Crusader Kings II Challenge - An Empire Divided

[Monk]

The year is 1205, the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade

Western crusaders have betrayed their Byzantine allies. Originally called to take the pressure off the failing Empire and give her a much needed respite, the Latin Knights have instead turned on Constantinople and brutally sacked the city. Greece and the entire western remnant of the empire falls to these foreign invaders. Under this immense pressure the Byzantine empire fragments completely, leaving behind numerous succeesor states dotting asia-minor. All the while, powerful forces await on the bounderies. The Sultanate of Rum's star rises as the heirs of Rome fall from grace.

This is a time of peril and uncertainty. With the old roman lands divided more than ever before, the people look to you for guidance. They look to you for leadership and to lead them to a new age. Three rulers. Three destinies. The only question you must answer is: Who will you be?

The First Crusader Kings II Challenge

Hosted at the Arena of totalwar.org

This will be a challenge open to any member of this site, member or moderator, who owns Crusader Kings II. The challenge is this: Take one of the successor states, or direct rivals of, the Byzantine empire and claim your rightful place as the legacy of Rome. For this scenario we will be using the January 1st, 1205 start date, and will focus on only factions from Asia minor. Our map looks like this:



In order to declare yourself the ultimate victor, and truly take your rightful place as the successor of the old glories, you must reach the de jure extent of the old eastern Empire which are shown below.



Doing this will cement your legacy for all time, and even though your enemies may curse your name, they will never doubt your place in history.

But why take part in such a challenge? I love this game quite a bit and Paradox has been going a fun route with their DLC. So far, everything has either been nonessential or purely cosmetic. So i got thinking one day while waiting for a hotfix, you know, i bet some people have passed on all this DLC.

The 1205 scenario is one i've been looking at since the game has launched, and have failed at many times as i attempted to do exactly what I described. So i wondered if Orgahs could out do me. And to sweeten the pot, I decided i'd buy all the currently released DLC for the one who did it the best.

THE RULES

1. Only a start date of January 1st, 1205 can be used.
2. Usable factions: Latin Empire, Byzantine Empire, Sultanate of Rum
3. No mods allowed! The only modding you are permitted to do is modding the ability to play as the Sultanate of Rum
4. No custom characters from the ruler designer. Let's keep it historically plausible.
5. You are permitted to try as many times as you wish.
6. This challenge will be open from the time of this posting until May 20th, 00:00 GMT. The winner will be judged on a number of factors detailed below.
7. No cheating! No console commands may be used other than fow commands, which I do not consider to be cheating. This is supposed to be fun more than anything.
8. Participants will be required to submit a final save game state as well as screenshots as proof of their deed.
9. Participants will be required to recap key events in their rise to power for their fellow members in the style of an AAR. Said AAR does not have to be extravagant! However, this is about fun, and what's more fun than showing off how you rebuilt Rome in a weekend? You are highly encouraged to share the your exploits in this thread. Be they victories, or defeats!
10. Participants must use the newest patched state of the game: 1.05.
10.1 Hotfix version doesn't matter, but in order for me to load your saves to check your games, you need the newest patch.

How to win

Players will have their final entry judged on a number of factors.

*Completion - You are tasked with claiming all the de jure counties as they are shown in the above screenshot.

*Time - Your speed is important. A player who unites the old empire in two hundred years is more impressive than one who did it in three hundred.

*Players will be ranked on an ongoing "scoreboard" with the highest three participants obtaining a prize from myself at the end of the challenge. The prizes available are detailed below.

*Players may submit multiple entries but only "their best" will be considered for prize distribution. They may pick which entry they wish to be in the running, and change their minds any time before the deadline.

*In the event no one achieves the final goal of a full ressurection of the empire players will be judged on who got the closest.

Prize information:

First Prize: All currently purchasable DLC for Crusader Kings II. This includes the entire soundtrack bundle, Mongol Portraits, Historical Coat of Arms, and the Ruler Designer DLC.

