Crusader Kings II

[spud131]

I've started watching some tutorials for this (since it's free) looks like my type of game but looks totally overwhelming and the small part of the tutorial I've played so far hasn't helped!

[NotThePars]

2 minutes ago, spud131 said:

I've started watching some tutorials for this (since it's free) looks like my type of game but looks totally overwhelming and the small part of the tutorial I've played so far hasn't helped!

Ck2 and Europa are the easiest to grasp but 3 does have the best tutorial and explainers as you play. I will say that it is a game that does reward you being clueless with having a really fun time in a way that Hearts of Iron or Victoria don't. Marrying your heirs far and wide can be a great way to end up in some strange parts of the map.

 

I think my very first game of two I spent 100 years slowly trying to expand my duchy in southern Italy before I lucked into becoming the Basileus of the Byzantines which promptly exploded and left me holding half of its former lands as the Despot of Syria. No idea what I was doing.

Edited December 19, 2020 by NotThePars

[madwullie]

20 hours ago, RandomGuy. said:

Started this last night. Earliest time setting, went as the Starks obvs.

Completely forgotten how to play the game so decided to ally with strong families first. Targaerayns denied my request to marry their son with my daughter, obviously as they want to keep it in the family, so went to the Lannisters instead.

Married my daughter to their heir, then started a plot to kill their king(?). 3 days later my son in law gets eaten by a fucking dragon and I think my plot has been uncovered.

Great stuff. Now facing a huge war I have no idea how to do

Not played 2 but its the stories that you can create that make these games. The way events seem to domino into each other and you end up with the most complicated but believable tales of succession and betrayal that could easily be out of a history book - the seemingly insignificant event that snowballs  and suddenly your once stable entire empire is utterly fucked just because you made one decision to jail your nephew for trying to execute your maw about 10 years ago. Fucking love it. 

Edited December 20, 2020 by madwullie

[RandomGuy.]

10 hours ago, madwullie said:

Not played 2 but its the stories that you can create that make these games. The way events seem to domino into each other and you end up with the most complicated but believable tales of succession and betrayal that could easily be out of a history book - the seemingly insignificant event that snowballs  and suddenly your once stable entire empire is utterly fucked just because you made one decision to jail your nephew for trying to execute your maw about 10 years ago. Fucking love it. 

Yeah its amazing how quickly things can unravel.

Went the High Chief of Moray. Virtuay second in command to the King of Scotland.

Part of a war against Norsemen and on course to take over the North of Scotland with the King, and I'm his heir. I then die, just days before the King does.

New King doesn't join me in the war so I get my arse handed to me with a rookie ruler.

We lose Moray and I'm left with just Buchan as we have so few men and the new moron King has started attacking England. 

Then my second ruler dies of shame apparently, and I'm left as a 1yo ruler with a war on both sides, no army, and a king who seems to hate me

Edited December 20, 2020 by RandomGuy.

[RandomGuy.]

Ended the night as King of Scotland, with a wee bit of Italy too, all through marriages/assassinations

Absolutely mental.

[RandomGuy.]

On 20/12/2020 at 23:43, RandomGuy. said:

Ended the night as King of Scotland, with a wee bit of Italy too, all through marriages/assassinations

Absolutely mental.

Managed so solidify Scotland, from Caithness down to Fife. I have Galloway, but England have Clydesdale/Lothian.

I've taken the Isle of Skye, and taken Ulster to make an inroads into Ireland too, but terrified the English get pissy and attack, I can only da with one attack at a time, and their army seems to be fucking massive.

Edited December 27, 2020 by RandomGuy.

[NotThePars]

8 hours ago, RandomGuy. said:

Managed so solidify Scotland, from Caithness down to Fife. I have Galloway, but England have Clydesdale/Lothian.

I've taken the Isle of Skye, and taken Ulster to make an inroads into Ireland too, but terrified the English get pissy and attack, I can only da with one attack at a time, and their army seems to be fucking massive.

