Most interesting regions/'nations'/starts?

The Duke of Apuila is quite an interesting start, your a norman lord with some greek and italian vassals, with the chance to strike africa and sicily

Well, I would say fun comes from Challenge. And sadly, Challenge tends not to be fun as a new player. At least, not too much challenge.

For dates, I recommend the starting date. There are many areas that start off quite nicely. The Normans in Sicily are a good start, although if you bought the Ruler Designer I would suggest using it. The starting lord is rather... old, and he has children. A common tactic for unifying the Kingdoms of Sicily and Italy is to marry Duchess Matilda of Tuscany who owns most of Central Italy. That way your children will inherit both. You also have the ability to conquer the island of Sicily from the Muslims quite easily, and can swear fealty to the Kaiser for protection. Although you are de jure Byzantine territory.

Another safe place to start is Denmark. It's a powerful and rich kingdom with ample room for expansion into the Baltic with holy wars. Or conquer the Swedes. That's always a good option.

Lastly, you could start off somewhere in France. France is a powerful state and can easily defend itself, but the Kingdom may not be the best place to begin. One tactic would be to start as the Duke of Brittany who is independent. You can either try and form the Kingdom of Brittany (go conquer Ireland or something, all you need is 2 ducal titles), or swear fealty to France and conquer it from the inside.

I'll also note that Ireland tends to be the best place to start as a new player, but again it's not very easy to expand since Scotland can rival you and England can crush you.

Oh, you've already played a few games.

Well, maybe try for Iberia? Loads and loads of Muslims.

Or create Super-France after Iberia has fallen to the Muslim hordes. That's always fun.

Convert the Holy Lands to Norweigan playing as the Duke of Orkney, without claiming the Throne of Norway, or becoming independant before Jeruselum is yours. Fun RP game but a little rough to hold off and stick the your rule set.

Places where there are a lot of heathen heads to bash.

One of the Russian duchies is always a fun game: you can try and form the Kingdom of Rus, then go for the Cumans or Finland. Of course, eventually the Mongols come and start messing things up, but that just makes things more interesting.
Another good start, although quite challenging, is the kingdom of Georgia. You have to try and survive surrounded by Muslim states eager to destroy you and the very powerful Byzantine Empire, who can be a valuable ally, but also dangerous if it gets claims on your land.
You could also try Croatia: I haven't really played seriously as them yet, and I don't know what possibilities for expansion they have, but you could do some interesting things like going after the kingdom of Italy or even Sicily, especially of it falls to the Muslims.

Wales (any of the Duchies or Counties) and then try to form England with it.

And the Latin Empire starting August 1st, 1204 is an AMAZING play through.

I've had the most fun starting as the Count of Forez and Lyon...the de Forez family. At 1066 they start with two little counties so forming the Duchy of Dauphine is quite simple just need to save the money and then start gathering land to Form the Kingdom of Burgundy.

Its a bit challenging though as you fall under the HRE and your two starting areas border France, so can be a bit scary at times...but its definitely been my most fun playthrough thus far.

With pagans on. All answers from 1066 start, because I haven't experimented much with other dates, although I probably should.

Duchy of Uppland. Usurp the Swedish throne and bring back the Norse religion from the brink of extinction.
Any of the baltic pagans, although I've had the most success with Prussia. Again, small religious group and religious enemies nearby, but loads of holy wars.

(Note that if you're not playing a mod that gives pagans holy wars, these are a fair amount less fun. Fabricating claims + no marriages = dull. Though maybe vanilla does too by now? Haven't played it in a while.)

For Christians:

Duchy of the Western Isles. Bring the Norse-Gaels to glory, good starting position, not too big or too small. Lots of Irish to whack, or you can go after Scotland before long - you'd be one of its biggest duchies. Far enough away that England isn't an issue unless they do really well. Only issue is that you're literally on the edge of Europe, and any heathens are very far away if you want to crusade.

Duchy of Toscana. Can do a ton of scheming within the HRE and kick around the Pope and Apulia/Naples. Not too far from Spain or North Africa either; I grabbed the crown of Aragon crusading. Though I rebelled and got crushed that game.

I suggest looking at the map in the game and finding your impression there, really. You can look up the starting rulers on wikipedia to enhance your knowledge of the background of your game. Don't be beholden to any fixed ideas.

But if you really want suggestions:
-Brittany (duchy)
-Wales (possibly even kingdom)
- Bohemia (duchy, later kingdom, first independent then under the HRE, depending on the year you start)
- Hungary (large kingdom which is not France)

should all be interesting IMHO.

