Can't Grasp the Game

[GAGA Extrem]

The feudal system in CK2 has 5 tiers:
(1) barony: The small holdings shown in the province screen (castles, cities, temples).
(2) county (=province): Each count has several baronies (holdings in the province screen) as vassals.
(3) duchy: Each duke has several counts (provinces) as vassals.
(4) king: Each king has several counts and dukes as vassals.
(5) emperor: An emperor has several counts, dukes and kings as vassals.

A character can have multiple titles, so for example you can be king of Ireland, duke of Leinster, count of leinster and count of dublin.

As a king u usually only own a small number of counties (=provinces) of the kingdom. The majority belongs to vassals. These vassals act like vassals in EU3, apart from the fact that they are more political independend and can revolt against your rule if they hate you. The more they like you the more taxes (capped at +0 relations) they pay and the more troops (capped at +75, iirc) you can raise from them.

To press a claim, you have to declare war on the LIEGE of the province owner. So if you want that scottish county that belongs to norway, you have to declare war on the liege: the king of norway.

I guess the first thing I should do is increase my Crown Authority and sort my own neighbourhood out like you said. But why do I want to take people's titles? And wouldn't increasing my Crown Authority increase it over all of Scotland? Isn't Fife already mine to control? Sorry, I can't get my head around this.

Beware! Increasing your crown authority will enrage all your vassals (because it makes them weaker and you become stronger). This can result in plots and wars against you! Check your relations towards vassals in the character screen first!

If you take titles from other people, you gain more control over your kingdom. As said above: Each count title you hold is a province you own. Try to maximize your demesne up to the demesne limit (but NOT above!). Every province you own means you get FULL taxes and levies from the castles, while vassals will only pay a part (0% to 45%) and give you less troops (40 - 95%).

Your crown laws affect ALL vassals within your de-jure kingdom (check the map mode!), even if they are not vassals. Demesne laws (taxes and levies) apply to all your vassals, but vassals of your vassals will abide the laws of their liege.
Example: You are a king and have 30% feudal tax and 45% city tax. One of your vassals is a count who has 20% feudal and 20% city tax.
The count will take 20% of the income from the cities in his provinces (HIS laws apply, not yours). You will receive 30% of his total income (because he is your vassal, so YOUR laws apply to him - and only him - directly).

 

[GAGA Extrem]

Also you will notice the small coat of arms icons on the map. Each icon stands for the demesne of an individual character (only the highest tier is displayed). In the screen above you see the big icon for the king of Scotland (you) and several small icons for counts around it, and two bigger ones (one below the selected province, one in the west) for dukes.

Demesnes (owned provinces + vassals) within your kingdom are divided by black lines on the map (example: border between Atholl and Moray in the screen above), while provinces that belong to the same demesne are divided by a light grey line (example: Ross and Moray).

The border of your kingdom is a two-colored line made of the two national colors of the two titles. Above you can see one yellow-red line (scotland's color, same as the COA on the map) that runs around the SW border of scotland, that means the provinces outside are DE-JURE (by law) a part of your kingdom (they have the same blue color), but the owners (yet) refused to become your vassals. You can either persuade them (good DIP skill, money) or declare war and force them under your rule.

If you take a look at Ireland, you will see a lot of colored borders - each count is independed here and the island has no king. To create the kingdom of Ireland, one of the rulers over there (or you) has to own 50% of all de-jure provinces of Ireland, either directly or as his vassals.

 

[GAGA Extrem]

Don't think I've ever, in a lifetime of gaming, ever played a game that is so incomprehensible to me. So I tried to increase my Crown Authority as suggested, but I only got six votes in my favour out of fifty odd. When I looked at who had voted against me, there were people there from Norway and Ireland... how do they have a say in it? I don't know what on Earth to do at all. I've read the wiki, read all the tip screens, and although the answers provided here have helped in my understanding of certain terms and concepts, I've no idea how to actually play the game. I mean what I should literally be doing.

(1) Every character who owns at least a county within your de-jure territory is allowed to vote when crown laws are changed (because they are affected by them).


(2) There is no real goal for CK2. It is more or less a role playing game / grand strategy crossover. You play as a dynasty from 1066 to 1453 and see what will happen.
So what can you do during that timeframe?

You can try to increase your dynasty prestige by maximizing your demesne and the demesne of your kinsmen.
You can try to conquer land and increase the number of titles you own.
You can try to repel the muslims from Iberia.
You can try to convert to a heresy and undermine the authority of the catholic church.
You can try to defeat the mongol invasion.
You can try to work yourself up from a count to a mighty emperor.
You can try to dismember the HRE or Byzantium.


(3) Try starting as an irish count or duke. This is a good way to get a grasp on how to manage your demesne, how to expand, how to create and manage titles.