1066 is the most balanced and player-friendly start when it comes to tech. I'm a big fan of weird religions though, and what-if scenarios involving them.
So my first thought is Open Jew in Semien for one player (anyone within range of them is obligated to help them survive until they're at least a kingdom), Secret Hellenic in the Byzantine Empire, Secret Zoroastrian in Persia, and Secret Germanic in Norway/Sweden.
You're all going to start fairly independent and with few options to really stymie the others' games until mid game, when the four of you are inevitably the Only Realms That Matter in the world, and well on the way to hitting your goals (associated with historical practitioners of those religions - so the Germanics will want to push into Western Europe, Hellenics want to hit SPQR, Jews want Israel back and in an indestructible position, and Zoroastrians want control of the Levant and Anatolia - and none of these goals can be achieved without preventing at least one other power from achieving their goals (Germanics have the fewest enemies I guess, but whoever is playing them will be raiding the other players so much that they're everyone's enemy)