Crusader Kings II

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

Sword of Islam Dev Diary 3

http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/...am-Dev-Diary-3

TL;DR:
Will be released on the 26th, not next week
Muslims will expand faster, have big civil wars
Characters with military education will get additional traits that apply only to battles
More culture-specific buildings

Modding news with 1.06:

http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/...up-for-Modders

TL;DR:
Muslims won't be moddable to be playable without the full-blown expansion (workaround is to make new religion group but it will be limited to the old Catholic/Pagan mechanics)
They added a script option to set dynasties to intermarry to simulate Targaryan family planning :D

[rickinator9]

That intermarrying bit will be helpful for portraying the Ptolemies. Or I will just write an event where you can marry a sister.

[Double A]

That intermarrying bit will be helpful for portraying the Ptolemies. Or I will just write an event where you can marry a sister.

Or you could just marry your half sister.

[Monk]

Sword of Islam Dev Diary 3

http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/...am-Dev-Diary-3

TL;DR:
Will be released on the 26th, not next week
Muslims will expand faster, have big civil wars
Characters with military education will get additional traits that apply only to battles
More culture-specific buildings

Modding news with 1.06:

http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/...up-for-Modders

TL;DR:
Muslims won't be moddable to be playable without the full-blown expansion (workaround is to make new religion group but it will be limited to the old Catholic/Pagan mechanics)
They added a script option to set dynasties to intermarry to simulate Targaryan family planning :D

I like it. A lot. If the decadence trait is as limiting as paradox makes it sound, this might go a long way to limiting the lethality of Muslim powers. Or at least put a stop to their out of control blobbing in Iberia. Hopefully. if not, nothing a little modding wont fix.

[Hooahguy]

I cant find a good nation to start with. Someone suggested a ruler in Ireland, but it seems very hard to manage. I dont want to do one of the HRE states since its so huge and I often get embroiled into many small wars.
Any ideas on a a good beginner state?

[Kekvit Irae]

I cant find a good nation to start with. Someone suggested a ruler in Ireland, but it seems very hard to manage. I dont want to do one of the HRE states since its so huge and I often get embroiled into many small wars.
Any ideas on a a good beginner state?

Try a nation far away from Muslims until you get a feel for war. Castille is pretty fun to play, but they are too close to the Moors (and Leon) to be even remotely peaceful. I suggest a Scandinavian or a Western European country, like Denmark or Scotland. They have a reasonable powerbase and their economies aren't dead.

[Hooahguy]

Try a nation far away from Muslims until you get a feel for war. Castille is pretty fun to play, but they are too close to the Moors (and Leon) to be even remotely peaceful. I suggest a Scandinavian or a Western European country, like Denmark or Scotland. They have a reasonable powerbase and their economies aren't dead.

Ill try for a Scandinavian one. Last time I picked HRE. Found myself fighting 3 wars within a few months, got so distracted I couldn't concentrate on internal affairs.

EDIT: Tried Scotland. My half brother revolted against me. Initially defeated him in one big battle but now England joined the fight? Cant seem to end that war which Im bound to lose since Im hopelessly outnumbered, and Im surrounded and without new levies.

[Kekvit Irae]

EDIT: Tried Scotland. My half brother revolted against me. Initially defeated him in one big battle but now England joined the fight? Cant seem to end that war which Im bound to lose since Im hopelessly outnumbered, and Im surrounded and without new levies.

Sue for peace. Even if you lose territories, England is so messed up at the start that you can just wait a few years and it will be completely fragmented from in-fighting, ripe for the picking.

[Hooahguy]

So I should surrender? Interesting option. So I looked to do that, and it seems I have to surrender to my half brother, even though I'm winning that war. Would England count as his mercs? Not sure how to placate the invading English. Or maybe they aren't English at all?
Also is there a way to remove him before all of this starts, to nip it in the bud? Dang I need to read into this more.