Second Prize: A choice between the complete soundtrack bundle or the Ruler Designer DLC

Third Prize: Your choice of any one of the following: One CKII song pack, Mongol Portraits, Historical Coat of Arms.

Major Factions:

Decide your destiny. Who will you be?

The Latin Empire:

You are Henri van Vlaandeen and you rule your newly forged empire from Constantinople. The lure of the ancient city was too much for you and your men to resist, and rather than defend the failing glory of Rome, you siezed it for yourself. You control all the former lands of the the old empire west of the Aegean with the exception of the Despot of Epirus, who has risen up as independant in defiance of you.

Already you and your men are facing problems. You lack any lawful claim to the lands you rule. You are a foreigner in every way you can think. You are a bastion of catholicism in a land of orthodoxy. Your vassals range from Frankish counts to german dukes, and their former leiges are eager to ursurp their vassal's newly won titles from you. Your military is exhausted from the long march from Central europe, and while you can gather a sizable host, you are surrounded by your betters.

And to those you must contend with who question your right to rule..? To the dungeon with those traitors! Each and every one! All that matters is the right of conquest. In the old tradition of Caeser himself: might shall make right. You will reforge the legacy of the Empire into a new image - the image of the european knight.

The Byzantine Empire:

Betrayal! Thieves! Destroyers and usurpers curse them!

You are Theodoros Laskaris, Emperor of Nicea and the Aegean islands. You are the lawful heir to the legacy of the Roman empire, ruling your nation in exile after the betrayal of the Latin crusaders stole the jewel of Constantinople from you. As the lawful leader of the failing empire, it is no one's right but your own to see the old glories restored. With a centuries old decline and your power weaker than it's ever been, however, that goal looks more like a dream with each passing day...

Your military is strong but you are surrounded by enemies abroad and restless vassals from within. Your nobles are furious at the lost of the ancient city, and many have taken to openly questioning your authority. But all is not lost. You have many lawful claims on your rivals. If you could solidify your power at home you could quickly expand and steal away many lands from the other powers in the region. But after your defeat and exile, can you really expect the other powers to simply allow that to happen?

Only someone chiseled from the same stuff as the Emperors of old could ever hope to push the Latin usurpers out of greece while keeping the Sultanate of Rum at bay.. Is that you?

The Sultanate of Rum

*

You are Kaykhusraw the Seljuk, amused that the follies of your enemies has turned into a boon for you. Having struggled with the failing Byzantines for almost a century now, the Sultanate of Rum has only ever gotten more powerful while her enemies grown weaker. Now, the fabled crusaders of the west having betrayed their allies, your age old enemy is the weakest she's ever been.

Boasting the greatest army of asia-minor, your court at home is largely in order. Only your brother dares to challenge your authority but his supporters are few and far between. You have many claims which fall upon both your enemies in Nicea and those in Egypt. This is your time, the time of the Seljuk dynasty to once and for all see this battle to it's conclusion. The old glories of Rome can never be restored by those who claim to carry on its honor. They are too weak and not at all worthy of such an honor.

The legacy of Rome deserves a stronger successor! A successor who will surpass its ancient glories and build a new future, not one who will attempt to emulate what simply cannot be again. But even now your enemies plot to block your rise to power. Calling you infidel and heathen - you will face many challenges as you seek to build this new future, not the least of which may be another crusade. Do you have the strength to overcome? Your vision of the future demands you do no less.










*I want to apologize to our Turk fans out there. I couldn't find a coat of arms for the Sultanate so I used one provided by the game.

[Monk]

^ Rankings are closed. ^

See page 4 for the final standings.

[rickinator9]

I will enter as the byzantine empire! This will be easy.

[johnhughthom]

I'll give it a whirl as the Latin Empire. Nice of you to give us a month, Monk, I probably won't have time to start until after the weekend.

[Monk]

I'll give it a whirl as the Latin Empire. Nice of you to give us a month, Monk, I probably won't have time to start until after the weekend.

I'd like to formally wish everyone who takes up this challenge good luck! This is one of my absolute favorite start dates in the game, and I hope after getting a taste it becomes that way for you too.

Good hunting.

