Buff/Rebalance Rulership Focus

[Arrnea]

It seems to be a pretty wide consensus right now amongst CK2 players that the Rulership focus is the worst of the Way of Life character focuses right now, mostly due to the ridiculously low chance that you will get any beneficial effect out of it compared to other focuses.

This has been discussed in a couple of threads recently - here and here.

My suggestion is as follows - buff/rebalance the Rulership focus by adding some more weight to the chance of the beneficial events from this focus firing (eg. increase in Stewardship education, getting the Administrator trait and so on), so that it's actually worth taking this focus instead of it being objectively worse than pretty much every other Focus regardless of what your goal in the game is.

 

[Rags17]

I think that the problem is that all of the other focii are inherently positive in that they tend to yield pretty much only good results, whereas the Rulership focus is mixed - it can give good traits or it can (and almost invariably will) give you the Stressed trait. To balance the net gain from this focus then the chance to get good outcomes and or the benefit(s) that they give should be buffed significantly.

 

[TheDarkMaster]

I do think it's funny that actively trying to do your job in CK2 has a significant negative effect on your health compared to literally all other options. As is, the only reason I can see to take the rulership focus from a gameplay perspective is to try and remove the content trait.

 

[Lycrist Katkiller]

# Stewardship Education Level Up
character_event = {
    id = WoL.12501
    desc = EVTDESC_WoL_12501
    picture = GFX_evt_relaxed_ruler
    border = GFX_event_normal_frame_economy
    
    is_triggered_only = yes
    
    hide_from = yes
    
    option = {
        name = EXCELLENT
        if = {
            limit = { trait = indulgent_wastrel }
            hidden_tooltip = { remove_trait = indulgent_wastrel }
            add_trait = thrifty_clerk
            break = yes
        }
        if = {
            limit = { trait = thrifty_clerk }
            hidden_tooltip = { remove_trait = thrifty_clerk }
            add_trait = fortune_builder
            break = yes
        }
        if = {
            limit = { trait = fortune_builder }
            hidden_tooltip = { remove_trait = fortune_builder }
            add_trait = midas_touched
            if = {
                limit = { has_nickname = no }
                give_nickname = nick_the_lawgiver
            }
            break = yes

    weight_multiplier = {
        factor = 1
        modifier = {
            factor = 0.25
            trait = fortune_builder
        }
        modifier = {
            factor = 0.5
            trait = thrifty_clerk
        }
        modifier = {
            factor = 0.1
            NOT = { stewardship = 5 }
        }
        modifier = {
            factor = 0.5
            NOT = { stewardship = 8 }
        }
        modifier = {
            factor = 2.0
            NOT = { stewardship = 12 }
        }
        modifier = {
            factor = 2.0
            has_character_modifier = wol_steward_2
        }
        modifier = {
            factor = 3.0
            trait = administrator
        }
    }

        }
    }
}

I'll just leave this here

 

[Rags17]

I am currently adding to my personal mini mod to add more interactions and I am looking to buff the Rulership by adding +1 Demesne limit and adding a new action to Spy On vassals (only). The demesne limit will help if you are just over your limit and for whatever reason can't change your Centralization law, the Spy On action will represent going through your accounts and looking for errors in tax and tribute.

"So you forgot to remit your sale tax receipts eh ? You'll be looking at a long stretch in His Majesties prison unless you can cough up the ransom, er I mean fine !".

 

[Lycrist Katkiller]

I am currently adding to my personal mini mod to add more interactions and I am looking to buff the Rulership by adding +1 Demesne limit and adding a new action to Spy On vassals (only). The demesne limit will help if you are just over your limit and for whatever reason can't change your Centralization law, the Spy On action will represent going through your accounts and looking for errors in tax and tribute.

"So you forgot to remit your sale tax receipts eh ? You'll be looking at a long stretch in His Majesties prison unless you can cough up the ransom, er I mean fine !".

sounds OP, wouldn't play

The Rulership focus just needs to be more like war focus.

