This video explores "Victoria Free," a grand strategy game, by intentionally exploiting its game mechanics and AI. The creator, playing as the Papal States, adopts a "Victorian scam pope" persona to achieve global dominance not through military conquest, but through clever diplomacy and economic manipulation. The core exploit involves proposing treaties where the AI nations undervalue their land and national wealth while overvaluing minor trade concessions or promises of non-aggression.
Starting as a weak Italian minor power, the player systematically bankrupts and acquires vast territories from major powers like Two Sicilies, Sardinia-Piedmont, France, Britain, Austria, and the United States. This includes high-value regions like West Bengal (opium), Yorkshire (steel), and numerous gold mines across the globe. Through strategic investment in companies and infrastructure, the Papal States (eventually renamed "Kingdom of Heaven" and then "Italy" as a "corporate fascist state") become the world's largest economy and highest-prestige power. The video culminates in a demonstration of the exploit's extreme potential, where entire nations like Austria and Britain are stripped of nearly all their land in single, absurdly unbalanced treaty deals accepted by the AI.
Playing "Victoria Free" as the Victorian Scam Pope: A Guide to Breaking the Game
0:00:02 - 0:01:01 Opening the "Victoria Free" World: The video introduces the strategy game "Victoria Free," focusing on its new update. The creator decides to play as the Papal States, aiming to exploit the game's mechanics as a "Victorian scam pope" rather than playing traditionally.
0:01:13 - 0:02:50 Starting as the Papal States: The Papal States begin as a weak Italian minor power with a tiny economy (1 million GDP) and army. The initial strategy involves disbanding the military to save money and focusing on economic growth.
0:03:07 - 0:06:42 Early Economic Development: The player aims to transform Rome into an economic metropolis, avoiding low-wage agricultural jobs. Cotton plantations and trade centers are built to produce and export fabric, balancing the local market.
0:07:07 - 0:08:56 Scaling Construction and Facing Debt: Building construction sectors is key to rapid development but initially costly, leading to a budget deficit despite early GDP growth to 1.2 million.
0:09:14 - 0:10:29 The First Scam Treaty (Two Sicilies): The player signs "Scam Treaty One" with Two Sicilies, offering minor trade concessions (no tariffs on grain, fish, meat) and censorship in exchange for all of Two Sicilies' money, military assistance, and an alliance. This deal, despite its imbalance, is accepted by the AI, instantly making the Papal States profitable.
0:10:35 - 0:11:13 Acquiring Sardinia: Using the newfound wealth, the player builds more construction sectors and then negotiates a treaty with Sardinia Piedmont to acquire the entire region of Sardinia, again in exchange for military assistance and minor trade concessions.
0:11:41 - 0:12:58 Exploiting AI Debt: Sardinia Piedmont breaks a previous treaty, incurring infamy. The player then leverages their debt to secure another treaty, "the holy tithe," where Sardinia Piedmont pays £7,000 per month. The AI's inability to go to war while in debt is a key exploit.
0:13:22 - 0:14:50 Diplomatic Expansion to France and China: Similar treaties are made with France, securing large weekly payments for minimal concessions. The player also gains investment rights in China by promising no tariffs on grain/sugar, anticipating British intervention in the Opium Wars to profit from opium plantations.
0:15:25 - 0:16:26 Leadership and Research: A new Pope, Luigi, takes over. The focus shifts to researching "Corporate Charters" by rapidly building universities in Rome to increase literacy and research speed.
0:16:27 - 0:18:18 Acquiring Florida and Investment in Britain: The United States sells Florida to the Papal States for commitments to child labor, censorship, and weekly payments ("Pope buys Disneyland"). Britain, having become a republic after a radical revolt, grants the player investment rights in its empire for a small sum, allowing the Papacy to build and profit globally.
0:18:20 - 0:21:23 Establishing Global Corporations: "Corporate Charters" are unlocked, allowing the creation of companies like "Papal Influence" and "Crossbuilders Inc." These companies invest their profits into a global investment pool, privatizing buildings worldwide and generating significant dividends, rapidly increasing the player's wealth and influence.
