CK Rookie: My council is literally retarded.

[Facarwi]

Starting in 1066 is fine, but you should play one of the two petty kings, not an earl.

The concept of Ireland being "tutorial island" also dates back to the early versions of the game, when 1066 was the earliest start date and there were no tributary wars. Now the best start for a newbie is probably a duke in the HRE. Though the learning scenario as Alfonso of Leon is also a good choice.

Thanks for the tips. After taking everyone's advice I decided to play around a little with a few starting choices like a HRE Duke and Alfonso etc... Made me realize how little I know, for some reason most "beginner" guides also take place in "newbie" Island and so when I watched them and learnt how to play (or so I thought) I didn't even consider it was not covering the larger scope of the game.

Now that I have forced myself off the island and started trying different starting zones that game has really opened up. Don't get me wrong, I get lost as I am unsure of what to try and achieve next and even when i decide I am unsure of the best way to go about it... Usurping a King for instance.

Luckily I found a few Youtubers who upload high quality current content like Ghostfeet. I understand the games scope and what it achieves a lot better now, I am no longer looking for hard and fast rules or tactics per se but want to learn what is actually possible which is a fun process. The more I learn the less I feel like I am waiting for something to happen.

 

[Dragatus]

When I was new (over a year ago when WoL was the latest DLC) I restarted the learning scenario several times, each time learning something new. I think it took me some 5 tries before I was finally satisfied with my campaign and each time I learned some new valuable lessons.

 

[Naughtius Maximus]

Took me about 8 times with the base game when I started back in February. All around Sicily.

Ended up with an Ironman game as the house of Spartenos, forming the Roman Empire and eradicating all pretender roman empires.

 

[Admiral Fischer]

My first CK2 character was the Count of Messina, 1066 start. Three muslim states neighbor you, but thanks to their religious difference (two Sunni lords vs a Shia duke) you can pick them up one by one, and even if all fails your liege-brother is strong enough to protect the realm. Eventually your de jure liege the Byzantine Emperor will come to the shore, and when the Great Holy War gets activated the Caliph will call for Jihad on your island every ten years, so you will hardly get bored.

 

[Specialist290]

My first CK2 character was the Count of Messina, 1066 start. Three muslim states neighbor you, but thanks to their religious difference (two Sunni lords vs a Shia duke) you can pick them up one by one, and even if all fails your liege-brother is strong enough to protect the realm. Eventually your de jure liege the Byzantine Emperor will come to the shore, and when the Great Holy War gets activated the Caliph will call for Jihad on your island every ten years, so you will hardly get bored.

Seconding 1066 Southern Italy as an excellent starting location, particularly the Duchy of Apulia -- there's plenty of opportunities to experiment with most of the game's core mechanics, it's strong enough to handily hold its own against most of its immediate neighbors, and it's well-positioned to take advantage of the Crusades once they start triggering. Robert Guiscard also has a fairly decent-sized family (and the legendary Bohemond of Antioch as a potential heir if you want to legitimize him).

 

[Don_giorgio]

Seconding 1066 Southern Italy as an excellent starting location, particularly the Duchy of Apulia -- there's plenty of opportunities to experiment with most of the game's core mechanics, it's strong enough to handily hold its own against most of its immediate neighbors, and it's well-positioned to take advantage of the Crusades once they start triggering. Robert Guiscard also has a fairly decent-sized family (and the legendary Bohemond of Antioch as a potential heir if you want to legitimize him).

Doesnt Guiscard have a shitload of brothers and children all pestering u for titles? And even when you give them titles they fight one another or your heir following Guiscard's death? I have taken advantage of the mayhem in Sicily while playing the Duke of Anjou in order to press my wife's claim to the Duchy.

 

[Facarwi]

Thanks for the comments guys, I might just start with the learning scenario as well and continue to watch a let's play to give me ideas.