[The Stranger]

That intermarrying bit will be helpful for portraying the Ptolemies. Or I will just write an event where you can marry a sister.

its done mainly for the GoT mod XD

[The Stranger]

So I should surrender? Interesting option. So I looked to do that, and it seems I have to surrender to my half brother, even though I'm winning that war. Would England count as his mercs? Not sure how to placate the invading English. Or maybe they aren't English at all?
Also is there a way to remove him before all of this starts, to nip it in the bud? Dang I need to read into this more.

dont surrender. surrendering will make ur brother king. go for a white peace if youre losing if not try to enforce demands! hire mercenaries if needed, or kill the english king by plot, this will end the alliance with him and ur halfbrother thus taking england out of the war

[Hooahguy]

So I started a new game as the ruler of the county of Desmond in Ireland, and Im actually doing well. Spent my time arranging marriages for myself and my children. Dealt with a disloyal minister (I have no real vassals- yet) but I havent killed him yet so I need to do that. Sitting by the sidelines as the two states above me are tearing each other apart, while trying to marry into the family of the state which has the obvious upper hand.
As for marriages, made a mistake marrying non-Irish people for me and my eldest son. Should I go back and undo that? I was looking for supplemental traits, not family connections as it seems I should have. But I have two other sons and a daughter so hopefully I can start uniting Ireland under my rule eventually.
Damn this game is fun once you get the hang of it.

[The Stranger]

it doesnt really matter what culture u marry, its the guardian of ur child that decides what culture ur child will become. different religion is a problem however.

you can marry either for skill of ur wife or for her family (aka alliances or claims). I usually use marriage to peacefully expand (by marrying a female ruler to yourself or eldest son) or to get claims which i will later press by force.

[Hooahguy]

I see. Also whats with Casus belli? I have eyes on my neighbor and I sent my guy in to fabricate claims over a year ago, and so far nothing. I even assassinated the other ruler, but still, nothing.

[Kekvit Irae]

I see. Also whats with Casus belli? I have eyes on my neighbor and I sent my guy in to fabricate claims over a year ago, and so far nothing. I even assassinated the other ruler, but still, nothing.

Hover over the Fabricate Claims button on your councilors, you'll see that it's ~10-15% per year (caps at a skill of 13, unless you use a mod). You're going to be waiting a long time if you go that route. There are quite a few ways to get a Casus Belli against someone, but not as much as EU3, sadly.

[Hooahguy]

What are the other ways? The manual and tutorial wasnt clear.

[Kekvit Irae]

What are the other ways? The manual and tutorial wasnt clear.

Invite someone into your court and then press claims, holy wars if the ruler isn't of your religion, de jure claims if you own 50% of a duchy or a kingdom, asking the Pope On A Rope for permission to invade, etc...

http://crusaderkings-two.wikia.com/w...%28types_of%29

TL;DR: Don't think like a Total War player. Think like a golddigger who married an old guy for his inheritance.

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

After murdering his children.

[Hooahguy]

Invite someone into your court and then press claims, holy wars if the ruler isn't of your religion, de jure claims if you own 50% of a duchy or a kingdom, asking the Pope On A Rope for permission to invade, etc...

How would I invite them into my court? I dont see that option. As for the other options, I dont have them. I dont have a de jure claim, they are the same religion, and I cant ask the pope either. Im not a vassal of any kind, and nor have they been excommunicated.
I might just have to wait.
In other news, my first ruler died, his competent son took over. Then he had his two half brothers killed.
Fun!

[Kekvit Irae]

How would I invite them into my court? I dont see that option. As for the other options, I dont have them. I dont have a de jure claim, they are the same religion, and I cant ask the pope either. Im not a vassal of any kind, and nor have they been excommunicated.
I might just have to wait.
In other news, my first ruler died, his competent son took over. Then he had his two half brothers killed.
Fun!