Your best bet is to stack some cash. I usually get myself up to about a thousand gold in savings then spend any extra on buildings to increase levies and taxes so you can keep the loop going. After that you need to hope England dissolves into civil wars where you can hopefully gobble up counties and/ or get some good alliances. The latter aren't worth relying on though.

[RandomGuy.]

7 hours ago, NotThePars said:

Your best bet is to stack some cash. I usually get myself up to about a thousand gold in savings then spend any extra on buildings to increase levies and taxes so you can keep the loop going. After that you need to hope England dissolves into civil wars where you can hopefully gobble up counties and/ or get some good alliances. The latter aren't worth relying on though.

I, possibly, made a major mistake and turned Feudal. Only have about 400 coins when I done it. Was to get away from Gavelkind as it looked like my 60yo stressed King was about to die and everything would be ripped apart.

Now got a tiny army until I build everything up again.

My King did die not long after, but my Kingdom stayed in place. Had a wee uprising from one of my sons (now brother) who'd been moaning about me moving away from Gavelkind, but hired mercs and battered him. Then Venice arrived in Scotland as part of a war they started for my wee part of Italy.

With my weak army I didn't bother fighting it, just surrender that County and then grated it Independence, war over, not my problem anymore.

Slow progress but army slowly building up again. Seem to make far more money being feudal too.

[NotThePars]

On 28/12/2020 at 08:58, RandomGuy. said:

I, possibly, made a major mistake and turned Feudal. Only have about 400 coins when I done it. Was to get away from Gavelkind as it looked like my 60yo stressed King was about to die and everything would be ripped apart.

Now got a tiny army until I build everything up again.

My King did die not long after, but my Kingdom stayed in place. Had a wee uprising from one of my sons (now brother) who'd been moaning about me moving away from Gavelkind, but hired mercs and battered him. Then Venice arrived in Scotland as part of a war they started for my wee part of Italy.

With my weak army I didn't bother fighting it, just surrender that County and then grated it Independence, war over, not my problem anymore.

Slow progress but army slowly building up again. Seem to make far more money being feudal too.

Aye turning feudal is definitely short term pain for long term gain. The worry is you're so fucked in the short term that England comes in and takes most of your country. How did you get on?

[RandomGuy.]

31 minutes ago, NotThePars said:

Aye turning feudal is definitely short term pain for long term gain. The worry is you're so fucked in the short term that England comes in and takes most of your country. How did you get on?

Got attacked and survived, thanks to creating an alliance with France and Germany who both pretty much won me a war against some Scandinavians.

England did attack before I could get near the strength I'd been at though, and even with France and Germany joining me (only for the start, after their first defeats both vanished) I pretty much got stomped by them, so that was game over for me.

No idea how you beat England as Scotland tbh, they start off with an army 4x times bigger, and it's not as if Ireland/Wales are big enough to help.

Got a claim on their throne amazing early, so with Germany/France/an Irish King, and a county down in England, plus a 2.5k tribal army, to take them on right at the start before they get ridiculous. 

Still lost comfortably. 

Started again with Scotland and married into the English line straight away, going from heir to heir building alliances, now they're my mates.

Edited December 29, 2020 by RandomGuy.

[G51]

9 minutes ago, RandomGuy. said:

Got attacked and survived, thanks to creating an alliance with France and Germany who both pretty much won me a war against some Scandinavians.

England did attack before I could get near the strength I'd been at though, and even with France and Germany joining me (only for the start, after their first defeats both vanished) I pretty much got stomped by them, so that was game over for me.

No idea how you beat England as Scotland tbh, they start off with an army 4x times bigger, and it's not as if Ireland/Wales are big enough to help.

Got a claim on their throne amazing early, so with Germany/France/an Irish King, and a county down in England, plus a 2.5k tribal army, to take them on right at the start before they get ridiculous. 

Still lost comfortably. 

I found the best way was to go through Scotland, Ireland, Wales in that order, then get an invasion CB on England and wait for them to go into a war/come out of one then take as much land as you can grab. If you get enough (south of Yorkshire should be enough) then you should have enough.

