Question!

[caravel]

I have just started using -ian, and was wondering how do you access other factions? I can't seem to control the spanish or russians. I was also wondering what else you can do and wondering what the keys are for them.

To access the other factions use CTRL+<no.> or SHIFT+<no.>, there are loads of other options which I rarely use such, and many others that I've forgotten. The 'a' autoruns the campaign and the # key, I think, places your faction completely under the AI. 's' turns off the following of AI movement, 'g' reveals the entire map. If I can think of any more I'll post them up.

<no.> = numbered key, e.g. 1,2,3 etc.

My other questio is is how the "gaining regions through marriage" thing works.

Basically if your princes marry a foreign princess then you may gain some claim on their lands if their faction leader dies without an heir. This is a rare occurrence, and I believe happiness in your own provinces is a big factor, but not the only factor. I have seen happen it twice, maybe three times, in years of playing this game. The first time was as the English where I had inherited the Danes' provinces. The other one or two occasions I cannot remember which factions were involved. I'm sure I've posted about one of them here before, but I doubt I'll be able to find it.

[Kavhan Isbul]

Also, I believe you need to be in peace or even allied to the disapppearing faction. It is pretty difficult and conquering the provinces the standard way might be a lot easier.

[ULC]

Thanks for the info on the -ian command line

The main Reason I was asking was that I had a theory based on a earlier thread, in that AI factions do not regard using assassin's and spies as aggressive actions because of the inherent use of the princess, which essential works as a higher valour emissary. If the use of such agents was considered agressive, then inhereting another factions lands would become more of a game of chance, and also make the princess nearly useless.

This is only a theory, and is working under the pretense that you can't inherent another factions lands as long as your at war with them. feedback on this idea would be great as I'm hoping to mod it so that this is more prevalent.

[Martok]

This is only a theory, and is working under the pretense that you can't inherent another factions lands as long as your at war with them. feedback on this idea would be great as I'm hoping to mod it so that this is more prevalent.

Just so you're not wondering at all: You are correct that you have to be at peace with another faction in order to inherit their lands. If you go to war with a faction, you will never acquire their lands through marriage.

[caravel]

The main Reason I was asking was that I had a theory based on a earlier thread, in that AI factions do not regard using assassin's and spies as aggressive actions because of the inherent use of the princess, which essential works as a higher valour emissary.

Martok is right, there must be a state of peace in order to inherit lands. I don't think an alliance is necessary but if you are at war no.

Subterfuge does not count as aggressive acts. And you cannot discover which faction killed your agents/generals. If you catch rival assassins in your provinces you will occasionally be informed of the identity of his employers, or the suspected identity as the parchment calls it ("he was believed to be working for the..." etc). These are assassins (or spies) that are caught by the border forts or counterspying agents. Such assassins/spies may not have been targeting your agents/generals but may have been simply passing through. If one of your agents/generals does fall to an assassin you won't know who he was working for as he will have escaped. You can guess, but it is not revealed in black and white, nor are there any repercussions or an "international incident" of any kind. The same goes for the AI. It too will not know which faction is sending spies after it's agents/generals, so you can assassinate at will without any worries of it harming diplomatic relations, starting a war, breaking an alliance or anything else. Subterfuge in MTW is on an almost entirely invisible level.

[Caerfanan]

This opens something new. Do you need to have your actual king married to the princess to inherit, or any of your jeirs married will give you rights?

'cause I'd love to try destroying a royal line with assassins and then claiming the lands. So medi-evil!

[drone]

Never had it happen to me, but someone here has said that it must be either your king or heir (and the heir must take the throne) that marries the princess. Basically the princess must become your queen.

[Caerfanan]

Never had it happen to me, but someone here has said that it must be either your king or heir (and the heir must take the throne) that marries the princess. Basically the princess must become your queen.

But must she be the actual queen or does she only need to be a potential queen?

Oh, anyone knows if it's possible to know if your kiing is married to a princess coming from another faction?

(I should try to keep track of this of it's not possible)

[Deus ret.]

It's not possible, you'll have to take care of this yourself.

Sometimes you can even arrange a marriage when the heir has already become king but is still unmarried. You only have a couple of turns for that, though, before he weds a young lady from the gentry.