I've been attacked many times. It's all about the player being vulnerable, which we tend not to be for very long.
I had a messy succession as Ireland (eventually inherited Hereford, but my son was raised in the wrong castle and that led to trouble), England immediately DoWed me for Cornwall. In prior Ireland games I've lost Ulster, early, to a unified England. The trouble is that players set about both becoming strong and making the obvious enemies weak. As Ireland, England typically isn't strong enough to take me for too many years. One bad English civil war, I join the fun, and I'm in pretty good shape.
Heck, I've seen Game Over when the Infidels romped through France and I was the vassal of a crappy HRE (I had tried to stay Count for a long time on purpose)(failed). My Doomstacks were even doing well against them, but the Emperor gave my lands away regardless.
I had a messy succession as Ireland (eventually inherited Hereford, but my son was raised in the wrong castle and that led to trouble), England immediately DoWed me for Cornwall. In prior Ireland games I've lost Ulster, early, to a unified England. The trouble is that players set about both becoming strong and making the obvious enemies weak. As Ireland, England typically isn't strong enough to take me for too many years. One bad English civil war, I join the fun, and I'm in pretty good shape.
Heck, I've seen Game Over when the Infidels romped through France and I was the vassal of a crappy HRE (I had tried to stay Count for a long time on purpose)(failed). My Doomstacks were even doing well against them, but the Emperor gave my lands away regardless.