 

[Naughtius Maximus]

Doesnt Guiscard have a shitload of brothers and children all pestering u for titles? And even when you give them titles they fight one another or your heir following Guiscard's death? I have taken advantage of the mayhem in Sicily while playing the Duke of Anjou in order to press my wife's claim to the Duchy.

The only one who is of any issue is the count of Taranto, who usually rolls the ambitious trait.

The large family size both helps people get used to the fairly mild sibling rivalries (while they're still competing as counts) and more importantly acts as a powerful buffer to keeping your dynasty alive. You have a safety net of around 3-5 landed dynasty members in the area (particularly if you plot to revoke the counts sitting in the de jure duchy of apulia.)

In exchange for this minor sibling rivalry, you get to expand and take over most of the Kingdom of Sicily extremely easily. To top it off you can do so and give them to dynasty members. A much more stable way to hand out titles.

Well, maybe not that stable, but over time it's much better for the long term relations and dynasty prestige gains.

 

[Baron Badwolf]

So far my experience has not been great, it feels like I have to cater to every little whim while having no authority of my own.

said every political leader ever.

 

[vova.vx]

To the OP:
consider council management not as hindrance but as one more of the game challenges: to get incompetence out of the way (along with acquiring resources and lands). I would not recommend to send your child away for education to pagans/heretics as it will make succession crisis even worse for him (short reign stacked up with foreigner/infidel/heretic will make everyone hate him enough to build a huge factions and not only to increase council power which is relatively safe but also independence/overthrow ruler and so on). Instead build up your piety and boost your vassal opinions as high as you can (give away honorary titles, appoint them commanders, send gifts, choose carousing focus and invite them to carousing to boost your diplomacy and make friends). Then send your court chaplain to research cultural tech and wait for event where he discovers heresy (if event has not fired for too long well at least your boost your cultural tech ). Convert to heresy and convince your most annoying vassals to convert (you'll need their opinion of you 36+ or imprison them for plotting or by using intrigue focus). Use decision to abandon heresy and convert back. Make sure you have religious control mandate law. Revoke. If they rebel you can use holy orders against them (assuming you're have enough piety and they're available). Search for most competent persons in each field (diplomacy/stewardship etc) of your religion and culture in you realm or invite holy mans/commanders/nobles if not. Give them revoked titles and appoint them councilors. Done. You're have a loyal and competent council and probably 'the yes man' achievement.

 

[Loderingo]

Going back to the original point. It is important to check all of the stats for your council members as the game doesn't always assign people to their best position. You might find your Steward has low stewardship and high diplomacy. You can shuffle your council around using the "change council position" interaction in the diplomacy menu. Whenever one of my powerful vassals dies, I appoint their successor to the vacant spot and then see how I can best shuffle my council around.

 

[Dr Gonzo]

I think WIlliam the Conqueror in the 2nd 1066 bookmark (i.e. post Hastings) is a really fun game for a first time player. There's lots of stuff to do, few external threats and no liege to placate. Beating Morcar and asserting control over the North is great fun.

 

[Sammy5IsAlive]

I think WIlliam the Conqueror in the 2nd 1066 bookmark (i.e. post Hastings) is a really fun game for a first time player. There's lots of stuff to do, few external threats and no liege to placate. Beating Morcar and asserting control over the North is great fun.

My first ever game was as Morcar - its great fun from that side as well. His grandchild was a genius but was assassinated at 17 by the spymaster of King Robert (William's son). This was maybe 6 months after he'd succeeded. His elder brother (I'd moved to elective) then went on a rampage of retribution - Robert wiped his army out in a futile attempt to defend one of the Flanders counties from the HRE and I managed to fire a faction placing me on the throne without a fight. I still had to fight a civil war to revoke the murderer's titles but right was on my side!

Are Robert's stats/traits set in that start or random? He had very few redeeming features in my game!

