Crusader Kings II Thread V: Umayyad Bro?

[Rockphed]

This is the thread for Discussing Paradox's hit title: Crusader Kings II

What is Crusader Kings 2? It's a Grand Strategy Simulation Game made by Paradox Interactive set in the Medieval Period of Europe and the Middle East. Rather than controlling a country or kingdom, you are in control of a dynasty. The purpose of the game is to make your dynastic family and legacy as powerful and prestigious as you can before the game ends or your family dies out. It is far and away their most successful game, and they have been continually adding new content and patches to make the game even better.

The base game stretches from 1066CE to 1453CE and you can only play Christian Feudal families. The multitudes of DLC extend both the timeline and range of available characters, while also deepening the game's various events. Notably, though, most of the DLC content comes with a major content patch. Thus, the DLC content is active for the AI even if you don't own it yourself, and the patch still helps to improve your game and this all helps give the different regions flavor.

Major DLC list:
Sword of Islam - Allows you to play Muslim rulers. Patch added the decadence and Hajj mechanics for Muslims, and also deepened their flavour.
Legacy of Rome - Deeper flavour for Greek rulers and the Byzantine Empire, unlocks Retinues.
Sunset Invasion - Alternate History DLC which enables a major invasion of Western Europe by the Aztecs.
The Republic - Allows you to play a Merchant Patrician in one of the major Mercantile Republics like Venice, Genoa or the Hansa, patch enabled mercantile trading.
The Old Gods - Extends the start date back to 867 at the height of the Viking Era, and unlocks playing as a Pagan or a Zoroastrian.
Sons of Abraham - Unlocks playing as a Jewish ruler, enables the College of Cardinals and adds a lot of flavour for various Christian and Muslim faiths and rulers.
Rajas of India - Unlocks playing as a Hindu, Buddhist or Jain, with unique events for each. Patch extended the map to include India and more of the North Asian Steppe.
Charlemagne - Extends the start date back to 769, and unlocks further customization of your realm's kingdoms, empires and allows the appointment of viceroys. Also enables Tribal holdings.
Way of Life - Allows your character to set a focus which unlocks certain diplomatic options and triggers various events.
Horse Lords - Vastly opens up possiblilities of nomad tribes from Mongolia. Also, adds the silk road.
Reaper's Due - Do you like death? Do you long to see Europe depopulated by disease so your Mongols can come in all the easier? This expansion makes the plagues that plagued midieval europe all the worse. Do you build hospitals to treat your subjects, or simply lock the gates and laugh at their pains? Also, it adds court physicians (who range from insane to insanely good), and new death noises.
Monks and Mystics - If you feel like having guns, or being an assassin, or worshipping the dark god of your religion, this is the expansion for you. Also, lots of artifacts (though you can get artifacts without it).
Jade Dragon - Adds interaction with China, adds the silk road, and adds some new ways to conquer your enemies.
Holy Fury - Do you want to Deus Vult? Do you want to throw the infidels back into the sea? Do you want to reform religions in crazy and memetic ways? Do you want to shatter the world and prove that you don't need to start as the HRE for a world conquest? Do you want to have a random world, potentially with kingdoms ruled by dragons? Reconquista? 4th Crusade? Children's crusade? Northern Crusade? Warrior Lodges?

CK2 can be a difficult game to learn due to its density, and the game has changed and grown a lot since it was first released. Thus, many of the standard learning guides are not as accurate as they used to be. There are many tutorials on YouTube, many Let's Plays include explanations of the game mechanics, and the GitP community is running a succession game that you can read to gain some insight.

However, there are some places/tips that, by consensus, are considered good starting locations to learn the game:
-Start in 1066. Europe is more stable, you won't have Vikings to worry about, and the Muslims are not as united as they are in the earlier bookmarks.
-Ireland, Scotland and Poland are all considered good areas to learn. Ireland is unlikely to be bothered by larger powers, giving you room to learn the basics. Scotland introduces you to the troubles inherent to managing your vassals while also having to deal with neighbouring powers. Poland introduces you to the troubles associated with expanding outside of Christendom while still giving you a powerful character and realm to fall back on. (This advice is for 1066; all are fairly hard in earlier starts).
-From there, playing as a Duke in France or the Holy Roman Empire can teach you about vassal relations from the inside, where you can learn how to gain/usurp power.
-The CK2 Wiki contains a lot of details about the game, as well.

