Empire Playthroughs in 2.2 are the same every time - Here are some suggestions.

Ogdai_Smasz#9242

Because of AI behaviour, Empire playthroughs feel the same every time.

In Short:

- Change Festus StartPos and give him choices.
- Improve Empire AI garrisons and starting armies.
- Priority #1 for Empire Lords should be maintaining their starting province.
- Wood Elves (especially Drycha and Durthu) should not be genocidal eco-terrorists.
- Allow early bromance with Leoncoeur.
- Heinrich Kemmler is irrelevant.
- Empire's Short Victory Conditions need to be more interesting / lore-friendly.

This is Why:

- Festus the Leechlord will take Hergig by Turn 5 and raze at least one Middenlander settlement soon after. This forces an early-game crisis and the player has to confront Festus early for every playthrough or risk Nurgle corruption and collapse of Imperial Authority. His Starting position in Hochland/Nordland is lore-friendly, but putting him in Brass Keep means that he moves in the same direction every time.

- Fecundite garrisons grow too tall and too quickly making it too difficult for AI factions to reclaim territory after being attacked by Festus.

- Middenland is too passive. Middenstag will usually be razed/occupied because of its proximity to Hochland. Middenlander Lords won't retake or resettle it, leaving them without a full province and its subsequent bonuses.

- Ostland suffers from the same behaviour. Wolfenburg will usually be razed by Festus or Drycha in the early game, leaving Ostland with Castle von Rauken and Norden. Wolfenburg is the province capital and has a gold mine. Ostland makes no attempt to reclaim it.

- Ostermark will usually fall within the first 10 turns. This is kind of lore friendly but they should be able to hold out a bit longer.

- Wood Elves are too aggressive - especially Durthu, who will attack Empire every game without fail, usually because of trading agreements with Karak Norn. Unless they're eco-terrorists who want to destroy all industry, Wood Elves would have no reason to take this course every time.

- Empire starts with a trade agreement with Karak Ziflin, causing a relationship penalty with Bretonnia. This treaty can't be cancelled for 10 turns. You should be able to engage, trade and form bonds with Bretonnia early, as with WH1 & WH2.

- Heinrich Kemmler shouldn't be an Empire Short Victory condition. He's Bretonnia's problem in the lore. He never makes it to the Empire and is irrelevant to their story.

Jarms48#7854

Don't think I've ever seen Wolfenburg fall to Drycha. That means they'd have to push through Talabecland.

I've seen Drycha help destroy Ostermark and/or go into the surrounding Talabecland and Stirland territories. Sometimes even push back the Vampire Counts.

Yaikage#3226

How do any of the changes you propose actually make for more varied resolutions in multiple playthroughs. Sounds more like it just makes the opening more peaceful. Compounding variables in AI war choices seem to be the main source of variance between campaigns, so things being more peaceful should make repeat plays more samey instead of less. That's why Drycha being so aggro can lead to so many different behaviors.