[Arjos]

Allāhu Akbar!

Started as Rum ^^
I'll try to remember to take pics while playing, usually I get going and completely forget about it XD

[Beskar]

I am tempted to ragequit my game... had partial AAR up too. That KoJ whatever it was crusade really messed up my investment.

[Voigtkampf]

I approve of this awesome endeavor!

[rickinator9]

Maybe agree upon having normal difficulty?

[Monk]

Maybe agree upon having normal difficulty?

The scenario is hard enough on it's own. Normal difficulty is what I would expect players to attempt it on, but if they want to be sadists and try something higher that's okay too.

[johnhughthom]

I assume that CK2 doesn't have the original's curious difficulty settings, where the game was actually easier on higher levels due to suicidal AI?

[Monk]

I assume that CK2 doesn't have the original's curious difficulty settings, where the game was actually easier on higher levels due to suicidal AI?

Not that I am aware of, but I have not experimented in great detail with the difficulty settings. If it becomes too much of a problem I can amend the rules to include an agreed upon difficulty setting.

[frogbeastegg]

:throws hairpin at the topic, fastening it to the wall: Pinned for the duration, as requested

I usually place CKII as a sandbox where I spend a generation or two messing around with small goals, I don't do the large-scale wars very often. This idea's interesting enough that I might take a shot at it. I expect I will die horribly due to inexperience!

[Arjos]

Rise of the Saljūqiyān-e Rūm

After the power struggle with his brothers, Kaykhusraw I, confident on the manpower he managed to unite under his leadership, launched two massive campaigns to the north and south of the anatolian plateau.

The lightning speed of the operation, crushed the Kingdom of Armenia Minor and crippled the Empire of Trebizond. Eager for more victories and exploiting the Jihad called by the Ayyubid Sultan of Egypt against the remnants of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, Kaykhusraw ordered all the transport vessels available in his few greek domains to assemble at Antioch. There the land army occupied the Principality and split in smaller forces, sailing for Cyprus and Krete.

Thanks to the naval experties of his newly conquered subjects and the loot lust driven soldiers, in mere 10 years, the roman muslim gained a most valuable fleet in the Mediterranean.

With the sunni star rising, some divine intervention occurred: Egypt fell into a regency with an infant sitting the throne and the christian world, shocked by the lost of Ascalon, plunged into fratricidal wars.

The seljuq sultan couldn't believe his luck and hastily rallied his armies to expand his grip in Mesopotamia and the Aegean.
Starting to address himself as the new sword of Allah, with dreams (or rather hybris) of godhood, Kaykhusraw I was struck down in battle as a reminder to all that Rum is but carrying on Allah's will.

The war was long and costy, but nevertheless won, the new sultan Kayqubad I was then held responsible for the prolonged conflict and the Beyliks of Armenia Minor and Antioch raised the banner of rebellion.

Showing great experties in the field and charisma, Kayqubad defeated them and pardoned their crimes; in a speech, he then reminded everyone how united and fighting against the infidels, they all shone in glory: it was time to show the powers of old that their time has come and that Rum will be the bringer of peace and prosperity!

Southern Anatolia and the Aegean were further secured, a foothold near the Caspian Sea was established, the overgrowing Beylik of Armenia reminded of his duties to the Sultan and Trebizond, with its empire only in name, was brought under rumite protection.

Kayqubad succeeded in bringing to life his father's vision: securing Anatolia and appointing friendly Beyliks at its borders. Now it was time for Kayqubad to take the roman empire, which he felt was rightfully his by right of conquest. Attacking both Latin and Nicean forces, the Sultan was hailed as "the Great", his was the real power.

With ever-expanding manpower at his disposal, Kayqubad the Great's eyes fell on Epirus and desire to bring all Romans under his rule, but a life of excesses and his costant presence on the battlefield (with all the injuries that come with it) demanded their toll and Kayqubad died, leaving his 11 year old son with a regency and the looming shadows of mongol invaders closing in.

[Monk]

And it begins.

