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Why You Should Play As Any Particular Character in CK2

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Poland
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sieciech
Siechiech Topor 1066-1094 Duchy of mazovia, unlanded
Historically he managed to gain influence by exiling king Boleslaw the Bold (and poisoning his son Mieszko) and taking advantage of his liege Wladyslaw I Herman (who is "Infirm" in the game) even becoming his queen's lover. He was considered the de facto ruler of Poland and continously tried to gain the throne through intrigue. he is also credited with conquering pomeralia. Eventually he was defeated in a civil war, exiled and blinded by the sons of Wladyslaw in 1100.

-I actually found this guy by accident while playing some muslims and somehow remembered him vaguely from history lessons. I'm kinda disappointed he's unlanded since he is a big deal in medieval polish history and the guy was rich enough to mint his own coin and wage war against the dukes of Silesia and his liege's sons.
-his dynasty name means Axe in polish.
 
Galaahd said:
Holy Roman Empire

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ezzelino_iii_da_romano

Ruler of Vicenza, Verona and Padua in the first half of 1200.

Considered one of the most ruthless and cruel feudal rulers in all the Middle Ages. At the time, he was said to be the antichrist or the spawn of the devil. A crusade was issued against him. Once he sentenced to death 10.000 citizens of Padua in a single day. He also enjoyed the mass use of torture. He was said to feel pleasure at the screams of people walled in alive, and that he would often command kids to be blinded for his own enjoyment. Supporter of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II in the war between guelphs and ghibellines, he married his daughter.

Here's a quote from The Picture of Dorian Gray about him:

« Ezzelin, whose melancholy could be cured only by the spectacle of death, and who had a passion for red blood, as other men have for red wine--the son of the Fiend, as was reported, and one who had cheated his father at dice when gambling with him for his own soul; »
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Interesting.

Here's his entry right now, which doesn't seem right:

Code: 
71036 = {
	name="Ezzelino"
	dynasty=13025
	martial=6
	diplomacy=5
	intrigue=6
	stewardship=7
	religion="catholic"
	culture="italian"
	add_trait="thrifty_clerk"
	add_trait="just"
	father=70655
	1194.4.6 = {
		birth="1194.4.6"
	}
	1240.1.1 = {
		add_spouse=71001
	}
	1259.9.27 = {
		death="1259.9.27"
	}
}

What traits should he have?
 
Croatia
1066/1081 - Dmitar Zvonimir Duke of Slavonia/King of Croatia. Can you revert history and prevent the extinction of House of Trpimirović and prevent Hungarians to gain rule over Croatia by succession since his wife is Hungarian princess?!

England
1204 scenario but also available from 1197 - William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke County of Dyfred (Wales) aka "Greatest knight that ever lived", need I say more.
 
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Sleight of Hand said:
Interesting.

Here's his entry right now, which doesn't seem right:

Code: 
71036 = {
	name="Ezzelino"
	dynasty=13025
	martial=6
	diplomacy=5
	intrigue=6
	stewardship=7
	religion="catholic"
	culture="italian"
	add_trait="thrifty_clerk"
	add_trait="just"
	father=70655
	1194.4.6 = {
		birth="1194.4.6"
	}
	1240.1.1 = {
		add_spouse=71001
	}
	1259.9.27 = {
		death="1259.9.27"
	}
}

What traits should he have?
Click to expand...

Cruel, Impaler, Lunatic, maybe Possessed, and some martial education.
 
m1c said:
Poland
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sieciech
Siechiech Topor 1066-1094 Duchy of mazovia, unlanded
Historically he managed to gain influence by exiling king Boleslaw the Bold (and poisoning his son Mieszko) and taking advantage of his liege Wladyslaw I Herman (who is "Infirm" in the game) even becoming his queen's lover. He was considered the de facto ruler of Poland and continously tried to gain the throne through intrigue. he is also credited with conquering pomeralia. Eventually he was defeated in a civil war, exiled and blinded by the sons of Wladyslaw in 1100.

-I actually found this guy by accident while playing some muslims and somehow remembered him vaguely from history lessons. I'm kinda disappointed he's unlanded since he is a big deal in medieval polish history and the guy was rich enough to mint his own coin and wage war against the dukes of Silesia and his liege's sons.
-his dynasty name means Axe in polish.
Click to expand...

Yeah, Sieciech was pretty important. Thanks for finding him!
 
I love this thread! Thanks to everyone who makes these suggestions!
 
Don't know if someone has brought him up already, but the Duke of Aquitaine in 1066 has a good possibility to rebel from France form the kingdom of Aquitaine, and depending on how Spain looks, go attacking the Muslim states, or go attack other Duchies in France itself. From this start I was able to take over Morocco and push up from there and down from my original holdings into Muslim-controlled Spain.
 
Will be updating the thread this week, and have added this week's Game of the Week starting character.
 
Ermergerd, stickeyed!
 
Tostig Godwinson (15 september 1066) unlanded, in Harald Hardrada’s court

Historically, Tostig Godwinson wasn’t the most likeable person around. He murdered guests in his own house, and even the sources that otherwise spoke highly of him acknowledged that he was a harsh ruler. was After being exiled by Harold Godwinson (name ring any bells?), he persuaded Hardrada to invade England. At the fateful battle of Stamford Bridge, Tostig perished together with Hardrada and most of the invasion force. Are you able to take this underdog to his rightful spot and depose your treacherous eldest brother?
 