On the other end, hard and challenging starts include:
- Being a christian in Abysinia or southern arabia
- Being the Byzantine Emperor. Not so much hard as confusing with the new byzantine Byzantine succession.
- Christian tribal in 867 Britain. The vikings are at the gates and are hungry for land.

Deus Vult!

Thread III
Thread IV

[SZbNAhL]

A new thread! Somebody get it baptised by the Pope for that +5 opinion modifier.

[Aotrs Commander]

Mate of mine got into Stellaris over Christmas, so I'm using the annivesary sale as a good excuse to see if I can't get him hooked on CK2 as well...!

[tyckspoon]

Hmm. Forgot Horse Lords was a thing. Do I own Horse Lords yet? I should play a Nomad game..

[russdm]

I was wanting to start up a "BlackAdder" Let's Play. Have watched the different shows of it, and wanted to try it out, using CK 2 naturally. Have all DLC, but not the individual packs, like content or portrait or etc.

What I was thinking was using the Ruler Designer and making Edmund BlackAdder, with a possibly snack in the Coat of Arms. Give stats to reflect that he is not good at combat, better at other activities; give the Ambition trait, because he wants to improve his standing, while maybe giving him Craven, since he doesn't like fighting?

As for land and starting, maybe the earliest? Since Ruler Designer disables Achievements, I can go non-ironman, and console Edmund a bunch of Cash to spend.

Advice is welcome.

[SZbNAhL]

I was wanting to start up a "BlackAdder" Let's Play. Have watched the different shows of it, and wanted to try it out, using CK 2 naturally. Have all DLC, but not the individual packs, like content or portrait or etc.

What I was thinking was using the Ruler Designer and making Edmund BlackAdder, with a possibly snack in the Coat of Arms. Give stats to reflect that he is not good at combat, better at other activities; give the Ambition trait, because he wants to improve his standing, while maybe giving him Craven, since he doesn't like fighting?

As for land and starting, maybe the earliest? Since Ruler Designer disables Achievements, I can go non-ironman, and console Edmund a bunch of Cash to spend.

Advice is welcome.

I'd go with either a diplomat or intrigue education, then for traits: quick and/or shrewd, greedy, proud, ambitious, arbitrary, craven, cynical and deceitful. I haven't done the maths on whether that's allowed under the ruler designer, but you can always use the console. Also the reincaration trait, although you'd have to console that in.

[BannedInSchool]

(Light post for thread checkmark.)

Aww, shucks. What did I do that was tyrannical? Must've read a pop-up confirmation too quickly.

Well, doesn't look like I'm going to erase Catholicism from the world before time runs out. My own realm is still mixed, never mind a weird pure pocket out by the Caspian sea.

In contrast to how it usually seems to go for me, Jerusalem's expanding after being conquered in a Crusade. I recall it falling into my empire from inheritance, so I guess that scared-off Jihads. Now while I'm rooting out the infidel Catholics in the realm I find a Muslim ruler rebelling against the Duke of Aragon, which really confused me. I find the duke's nabbed all of Nubia for himself.

[snowblizz]

As for land and starting, maybe the earliest? Since Ruler Designer disables Achievements, I can go non-ironman, and console Edmund a bunch of Cash to spend.

Advice is welcome.

The Season 1 Black Adder does become king of England, for like 2 minutes.

Obviously the problem is that the premise sorta is he keeps falling down the social ladder as time goes on. The most "executable" version is probably the one after CK2 ends, as a lord in Elisabeth's court. So make him a duke in England somewhere to start. Something reasonable but not too powerful. His sidekick Percy was heir to Northumberland maybe go from there if that's possible?

[Spore]

The Season 1 Black Adder does become king of England, for like 2 minutes.

