Crusader Kings 2 night

[flyingdutchman]

I've been playing this a LOT more recently and the Paradox learning curve is starting the upswing as I get the hang of game mechanics and minor objectives. I thought now might be a good time to get a few more posts up about the game since I've noticed some of you also playing more frequently.

I would still like to know what thoughts you have on succession based on experience? What use have retinues been to you? What areas/timeperiods are you playing? Thoughts on marriage arrangements?

I'd love to hear your successes and not so successes.

[flyingdutchman]

P.s. thanks for that previous reply. It's been a big help.

[Boss Llama]

I would still like to know what thoughts you have on succession based on experience?

Not sure if I'm correctly getting what you're asking, but my basic policy is "kill your children until the one you like best will inherit." This is especially important if the current heirs have mental or physical deficiencies, or other undesirable traits. You can limit undesirable traits by acting as guardian for your own heir and spare, to ensure you get the say on how they come out. Also, if your first spouse had nothing to pass along (happens frequently if you don't get control of your ruler until after they marry), and you can remarry somebody with serious prospects for your mutual children, there's nothing wrong with eliminating your entire original family in favor of combining the claims of yourself and your second spouse in a new batch of kids. I control most of western Europe at present thanks to doing this repeatedly.

What use have retinues been to you?

50,000 free troops of my own selection on permanent station at my border. HRE can't touch me.

What areas/timeperiods are you playing?

Started at the beginning. Currently control all of the modern UK, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, and France, along with the entire game-period kingdoms of Italy, Jerusalem, and Tangiers, with the Duchy of Iceland, part of Croatia, and some other tidbits thrown in.

Thoughts on marriage arrangements?

Nothing more important. Research far and wide to find the right matches, and pursue them relentlessly. If your optimal partner is married/engaged, kill their partner and jump in ASAP, to minimize number of other children you'll also have to liquidate to ensure all succession is through you.

[Boss Llama]

Other useful/fun notes:

1)Use succession crises on your borders as opportunities to easily expand at minimal cost. This is especially easy if there are territories that are de jure yours, but which are controlled by other rulers. Wait for a succession crisis to hit when the main leader is a minor or a female, and when the territory attacks that leader for independance, jump in to help them win. When they win, offer them a place in your country, and they'll 99% accept. If a succession crisis doesn't seem too likely, manufacture one with assassination. Children are easier to assassinate than adults, so first option is to kill the anticipated heir to put a less-desirable one in place that will spark the crisis. This tactic is a great way to expand rapidly, and makes paying for the creation of titles you don't control all the lands of quite worthwhile.

2)If you find your king old and decrepit, or otherwise obviously on the brink of death, that's the time to pass your unpopular laws. Raise crown authority, raise taxes, and if for some reason you don't have primogeniture succession, put it in place. Everybody will hate you, but then you quickly die and your new king gets all the benefits and none of the hate. Do these raises even if you don't want to keep them - when the new guy inherits, you can make one of your first acts lowering crown authority or lowering taxes back to where you wanted them in the first place. That makes everybody love you, and you lose nothing - smooths the transition a great deal.

3)If you have a vassal or courtier who is heir to a title you don't control, give them/make sure they hold a title from you that is at least equal to the title they will inherit. If you do this, when that vassal inherits, you will gain control of their new land. If you don't do this, they will leave your court and take any titles they had from you with them. Example:
- Let's say your vassal the Count of Eu is heir to the Duchy of Holland, which you don't control. When that vassal inherits Holland, he will not only leave your court for Holland, he will take Eu with him, and you lose control of it.
- On the other hand, take that same Count of Eu, and before he inherits Holland, grant him the Duchy of Normandy, which you do control. Now when he inherits Holland he stays with you, and you gain control of Holland as well. It's good to keep a spare duchy or county around for this, even if there is an opinion hit, for things like this.

4) When creating new rulers from Courtiers, at any rank from baron to king, make sure they don't have claims on any territories you hold (unless it's the one you're granting them), and don't have the ambitious trait. Even the lowliest baron will launch a civil war to claim whatever they think they should have, and the ambitious trait is so disproportionately broken in its opinion penalty that you can spend half your national budget bribing ambitious vassals not to launch the War of the Roses in the middle of your investiture ceremony. Seriously - kill or demote anybody with the amibitious trait.

5) Got a vassal that's just a thorn in your side, and you can't afford to kill them the usual way? Make them the leader of every military group you can. Every time there is a peasant rebellion, send them at the forefront. Use tiny units that can't possibly win. Do so repeatedly. They'll get maimed or killed soon enough.

[flyingdutchman]

5) Got a vassal that's just a thorn in your side, and you can't afford to kill them the usual way? Make them the leader of every military group you can. Every time there is a peasant rebellion, send them at the forefront. Use tiny units that can't possibly win. Do so repeatedly. They'll get maimed or killed soon enough.

This is all practical information that I've not mastered yet and the point above is ESPECIALLY cruel and fantastic.

The big thing that I have been trying to improve upon is getting land into my demesne without having to fight for it. I have read blogs and watched videos but they've not been as clear and concise as the points that you just made. It will help me considerably with my attempts to marry people off as well.

So far in my most recent game I have started as Earl of Leinster in 867, died in 2 years and in 2 generations am King of Ireland with genius trait and married to a born in the purple Greek with a claim on the Byzantine Empire that will be passed on. I also have a claim on Burgundy and Lotharingia from my mother. I think that there will be a lot of work to be done to try to kill off enough people to get either of those to work out. My main concern right now is the bloody Skots, that's right, with a "k". The Norse are thick around these parts and are firmly entrenched in the Highlands. I hope to be able to push my way into Wales and Essex and Mercia through any means. I have also thought to get a foothold on the mainland. I feel like I'm in a much better position tactically to do that now.



I had also JUST been given the nickname "Ill-Ruler" due to being Arbitrary. It doesn't seem to do anything negative for me aside from being a less-than awesome nickname.

[flyingdutchman]

a good thing and bad thing about this game:

I was tired and not thinking well when I was playing so when the Pope sent me money to fight the heathen I was surprised and excited. After his gift I was able to Create the King Title. I was so excited that I didn't think to change my ambition to "Become King of Ireland" so I lost out on that +1000 prestige. At least the Pope keeps sending me money to press my de jure claims on the rest of the Kingdom.

You can also see my Chancellor fabricating claims in Wales on the right there.


edit: My previous question about retinues was based on a lot of confusion. After watching a video on the subject I realized that my demesne isn't large enough to utilize them yet. That was why I was confused. I saw all of the info for them in my tabs but I wasn't able to do anything with them yet.