Arrrgh! This faction nonsense is driving me up the wall!

[cywang86]

Start a war with Desmond asap. You can't beat him, and he can't beat you, but it'll prevent any factions from forming during times of war.

 

[Isaios]

Or imprison him and nab his deliciously tasty territory. It will do far better under you anyway.

 

[Greg Welty]

Send spymaster to end scheme, send diplomat to make relations even higher. Get him excomunicated and then send in prison. Use assasin plot and if all else fail. Make him your spymaster and send him to steal tech from Konstantinoble. If his intrig is low the emperor will catch him pretty fast and send him to prison.

OK. Currently both my spymaster and chancellor are on other missions, and it's too early to recall them. I suppose I can wait until the required time elapses.

I'm not sure how to get a vassal excommunicated.

 

[Greg Welty]

Start a war with Desmond asap. You can't beat him, and he can't beat you, but it'll prevent any factions from forming during times of war.

Actually, that doesn't seem to be true. In an earlier game I started a war with Desmond, and Ragnvald formed the faction and fought me. It was one reason I lost the war. But perhaps I'm misremembering.

 

[Greg Welty]

Or imprison him and nab his deliciously tasty territory. It will do far better under you anyway.

But imprisoning him gives a huge opinion hit among all vassals. I guess you think I can overcome that in the long run.

 

[Prime624]

I'm not sure how to get a vassal excommunicated.

It's in their diplomacy screen.

Actually, that doesn't seem to be true. In an earlier game I started a war with Desmond, and Ragnvald formed the faction and fought me. It was one reason I lost the war. But perhaps I'm misremembering.

You are correct. Faction can still run from prison. Plots can't but factions can.

 

[Isaios]

But imprisoning him gives a huge opinion hit among all vassals. I guess you think I can overcome that in the long run.

Doesn't matter all that much. It's for the one, just vassals at the time the action is taken, so once the Mayor/Bishop dies you're good to go again. And also it's just Barons, whose opinions are of relatively limited interest. Imprisoning and Banishing him early on, while yielding a total of -70 from Tyranny will still leave you the most powerful direct landholder in Ireland, and you'll very easily get a third holding immediately following. It seems to me that it's the best method for preventing a possibly ruinous civil war while increasing in strength.

 

[Greg Welty]

Doesn't matter all that much. It's for the one, just vassals at the time the action is taken, so once the Mayor/Bishop dies you're good to go again. And also it's just Barons, whose opinions are of relatively limited interest. Imprisoning and Banishing him early on, while yielding a total of -70 from Tyranny will still leave you the most powerful direct landholder in Ireland, and you'll very easily get a third holding immediately following. It seems to me that it's the best method for preventing a possibly ruinous civil war while increasing in strength.

OK, guys, you've given me some interesting strategies. Thanks for the help!

 

[N Katsyev]

This is so funny because I'm used to seeing it from the other side as we're all desperately trying to reduce the ridiculous HRE crown authority.

 

[RustyTurban]

So as the Duke of Munster, what do I do about Ragnvald and his Norwegian buddies in Ormond? It seems that within a month of starting the game, Ragnvald my vassal starts an Independence faction with 147% strength and about 242 men.

1. I don't have enough money for an assassination.
2. I don't have any children (yet) for him to tutor.
3. I don't have any land to grant him.
4. I've already given him a gift of 20 gold, and made him Master of the Horse.

It just doesn't seem to matter. He inevitably rebels and I don't have enough men to put him down. Imprisoning him or revoking his title causes opinion hits that are huge at this early stage of the game. Do I just let him go his own way and hope to regain the county later?

I used to get past this part of the game fairly easily prior to factions, but now, no dice.

How big are you? If you are within your desmense limit i thoroughly recommend going the 'North Korea' route and getting all the titles in your realm in one crazy swoop --> nobody to be upset.

 

[Mixxer5]

Play CK2+- factions make game interesting there, not annoying

 

[Greg Welty]

How big are you? If you are within your desmense limit i thoroughly recommend going the 'North Korea' route and getting all the titles in your realm in one crazy swoop --> nobody to be upset.

I'm just the Duke of Munster, near the beginning of the game, with a title to the duchy, and the county of Thomond. It's just that, since the addition of factions to the game, a Ragnvald faction is inevitable within the first six months or so. It happens every time. But again, you guys have given me some good ideas to handle this.

 

[justin6477]

I'm just the Duke of Munster, near the beginning of the game, with a title to the duchy, and the county of Thomond. It's just that, since the addition of factions to the game, a Ragnvald faction is inevitable within the first six months or so. It happens every time. But again, you guys have given me some good ideas to handle this.

Revoke it immediately.

If he tries to resist, buy a merc company and zerg rush his holdings.

 

[Gamera]

Well, factions can really be stupid:

I was playing as Duke of Burgundy... so at beginning of the game I have a strong claim on France Kingdom, because I'm the king's brother. Like always, my dear brother soon die, and my incompetent nephew is now my liege. Let's say I want to keep playing duchies, because ruling a kingdom is too much of an hassle, ok?
So, after a few months, a faction appears, lead by duke of Aquitaine/Toulouse/etc, that wants me to replace my nephew on the Throne. For sure I don't want to get any part of it, so I just stay outside. Then that faction get enough support, and I'm informed by the faction leader that they're going to ask the King to give up on his throne for myself.... really, if that happened in real life, I have no idea how much i'd be screwed, as I doubt the king would believe I've got nothing to do with that faction...seriously, if the other dukes wanted to trap me, they couldn't thought of something better.

Anyway, my nephew of king clearly refuse, and so I'm engaged with him in a war against the faction that want to get me on the throne!! And now it gets really funny: I happen to win that war... so the claimant got imprisonned...which means Me! >_>
Dang! I help my king and that's how I get thanked??

that's quite a bug really, so really, I would advise that anyone who has a strong claim on a kingdom but don't want to be king shall start its own "replacement" faction, because, as its leader, you're the one who decide when you want to press that claim. If someone start it for you, things might get really stupid/ugly.

 

[Zireael]

Anyway, my nephew of king clearly refuse, and so I'm engaged with him in a war against the faction that want to get me on the throne!! And now it gets really funny: I happen to win that war... so the claimant got imprisonned...which means Me! >_>
Dang! I help my king and that's how I get thanked??

Happened to some other people too. I guess P-dox should take a look at this.

 

[Malibu Stacey]

You put your spymaster in the county that the faction leader reigns in. The faction will then breakup, or you will have the option to ask the leader to break it up. It actually works very well.

Does this actually work? The only time I see this is when the faction has no supporters, just a leader. If I scheme against the faction leader when the faction has supporters, as soon as he leaves the faction someone else becomes leader.