• We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
Hey folks, it is dev diary day and time to talk a bit about rebels and adventurers! Let's start off with the rebels; as you know, the old rebels are a nuisance but they are easily defeated and even if they hold a county for a long time, defection is rare. Sure, they sometimes kill a local ruler, but even that is uncommon. This is a shame, especially since we have explored better ways of handling rebels in the In Nomine expansion to Europa Universalis III and in Victoria II. So, for The Old Gods, we are replacing the old simplistic system with proper rebels with a cause (if you don't have the expansion, you will be stuck with the old system.) There are three new types of rebels: peasants, heretics and "liberators". As before, they can appear if the revolt risk is higher than 0 in a county. If the county is of a heretic religion, heretic rebels may appear. If the county is in a kingdom occupied by foreigners, liberators may rise up. If the other two types are not suitable, it's going to be a peasant revolt.

CKII_ToG_DD_06_Peasant_Revolt.jpg

The new types of rebels all have a leader with a temporary title. They start at war with the ruler of the realm in which they appear, but they are hostile to everyone. Fighting them is like fighting a normal war; you get war score for crushing their army. If peasant or heretic rebels win, the county will be taken and becomes independent under their leader. Liberators are more dangerous; they tend to rise up with the best and largest forces, and they are after the entire de jure kingdom. However, they typically tend to settle for a few counties and the title to the kingdom itself. The system is fully moddable and it is pretty straightforward to add new rebel types.

CKII_ToG_DD_06_Claimant_Adventure.jpg

This brings us to adventurers. The concept is quite similar to the rebels, but adventures are started by existing characters and can target distant lands. There are two main types; claimants with no titles who stand to inherit nothing, and men of major dynasties with no claims but high martial and diplomatic skill. In both cases, the adventurer lets it be known that he is starting an adventure and gathering a host (both his current liege(s) and the target ruler are notified). After a year or two, he is given a temporary duchy title, an army, and a fleet. War is declared, and he goes after the target. Claimants, of course, will try to press their claim, but the other type simply target a juicy duchy somewhere and go off to seize it (like the d'Hautevilles took southern Italy). A savvy player who is targetted may of course assassinate the adventurer before he arrives with his army... Characters of certain cultures are more likely to go off on claimless adventures, e.g. Normans and Norse.

CKII_ToG_DD_06_Conquest_Adventure.jpg

Speaking of Norse and Norman, another thing I believe we haven't mentioned yet are the new cultures we've added: Norse, Bolghar, Khazar, Mordvin, Samoyed and Avar. In 867, all Scandinavians are of the Norse culture, but there are events that will initiate a split into Swedish, Danish and Norwegian. Independent Norse rulers outside Scandinavia will not be affected. Determined players can also choose to stay Norse and attempt to educate children of vassals to stick to this culture. Similarly, there are events for the appearance of Norman culture, which is formed by Norse conquerors in Frankish, Breton or Occitan lands. (Yes, we could have done this for any number of cultures in the game, but it is quite a lot of work. It is, of course, also fully moddable.)

CKII_ToG_DD_06_Cultural_Divergence.jpg

That sums it up for today! Next Wednesday will see the last dev diary for The Old Gods expansion and will feature the new technology system and what other tidbits remain.

Bonus, in case you missed it ;)

Crusader Kings II: The Old Gods Video Dev Diary 2 - Rebels
[video=youtube;eo7ttCKInYM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eo7ttCKInYM[/video]

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Will the tengri get their proper raids after all? Or will they only be able to raid neighbouring provinces. Please at least let them raid anywhere on the map, like they actually did IRL.
 
Are heretics only literal heretic religions or any religion under a different religion leader? Also will say a cathar province under a muslim ruler spawn heretics?

Heretics for the realm lord.

Am I correct in assuming you can avoid liberator rebels by not forming the kingdom title?

No, they can still appear if the kingdom has ever existed.

What affects whether a claimant tries his luck, just random?

Mostly random, but his attributes and traits have an effect.

Are those armies bigger than we are used to?

They are bigger than the old rebels, but rarer.
 