Arjos, you may be the furthest along in this challenge as we head into the first weekend. Very well done! To be honest I was afraid no one would even get close to completing my challenge. But with the lawful empire nearly destroyed and a sizable realm, you look to be well on your way. Impressive.

I can only guess that those huge sums of money has come from the insane amounts of loot and ransoms your victorious troops have won for you. However, it looks like the Horde are coming dangerously close to your borders. Beware flying too close to the sun!

[rickinator9]

Not so fast Arjos, I'm catching up to you!

Edit: Do you not spend that money on buildings and 'settlements'? They will help in the long run.

[Arjos]

Do you not spend that money on buildings and 'settlements'? They will help in the long run.

I know, but really they were pretty advanced already from the start date...
I'm saving them for extensive building in Thrace (soon I'll take over Constantinople and I will move capital), there I will max out everything (even though the Latin Empire was kind enough to do that for me :P)...

That money will come in handy in the "mercenary stacks" wars to come with the Mongols :D

I can only guess that those huge sums of money has come from the insane amounts of loot and ransoms your victorious troops have won for you.

Indeed: looting and pillaging is the life for me ^^
Although Anatolia is quite a money maker, in 1205 each region has a large castle city and they literally mint gold!

[Beskar]

Well, when my wife dies and my ruler dies, I should be ahead as I will have Kingdom of Sicily!

[The Stranger]

how do you mod to play the muslims? i can make them playable but there are no women?

Arjos when you started, were there any muslim women?

[rickinator9]

Byzantine Empire

Last year, a group of crusaders came to the gates of our beloved capital, Constantinople. We wanted to welcome them with gifts and escort them to their destination. Yet they attacked and mercilessly slaughtered thousands of our people. They set up their own empire, the so-called Latin empire, disrespecting our old heritage.
Now a year later, our empire is on the verge of collapse. As if the loss of Constantinople wasn't enough, Trebizond, Epirus, Krete and all of Bulgaria have declared their independance under their foolish leaders. The traitorous Latin Empire now controls Thrace, Macedonia and Greece.

Basileus Theodoros I

The new Basileus, Theodoros I, wanted his empire back. He would need to destroy the Latin Empire to do that. His enemies were strong, but divided. Theodoros began the reconquest by taking Lesbos from the Venetians. It was taken very quickly, as Venice was facing vassal rebellions at the time. After a while, Epirus declared war on the Latin empire. Taking the opportunity, Theodoros declared war on the Latins too. He wanted to take Achaia, which was still unscathed by the crusaders. The crusaders couldn't muster enough men, and they still had to deal with peasant rebellions. Achaia was now restored under Byzantine authority.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The Turkish Sultan, Kaykhusraw I, alarmed at renewed Byzantine success, declared war on the Empire. However his war would come to a sudden stop as Kaykhusraw himself was captured in battle. He was forced to pay around a thousand gold pounds to get his country out of the war. As a punishment for the war, the infidel was executed.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

It was quite the dilemma to choose to ransom or execute this guy. I executed him for roleplay purposes.

In the chaos that ensued, Theodoros declared war on the Turks. He wanted to connect Cibyrrhaeot to his Empire. The turks had to accept peace treaties in favor for Theodoros. Theodoros died a few months after, leaving his young son, Alexios IV, on the throne.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Basileus Alexios IV

Alexios IV didn't quite deserve his name. He retook Thrace from the Latins, but the subsequent war on the Turks proved disastrous. He married the Duchess of Epirus and she gave him a son. He died, maimed from a assasination-retaliation to ensure his offspring would rule the Duchy of Epirus. He left his throne to his zero year old son, Theodoros II.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Thrace is now Byzantine again!


Sixteen year regency! Gotta love this game!

[The Stranger]

are ricki and arjos the only ones playing atm? im currently 15 years into the challenge but i keep forgetting to make screenshots. i hope its not a problem :P

are you allowed to use exploits?

[Monk]

@The Stranger

are ricki and arjos the only ones playing atm? im currently 15 years into the challenge but i keep forgetting to make screenshots. i hope its not a problem :P

Besker has a game going and john has stated his intention to begin sometime this weekend. Others have also expressed tentative interest and "maybes" but so far we have four confirmed entries. You will be our fifth contestant if you decide to join.