 

[Facarwi]

To the OP:
consider council management not as hindrance but as one more of the game challenges: to get incompetence out of the way (along with acquiring resources and lands). I would not recommend to send your child away for education to pagans/heretics as it will make succession crisis even worse for him (short reign stacked up with foreigner/infidel/heretic will make everyone hate him enough to build a huge factions and not only to increase council power which is relatively safe but also independence/overthrow ruler and so on). Instead build up your piety and boost your vassal opinions as high as you can (give away honorary titles, appoint them commanders, send gifts, choose carousing focus and invite them to carousing to boost your diplomacy and make friends). Then send your court chaplain to research cultural tech and wait for event where he discovers heresy (if event has not fired for too long well at least your boost your cultural tech ). Convert to heresy and convince your most annoying vassals to convert (you'll need their opinion of you 36+ or imprison them for plotting or by using intrigue focus). Use decision to abandon heresy and convert back. Make sure you have religious control mandate law. Revoke. If they rebel you can use holy orders against them (assuming you're have enough piety and they're available). Search for most competent persons in each field (diplomacy/stewardship etc) of your religion and culture in you realm or invite holy mans/commanders/nobles if not. Give them revoked titles and appoint them councilors. Done. You're have a loyal and competent council and probably 'the yes man' achievement.

Yea, I am learning so much. I just picked up EU 4 I was hesitant in buying it as I am planning to get HOI IV also which brings the current games I am juggling up with CK2, Stellaris (its much simpler in its current form and I "got it" instantly), HOI when it comes out and now EU4.

However the way Paradox develops games is fantastic offering uniformity without ever feeling conventional. EU4 and CK2 are vastly different games, yet as I learn more about both I find myself grasping concepts with increased speed, I was able to make sense of trade almost straight away in EU4. When I go back wanting to play some CK2 I find previous "convoluted" mechanics make much more sense as I learn more about the coherency of Paradox's games... if that makes sense.

Getting back to CK2 one of my recent valuable lessons I learnt was the value of bureaucracy i.e. the ability to bury troublesome vassals in it.

 

[Ciniod]

Im in no form an expert on the game, and hell ive only really played 3 games that have gone any distance. One was as Pictland starting 769 and went to 1250 until I felt like it got boring because my vassals were everywhere and everything was messed up so it would have taken like 100 years to fix the realm (by the end I controlled all of GB except a bit on the very south that I just never felt like taking, but I had formed GB or the scottish version of it. Also controlled part of Andalusia, where the ummayads live, after a big and long crusade, then went actively holy warring down there. Also ended up controlling Hungary and getting very close to inheriting Britanny into my empire so many times, but constantly failing just barely, in the end I just declared a war.)
Though enough of that game, I just like talking about it XD.
But in general I find tribal pagan starts both more fun and easier, just make sure you arent too weak surrounded by stronger people, because tribals I think have a harder time with that due to the plentiful CBs. Currently im running a game in Livonia/Estonia which im enjoying (Not running Conclave or Horse Lords though, I cant download anything right now anyways, so ill buy them when I buy a real PC.)

 

[Dr Gonzo]

My first ever game was as Morcar - its great fun from that side as well. His grandchild was a genius but was assassinated at 17 by the spymaster of King Robert (William's son). This was maybe 6 months after he'd succeeded. His elder brother (I'd moved to elective) then went on a rampage of retribution - Robert wiped his army out in a futile attempt to defend one of the Flanders counties from the HRE and I managed to fire a faction placing me on the throne without a fight. I still had to fight a civil war to revoke the murderer's titles but right was on my side!

Are Robert's stats/traits set in that start or random? He had very few redeeming features in my game!

Yeah funnily enough Morcar was the first start I actually got multiple generations into. Once I got my head around the basics I wanted to play as York because that's my home county. I seem to remember I ended up forming Carpathia after a Crusade. Of course that was in the old days when the Cumans frequently used to invade Hungary and win..

EDIT: Found a pic! Ah, those were the days...