Any fun starts in the steppes? (Both start dates)

[Pigposting]

I know they're a bit barebones right now, but are there any cool ideas on what to do in the place? I kinda got demotivated once I tried forming the delhi-based mongol horde successor and found out they dont hand out those titles on a player-made Genghis Khan.

 

[mrstevehazzard]

I've played a few fun games on the steppe...

- The count of Tmutarakan in 867 is a Rabbinic Jew of Radhanite culture, I think the only ruler of that culture or religion in the game. I'm playing as his dynasty right now, playing tall and making a trade kingdom on the Black Sea.
- The King of Qocho in 867 is a Manichean ruling over a kingdom full of Buddhists and surrounded by Tengri hordes. A fun, rocky mess.
- There's a duke in 1066 that's Mongol-adjacent Kerait culture and Nestorian. You could create an oasis of Eastern Christianity in the sea of the steppe or a Christian tidal wave.

Also, I'm with you at being annoyed that player-made Mongol Empires don't collapse. In my game I just switched back to confederate partition to make it splinter and then used the console to give the new emperors the Mongol successor state titles.

 

[kjbartolotta]

I’m playing on the console and I really like Vajrayana, so I’ve had several failed attempts at a Buddhist steppe empire.

This time, I had the idea that I would start as the Karakhanids and convert (under no circumstances a stretch), and then try to migrate west and take over the Khazar khanates. Priority number one was that drip, the steppe aesthetics are by far my favorite.

I ended up conquering a huge triangular region east of the Caspian, feudalizing, and claiming the Khazar title without much of the territory.

My old king was generous & went insane pulling titles as I tried to untangle the two de jure empires, and then he died and his heir was a child. Near-complete dissolution and the kids was left with only the western rump of the empire. From there, I rebuilt my shattered empire and built a massive Buddhist empire in Russia, leaving my old eastern empire a mess of kingdoms from my dynasty. Right as the game stopped in 1453, I was about to take over Anatolia.

Very fun, my favorite game yet.

 

[greywulfos]

I've played a few fun games on the steppe...

- The count of Tmutarakan in 867 is a Rabbinic Jew of Radhanite culture, I think the only ruler of that culture or religion in the game. I'm playing as his dynasty right now, playing tall and making a trade kingdom on the Black Sea.
- The King of Qocho in 867 is a Manichean ruling over a kingdom full of Buddhists and surrounded by Tengri hordes. A fun, rocky mess.
- There's a duke in 1066 that's Mongol-adjacent Kerait culture and Nestorian. You could create an oasis of Eastern Christianity in the sea of the steppe or a Christian tidal wave.

Also, I'm with you at being annoyed that player-made Mongol Empires don't collapse. In my game I just switched back to confederate partition to make it splinter and then used the console to give the new emperors the Mongol successor state titles.

Honestly, I think this is part of a bigger problem with inheritance where it's just too static atm. I would think a ruler would have some say in HOW his empire gets partitioned, allowing you to create your own successor khanate titles for each of your kids, but not atm

 

[Tiax]

A possibly interesting start from a historical perspective is the Oghuz Il in 867:

Oghuz Yabgu State - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Unfortunately, their representation in game is merely a placeholder. In real life, they were a very loose federation, in game they are a North Korea state with no vassals. With a bit of work, you could maybe spend the early game reshaping them into something a bit more accurate, and go from there. Historically, they also had a form of elective succession (although some sources say it was largely a formality, and succession was effectively an inheritance), so you could eventually adopt that.

Alternatively, after adding some vassals, you could switch to play as one of them and try to recreate the rise of the Seljuk.

 

[WJS]

I used Semey in 867 once, and it was a fun game. The rulers are Karluk, which is a particularly enjoyable culture. They have Horse Lords, Malleable Invaders, and Steppe Tolerance, so they're very good at moving into new areas and assimilating rapidly.

In my game, I was able to migrate all the way to the Caspian Sea and set up a new empire with the de jure kingdoms of Kimek, Oghuz Il, Caspian Steppe, Caucasus, and Daylam. Lots of fun, considering we started at the Kipchak/Ob border.

 

[Blodhevn]

I know they're a bit barebones right now, but are there any cool ideas on what to do in the place? I kinda got demotivated once I tried forming the delhi-based mongol horde successor and found out they dont hand out those titles on a player-made Genghis Khan.

Not really the steppe, but the Ghurid Empire achievement can be done to do a delhi based "mongol" empire, you can hybridize with your oghuz overlord in 1066.

 

[MateuszS]

I like Mogyer conquest of the steppes (instead of conquest of Pannonia).

 

[Pigposting]

Not really the steppe, but the Ghurid Empire achievement can be done to do a delhi based "mongol" empire, you can hybridize with your oghuz overlord in 1066.

I was talking about the Black Horde title which horde successors based on India get. Unfortunately, I discovered it applies only to AI-formed mongol empires.

 

[Jia Xu]

Jewish Khazaria, 867. You have a nearby holy site that gives a super development bonus to all steppe provinces. Lots of strong neighbours to pick fights with, too.