I would like you to have screenshots, yes. Even if its only one every few years. It helps us gauge your growth and make sure you're not cheating.

how do you mod to play the muslims? i can make them playable but there are no women?

Open the religions.txt file and add the line "playable = yes" to any religion group you want to play as. This will let you play as the Sultanate of Rum. As far as I am aware girls are regularly born to Muslims, but most rulers of that religion run under "agnatic open" succession, which means only males may inherit. You are unlikely to see a female ruler come to power without serious reform.

are you allowed to use exploits?

That would defeat the spirit of the rules and fall into line with rule 7, no cheating. I would like this event to not only be fun for you, but to challenge your skills as a player. This is one of the hardest (and more interesting) start dates I've played yet, you should try it without breaking the system before you "have at it" as it were.



@rickinator9

Impressive start but looks like you hit a run of bad luck! Ah, them's the breaks my friend. Here is hoping you can keep it together during the regency. On the upside you've already recaptured Constantinople! I can feel it. The Empire will be made whole again



@Tiaexz @Arjos @johnhughthom

I'd like to bring to your guys' attention a little surprise I have cooking. Special "events" will unlock in this thread once players have accomplished certain tasks. Think of them as fluff prizes that everyone can enjoy. Good luck everyone. I won't be checking this thread until tomorrow so if you have any questions send me a PM.

[Arjos]

Arjos when you started, were there any muslim women?

It was a sausage fest indeed XD
I married an english courtesan with amazing stats to get my dynasty going...

[johnhughthom]

It was a sausage fest indeed XD
I married an english courtesan with amazing stats to get my dynasty going...

Did you mod that in?



Thinking modern meaning of course, being good equal opportunities players we should call male and female courtiers.

[The Stranger]

so what counts as an exploit?

Early on i killed my wife 2x to get some extra money from the marriage of my next wife :P does that mean my game is now invalid? :S

i dont think exploits is cheating, its just bit gamey but clever none the less

[The Stranger]

Sultanate of Rum

1205


1206


1216


1225

[Monk]

so what counts as an exploit?

Early on i killed my wife 2x to get some extra money from the marriage of my next wife :P does that mean my game is now invalid? :S

Oh no, as long as you are doing things that are working as designed by the developers and working within the confines of the game, that is perfectly reasonable. While it makes your king quite an evil , that is fine. You can always claim the Henry the VIII defense afterall



When you said "exploit" i thought you meant taking advantage of a broken mechanic over and over to spawn infinite money/troops or something.

[The Stranger]

It was a sausage fest indeed XD
I married an english courtesan with amazing stats to get my dynasty going...

meh i invited a debutante to court :P

[The Stranger]

Oh no, as long as you are doing things that are working as designed by the developers and working within the confines of the game, that is perfectly reasonable. While it makes your king quite an evil , that is fine. You can always claim the Henry the VIII defense afterall



When you said "exploit" i thought you meant taking advantage of a broken mechanic over and over to spawn infinite money/troops or something.

it kinda is a broken mechanic in some cases. i can kill my wife for -50 and remarry a new one for +200 :P

but i only did it twice, though i could do it ad infinitum. whenever i run out, i invite a new debutante for 100 and i would still make 50 on each new wife.

[Monk]

it kinda is a broken mechanic in some cases. i can kill my wife for -50 and remarry a new one for +200 :P

but i only did it twice, though i could do it ad infinitum. whenever i run out, i invite a new debutante for 100 and i would still make 50 on each new wife.

You could get just as much if not more money from constant conquering, looting and pillaging provided you don't put any money into your provinces. If you get insanely lucky by capturing nobles you can easily make thousands a year. Take a look at Arjos' treasury in his first screenshot to see what I mean, crazy stuff.

It does, however, strike me as gamey and a little cheap, but I don't feel it's an exploit. Your current game is still valid of course. Though, I would prefer you didn't outright abuse it going forward.