What culture/religion do you have to be to castrate/blind your prisoners?

[es333]

I have a plan to start an interesting game with the customizer, but I don't want to play near Byzantium.

Playing as Geogria/Armenia, the main benefit is that I can blind/castrate prisoners. Other countries can't do anything to their prisoners, which is boring, if I really hate them (like an ambitious brother who has revolted 3 times).

 

[Me_]

Byzantine culture group: Greek, Armenian, Georgian, Alan.

 

[es333]

Byzantine culture group: Greek, Armenian, Georgian, Alan.

Religion is not important?

 

[Saintrl]

I'd say Alan is your best bet if you want to play as a non-Christian nation but still be able to Blind/Castrate. Byzantine Retinue is pretty nice too.

 

[Kilij]

Not at all, you can be a Shia Alan, and freely imprison and castrate your brothers... (^w^)

 

[unmerged(184583)]

seems pretty ignorant to have it limited to only a few cultures.

 

[es333]

I'd say Alan is your best bet if you want to play as a non-Christian nation but still be able to Blind/Castrate. Byzantine Retinue is pretty nice too.

I'm going to play as the Greek ruler of Livonia. Greeks are cooler than Georgians, Armenians and Alans.

 

[es333]

seems pretty ignorant to have it limited to only a few cultures.

I agree. But they did it the most, as far as I know.

 

[unmerged(184583)]

I agree. But they did it the most, as far as I know.

I won't argue that, but what I will argue is that it is very plausible and probably historically accurate that many other different cultures, religions, and creeds both castrated and blinded people, among other things. The king of Asturias starts out with 3 blind brothers for gods sake, but if I play as him, I cannot blind anyone. Awkward, historically incorrect, and limited gameplay lessening the fun. Sounds like a terrible decision if you ask me.

 

[Halcyan]

Personally, I think blinding/castrating is more of a disadvantage than it is an advantage.

Realms tends to be more unstable due to the AI blinding/castrating everyone and then thinking that a minor Honorary Title is going to make up for it.

It's also far more dangerous for you and your dynasty members. If you get captured, there's a fair chance they'll get blinded/castrated since the AI loves that option.

In one Catholic game, I ended up with the Byzantine Empire with a vassal Bulgarian King (matrilineally married to a dynasty member) who was liege to a Bulgarian Duke (matrilineally married to a dynasty member).

Eventually the two of them got in a war which I couldn't interfere with. The Duke got imprisoned and blinded and all I could think was "at least he wasn't castrated"....

 

[es333]

Personally, I think blinding/castrating is more of a disadvantage than it is an advantage.

How? If my brother revolts and I blind him, he will have a lot less power/stats to try anything again.

 

[Halcyan]

How? If my brother revolts and I blind him, he will have a lot less power/stats to try anything again.

If you blind your brother, won't you be getting "blinded kin" penalties from all of your family members?

If you blind your brother, he'll pretty much always hate you. At that point, you might as well just keep him in prison until he dies, or excommunicate and then execute him.

If there's someone I really hate, it's easier just to make sure he/she dies, rather than waste efforts blinding/castrating them.

 

[es333]

If you blind your brother, won't you be getting "blinded kin" penalties from all of your family members?

If you blind your brother, he'll pretty much always hate you. At that point, you might as well just keep him in prison until he dies, or excommunicate and then execute him.

If there's someone I really hate, it's easier just to make sure he/she dies, rather than waste efforts blinding/castrating them.

A simple death is no real punishment, blinding/castrating the prisoner will mean that he will suffer for the rest of his life.

 

[Shuriken]

I agree. But they did it the most, as far as I know.

It really should be religion based rather than culture base. The practice began with the traditional Christian aversion to the death penalty.

 

[Saintrl]

You're always free to mod the requirements to blind and castrate if you don't like its current limitations to the Byzantine culture group...

 

[scelestus13]

Blinding/ castrating is a -80, and for some reasons it automatically releases the vassal in question. This kills byzantine stability, because all the vassals who rebelled will forever hate the emperor's guts, and will be free to form a faction to do something about it. Besides that, it has a 25% chance of getting you the cruel trait, which is another -10 to vassal relations. In short, it sucks. A human should never do it, but the AI does it all the time and, as a result, byzantines implode (doesn't help that muslims have the invasion cb)

 

[Saintrl]

Blinding/ castrating is a -80, and for some reasons it automatically releases the vassal in question. This kills byzantine stability, because all the vassals who rebelled will forever hate the emperor's guts, and will be free to form a faction to do something about it. Besides that, it has a 25% chance of getting you the cruel trait, which is another -10 to vassal relations. In short, it sucks. A human should never do it, but the AI does it all the time and, as a result, byzantines implode (doesn't help that muslims have the invasion cb)

Considering all the times I've seen the ERE conquer the steppes and take back Egypt it's a pretty good way to nerf the ERE's brokenness imo.

 

[unmerged(783218)]

Blinding/ castrating is a -80, and for some reasons it automatically releases the vassal in question. This kills byzantine stability, because all the vassals who rebelled will forever hate the emperor's guts, and will be free to form a faction to do something about it.

The Eunuch Faction.
And now, it feels like Byzantium is China.

And then, if they overthrow the emperor he still can say "Well, I didn't think they had the balls to do this..."

 

[Saintrl]

The Eunuch Faction.
And now, it feels like Byzantium is China.

You win an internet for that comment good sir!

If someone made a mod to give Byzantium an event to create a Eunuch Faction I would lose my pants...

 

[unmerged(75023)]

A simple death is no real punishment, blinding/castrating the prisoner will mean that he will suffer for the rest of his life.

Too bad this has nothing to do with actual gameplay benefits of that decision. There is pretty much never a gameplay reason to blind or castrate someone. In my opinion it should give some bonus to relations with one's vassals, reflecting that they would think twice before they cross such a ruthless ruler. Similar to "crushed a major revolt" really.