Guessing by your location, you may be familiar with British history, which should make the lesser dukes and counts/earls of the British Isles appealing to you. I'd look at various parts of Scotland then, e.g. the Duke of the Isles, historically title varied from king to lord, the guys were the ancestors of the MacDonald clan, maybe Mann, maybe whichever Scottish duchy you like best. Depending on your inclination, either Saxon or Normal nobles, perhaps not the top of them but mid-tier. Or, again, depending on your inclination (who you identify with), you could do the obvious and either repeat (as William) or defend (as Harold) the Conquest and go from there. I suppose a Godwinson England could be interesting but then so could a Hwicce one (powerful Saxon nobles up North). If you identify with the Welsh, then that'd also be a nice obvious choice.

Or you could look for someone in your genealogical tree (or just google/wiki with the surnames from family or friends until you find an earl, not really so important if you're actually related, you can just pretend) to play if you can find the data if you could go as far as tracing a Norman earl somewhere. Or play the liege of an ancestor of yours. Or just the guys who ruled the land where you hail from. Somebody with a connection, simply put (for me, I could find one in Kiev, for example, although I'm not Russian myself, or I could go for some count in Saxony that my piss-poor friend with a fancy surname is descended from).

For the kicks, you could start as Toscana because your starting character would be The Woman Everybody Wanted to Marry.

Then, you probably have some favourite characters from books. I don't know, someone from Walter Scott's books, for example, or Dumas's, if you were into historical novels (even the obvious Richard Lionheart... but why not John Lackland or Arthur, the man who should have inherited the crown from Richard but could not). Or somebody from films. You could try and spot them, see if they'd be as cool in the game as in the film. Or you could have fun and try and find the Normal earl, which, in your opinion, would be the most likely to have been Robin of Loxley, aka Robin Hood.

Or start as a Saxon earl up north after Norman conquest (some remained in power, initially) and try to get rid of the Normans. You might even find Edgar the Atheling as a character somewhere in the game and try and push his claims if he has any.

If you want a shot at being small, unimportant and climbing up the ladder, the experience of a small count in the Holy Roman Empire (or even France) should be unforgettable. The game is different from that perspective than when you're on the top of a mighty kingdom.

In my most recent game, I started as the Duke of Greater Poland with 4 counties and 1 count vassal (if I recall correctly), plotted my way into the war for the kingdom (which had been taken by the Kingdom of Bohemia as his second), my duke died as a result of that war, and during the reign of his son I tripled the territories via holy wars and probably had a shot at taking over the Byzantine Empire via claimants and matrilineal marriages. You can really do a lot of things if the timing is right and it feels better if you've done it from a small start.

On the other hand, I suppose starting large is also a unique experience with its own rewards, e.g. as an emperor. While you normally don't get to push kings around because everybody plays as a kingdom or lower. You'd have big goals from the get go and you'd basically be the United States of 1066. Or you could try and unite the Holy Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire via marriage etc.

For a totally exotic start you could try Armenia.

If you want something that everybody else is not doing, avoid Ireland and Iberia (Poland and Denmark are probably also popular starts for people who like to play as kings from day 1).

Had fun with king John of the Plantagenets, dealing with the rebellious asses and attacking France! (30 to 4000 prestige in 10 years )
(disappointed with there not being a robin hood event but of well)

Hungary is an interesting and entertaining start, particularly if you play as one of the three dukes (or any of the counts on the western side). Nearly every game turns into a series of civil wars, and depending on how long the first King lives, you may even get to see the HRE send a doomstack in to aid him in retaking his throne. All this on top of a series of holy wars against the pagan neighbors and assorted nibbling away at Kiev and any minor breakaway nations it generates, as well as some strong potential for conflict with the ERE as your borders touch within typically the first 40 years.

One of my favourite RP games was Duke of Flanders. You have to remain a loyal vassal and are only ever allowed to own two Duchies (and no counties outside those duchies), all the rest you hand over to your Liege. Object was to see how big I could make France. Of course not holding the Duchies didn't mean I couldn't stick in relatives before handing them over. Stayed with holding Flanders and Majorca, conquered all of Iberia except Duke of Barcalona (who helped me out so much at the start I just couldn't attack him), Mauritania, Africa, Sicily (just the Island) and Sardinia. Yet to complete it so probably go back some point and see what else France can do.

Another good date to start is 1096. ERE is weak, Rum and Seljuks are big, Shia Caliphate is small. So you have Georgia, the Alans, Russian states, Hungary, Croatia etc and see what you can do. :blink:

Mods said:

Had fun with king John of the Plantagenets, dealing with the rebellious asses and attacking France! (30 to 4000 prestige in 10 years )
(disappointed with there not being a robin hood event but of well)

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The Robin Hood event is in the game, but only fires if your provence has certain effects. If i remember right you need the theives guild and brigand band effects. Easiest way to get those effects to to run with your demeise so large you get zero tax income, suplimenting your income by imprisonment and banishment of barronies, cities and church vassals.

