Recommend me a fun TOG character/location to play!

You can try Khiva(or the country that starts at khiva on TOG start time), make a Zoroastrian ruler and make Zoroastrian a dominant religion, make Zoroastrian have an official church like the Catholics, etc... You can form the Persian Empire too(just make sure your ruler is persian).

Middle East? Then a Zoroastrian game is a must. You can play as the independent Satrap of Merv (dynasty name Karen) or the Justanids in Gilan.

- Become Saoshyant, savior of the world
- Restore the Zoroastrian Church
- Reunite the Persian Empire
- Marry brother-sister, seeing how long you can last before an inbred pops up
- Survive the tough early years and the eventual Ilkhanate.

If that's too tough for you, a good Russia start is Rurik.

- Become King of Rus and later, Emperor of Russia
- Crush the Slavs and force them to convert to your Norse religon, which you should probably reform
- Raid up and down the Volga, perhaps one day sacking Constantinople itself

If you're looking for a Slavic or Finnish pagan game in Russia, any tribe will do. Just remember:

- Reform
- Conquer
- And raid the Norse, just for the sake of irony

If a Balkans game is in the mind, then you'd probably have to play as a christian. Otherwise, you can try to eke out you pitiful existence as the Avars. Unable to stop the Magyars? Well:

- Destroy Hungary from the inside
- Conquer the Balkans

It goes without mention that the last goal is to have good fun while playing.

Iceland can be rather entertaining now. Take your tiny levy raiding Ireland repeatedly, gradually building up the cash and prestige to go after bigger prey. Probably the best way to get your feet wet with the whole raiding system.

Kidneythump said:

The title says it all, I've had hell of a lot of fun with this expansion, my last game saw me as the petty king of Jylland transformed into a Norman duke under the french crown to a french king and finally snowballing into a Francian titan with France, Aquitaine, Germany and Italy in my belt. I want more epic gameness! Could someone provide some inspiration for my next game? Preferably something in Russia/Middle East/Balkans since I've only skimmed the surface when it comes to those territories in TOG If possible state some goals as well, not just "yea that character/location is fun/challenging to play"

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The only interesting characters that aren't in the "Interesting characters" tab are Fairhair in Ostlandet, a West African Pagan character(Hardmode), and the King of Italy, he is in a position to claim Rome, has money, and can get Sardinia to join his kingdom with some bribes. The only problem is that his older brother wants his title, but a knife in the back would fix that up.

I thought it might be fun to play as the single Tengri count vassal of the catholic duke west of Bulgaria, work my way to dukedom, just to offer vassalization to the Magyars, that would have formed Hungary by then, and... Well, work my way higher in the ranks of nobility from the inside, or after quickly going independant.

Only bad thing is the Magyar seem to almost claim the duchy as soon as they form Hungary

Another possibility, is as a Slav count vassal of Great Moravia. There are others vassal Slavs, but they all join an indepedance faction and send the ultimatum almost at day 1. Your goal would be to put a Slav king on the throne (not you), while spreading Slav faith inside Great Moravia. Then, start raiding catholics, and ultimately forcefully convert them all to Slavism.

Looking for some fun ideas here, too!

In Russia? Try Rurik's pal Dyre Oskandr down in Kiev. Tons of fun!

Anyone in Persia, be they Muslim or Zoroastrian, is always fun.

Till now i played two games. Both were really fun. Quick recap may give you some ideas of your own:

1. Stated on Duchy level as a Chief of Lendian tribe. You begin as a polish chief with 4 other chefs under you. 3 are Ruthenians and they will rebel against you in 1st few months while your only kinsmen will probably (if you are lucky) just sit idle while not providing you eny troops If you can survive that you can banish few people and start to look for an expantion. While 5 count territory seems like much it really isn;t with Magyars and Great Moravia right around the corner

2. Started on a County level as a Chielf of Telemark (very south edge of Norway). Get up on your ship and do some raiding asap. You will need every possible piece of gold when your bigger naighbours will come to sunjugate you. If you will be fast enough you can even survive by employing mercenaries and turning their aggresion against them. IF you survive 1st war then you are few raids and and a war or two away from creating the Kingdom of Norway. Or maybe you dnt feel like it? Then pick whatever piece of land you fancy and prepare and invasion! Sky is the limit! (astually big duchy is probably a limit since no kingdom will crumble under few thousands of your outcasts... Yet! I saw a big duchy in a middle of england (like 15 counties) and took it with a lot of work and a bit of luck. But you can go anywere really. When I will revisit Norseman later I plan on invading africa and restoring Wandal Kingdom overthere!

Oddly enough Lendian/Polish game was much more difficult dispite starting with 5 times the land. Raiding as a viking makes most of early early conquests way too easy. 1500 mercenaries with a bit of your own men steamrolls everything that there is to steamroll at that point.

Tengri steppe rulers - they got Tribal Invasion CB

Try being Sunni in the East and stop the Shia?

On the other hand think twice before playing Abbisynia or Nubia. After 5 or so years all you do is wait for your plots to work and Egyptian Sultanat to crumble somehow, since you can;t fight them nor expand elsewere.

A lot of fastforwarding

I did a start as the pruthenians, form mighty Prussia!, then try to survive the norse and other romuva's while praying that Poland doesn't unite and look to the Baltic.

Turn Prussia into a mighty power 900 years ahead of time.

Play Gilan so much fun playing it.

I like playing as the Count of Nantes. You're norse and you get 2000 bonus troops to start the game, I like doing all sorts of fun stuff with him.
Mostly I like uprooting and moving even further from Scandinavia. Take Corsica and try to survive Italy's De-jure claims, take your pick of places in the British Isles, head into Russia, or even Iberia if it looks like the Umayadds fragmenting.

In the game I'm playing now I'm trying to make conquer a Prussian-based Baltic, and having to fight Denmark tooth and nail for every Provence.

Thing about those tooth and nail pagan fights is tat early on you can just sujbegate whole countries ever 5 years or so. And later on you can ust ocus on other relions around and get rest of your culture/religion mates by "Offer Vasalisation". Saved me like 20 wars in my Norse game. It's a bit too easy, tbh. In 100 years you get everything you ever wanted, in another 50 you wrap up ever silly thing that pops to your mind and in another 20 you just stop.

Emnel said:

On the other hand think twice before playing Abbisynia or Nubia. After 5 or so years all you do is wait for your plots to work and Egyptian Sultanat to crumble somehow, since you can;t fight them nor expand elsewere.

A lot of fastforwarding

Click to expand...

you can no longer holy war???

Try the northern savior game mode.

Start as a non important norse count. Raid and strengthen yourself and gather prestige. Launch a prepared invasion to the caspian sea. Convert to zoroastrianism. Become saoshyant with the same norseman that first landed in persia. Post a picture to prove you did it.

You against the whole British Isle! Play Ivar the boneless and your brothers will abandon you and then it will be you against the whole british isles