Random yearly events on war focus seem to happen much more likly.
The only negative traits war focus can give you are wounded and, arguably, wroth.
You can easily get brave or brawney, increase you martial education, gain leadership traits, personal combat skill and strategiest
Especially the strategy games you can play with your vassals are great, because once you know the answers, you will always win and get your skill up

On the other side, Rulership focus can give you depressed and stressed which are both pretty dangerous if you are no hermit or have another great way to remove those threats/traits
Of course, Rulership can give you good traits, like just, diligent, ambitious, administrator and increase your stewardship education but it happens to rarely. Sometimes, I pick rulership and the only event I had in 10 years was getting stressed (or depressed, don't remember).
The only improvement this focus needs is double the chance for something to happen and half the chance to get you killed.

Your idea to "spy" on your vassals is no bad, but this could rather be some minor event where you get half their yearly income or maybe a favor if you let it slide because they cheated on you.

Just make the rulership less dangerous to your health and less boring.

 

[Rags17]

:
Your idea to "spy" on your vassals is no bad, but this could rather be some minor event where you get half their yearly income or maybe a favor if you let it slide because they cheated on you.
:

That sounds perfect - I was wondering what effect a minor transgression such as tax cheating would cause - I was thinking about a simple Imprison reason but a Favor would be appropriate too.

 

[Lycrist Katkiller]

That sounds perfect - I was wondering what effect a minor transgression such as tax cheating would cause - I was thinking about a simple Imprison reason but a Favor would be appropriate too.

yeah, but it's with the spy-on from intrigue focus - it's just arbitrary to get an imprison reason, because they didn't slander (or in this case cheat taxes) you intentionally.

Everyone does that, even the most content loyal vassals "slander" you, even if they never would do such thing.
A just charitable content vassal would never steal your taxes, but you could spy-on just to get a reason for imprisonment.

So this minor event should only fire if the AI is arbitrary, greeding, or hates the liege for whatever reason.
AND the vassal should have a choice like "I could save some money from my liege... he'll never find out"

Oh, and of course. Paranoid lieges would claim this and that guy stole their taxes ALL the time (no matter if they did, not matter what traits they have).

 

[Darth Imperius]

I know it's been several months since this was posted, and I normally hate to necro old posts, but the rulership focus truly is so bad that I have taken it only once in the past 200 hours of play. Why? Because me empire was in a really good spot, my heir was excellent and I wanted to die so I could play as him before some random event killed him off.

I will say this, if your intent is to die, the rulership focus is excellent for that. I had stressed within two years and depressed came three years after that. Combined with wounded from a warrior lodge duel, I didn't even need to commit suicide.

 

[Patriarch of Bub]

I know it's been several months since this was posted, and I normally hate to necro old posts, but the rulership focus truly is so bad that I have taken it only once in the past 200 hours of play. Why? Because me empire was in a really good spot, my heir was excellent and I wanted to die so I could play as him before some random event killed him off.

I will say this, if your intent is to die, the rulership focus is excellent for that. I had stressed within two years and depressed came three years after that. Combined with wounded from a warrior lodge duel, I didn't even need to commit suicide.

Been in the exact same situation myself. It really calls for a fix

 

[Tryvenyal]

The problem here is that the traits you can get from rulership is the top-tier traits of the game. I don't think these should be more common!

I use Rulership mainly when I have 2 of : Content/Slothful/Arbitrary to get rid of them rather than to replace them and it´s the same here! with improved frequency I´d have got rid of some of the games worst traits and probably had one of them replaced by one of the best trait. Traits you gain/can get rid of with the other focuses is uncomparable!

My solution is keeping these events rare and fill up with low-impact events.

Generally my biggest problem with focuses are the passive stat-boost. I´d prefer them to not boost stats, but rather other stuff, related to the fokus and stat.

 

[delta180]

why does everyone hate content, it give 0.5 monthly piety at the cost of 1 intrigue?

 

[TheDarkMaster]

why does everyone hate content, it give 0.5 monthly piety at the cost of 1 intrigue?

The player is locked out of the 'become exalted' and 'forge a bloodline' ambitions if they have the content trait.