Click on a county you desire, click on the heraldry, then click on Claimants. You'll see a list of people who have a legitimate claim on them. You can invite them to your court, if they like you enough. Just make sure you make them a vassal first, otherwise your pressed claim will result in the noble becoming independent.
Barring that, your best bet is just to wait until your councilor fabricates a claim (save up your gold; it aint free).

One sneaky way of doing things the Crusader Kings way is to marry into the family. Set up your daughter for a matrilineal marriage (so all children born will be of your dynasty), then wait until a child is born, and the murder the everloving crap out of anyone who is the county's heir, including the unfortunate husband. That county (or, if you're lucky, kingdom) will now be your grandchild's. From there, just wait until that child becomes your heir and you're on the way to de jure claims.

[Hooahguy]

Ah, I see.

So my chancellor finally whipped up a CB. Declared war, and seeing as they just got out of a lengthy war, Thormund (sp?) fell easily. I then usurped the "Dutchy of Munster" title, then went about taking over the county next to it. I now own most of southern Ireland. Also killed the former Duke of Munster, and I have eyes on the new guy to kill him too. I gotta replace him with someone who likes me. I still have no sons, so my daughter is next in line. Not sure what to do about that. I set my goal to be have a son, but we will see how that goes.

This game is really fun, glad I bought it.

[Greyblades]

Click on a county you desire, click on the heraldry, then click on Claimants. You'll see a list of people who have a legitimate claim on them. You can invite them to your court, if they like you enough. Just make sure you make them a vassal first, otherwise your pressed claim will result in the noble becoming independent.
Barring that, your best bet is just to wait until your councilor fabricates a claim (save up your gold; it aint free).

One sneaky way of doing things the Crusader Kings way is to marry into the family. Set up your daughter for a matrilineal marriage (so all children born will be of your dynasty), then wait until a child is born, and the murder the everloving crap out of anyone who is the county's heir, including the unfortunate husband. That county (or, if you're lucky, kingdom) will now be your grandchild's. From there, just wait until that child becomes your heir and you're on the way to de jure claims.

Or you could rely on the fact that almost every family in a region is intermarried and just keep murdering the everloving crud out of the poor schmucks who inherit the title until one of your family comes up.

[Hooahguy]

Alright so my second ruler died after 8 years of ruling at the age of 37, leaving his 6 year old heir to rule in a state of chaos. I hate it how most of your ministers leave when the ruler dies. I had a fantastic ministry and now I'm in the process of rebuilding. My current ruler is now 10, so in a few years he will come of age and marry the daughter of the neighboring duchy. Then I kill off the other heirs of that duchy and I will inherit all of it. Provided my guy lives that long.

UPDATE: Ruler came of age, married into the Duchy of Meath, who then declared war for an unknown reason, and we wiped the floor with them. Split Meath into half. Meath ruler (well, his heir. We killed his dad) kept half, my wife took the other half for herself. When we have a child it will all belong to him. Or her. Right?

Also can someone tell me what those checkered and solid lines mean after you finish a siege on an enemy area?

[Kekvit Irae]

Alright so my second ruler died after 8 years of ruling at the age of 37, leaving his 6 year old heir to rule in a state of chaos. I hate it how most of your ministers leave when the ruler dies. I had a fantastic ministry and now I'm in the process of rebuilding. My current ruler is now 10, so in a few years he will come of age and marry the daughter of the neighboring duchy. Then I kill off the other heirs of that duchy and I will inherit all of it. Provided my guy lives that long.

UPDATE: Ruler came of age, married into the Duchy of Meath, who then declared war for an unknown reason, and we wiped the floor with them. Split Meath into half. Meath ruler (well, his heir. We killed his dad) kept half, my wife took the other half for herself. When we have a child it will all belong to him. Or her. Right?

Also can someone tell me what those checkered and solid lines mean after you finish a siege on an enemy area?

