defend the rebel capital. The major disadvantage of the development approach is that Butua runs the risk of Mutapa upgrading its military technology before Butua can, which will put Butuan soldiers at a huge disadvantage.

Butua should also fabricate several claims on nearby provinces that it will want to take from its overlord. The most important province to secure is Massapa, which lies in Butua's capital state and produces gold.

Lastly, a player with Rights of Man activated will benefit greatly from choosing theMwari cult. Butua's soldiers already gain a +10% morale from their national traditions, so the bonus +2.5%discipline will ensure that Butua's troops outperform Mutapa's at equal technology levels. Adding an advisor that further increases discipline or morale will let Butua defeat larger enemy armies with ease.

The fight for freedom[edit | edit source]

Note: Declaring war on Mutapa will reduce stability by -3. It is recommended to have enough administrative monarch points saved up to return to zero or even positive stability.

If Butua can marshal enough soldiers, positioning them near Mutapa's armies and leading a rapid strike may very well knock their armies out of the war from the get-go. A player with Cradle of Civilization activated might even be able to attack Mutapa's army while the troops are still drilling and at near-zero morale. Otherwise it is best to link up with allies. Butua can only take out tiny loans in the range of 6-10 ducats (unless the player has manually developed provinces) and the player should not be afraid to take out dozens of them to recruit new soldiers and mercenaries. If both Kilwa and Maravi have joined the fray, the war should be easy to win. If the odds are not initially in Butua's favor, careful maneuvering and overrunning isolated enemy armies will make the war more manageable. Bear in mind that the war goal merely requires Butua to hold onto its capital, so warscore will constantly tick up as long as it is held. Mutapa's allies often get distracted by attacking Butua's allies. This is fine because it allows Butua to occupy as many of Mutapa's provinces as possible. If the ally signs peace while Mutapa's provinces are occupied by Butua, Butua's warscore will skyrocket without the penalties from occupied ally territories, which can bring the war to an immediate and very favorable end.

It is important to try and seize as much of Mutapa's territory as possible, with the best acquisitions being the gold-producing provinces and provinces close to Sofala if the player intends to passively gain the Feudalism institution. Mutapa will be very weak after its defeat and will become easy prey for neighboring rivals or even Butua's allies once the truce timers are up. If Butua's treasury and manpower reserves are utterly drained, then taking only two or three provinces is fine, but otherwise the player should aim to maximize territorial gains; stripping Mutapa of all its ducats will also help Butua recover from the war more quickly. Once Butua wins the war, the first phase of the game is done and the Rozwi can begin to prepare for greater things.