[NotThePars]

13 minutes ago, RandomGuy. said:

No idea how you beat England as Scotland tbh

 

13 minutes ago, RandomGuy. said:

Started again with Scotland and married into the English line straight away, going from heir to heir building alliances, now they're my mates.

That's one way! Aye, it's basically either marrying into them and inheriting England or it's RNG that they implode into civil wars that you can take advantage of. The only way I can stave off powerful invaders if putting enough dosh away to hire a ton of mercs, stomp their armies and march down and peace out before the coffers run dry. Winning by conquest is a slog though and will likely take decades minimum. 

[RandomGuy.]

49 minutes ago, G51 said:

I found the best way was to go through Scotland, Ireland, Wales in that order, then get an invasion CB on England and wait for them to go into a war/come out of one then take as much land as you can grab. If you get enough (south of Yorkshire should be enough) then you should have enough.

I seem to constantly get attacked by the Norse folk you have in Scotland right at the start, and by the time I've dealt with that and get claims on Ireland someone one that Island has claimed most of it. So frustrating 

48 minutes ago, NotThePars said:

 

That's one way! Aye, it's basically either marrying into them and inheriting England or it's RNG that they implode into civil wars that you can take advantage of. The only way I can stave off powerful invaders if putting enough dosh away to hire a ton of mercs, stomp their armies and march down and peace out before the coffers run dry. Winning by conquest is a slog though and will likely take decades minimum. 

Yeah doubt I could ever manage that, so trying the different route. Sort of hoping England go for France, I can start a war in the North of England and call Germany into that, and they'll be so stretched out that I can take a couple of counties before getting a truce.

[G51]

21 minutes ago, RandomGuy. said:

I seem to constantly get attacked by the Norse folk you have in Scotland right at the start, and by the time I've dealt with that and get claims on Ireland someone one that Island has claimed most of it. So frustrating 

Yeah doubt I could ever manage that, so trying the different route. Sort of hoping England go for France, I can start a war in the North of England and call Germany into that, and they'll be so stretched out that I can take a couple of counties before getting a truce.

 

Might be worth seeing what marriages you can get in Ireland as soon as possible. Key is to just get a foot in the door as quickly as possible before the lad controlling Cork and Kerry swallows up the rest of it.

 

[spud131]

Watched a fair few tutorial/beginner guides on YouTube before I actually started playing this. Been playing for a couple of afternoons now and have to say, I still don't have a fucking clue what's going on.

[RandomGuy.]

On 30/12/2020 at 00:50, spud131 said:

Watched a fair few tutorial/beginner guides on YouTube before I actually started playing this. Been playing for a couple of afternoons now and have to say, I still don't have a fucking clue what's going on.

I played it solidly over my Christmas break and had zero idea, telling myself it's all about the story so getting things wrong makes it more interesting

[NotThePars]

On 30/12/2020 at 00:50, spud131 said:

Watched a fair few tutorial/beginner guides on YouTube before I actually started playing this. Been playing for a couple of afternoons now and have to say, I still don't have a fucking clue what's going on.

 

6 hours ago, RandomGuy. said:

I played it solidly over my Christmas break and had zero idea, telling myself it's all about the story so getting things wrong makes it more interesting

This is absolutely the best way to play it. I hated folk saying it to me but it's true that it's fun to lose at this game as you can end up going down strange and bizarre paths.

Feel free to ask any Qs in here tho and we can try and help!

[G51]

2 hours ago, NotThePars said:

 

This is absolutely the best way to play it. I hated folk saying it to me but it's true that it's fun to lose at this game as you can end up going down strange and bizarre paths.

Feel free to ask any Qs in here tho and we can try and help!

Fully agree with this. Play enough of it and keep fucking up, and one day you too can be king of both Jerusalem and Scotland.

[sergie's no1 fan]

I don't know how folk feel about cheating but if you hit the button above tab and type in cash you get 5000 coins any time you do it.

Same with piety and prestige.

I would never do such a thing, especially when you can hire as many mercenary armies as you like to crush the English....