Welcome to The Few Good Men

Thanks for visiting our club and having a look around, there is a lot to see. Why not consider becoming a member?
Register

My first experience with Crusader Kings II

Bulletpoint

Bulletpoint

FGM Lieutenant
FGM MEMBER
Joined
Oct 10, 2017
Messages
1,976
Reaction score
1,524
Age
44
Location
Danmark
First impression:

"The map looks kind of ugly"

Second impression: (5 hours into tutorial):

"This is getting seriously complicated now"

Third impression:

"I must thwart the faction of nobles that got angry because I raised their levies for too long in order to reconquer Spain and now demands I change the kingdom's succession laws into an electoral monarchy as a pretext to get rid of me, but I can't send my spymaster to foil their plot, because the leader of the faction *IS* my spymaster!" o_O
 
This game is very, very detailed. You can really get down into the weeds of the feudal system. One of my daughters has this game and it seems to have a lot to do with dynastys and building a great house through war, marriage and plots. A lot of political / court intrigue etc. There is also the building of armies / navies and going to war. However war does not have to be the primary way to move up the ranks from a count to an emperor. I've played less than 10 hours. Just enough experience with the game so I can have discussions about it with my daughter since she really likes it. I probably don't have the time or patience for all this game has to offer. Some interesting stuff.
 
MOS:96B2P said:
This game is very, very detailed. You can really get down into the weeds of the feudal system. One of my daughters has this game and it seems to have a lot to do with dynastys and building a great house through war, marriage and plots. A lot of political / court intrigue etc. There is also the building of armies / navies and going to war. However war does not have to be the primary way to move up the ranks from a count to an emperor. I've played less than 10 hours. Just enough experience with the game so I can have discussions about it with my daughter since she really likes it. I probably don't have the time or patience for all this game has to offer. Some interesting stuff.
Click to expand...

Yes, the game is exactly as you describe it. Based on the hours I put in so far, I can safely conclude your daughter is very bright.
 
This is a great game, very immersive. One of the things I really like was the shift in perspective playing as a lowly count surrounded by greedy Dukes and powerful Kings.

The other thing I really liked is that it ignited an interest in English & European medieval history for me. Over the last few months I've been absorbing dozens of documentaries on the Plantagenets, the War of the Roses, the Peasants Revolt, the rise of Protestantism, the Black Death etc. It's amazes me that we ever moved beyond the Fuedal system!
 
One thing that fascinates me about this game is the claims system. You can't just steamroll your neighbours and take their land. Well, you can, but only if you have a valid claim to own those lands. Doesn't matter how much land you occupy when peace is signed; you only get to keep what you can claim. Since claims can be inherited, that makes family relations very important. You can forge claims, but your neighbours don't exactly like it, and you can only forge claims for one county at a time.

Another thing that I find very interesting is that your vassals are on your side, but they are also your enemies. As a king, you have to find ways to keep the dukes down, maybe even tax them, but they don't like that. The king's hold on power can be extremely weak, despite holding a big kingdom in theory.
 
Last edited:
To quote from the new Netflix show 'The King'

"A King has no friends, only followers and foe. You must choose your steps wisely for they have their own Kingdoms behind their eyes".

There are stories which unfold in this game which wouldn't look out of place in a historical chronicle of real events.
 
I looked up that Netflix show "The King". It seems like a cool show. I think we'll be watching it in the next week or so.
 
Josey Wales said:
This is a great game, very immersive. One of the things I really like was the shift in perspective playing as a lowly count surrounded by greedy Dukes and powerful Kings.

The other thing I really liked is that it ignited an interest in English & European medieval history for me. Over the last few months I've been absorbing dozens of documentaries on the Plantagenets, the War of the Roses, the Peasants Revolt, the rise of Protestantism, the Black Death etc. It's amazes me that we ever moved beyond the Fuedal system!
Click to expand...

Been reading up a lot on medieval history ... Crusades, 100 Years War etc ... amazing how different it was -- no nation states or centralised empires, just networks of sometimes overlapping allegiances, fiefdoms and relationships that held kingdoms and domains together.
 
Rico said:
Been reading up a lot on medieval history ... Crusades, 100 Years War etc ... amazing how different it was -- no nation states or centralised empires, just networks of sometimes overlapping allegiances, fiefdoms and relationships that held kingdoms and domains together.
Click to expand...

Yep, that's my complaint about film drama's which fail to comprehend such things (as well as fail to acknowledge the rigidly stratified social classes of medieval times). "Kingdom of Heaven" was narrative garbage whereas "Arn, the Knight Templar" is very good. History was brutal. Politically correct sanitized story telling does it poor service.
 
Bulletpoint said:
First impression:

"The map looks kind of ugly"

Second impression: (5 hours into tutorial):

"This is getting seriously complicated now"

Third impression:

"I must thwart the faction of nobles that got angry because I raised their levies for too long in order to reconquer Spain and now demands I change the kingdom's succession laws into an electoral monarchy as a pretext to get rid of me, but I can't send my spymaster to foil their plot, because the leader of the faction *IS* my spymaster!" o_O
Click to expand...

Maybe if your daughter marries your spymaster...
 
Does anyone have a suggestion for videos that address this complexity of shifting allegiances and fiefdoms of the time? Im trying to educate myself until CK3 arrives.
 
Ive heard that series has annoying historical inaccuracies. Id rather go for the docudramas here.
 
@olaf I only watched part of the first video but it seems well done. A lot of interesting stuff in history. My favorite subject in school back in the day.
 
Josey Wales said:
This is a great game, very immersive. One of the things I really like was the shift in perspective playing as a lowly count surrounded by greedy Dukes and powerful Kings.

The other thing I really liked is that it ignited an interest in English & European medieval history for me. Over the last few months I've been absorbing dozens of documentaries on the Plantagenets, the War of the Roses, the Peasants Revolt, the rise of Protestantism, the Black Death etc. It's amazes me that we ever moved beyond the Fuedal system!
Click to expand...

I agree. I started playing CKI years ago and have fond memories of that game. It rally boosted my interest in Medieval History which before that was limited to Ancient and Dark Ages. Still haven't had time time to really sit down and play CKII like I want too.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top