0:21:12 - 0:23:45 Land Acquisition Through Debt and Diplomacy: The player continues to acquire land by paying off other nations' debts (e.g., Abuseio from Two Sicilies, Venice from Austria) and signing new treaties for weekly payments (e.g., "Austrian dead farm agreement"). Construction speed reaches an insane rate, building sectors in just one month.
0:23:49 - 0:25:29 Expanding Global Reach (Iceland, Greenland, Suez Canal): Iceland and Greenland are purchased from Denmark for minimal trade concessions, boosting prestige. The player then invests in and builds the Suez Canal, which grants substantial prestige and elevates them to a major power.
0:25:57 - 0:26:56 Major Land Grabs: Bengal, California, Sicily: The player acquires West Bengal from Britain (a massive, high-GDP, opium-producing region with 21 million people) and California (gold fields) from the USA, as well as Sicily from Two Sicilies, with the aim of drawing their populations to Rome.
0:28:18 - 0:29:14 Britain Sells Yorkshire; Papal States Become a Great Power: Britain, facing invasion, sells Yorkshire (a state with 4 million people, 17 million GDP, and steel mills) to the player for a promise not to trade internationally. This acquisition makes the Papal States the second-largest steel producer and immediately elevates them to a Great Power.
0:29:16 - 0:30:30 World's Largest Gold Producer and Valuable Companies: By 1873, the player has bought gold-rich regions in New Zealand and Russia, becoming the world's largest gold producer. Their companies ("Papal Influence," "Crossbuilders Inc.," and "I Love Gold") are among the most valuable globally.
0:30:41 - 0:31:36 Formation of the "Kingdom of Heaven": After acquiring Venice, the player holds enough Italian land to form the Italian Kingdom, which, due to the Papacy's theocratic government, renames itself "The Kingdom of Heaven," with a strong focus on generating wealth.
0:31:38 - 0:32:42 Rome as a Global Metropolis: Rome (later renamed "Spifftopia") becomes a massive city with 6.8 million people, growing by thousands weekly, boasting a standard of living twice the world average. Investment rights are secured in Peru to build gold mines, further channeling profits.
0:33:22 - 0:34:15 Acquiring Carnatic and Becoming a Corporate State: The player acquires the Carnatic region (14 million people) from France, aiming to redistribute its population to Rome. The government then shifts from a theocracy to a "corporate state" (a "mega business," becoming a fascist Italy with the Pope as President).
0:34:30 - 0:36:19 Global GDP and Migration Magnet: The nation's GDP soars to 200 million. "Freedom of Movement" policies are upgraded, and universities become migration magnets, making Rome the most attractive city in the world (151 migration attraction). Oregon and Washington are bought from a weakened America.
0:36:19 - 0:37:44 Seventh Company and Bankrupting America: A seventh company, "United Fabric Producers Corporation," is established. The player, now the largest economy, actively seeks to bankrupt America through multiple treaties, draining £35,000 weekly for 25 years at no cost to the player. This leads to America's collapse and balkanization.
0:38:09 - 0:39:03 Rome/Spifftopia's Unrivaled Prosperity: Rome (renamed Spifftopia) becomes the single most prosperous province in the game, with 15 million people, 83 million GDP, and its financial districts owning 746 buildings. The player achieves the world's highest GDP and is deemed "untouchable."
0:39:04 - 0:41:16 The Ultimate Exploits: Mass Land Transfer: The video concludes by demonstrating the most extreme exploit: the AI's complete failure to value land in treaties. The player offers to take on Austria's debt and give them money, then adds a huge number of Austrian states to the deal, which the bankrupt AI accepts. Similarly, Britain accepts a deal to give almost its entire empire (including most of India) for the return of Yorkshire and other minor concessions, utterly devastating their economy.
0:41:17 - 0:41:44 Conclusion: Game Broken: The player's actions lead to the formation of "Super Germany" after Austria's collapse. The video concludes that the game's AI allows for complete world conquest through non-military "scamming," highlighting the broken balance.