Kins said:

One of my favourite RP games was Duke of Flanders. You have to remain a loyal vassal and are only ever allowed to own two Duchies (and no counties outside those duchies), all the rest you hand over to your Liege. Object was to see how big I could make France. Of course not holding the Duchies didn't mean I couldn't stick in relatives before handing them over. Stayed with holding Flanders and Majorca, conquered all of Iberia except Duke of Barcalona (who helped me out so much at the start I just couldn't attack him), Mauritania, Africa, Sicily (just the Island) and Sardinia. Yet to complete it so probably go back some point and see what else France can do.

Another good date to start is 1096. ERE is weak, Rum and Seljuks are big, Shia Caliphate is small. So you have Georgia, the Alans, Russian states, Hungary, Croatia etc and see what you can do. :blink:

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Rping being LOYAL to france? As Flanders? you're doing it wrong
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Golden_Spurs

On the harder end of interesting regions is the Kingdom of Alania (it is actually a duchy in game). You and three counts are the sole landed representatives of your culture, although you are part of the Byzantine group. To the north, the Cumans, to the south and east the Muslims and to the west the Byzantines, Georgians, Rus and more Cumans. If you can survive the first 50 odd years it becomes easier until the Mongols show up, but those first 50 years can be tough. The AI Alania doesn't rarely survive to 1080AD just because it's stupid, the Alans are in a rough spot. That said, some of my most enjoyable games have been as the Alans so it's worth a shot if you don't mind jumping in at the harder (but not border-line impossible, see Nubia for that) end.

Another albeit initially easier one (provided your ageing ruler can father a child if you don't use the ruler designer) is the duchy of Deheubarth. While your a duke, you only hold one of the three counties of your duchy. The plus side is it's relativel easy to secure your duchy and then turn north to unite wales. The downsides are your starting ruler and his sole heir are both likely to die within half a decade, and of course, your the weakest 'kingdom' in the British isles with the English, Scots and even the Norse-Gaels/Irish dukes likely to invade you sooner or later.

For a relatively common but safe start choose one of the larger Irish duchies.

Either backing Edgar the Ætheling or playing as him (give him a county at the start/back him and reload on victory) can be fun, likewise for the Frankish equivilant the counts of Vermandois.

Siward said:

On the harder end of interesting regions is the Kingdom of Alania (it is actually a duchy in game). You and three counts are the sole landed representatives of your culture, although you are part of the Byzantine group. To the north, the Cumans, to the south and east the Muslims and to the west the Byzantines, Georgians, Rus and more Cumans. If you can survive the first 50 odd years it becomes easier until the Mongols show up, but those first 50 years can be tough. The AI Alania doesn't rarely survive to 1080AD just because it's stupid, the Alans are in a rough spot. That said, some of my most enjoyable games have been as the Alans so it's worth a shot if you don't mind jumping in at the harder (but not border-line impossible, see Nubia for that) end.

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I find Alania is all about stomping out Georgia in the first 50 years. I was able to hold my own during that time, but Georgia will get unified, and they WILL attack you for their cliam. Losing one county means the world for Alania so your bets bet is to invade Georgia while it's weak.

lordreaven448 said:

I find Alania is all about stomping out Georgia in the first 50 years. I was able to hold my own during that time, but Georgia will get unified, and they WILL attack you for their cliam. Losing one county means the world for Alania so your bets bet is to invade Georgia while it's weak.

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Oh its by no means the hardest, just on the 'harder' end for a new player.

Personally I'm not keen on attacking Georgia as they can be a nice speed bump to give you more time. Though yes there is the danger that they'll come after one of your counties which is actually part of Georgia should they survive. I find it easier to either wait for Derbent to conquer Georgia and then 'liberate' it via holy wars, or to just support them vs the Muslims whilst building up Alania and being opportunistic to the north and west during the inevtiable Cuman civil wars expanding in an arc along the northern shore of the Black Sea.

It's essentially a case of choosing which direction you want to expand in, I favour north and west as while there are some easy pickings to be had to the south (derbent, azerbaijan) you'll bump into the Seljuks sooner or later who are a lot more trouble than the Cumans early on and will gladly gobble you up during truces with Byzantium.

As for other interesting starts: 1230-ish, John of Brienne as Latin Emperor of Constantinople is interesting but not very opportunistic initially.