...why would they want Victoria?

Looks like a watered down version of the same game, from the same developers, with a different name?

From what I've heard it certainly isn't watered down.

Even still though, it looks like the same game.

It is designed a part of a "grand campaign"

You can start in 1066 with Crusader Kings, import your save into Europe Universalis II, then to Victoria and eventually end in Hearts of Iron II / Iron Cross. That's a 900 years of campaign.

From what I've heard it's focused more on economics and political stability than EU, and is more complicated, in addition to being further along in the timeline.

Crusader Kings? is that in europe universalis 1 ?

No, it's in Crusader Kings

Victoria is the game you play when you want to graduate from the EU games. Victoria 1 is set in a different time period, and is actually far more complex in a certain way. The focus is much more on economic matters. If you are at all interested in the time period, I would recommend Victoria 2, as it has a much more complete tutorial than Victoria 1 (by far the best out of the Paradox grand strategy games, in fact) and is much easier to get your head around

The short answer to your question is that they are set in different time periods and mechanically they are very different games (a reflection of the different time periods in which they are set).

And yes, with the right games, you can play a grand campaign from the start of crusader kings, import the save into EU 2, then into Victoria 1, then Hearts Of Iron 2. The save import software is all fan-made though, and is far from perfect.

Victoria 1 is on sale for $2.50 on steam right now. I might bite even tough i never got the hang of EU3 Complete, for some reason i'm attracted to the most overtly complicated games.

Its actually Victoria Complete and if you use the hangover code you can get another 20% off. Just picked it up along with the $2.00 Tuesday deal (Aveyond). Once again a few games for little more than the price of a cup of coffee.

For the same reason you might want to play Portal after having played HL2. It is not because it is the same engine (and thus "look" the same) and the same developer that it is the same game - at all.

Victoria is very, very different from EUIII, except for warfare to an extent.

Victoria II is more akin to Hearts of Iron w/ EU mechanics than a "watered down" version of EU. Victoria takes the economic aspect to a whole new level [you have direct control like in the HOI games] whereas EU3 is more of a Grand Grand Strategy game with more focus on the overall picture and less on the minutiae.

My mistake. Thanks for the correction.

Just to add on to the discussion, Vicky 2 has a very good soundtrack also. Then again, so do most of Paradox's games :D