So, who's eligible target for liberators? E.g. If I were king of Norway and England, will English liberators be possible? What if I were kaiser and king of Italy, would Italian liberator be eligible? What if king of Italy were my vassal? And: what about e.g. Lotharingians, etc.?

Next thing: if liberators win, they become independent, right? Not vassals of some emperor?

Yes, yes, as long as someone holds the kingdom, or it has ever existed, and the rebels rise in a province of the corresponding culture. If they win, they become independent.
 
Yes, yes, as long as someone holds the kingdom, or it has ever existed, and the rebels rise in a province of the corresponding culture. If they win, they become independent.

It has ever existed within the span of the game, or within the title history? For example, at the 1066 start, could someone try and liberate the Kingdom of Italy?
 
It has ever existed within the span of the game, or within the title history? For example, at the 1066 start, could someone try and liberate the Kingdom of Italy?

In the title history. There has to be a precedent for the rebels to try to create the kingdom
 
In the title history. There has to be a precedent for the rebels to try to create the kingdom

There is still no chance then that you will fill out the kingdom of Ireland title history, even if you exclude any playable characters for the 867 start date, just to make those liberation rebellions possible?

Are the liberators always new characters, or can they be ousted dynasties?
 
What happens if your capital has revolt chance above 0? Will the rebels take that in case of a revolt and start a war with you and what happens to your capital if so?
 
Will landless claimants to titular titles also go off adventuring to claim their titular title?

I second this question, as it'd be interesting if the Latin Empire or Kingdom of Cyprus could be reformed by claimaint adventurers after the territories are lost. Presumably it would be possible if the titular title has a capital defined, as then they have a starting point to go for, and then they just take what they can get before a peace is called?
 
What happens if your capital has revolt chance above 0? Will the rebels take that in case of a revolt and start a war with you and what happens to your capital if so?

Yes, you could lose your capital that way.
 
There is still no chance then that you will fill out the kingdom of Ireland title history, even if you exclude any playable characters for the 867 start date, just to make those liberation rebellions possible?

Yes.

Are the liberators always new characters, or can they be ousted dynasties?

They are new characters.
 
What happens if your capital has revolt chance above 0? Will the rebels take that in case of a revolt and start a war with you and what happens to your capital if so?

There's nothing much special about the capital vs. other counties for non-republics. I assume you'd lose the capital county (or more depending on CB) and just like a normal one, and your capital would move as normal.

Edit: Ninja'd.
 
Yes, yes, as long as someone holds the kingdom, or it has ever existed, and the rebels rise in a province of the corresponding culture. If they win, they become independent.
Great! You don't even know how happy I am!

I presume that making kingdom your primary title prevents liberators? Like: if I am king of England (my primary title) and Scotland, then only Scots will revolt?

(but on the other hand, I realised that now France will have liberations from Aquitaine... uhm, not sure, if I like this particular case)
 
I presume that making kingdom your primary title prevents liberators? Like: if I am king of England (my primary title) and Scotland, then only Scots will revolt?

Since liberators are supposed to rise up against foreigners, why should primary vs. secondary title matter? If a Frenchman takes both England and Scotland, the English (Saxon, whatever) should be able to rise in England and the Scots in Scotland.

Edit: Oh and:
(but on the other hand, I realised that now France will have liberations from Aquitaine... uhm, not sure, if I like this particular case)

If it works anything like the current rebellions, the fact that French and Occitan are in the same culture group should make it rarer.
 
But why is it needed to seize the county? Now that you made temporary titles, it could've been only army, just like in wars against mercenaries. You beat the army -> you won.

It's just creating problems. What would happen to republics that will lose capital? Instant gameover?

Um, the county loss is if your lose the war. It's not (at least how the diary and video make it seem) like the decadence revolt, where a county is usurped *first*.
 
Norræn siður mun aldrei deyja, aldrei!
(The norse culture will never die, never!)
That's Icelandic, not Norse.

Try:

"Norræn siðr skal aldregi deyja, aldregi!" and you might fool someone ;)