Obviously the problem is that the premise sorta is he keeps falling down the social ladder as time goes on. The most "executable" version is probably the one after CK2 ends, as a lord in Elisabeth's court. So make him a duke in England somewhere to start. Something reasonable but not too powerful. His sidekick Percy was heir to Northumberland maybe go from there if that's possible?

Technically there could be a version in between those two that was never televised. I mean they wrote a Blackadder for the Cromwell era (as a charity sketch), so why not one immediately following the first Blackadder?

[Aotrs Commander]

The Season 1 Black Adder does become king of England, for like 2 minutes.

Obviously the problem is that the premise sorta is he keeps falling down the social ladder as time goes on. The most "executable" version is probably the one after CK2 ends, as a lord in Elisabeth's court. So make him a duke in England somewhere to start. Something reasonable but not too powerful. His sidekick Percy was heir to Northumberland maybe go from there if that's possible?

Weeeeelll... Blackadder Back and forth ended with him re-writing history to become king and Baldrick Prime Minister (we'd have been so much better off than we are now...) - ye gods, was it really twenty years ago this year we last had Blackadder - and the Blackadder Christmas Carol did have this, so...

(I just love that bit, when the sci-fi Blackadder theme starts up.)

[Eldan]

Season 3 Blackadder also impersonates and then replaces the Prince Regent. So, he has a thing for becoming a King for a bit.

[Corvus]

We've had the first dev diary in, well, for ages.

The next update will be a free one and will introduce buildable wonders to the game.

Ones like the Pyramids and Colosseum will already exist, but you can build others, some of which will take generations to build, and can be customisable.

They are still very much in early planning stages here and are asking for any fun ideas people might have for them.

[tyckspoon]

Ones like the Pyramids and Colosseum will already exist, but you can build others, some of which will take generations to build, and can be customisable.

Just what we all needed: even more motivation to go kick the Pope out of Rome

[russdm]

I wonder if it is to reflect the building of famous cathedrals that were built in the middle ages. I know that some took a while to build.

An update for Blackadder: made him and made him petty king of east Anglia. Consoled in a claim to York, Lancaster, kent, all duchies. and a claim for a kingdom of England. Gave him a bunch of traits, stats, and the like. Depending on how it goes, I may get something to post. My start date is the first starting date, in the game, using the Charlemagne one.

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

It certainly is for the building of Cathedrals. They specifically mention cathedrals as an option to build (customizable too, so gargoyle-festooned Notre Dame will be different from St. Peter's), and that they're multi-generational items that happen in stages. So you could begin the Cathedral and then have several decades where you're too poor and under attack to continue construction, have several generations with a barely-started Cathedral, and then restart construction with the original guy's usurper!

[Flickerdart]

Man, I need to get back into this, looks like new DLC has added a lot. If only it had HOI4's vastly superior frontline mechanics rather than having to chase enemies all over the map by hand.

[BannedInSchool]

Man, I need to get back into this, looks like new DLC has added a lot. If only it had HOI4's vastly superior frontline mechanics rather than having to chase enemies all over the map by hand.

Boy howdy. At 1400AD with a large empire seems I have multiple peasant revolts, raids from neighbors, or adventurers active all the time. Just a "you, army, go kill them" would be so nice.

[Eldan]

Apparently, my duchess is stupidly tough, and my physician really really good. She just survived having Pneumonia and Cancer at the same time and both are now gone. Along with one leg and one hand, but you can't have everything. She's sixty, too.

[Keltest]

Apparently, my duchess is stupidly tough, and my physician really really good. She just survived having Pneumonia and Cancer at the same time and both are now gone. Along with one leg and one hand, but you can't have everything. She's sixty, too.

My king survived cancer, and several other ailments, and all he had to do was become an Eunuch. Which was fine at that point, because his wife was a lesbian and he already had like six kids.

[BannedInSchool]

Huh, I don't remember seeing a vassal do this before. She's racked-up a -100 opinion with all her vassals with the duchy penalty. Edit: it's only -90 from duchies, but a bunch of other double-digits penalties too.

