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VienLa

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Nov 3, 2013
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I recently noticed that France seem to have nothing to do. On the is there is a blob, on the west Spanish are having a blast with reconquista, in the north there's a see and as a result everything is painful to micromanage, and on the south there is... Umm, virtually nothing at all. All of that in a seemingly strong country being a local power.

Did they actually do anything of interest during the CK2 timeframe? Or have they just swallowed Aquitania and sat there for hundreds of years? Is there anyone who played a french - based scenario?
 
I recently noticed that France seem to have nothing to do. On the is there is a blob, on the west Spanish are having a blast with reconquista, in the north there's a see and as a result everything is painful to micromanage, and on the south there is... Umm, virtually nothing at all. All of that in a seemingly strong country being a local power.

Did they actually do anything of interest during the CK2 timeframe? Or have they just swallowed Aquitania and sat there for hundreds of years? Is there anyone who played a french - based scenario?

Well, provided you're the player, what France does is up to you. If you mean does France, or can France, do anything being AI controlled, to that all I can say is, generally, when I watch them in my games they often take the northern and south eastern parts of Spain, that's about as interesting as they get.
 
Nope, if you review france history, in medivial they mostly just sit around and drink w(h)ine.

And 'cause this is their warflag:

white_flag.jpg
 
Well, as Toulouse I'm participating in the Reconquista and am going to expand into North Africa, no reason France can't do that as well.

Historically, the French kings were often either bogged down in internal affairs or trying to improve their influence with their vassals and the size of their royal domain. As for Aquitaine, France actually lost Anjou and Aquitaine to England in the 1150s due to inheritance and marriage between the King of England and the Duchess of Aquitaine and France didn't regain that territory back until half a century later when Phillip II defeated King John and his ally Emperor Otto Iv. Aside from the Crusades, AFAIK, the French kings generally had enough problems with either their own vassals or England to actually attack anyone until after they won the Hundred Years' War and sorted things out with Burgundy.
 
It's fun to be a French vassal. The most powerful dukes keep trying to take the crown, usually starting with the Burgundian's who have a claim on the young French king (1066 start). When you have the crown though you really don't have much to do besides taking Brittany. After that it's kind of difficult and the amount of fun varies. Either prey on the HRE, do to the English what they did to France historically (because the French did to a lot in this time frame) or go crusading.
 
Frontiere_francaise_985_1947_small.gif
Franks_expansion.gif
Just terrotial gains of France and before Franks
And not to forget in reality you just didn't go and conquer the whole muslim world in like 30 years as is possible in CK2.
 
It's fun to be a French vassal. The most powerful dukes keep trying to take the crown, usually starting with the Burgundian's who have a claim on the young French king (1066 start). When you have the crown though you really don't have much to do besides taking Brittany. After that it's kind of difficult and the amount of fun varies. Either prey on the HRE, do to the English what they did to France historically (because the French did to a lot in this time frame) or go crusading.
Just to point out they technically never lost Aquitaine, Anjou, Poitou, Normandy etc....the territories ower allegiance to the King of England as their Duke/Count and to the King of France as their sovereign (since they weren't independant, sovereign territories, they couldn't be joined to England). That's what led to wars over such futile pretexts as not showing up to court (and more serious ones like refusing hommage).

Besides that, France took over territory from the Empire, went on Crusades, kidnapped the Pope, destroyed the Templars and created a big schism. They did Stuff™.
 
The French just didn't really blob in this period, but they did a lot of internal intrigue type things.
 
I recently noticed that France seem to have nothing to do. On the is there is a blob, on the west Spanish are having a blast with reconquista, in the north there's a see and as a result everything is painful to micromanage, and on the south there is... Umm, virtually nothing at all. All of that in a seemingly strong country being a local power.

Did they actually do anything of interest during the CK2 timeframe? Or have they just swallowed Aquitania and sat there for hundreds of years? Is there anyone who played a french - based scenario?

Going from 1066 without losing most of your vassals or ending under elective succession is what I would call 'something to do' as France.
 
