Maybe a Principality (Duchy) like Kiev or Novgorod. I just want a nice safe corner where I can just mess around a bit and get comfortable with the game.
King of Norway for my first game, maybe. Looks like the north is independent, and you start in a difficult war where you'll have to beat both saxon England and William. And then comes the kicker: Send your heir to be raised by a norse pagan! When I get tired of that game, I'll either load up as a different ruler in some interesting area in the save, or do something new. Could be a good learning game.
I'd also like to start as the Duke of Apulia, rack up piety beating the sicilian/arab states in Sicily, hire the Hospitalliers and/or the Templars, and conquering and forming the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Keep it till I can change from gavelkind, then give it to a gifted 3rd son or something, or Bohemond if he's still alive at that point, and continue as him. Then push until my glorious crusading blob reaches from the Horn of Africa to Persia to Greece.
Or Barcelona --> Aragon --> Sicily and Sardinia --> Jerusalem, Greece, etc.
Another one: Duke of Toulouse, and then embrace Catharism!
1135 (The Anarchy): King Stephen
King of Norway for my first game, maybe. Looks like the north is independent, and you start in a difficult war where you'll have to beat both saxon England and William. And then comes the kicker: Send your heir to be raised by a norse pagan! When I get tired of that game, I'll either load up as a different ruler in some interesting area in the save, or do something new. Could be a good learning game.
I'd also like to start as the Duke of Apulia, rack up piety beating the sicilian/arab states in Sicily, hire the Hospitalliers and/or the Templars, and conquering and forming the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Keep it till I can change from gavelkind, then give it to a gifted 3rd son or something, or Bohemond if he's still alive at that point, and continue as him. Then push until my glorious crusading blob reaches from the Horn of Africa to Persia to Greece.
Or Barcelona --> Aragon --> Sicily and Sardinia --> Jerusalem, Greece, etc.
Another one: Duke of Toulouse, and then embrace Catharism!
Who knows which character I'll really end up with as my first game. I want to play them all..
Edit:
Nope, you can arrange a Matrilinear marriage now that keeps the mothers dynasty for any children. So Matilda is fully playable.