Crusader Kings II Thread V: Umayyad Bro?

[Gnoman]

Unless they've changed it, park your spymaster in Constantinople. Whenever one is caught and executed, send the replacement to Constantinople.

[tonberrian]

Just remember to not pass Constantinople in all tech categories. As long as you have one category you're behind in you'll get the periodic 50 points in a random type.

Also, if you really want to tech up fast, join the Hermetic Society. All the Hermetic artifacts increase learning, and that increases tech gain in all categories. Soon you'll be swimming in tech points and be the single greatest center of learning in the world.

[tyckspoon]

Can you explain about this, how to implement it? I would like to improve my stuff for more money, soldiers, technology so i can get more stuff/done. in my games, i will put the chaplain, spymaster, steward, marshal in places to research technology of what they can. Is there a better way to do that?

Tech advances either by natural spread - provinces with lower tech sloooowwllly catch up to their neighboring provinces - or by accumulating and spending tech points. Tech spread is actually what the council jobs affect; they cause the province they're in to 'pull' more tech advancement. Having them perform the job in a location that is already more advanced has no additional benefit. Sending your Spymaster somewhere to try to steal tech also affects this, by causing the province the Spymaster is in to count as connected to your capital, so your backwater province in Nowhere, Ireland can share in the advancement of a cultural center like Constantinople. (Note that combining the separate council jobs can work - send your Spymaster somewhere you can learn from and set your other councilors to their research jobs to speed up the advancement you absorb from your Spymaster. I usually want at least the Steward and Marshal doing improve taxation and increase levies, tho.)

Tech points are accrued by independent Dukes and higher level titles, based on the ruler's Learning score. The income of them is modified by certain buildings (cities and temples can build schools/academies/universities and I think there's some of the Hospital improvements that improve tech gain), artifacts, and as mentioned Hermetic society benefits are basically all about Learning and tech gain. You can also get bursts of them from events; the most common, if you have a quality Spymaster, is triggered by having your Spymaster researching tech somewhere more advanced than you - they'll send home a letter detailing some specific advancement and you get +50 points in one of the three tech categories (this is worth like several years of 'normal' tech accrual, and with a nice high-Intrigue Spymaster can and will happen several times a year.) This is key to getting ahead of your age especially in early times, and will let you do things like unlock ships or have a useful number of Retinue troops long before the rest of the world has figured it out.

[Rockphed]

Tech points are accrued by independent Dukes and higher level titles, based on the ruler's Learning score.

Quick correction: all duke+ rulers gain tech points, even if they are landless. If you are farming patricians for trade posts, making them dukes or kings under you nets you the tech points they get as well as the other things that you can get out of them. If they had at least one title aside from their patrician house you also get their retinue (it might need to be count+ though).

[RayGallade]

I've started trying out the game since it is FTP now and bought the Dynasty starter pack. Does anyone in the Playground have suggestions on good guides to learn, if it is worth shelling out for the Royal collection, or if there are any specific DLCs that you think would be essential to experiencing the game.

I've tried an Ireland start at Mumu and felt completely lost trying to understand the mechanics of the game.

[SZbNAhL]

I've started trying out the game since it is FTP now and bought the Dynasty starter pack. Does anyone in the Playground have suggestions on good guides to learn, if it is worth shelling out for the Royal collection, or if there are any specific DLCs that you think would be essential to experiencing the game.

I've tried an Ireland start at Mumu and felt completely lost trying to understand the mechanics of the game.

If you already feel lost, don't buy DLC. All of them add additional mechanics, and your problem is that you can't deal with all the pre-existing mechanics yet. That said, when you feel you have a handle on things, my top five DLC (in no particular order) are:
1. Way of Life (allows you to pick a character focus)
2. Reaper's Due (beefs up the disease system, but also lets you build hospitals to make yourself more resistant to disease and introduces a prosperity system
3. Conclave (adds more mechanics for dealing with the council, as well as improving the education system)
4. Sons of Abraham (adds a lot of Christian mechanics, also unlocks playing Jewish rulers, although they barely have any mechanics and there are only two in the game)
5. Ruler Designer (lets you design your own rulers. Great for if you really want to play as a given realm, but their ruler sucks. Alternatively, see if you can be as successful as William the Conquerer if William had 2s in everything and was dying of syphillis).

As to how to get a handle on things in the first place, I'd recommend a) spending some time on the wiki and b) watching some let's plays on Youtube. I personally like Quill18 (who recently made his own tutorial, although I haven't actually seen it so I can't vouch for it), but tastes vary. The point is: it's easier to learn by watching than to learn by reading, and everything's less intimidating when you can stop and look it up in an exhaustive guide whenever you like.

[Gnoman]

You could also try screenshot LPs - there's a very good one (ignore the title, he continued the storyline into other games) on the LP archive, along with several others. They tend to be a bit outdated, but are good for the basics.