I find it boring starting the game above count.......

This. I love it when people start as the King of France or the Emperor of the Byzantines & then complain about it being boring. You're doing it wrong. ;) Half (maybe 80%? :) ) the fun of the game is working your way up to get on the big throne.
 
I think starting as the King of France is one of the harder starts. Only half of your territory is de jure France, many of your vassals are of the wrong culture, you have one province, the HRE is eyeing Flanders, and the Duke of Aquitaine is essentially a wrong culture king vassal. Sure after you sort things out it becomes easy, but at the very beginning it's pretty challenging.
 
I think starting as the King of France is one of the harder starts. Only half of your territory is de jure France, many of your vassals are of the wrong culture, you have one province, the HRE is eyeing Flanders, and the Duke of Aquitaine is essentially a wrong culture king vassal. Sure after you sort things out it becomes easy, but at the very beginning it's pretty challenging.

Perhaps the de iure drift of duchies under k_Aquitaine over 100 years (plus rebellion delays) will simulate some kind of consolidation. Then perhaps other duchies of that kingdom can drift into different kingdoms, making Aquitaine titular at which point you'll be able to create it, making you a doppelking for more prestige — meaning, among other things, better marriages for you and your same-surname cadets wherever they are.
 
France is very interesting.

I had my best game in the last two months starting as the Count of Tours in 1066. He has some really good skills and he has traits like Ambitious, Envious, Deceitful and Greedy. Plus, he's an Anjou, which is a cool dynasty.
Perfect char to first murder your mediocre older brother and become Duke of Anjou. Then start to plot your way to the french throne. I married the younger capetian sister of the king, then civil war erupted shortly after. It actually lasted a long while, with house Capet and house of Burgundy clashing with each other for three decades for the throne, with the occasional minor claimant arising here and there, plus of course other kinds of rebellions. I would act as kingmaker all this time, being allied to both houses (my son was married to a De Bourgogne), and deciding which one to help depending on the circumstances. In the meanwhile, I preyed on my neighbours (including the temporarily powerless capetian house) and expanded greatly. When I was ready to strike, both house de Bourgogne and house Capet were exhausted, after three decades of continuing warfare and strife. House Capet's head was imprisoned by the De Bourgogne, and the young De Bourgogne king was a kid under a regency. My regency. It was time to strike and push my son's claim to the throne. After a brief war (most of France was backing me) the throne was won, and the rule of House D'Anjou began. My original character was 70 years old back then, and had the short pleasure of seeing his son on the throne of France. Then he died. Naturally, I had to fight even more wars vs the Capetians and the De Bourgogne. Each one of those fuckers pushed his claim in succession. So yeah, peace didn't really follow. Then I overwrote the save out of a mistake =_=

At any rate, France in 1066 is very interesting. It will devolve in a long civil war in which many claimants will try to win the throne, and if you play your cards right you can sit on the throne in one generation. Once you've won the throne and consolidated your position, you can think about expanding. I'd say the natural objectives of France are:

A) First and foremost, unifying the territories of France, and keeping Aquitaine and France united.
B) If Spain is overrun by muslims, stopping the muslims.
C) Crusading. A lot of crusaders in history were french.
D) Curbing the power of the Holy Roman Emperor. If you see that they are fighting an independence war, then it's time to strike.
E) Obtaining power within the Curia, and perhaps bring the papacy to Avignon by making the bishop of Avignon an Antipope and then pushing his claim.
F) Last but not least, expanding. The D'Anjou for instance were a very expansionist house. The natural and historical place for french expansion is Italy. It's in a strategic position, it's very wealthy, a good base for crusades, and in a perfect position to influence papal politics. House Anjou historically held the kingdom of Naples: try to win that throne.
 
Playing as king of France is pretty boring in many of the starts, but not the one where England controls about as much of Francia as you do.

Playing a French vassal is ususally very interesting. I recommend going for independence eventually, not trying to take over France itself as then you are back at the above.