 

[Blodhevn]

I was talking about the Black Horde title which horde successors based on India get. Unfortunately, I discovered it applies only to AI-formed mongol empires.

True, but you can roleplay that, or at least your own version of the black horde. with the route i suggested. you can change kingdom-empire title once you get it, change color, everything to match the black horde stuff. 2 other suggestions.

1, if u want ironman, you can play near the area and conquer towards the black horde region, play roleplay / tall or whatevery way the game takes you until the mongols show up, then you can submit to the great khan, when the realm split, you will be in the black horde empire and you can overthrow your new liege who is the emperor of the black horde.

2. not ironman, just the ai go on observer mode until the horde spawn, wait for it to shatter and switch character to black horde emperor and take it from there. so a 1260-1300 start ish.

 

[AlipheeseXV]

Not so much in the steppe, but you could go for "make Avaria great again".

There are avar Tengri dukes in 867 Bulgaria, which are tribal.
Get your independence, form your tribal kingdom or even empire and raid your neighbours into oblivion.
Bonus points for getting the tengri holy sites in Bulgaria, the black sea and sniping a third one in asia to reform Tengri!

 

[Stardance]

I've played a few fun games on the steppe...

- The count of Tmutarakan in 867 is a Rabbinic Jew of Radhanite culture, I think the only ruler of that culture or religion in the game. I'm playing as his dynasty right now, playing tall and making a trade kingdom on the Black Sea.

I tried that start about a month ago and gave up. How on earth did you expand? Starting feudal next to a lot of tribal (which costs a lot of gold to convert) was brutal. I didn’t even manage to make Duke.

 

[Blodhevn]

I tried that start about a month ago and gave up. How on earth did you expand? Starting feudal next to a lot of tribal (which costs a lot of gold to convert) was brutal. I didn’t even manage to make Duke.

i think i want to try that out. after reading your post it sounds like a challenge. ill get back to you

 

[Stardance]

i think i want to try that out. after reading your post it sounds like a challenge. ill get back to you

Good luck!

 

[mrstevehazzard]

I tried that start about a month ago and gave up. How on earth did you expand? Starting feudal next to a lot of tribal (which costs a lot of gold to convert) was brutal. I didn’t even manage to make Duke.

I got a religious exemption hook on the Khan and then used alliances to expand until I got the duchy of Crimea. Feudalizing took forever, but I purposely didn't expand much so all my money went into men at arms and developing. I rushed the techs that increased the MAA cap and filled my lands with tradeports for money and +development. I'll admit that it definitely helped when most of northeastern Europe went Kurazite, even as far north as Finland, so I had tons of alliance opportunities. The hardest part of the game so far (I'm at about 1100 currently) was getting Cherson from the Byzantines.

 

[Blodhevn]

I got a religious exemption hook on the Khan and then used alliances to expand until I got the duchy of Crimea. Feudalizing took forever, but I purposely didn't expand much so all my money went into men at arms and developing. I rushed the techs that increased the MAA cap and filled my lands with tradeports for money and +development. I'll admit that it definitely helped when most of northeastern Europe went Kurazite, even as far north as Finland, so I had tons of alliance opportunities. The hardest part of the game so far (I'm at about 1100 currently) was getting Cherson from the Byzantines.

Good luck!

I changed to kuzarite personally and went for the georgia route. just need about 400g and then i can form georgia. my first-born son is also first in line to inherit levedia.

904Ad. im going to say its done. hybridizing with the khazar would be the next on the list if i were to continue.

 

[Stardance]

Changing to Kuzarite does make it easier, but it is a lot harder if you stay radhanite. I honestly tried to get the hook on the Khan but never managed, and I didn’t manage to secure useful alliances due the cultural / religious malus. If I were to try a do-over I might try a diplomatic alliance and hope the AI helps me siege a few feudal provinces to the south before they get rolled into someone bigger, but when I did my run they all received buffs to castle level and I couldn’t manage a quick siege. Also my khan was getting seriously hammered and it wasn’t long before the empire broke up. It was a mess.

Glad it worked out well for you!

 

[Pigposting]

Is the Radhanite unique cultural tradition worth keeping if you hybridize with Khazars?

quote

Huh, yeah. #1 is a good idea. Tuyuhun or Shatao turks are good candidates for that. Or maybe a meme run with Vlach+Turkic, then slowly snake towards india for those "westernized" clothing and unit models.

 

[Weirdsound]

Not sure if modern day Ukraine quite counts as the steppe, but it is close. Dyre the stranger is my favorite start in the game.

Good genetics, OP Northern Lords mechanics, and the ability to get pretty cheesy with succession by using a Subjugation war to steal the titular Moygar Confederation, slapping Scandanavian Elective laws on the landless title, and becoming the sole elector.

Usually I only stay near the Steppe long enough to enjoy the benefits of serving on the Khazars' council for a generation or two before blowing their empire up with a faction. But I'd imagine you could have some fun moving Northeast and hybridizing with the locals.