In Europa Universalis II, victory points (abbreviated VP) are used to determine the winner of a game if the victory conditions are either set to standard or supremacy in the main menu. The game will also promote or demote you as you earn or lose points. You can view your victory points below the coat of arms in the information screen and in the ledger at page 1 and 3. In short, you will earn victory points by Failing at certain of these points (like losing battles) will cause you to lose victory points.