[russdm]

So, I restarted my Edmund Blackadder game. He was made the Duke of York and I gave him claims to parts of Wales and for kingdom of Wales. Then, I ended up using the cash and the fast construction cheats. Plus consoling away the king of Norway attacker.

First time that I restarted, I ended up getting usurped by William Duke of Normandy who won both times. So the second try, I ended up getting his norman culture.

Edmund has, when I finished playing: a second wife, since the first had affairs; he got 3 sons, Edmund, hugh, and maccus who is a bastard; I have taken some places in Wales and elsewhere, but had the chancellor help admin, so that removed two. Edmund is sitting at 9 out of 4 demense now. I am working on him getting all of Wales. I try to get some screenshots and create a thread for him

[russdm]

So, I guess people stopped playing? or just nothing more to say in this thread? Of any kind?

[JadedDM]

Oh, uh...well, let's see. I just became King of Burgundy today. So that was a thing.

[Artanis]

So, I guess people stopped playing? or just nothing more to say in this thread? Of any kind?

A bit of A, a bit of B. The forum being gone for several weeks didn't help.

[SZbNAhL]

My Jewish Ethiopian game's sort of stalled. The Catholics overran Byzantium and early Crusades let them take advantage of the Sunni/Shia war, so now they control everything North of me with nobody to weaken them (there are some Muslims in Russia and some Africans in Mali, but otherwise there are no non-Christians West of Persia). Doesn't help that Jerusalem and England were both inherited by the King of Italy, so all my holy sites belong to the most powerful person in the world and I can't convert counties with 40% moral authority, so I have to put down constant Sunni and African rebels. It's only a matter of time before the land on my borders goes to a less rubbish Duke who can successfully holy war me.

On the bright side, without any viable offensive wars I've been able to plough money into my underground city in Semien and upgrade/build new holdings everywhere, so I'll eventually be able to hire all the mercs at once. And still probably be weaker than my weakest neighbour.

[Rockphed]

My Jewish Ethiopian game's sort of stalled. The Catholics overran Byzantium and early Crusades let them take advantage of the Sunni/Shia war, so now they control everything North of me with nobody to weaken them (there are some Muslims in Russia and some Africans in Mali, but otherwise there are no non-Christians West of Persia). Doesn't help that Jerusalem and England were both inherited by the King of Italy, so all my holy sites belong to the most powerful person in the world and I can't convert counties with 40% moral authority, so I have to put down constant Sunni and African rebels. It's only a matter of time before the land on my borders goes to a less rubbish Duke who can successfully holy war me.

On the bright side, without any viable offensive wars I've been able to plough money into my underground city in Semien and upgrade/build new holdings everywhere, so I'll eventually be able to hire all the mercs at once. And still probably be weaker than my weakest neighbour.

At some point I am going to make a mod where defeating a religious rebel has a 1 in 20 chance of converting the province it started in to your religion.

[SZbNAhL]

At some point I am going to make a mod where defeating a religious rebel has a 1 in 20 chance of converting the province it started in to your religion.

There's an idea. In the meantime I may end up improvising an alternative with the console and a d20, because marching all the way across Africa* to stomp out a rebellion every other year is getting old fast.

*Perhaps what we really need is a mod that lets you build canals under the wonders system?

[Leecros]

So, I guess people stopped playing? or just nothing more to say in this thread? Of any kind?

I've been slowly working through the monarch challenges. Not really emotionally invested in them enough to talk about them. Most of them are kind of grindy and obnoxious outside of actually being challenging and fun.

[IthilanorStPete]

I've been over in Europa Universalis land to scratch my Paradox itch; haven't played CK2 in a while.

[Rockphed]

I've been slowly working through the monarch challenges. Not really emotionally invested in them enough to talk about them. Most of them are kind of grindy and obnoxious outside of actually being challenging and fun.

I like the ones where you have to conquer and hold a certain chunk of land (though holding Yemen for 100 years is turning out to be somewhat boring since I can't really expand the directions I want to easily (I mean I could take a county at a time off Syria (which used to be Egypt), but it is tedious and not very rewarding. And for a little while I could reliably take a duchy off Persia. Maybe I should have used an invasion on them to get all of Persia. Then I could be expanding every-which-way.

Also, Soccotra is the most annoying part of Yemen because it gets the stupid African rains events. I finally got sick enough of them that I gave an uncle the city, county, and duchy to make a vassal merchant republic. They'll increase the effectiveness of my coastal cities and won't spend too much effort trying to overthrow me and I don't have to deal with the stupid rain events. Which is the other mod I am considering.

Okay, so the mod that I really need to finish is my rewrite of the great works system to be more interesting. The big ones are figuring out how to have a great lighthouse wonder speed up ship traffic in adjacent sea tiles and changing the great fortress and great walls to be more obvious about which one does which thing (at present, great walls are better at both defense and increasing army size and grand palaces are the best for increasing retinues).