Sleight of Hand said:
He wasn't a bastard, but his bastard trait won't be removed unless Paradox decide to implement proper cadet branches; until then, he needs to be a bastard so he can't inherit his family's Angevin possessions in Jerusalem. This rule has been applied to certain other cadet branch founders, such as Welf Guelph.
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JvK1791 said:
I know that. You can easily go into the saved game files and remove the bastard trait. By Jan. 2nd, 1129, he already has the title of Duke of Anjou. I'm just speaking about being able to marry Matilda, as he did historically.
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Isn't the real issue here, that Geoffrey shouldn't be able to inherit the Angevin possessions in Jerusalem, since they gained those after his father's second marriage with Queen Melisende of Jerusalem (house of Rethel). Ideally the inheritance should take previous holders into account, especially since Fulk was co-ruler with Melisende; Geoffrey unlike his half brothers doesn't share a dynastic link with the previous kings of Jerusalem.

Anyway Geoffrey is treated the same way as Welf Welf in 1066, so that Welf doesn't inherit Milan.

Regard the topic the struggle between 1273 HRE Rudolph I of Habsburg and Ottokar II of Bohemia; by November 1274 Rudolph I as HRE should by decision of the Imperial diet of Nuremberg have a claim on the Austrian Lands (Austria, Styria, Carinthia and Carniola), since the imperial Diet ruled Ottokar held those illegally. Unfortunately that isn't represented well in the game.
 
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Eadgar of Wessex, 1066 Start, Unlanded in Harold of Godwin's court: You thought Harold was hard? Try playing as the rightful king. This unlucky teenager is the last male member of the English royal family, whose rightful throne is contested by not one, not two, but three different usurpers, all of them far more powerful than he could hope to be. All you have to work with is an unmarried sister and a strong claim on England. Can you restore the house of Wessex to its rightful throne?
 
Galle said:
Eadgar of Wessex, 1066 Start, Unlanded in Harold of Godwin's court: You thought Harold was hard? Try playing as the rightful king. This unlucky teenager is the last male member of the English royal family, whose rightful throne is contested by not one, not two, but three different usurpers, all of them far more powerful than he could hope to be. All you have to work with is an unmarried sister and a strong claim on England. Can you restore the house of Wessex to its rightful throne?
Click to expand...

Also you can find this guy again all the eay in constantinople, in the court of the byzantine emperor, 33 years later in 1099. Could be the most doable start.

Aso a few of my own,

Golden Hode
Alexander I Rurikovich, Duke of Kiev, 1247
Better known as Alexander Nevsky, Saint Alexander Nevsky. Undoubtedly one of the most important figures of russian medieval history, Alexander sucessfully defended Novgorod from both the Swedes and the teutonic knights (the later in the fanous battle of the ice). Tough a vassal to the mongol invaders, his far sighted politics and an unlikely friendship with Sartaq Khan made him grand prince of vladimir which helped create the foundations of the Grand Duchy Of Moscow, and later Imperial Russia. Can you match the life of such great man? Or maybe surpass his deeds by claiming and early independence as the ruler of the Rus?

Ilkhanate
Safi-ad-din Safavid,Count of Gilan, 1325
Centuries from now, your dynasty is destined to rise as the leaders of a reborn Persia, destined to claim much of its former glory. For now tough, you are the ruler of a small territory under the heavy rule of the mongol invaders. Can you move carefully enough to build your power under the nose of the Khan and eventually claim your rightfull place as the ruler of Persia?

Portugal, Kingdom Of
Pedro de Bourgogne, Hundrer-Years War start
You are the heir to the throne of Portugal, but that is not why history will remember you. Pedro fell in love with Inês de Castro, the bastard daughter of the duke of Galicia and hardly a suitable match for the heir of a kingdom. Still, the two could not be kept appart, which forced his father, King Afonso IV, to have the young woman murdered. This action was enough to cause Pedro to declare war on his own father and while defeated, the timely death of the king still gave the crown to Pedro, who settled for hunting down the murderers, torturing them to death (which involved Pedro ripping their own hearts out with his bare hands) and as a (somewhat legendary) final act of defiance, having the body of his beloved dug up and forcing the whole court to swear fealty to Inês as queen of Portugal. Can you right this historical wrong, unite these two love birds and lead their descendants to even greater glory?
 
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I've got one recommendation to add-
Doux Leon I Pegonites of Cyprus, 15th September 1066
Starts with the duchy of Cyprus, split into the counties of Famagusta and Limassol. There are two or three single county Muslim leaders landed in nearby Syria and Jerusalem as targets for expansion, but mostly an opportunistic Doux will be looking for the correct opportunity to strike against the Fatimid Sultanate, who quickly gobble up land all the way to Syria in defiance of the Byzantine Empire who swear to protect you. You will often lose land without having any say on the matter as the Fatimids lay claim to your hard-won counties, so the best tip for expansion is to revoke the city titles from your barons in order to generate quick income and focus on infrastructure improvement whilst simultaneously attempting to fabricate claims on the lands of weaker Muslim leaders on the mainland. Your position as an island gives you good protection from any holy wars that may be declared on your de jure Duchy, and the protection of the Empire should ensure you last for a century at least (provided you're willing to stay loyal). Probably the most interesting thing about this start is that it is very difficult to quickly amass land, which has led to the stagnation of more than one save of mine. In order to combat with the much more powerful leaders in this part of the world, you are forced to find ways to generate massive amounts of income relative to your stature so that you can afford to hire hosts of mercenaries, whilst building up your castles with the view of increasing your own (limited) levy. Good players will quickly find themselves in possession of 4 or 5 counties as the individual Muslim Sheikhs fall to them, but much of what you do will depend on your Emperor's own ability as a ruler. Weak Emperors will lose land very quickly to the Fatimids, which will leave you waiting for internal factionalism (possibly brought on by assassinations *hint hint*) in the Fatimid Sultanate in order to target weak sheikhs and emirs.
 
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