Charlamagne more incompetent than ever?

[Sanny]

Europe looks like an absolute mess right now 900AD started on the Charlemagne bookmark. Last time I ever start that early again.

Francia completely fell apart along with Poland being a super-state in Europe. Weird.

 

[Dahoota]

Since Conclave I've seen Francia form on a fairly regular basis in my games, maybe 20% of the time?

Europe looks like an absolute mess right now 900AD started on the Charlemagne bookmark. Last time I ever start that early again.

Francia completely fell apart along with Poland being a super-state in Europe. Weird.

What I've found usually happens in the 769 starts is if Francia doesn't form, western Europe falls apart, the Umayyads form Hispania and take Aquitaine.

At 900, Crusades immediately fire with 5-6 holy orders spawning and Europe starts blobbing up again under whoever wins that first crusade. The Umayyads then often fall apart after the Badshah loses army strength in the crusade with the Catholics steamrolling in the other direction.

 

[Tapio]

I think people would be singing a different tune if Karl formed either of the Empires any bit regularly.

He does, maybe I'm just lucky? It's always Francia though. Haven't seen him from HRE since Conclave came out.

 

[Arsonik]

Since Conclave I've seen Francia form on a fairly regular basis in my games, maybe 20% of the time?



What I've found usually happens in the 769 starts is if Francia doesn't form, western Europe falls apart, the Umayyads form Hispania and take Aquitaine.

At 900, Crusades immediately fire with 5-6 holy orders spawning and Europe starts blobbing up again under whoever wins that first crusade. The Umayyads then often fall apart after the Badshah loses army strength in the crusade with the Catholics steamrolling in the other direction.

Agree with your whole post. And I only play on 769. I would call 769 the "anything can happen" start. I have seen the Umayyads take over Britanny and everything inbetween (parts of France/Aquitaine), Saxony taken over and then somehow get independence but take parts of de-jure France and others with them, and keep them stable as Pagan. Scandinavia almost always unifies fairly quickly and Catholic MA is always dumpster level until around 900 AD unless Karl does reallllyyy good. Frankly I like it this way and it almost always bounces back to some realistic borders and Catholic MA for me so it's a fun time to be in the game IMO.

 

[StarSword]

My game, the Carolingian Empire collapsed into a bunch of big duchies and small kingdoms; Germany formed on its own way later, after the Widukind event. At present (1030-ish) Burgundy barely registers as a vestigial kingdom (they're literally just Provence with delusions of grandeur), but France, Aquitaine, and Middle Francia are still around. The only reason the Muslims haven't moved further north than Barcelona (outside of a couple successful jumps into Brittany and Poitou, which were reconquered relatively fast) is because the Irish Hebridians (me) have been pushing them back.

 

[Arsonik]

..... is because the Irish Hebridians (me) have been pushing them back.

Hmmmm, I wonder who that could be??? No seriously though its you right?

 

[StarSword]

Hmmmm, I wonder who that could be??? No seriously though its you right?

Yeah, for a while there I was the crutch character for the entirety of Western Europe, helping hold off both the Muslims and the Norse. The Byzantines were actually slowly expanding, though.

 

[Yeekim]

In my latest game, he formed a Super-Francia that has been slowly but steadily expanding in every direction for over 300 years now...

 

[Zarine]

Take Saxony, inherit your brother... and for life you are at 100% threat.
Obviously the AI is unable to solve this issue.

 

[AjayAlcos]

Charlamagne more incompetent than ever?

AVE CAROLVS INCOMPETENS, IDIOTA ROMANVS SACER

 

[Arsonik]

Take Saxony, inherit your brother... and for life you are at 100% threat.
Obviously the AI is unable to solve this issue.

In my current Karl game I only got up to 50% threat and I have formed HRE, hold everything east north of Iberia and have picked up Saxony, Pomerania, Bavaria, and obviously Italy. I'm not sure why people keep saying that.

 

[Zarine]

In my current Karl game I only got up to 50% threat and I have formed HRE, hold everything east north of Iberia and have picked up Saxony, Pomerania, Bavaria, and obviously Italy. I'm not sure why people keep saying that.

Maybe because that's what I experienced. After they might have patched it up a little to avoid this happening but from experience even a little something can cause tons of threat..

 

[Arsonik]

Maybe because that's what I experienced. After they might have patched it up a little to avoid this happening but from experience even a little something can cause tons of threat..

Your experience playing as Charlie or watching the AI play as Charlie? Because my experience is the AI is complete rubbish at doing anything in this game. Obviously they dig their own graves managing themselves, let alone their demesne. Unless you are Abbasid or ERE sized AI then you are doomed to failure from the beginning. I'm playing a game right now where AI formed Francia, Karl has 8% threat right now and the realm is stable. I also had two consecutive games recently where he formed the HRE with no problems. It's not like threat does anything to stop expansionism when you are a blob already anyways.

 

[Tapio]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Charlie gets threat from the railroaded events anymore?

 

[Zarine]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Charlie gets threat from the railroaded events anymore?

Maybe that one part that changed now.

Regarding threat and what I experienced on D1 of the threat patch :
To give you a way to compare, yesterday I played in the South of India (in the area of the far South empire). I had almost everything and my land was split between my 2 sons.
There were 4 kingdoms, the other son got 1. Going at war for it and gaining it put me at 50% threat right away.

I had exactly the same when as Charle, when I took Saxony. Same effect when I inherited my brother... same effect when I took Bavaria or Italy.
Maybe now it's changed/fixed and I'm mistaken on the Charle issue, but if still here in some cases (like not wait for event) then maybe the AI dig its own grave with it.