[IthilanorStPete]

I've been playing the ERE from the Alexiad start. Alexios himself died pretty young; I savescummed quite a bit until my heir was an adult and could inherit the empire, I didn't fancy becoming a vassal. Currently in a war with Persia for the duchy of Jerusalem, who's gobbled up Egypt, some of the remnants of Rum, and miscellaneous other land. I lost a major battle at the start of the war; hoping my second wave of forces + some mercs can turn the tide.

[Rockphed]

I've been playing the ERE from the Alexiad start. Alexios himself died pretty young; I savescummed quite a bit until my heir was an adult and could inherit the empire, I didn't fancy becoming a vassal. Currently in a war with Persia for the duchy of Jerusalem, who's gobbled up Egypt, some of the remnants of Rum, and miscellaneous other land. I lost a major battle at the start of the war; hoping my second wave of forces + some mercs can turn the tide.

The Alexiad start as ERE is remarkably fun. I just wish orthodox got coronations and crusades. And if you do lose the throne you should get a strong claim and be able to start a claimant faction. If you have a good heir you will probably even get lots of people joining to help you return the Komnenoi to the throne.

[IthilanorStPete]

The Alexiad start as ERE is remarkably fun. I just wish orthodox got coronations and crusades. And if you do lose the throne you should get a strong claim and be able to start a claimant faction. If you have a good heir you will probably even get lots of people joining to help you return the Komnenoi to the throne.

...you know, I only just now realized that there weren't any coronation events; wasn't even thinking of that during the succession. That does not make a lick of sense.

[Leecros]

Did somebody say the Alexiad?



Shameless Promotion aside, I too really like the Alexiad start. I wish that Sejluk was less powerful, but still offers some of the most variety that you don't really see from the 1066 start as far as what Great Powers arise.

[Vinyadan]

Did somebody say the Alexiad?



Shameless Promotion aside, I too really like the Alexiad start. I wish that Sejluk was less powerful, but still offers some of the most variety that you don't really see from the 1066 start as far as what Great Powers arise.

Lol, I thought you had translated the Alexiad and you were promoting the book

[IthilanorStPete]

Did somebody say the Alexiad?



Shameless Promotion aside, I too really like the Alexiad start. I wish that Sejluk was less powerful, but still offers some of the most variety that you don't really see from the 1066 start as far as what Great Powers arise.

Ah, the Hashashin, always good times. I had a Leon game where I was the emperor of half the Mediterranean, the foremost defender of Christendom...and two emperors were secretly Assassins.

[Leecros]

Ah, the Hashashin, always good times. I had a Leon game where I was the emperor of half the Mediterranean, the foremost defender of Christendom...and two emperors were secretly Assassins.

I really wish they had actual flesh out mechanics rather than being incredibly boring. I wanted to go out and actually have to do little assassination missions based on your stats not...Hide in your castle and be a little better at plots, but only really get access to a kidnap button and narcotics.

[Corvus]

The first dev diary on religion in CK3 came out and it sounds really impressive.

They even show a religion mapmode of my favourite part of the game world - Nubia/East Africa, and there is a lot, lot more going on there than in CK2. Plus it sounds like the Copts may now be on a more equal footing with other religions now, rather than a barely developed shell of a religion.

[Rockphed]

The first dev diary on religion in CK3 came out and it sounds really impressive.

They even show a religion mapmode of my favourite part of the game world - Nubia/East Africa, and there is a lot, lot more going on there than in CK2. Plus it sounds like the Copts may now be on a more equal footing with other religions now, rather than a barely developed shell of a religion.

The other three branches of Christianity never got as much love as catholicism. I wish they at least tried to pull living priests as the religious heads so you could get your relatives as religious head.

[Gnoman]

This sounds really impressive (and seems to address my single biggest complaint about CKII religion), but I wish they'd broken down that screen in even more detail. I'm not sure, for example, if the Marriage Doctrines are always those 4 categories, or if there's more possible options.

[russdm]

I think that it would be fun to be able to tweak the religions so that some spread more easily and some have a tougher time; also be fun to tweak how likely to convert away from a religion that the religion's members are.

Also, achievements for when you may eradicate a religion or manage to severely cripple one. That would be nice.

All of the options available for a religion is pretty cool. It's something that would be really nice to get in Crusader Kings 2, but I am not seeing that happen.

Looking forward to it. If there is a reason to buy and upgrade a computer or laptop, it would be for being able to play.

[tyckspoon]

I think that it would be fun to be able to tweak the religions so that some spread more easily and some have a tougher time; also be fun to tweak how likely to convert away from a religion that the religion's members are.

The base rates may be moddable, and I would expect there are some tenets or other aspects of the religions that adjust that - for example a religion with something like 'Missionary tradition', 'Syncretism', or 'Ecumenical' tenets would probably spread easier.

[PopeLinus1]

Not going to lie, I don't actually care about how actually good CK3 is... or for that matter, CK2, I just want to play as the pope.






Hmm what name should I take as pope. I think... Linus.