As I've said before, unless you are using a specific mod, councilor skills cap at 13. Anything more is wasteful and gives no additional benefit, so just look for people with councilor ambitions and assign them. In fact, it's better if you don't assign your best military guy to the council since you'll be able to lead troops on the field with your 16+ skill vassal and have someone else in the ~13 skill range do councilor jobs.

If you married your wife using a normal marriage, your kid will be of your dynasty and inherit your wife's holdings once she dies. Matrilineal marriage means the kid will be of HER dynasty, which is NOT a good thing if you are a male ruler, but a very good thing if you are a female rule.

The stripes indicate occupation. Occupied holdings provide no income or levies, and contribute to the amount of war score you have (how reasonable the other ruler will be to accept your demands). You'll need to occupy EVERY holding in a county for it to not spawn levies, since holdings are independent of a county. IE: A county has a castle, a town, and a church. You occupy the castle, and leave for another county. The opponent will still be able to raise levies against you using the town and church, but not the castle.
Please note that "occupy" does not mean the same thing as "taking control." It simply means more war score and no levies to annoy you. Taking over a county is entirely dependent on the Casus Belli you have. If you choose to White Peace, everything goes back to the status quo before the war broke out, with nobody gaining or losing territory (which, other than the enemy losing prestige and/or piety, is the reason why you want this if you are on the defensive).

[Hooahguy]

Got it.

And is there any way to prevent wars occurring between your vassals? Thormond and Ormond went to war. Didnt have too much implication, besides my spymaster getting killed. Then I had to execute the winner since he then rebelled. I then went to war against the people who sound like Lannister. Took them over with at first a fabricated claim, then I used a de jure to take the other one since it wasnt included in the cease-fire. So now I own most of southern Ireland, with my wife owning another 3 counties, and our son, when I and my wife die, will own all of southern Ireland 9its a normal marriage).
Man this game is fantastic, really sucks you in, even if it can get a bit messy at times.

[Kekvit Irae]

Got it.

And is there any way to prevent wars occurring between your vassals? Thormond and Ormond went to war. Didnt have too much implication, besides my spymaster getting killed. Then I had to execute the winner since he then rebelled. I then went to war against the people who sound like Lannister. Took them over with at first a fabricated claim, then I used a de jure to take the other one since it wasnt included in the cease-fire. So now I own most of southern Ireland, with my wife owning another 3 counties, and our son, when I and my wife die, will own all of southern Ireland 9its a normal marriage).
Man this game is fantastic, really sucks you in, even if it can get a bit messy at times.

If you are king, you can set your Crown Authority to Medium (or higher) will prevent vassal in-fighting. This has to be set for all kingdoms you own, not just your primary one.

[Hooahguy]

Im a Duke, so I guess I cant really do that. But I suppose once I unite Ireland Ill be a king?

[Kekvit Irae]

Im a Duke, so I guess I cant really do that. But I suppose once I unite Ireland Ill be a king?

You'll be king sooner than that. You only need 50% of the de jure counties to create the kingdom. It'll cost you a fair bit of gold, but it is SO worth it.

[Hooahguy]

Sweet. Now Im totally going to play more instead of doing my Logic homework.

UPDATE: So once again a vassal rebelled. This time France and England joined in. Pretty hard. Had to raise mercs to stay afloat and even then it was very tough. I chased off the foreign armies while capturing the rebelling lord. I promptly executed him. I also captured the King of England and a host of English commanders in battle. Ended up killing one of them for the heck of it, then ransoming the others. When that was all said and done, I betrothed my 12 year old daughter to the King of Scotland. Not sure what that will do but we will see. My eldest son came of age which means I cant marry him off (I forgot to set a betrothal before). Maybe Ill marry him off to an English lord and go from there. Now Im just waiting for my wife to die. Or make me more babies.

Now that I think about it, this game is kinda for psychos.

[Kekvit Irae]

Now that I think about it, this game is kinda for psychos.

Now you're thinking with portals.