[Keltest]

Huh, I don't remember seeing a vassal do this before. She's racked-up a -100 opinion with all her vassals with the duchy penalty. Edit: it's only -90 from duchies, but a bunch of other double-digits penalties too.

Is she insane or does she have some other negative mental trait? Ive seen a few vassals become so unpopular they had multiple simultaneous assassination plots against them from across the country because of that.

[Rockphed]

Huh, I don't remember seeing a vassal do this before. She's racked-up a -100 opinion with all her vassals with the duchy penalty. Edit: it's only -90 from duchies, but a bunch of other double-digits penalties too.

Are they viceroyalties? The AI doesn't seem to be able to hand out duchy viceroyalties as a king.

[BannedInSchool]

Is she insane or does she have some other negative mental trait? Ive seen a few vassals become so unpopular they had multiple simultaneous assassination plots against them from across the country because of that.

Well, she's stressed, depressed, possessed, and drunk.

Are they viceroyalties? The AI doesn't seem to be able to hand out duchy viceroyalties as a king.

She has other "real" titles but her primary kingdom is viceroyalty, so maybe that's screwing things up.

Another weird Empire thing: so I decide to risk the whole world going to war against me to grab an independent county inside my empire that apparently none of my vassals could be bother to grab themselves. Then I discover Austrasia has grabbed a kingdom's worth of counties in India as they're immediately under siege. I guess an Indian kingdom bordered my territory in Persia and that let them declare war in India. "I'm under siege *where*???"

[Keltest]

Well, she's stressed, depressed, possessed, and drunk.



She has other "real" titles but her primary kingdom is viceroyalty, so maybe that's screwing things up.

Another weird Empire thing: so I decide to risk the whole world going to war against me to grab an independent county inside my empire that apparently none of my vassals could be bother to grab themselves. Then I discover Austrasia has grabbed a kingdom's worth of counties in India as they're immediately under siege. I guess an Indian kingdom bordered my territory in Persia and that let them declare war in India. "I'm under siege *where*???"

Possessed would do it. Nobody likes possessed people.

[Eldan]

Well, my duchess just died, aged 83, after becoming Queen by brutal conquest of Sicily. Her cancer relapsed three times, she lost an arm, a leg and half her face, she was mad, possessed and drunk, but despite all that, they nicknamed her "The Bold" and she ruled over a relative golden age and ten years of peace at the end. Overall, not a bad run.

[BannedInSchool]

Possessed would do it. Nobody likes possessed people.

I liked her because she liked me. Then she also became a lunatic and got caught worshiping Hel. Then she died pretty much immediately in my dungeon and I had a big round of my least favorite part of the game, distributing titles and vassals.

[BannedInSchool]

First time I've witnessed a Crusade going for Constantinople. The Crusade was targeting me but then I forgot about it after it switched targets. Then I wanted a chunk of the Byzantine Empire on my side of the river, declared a Holy War (my Germanic HRE stretches from West Africa to Siberia), and before I even stepped foot in the territory they were surrendering because the war started with a 99% score in my favor, heh. Maybe I can squeeze in a Great Holy War for Sicily before Game Over.

[BannedInSchool]

[...] and before I even stepped foot in the territory they were surrendering because the war started with a 99% score in my favor, heh. Maybe I can squeeze in a Great Holy War for Sicily before Game Over.

Ha, ditto for the GWH. This is feeling too exploitative.

[BannedInSchool]

I was feeling pretty confident with my 180+ Personal Combat skill, but then the Wolf Warriors suggest I go duel a 47yo berserker lesbian with a 200+ score and 20+ Intrigue. I got lucky and won, then made her my Marshall (46 Martial).

[BannedInSchool]

[...] the Wolf Warriors suggest I go duel a 47yo berserker lesbian with a 200+ score and 20+ Intrigue. I got lucky and won, then made her my Marshall (46 Martial).

I gave her a border duchy so she could beat up on my neighbors for me, got mutual 100 opinions and became lovers, ha. Then I died, my heir had the falling-down-drunk event, became rivals with her, and she cut his face off in a duel.