Count of Orvieto Questions

[unmerged(360279)]

Hey everyone, while I am not knew to Paradox games, I am pretty new to the forum. I hope I am posting in the right place and in the right way. If not, I apologize and will correct for the future.

With that said, I have a few questions about playing as the Count of Orivieto, being the one under the Papal States. I though it would be very interesting and fun to play as this count. I should also mention this is my second or third attempt at CK2, so I could be very wrong about playing as this particular count.

I am having fun and I am plotting and scheming to try and get holdings elsewhere through marriage. However, I am generally having a hard time doing anything else. Is this normal or am I just playing badly?

I started at the earliest start date and it is now 1100 AD. I have taken no new territory, can barely raise 200 troops, and have not been able to make any real head way on marraige take overs. I guess my questions is, do you have any advice from here? Is this normal for this count?

Thanks yall!

 

[The Bishop]

If it's territory you're after, the Muslims in southern Italy and Spain have plenty that you could reclaim, provided you can fund mercenaries. If you're making use of of intrigue exclusively, I wouldn't say it's odd not to have holdings all over the world by just 1100.

 

[JonStryker]

Isn't there a second county in the Papacy that's not controlled by the pope? Fabricate claims on that and take it (possibly with mercs).
Then go after provinces in the kingdom of Sicily.

 

[NewbieOne]

Hey, Lord Kaden. That's indeed normal when you play a count and sometimes even a duke. The game has a totally different flavour when you're not a small independent blob. Welcome to the world of ham-and-eggers, the small fry vassals.

Also, the Pope will likely rush his crown authority, meaning no outside wars for you when it gets to absolute.

Another problem in your unique situation is that as long as you're a papal vassal you can't join a crusade because you can't join your liege's wars through the Offer to Join War option. Leaves you with bumping the Pope's own contribution through the use of your troops and then maybe he will give you a duchy or two instead of erecting theocracies or something like that.

On high crown authority, you won't be able to be inherited from the outside (including heirs, not just landed characters from the outside, in some situations), complicating things for your eldest sons married to landed women.

It may eventually be that you can't become a king without declaring war on the Pope or at least pressuring him with an ultimatum for independence. Therefore, Orvieto is basically for loyal papal vassals. Which does give you huge roleplaying opportunities.

For the record, the Pope doesn't create royal titles. Meaning he won't form de iure kingdoms. But duchies will drift into the Papacy.

 

[unmerged(608717)]

Will Pope call in a lot of help if you try to declare independence from him? Any experience on this?

 

[unmerged(360279)]

Thank you all for your help and this information! I am trying so of your suggestions. I am lucky as of now because the Pope has been forced to reduce crown authority due to several failures on his part. I hope to take some land very soon using mercs.

On another note, becasue of the lower CA, will it be possible for the son of my current heir to inheret a kingdom he gained through birth? Specifically, my current character Countess Boneventina was able to secure a marraige between her son and a princesss of Abyssinia. She was like third in line, but through various plots, she is now the heir. When they marry and they have a son, will he get the crown?

Thanks again for all your help!

 

[doubleskulls]

He won't need to... he'll be able to buy all the mercs he wants. Your best bit is to grow quickly by sucking up small independents (e.g. Capua, scilian muslim states etc) until you are big enough to beat the Pope and become independent, or you could try swearing allegiance to the HRE or ERE and get out of the papacy that way.

 

[JonStryker]

Thank you all for your help and this information! I am trying so of your suggestions. I am lucky as of now because the Pope has been forced to reduce crown authority due to several failures on his part. I hope to take some land very soon using mercs.

On another note, becasue of the lower CA, will it be possible for the son of my current heir to inheret a kingdom he gained through birth? Specifically, my current character Countess Boneventina was able to secure a marraige between her son and a princesss of Abyssinia. She was like third in line, but through various plots, she is now the heir. When they marry and they have a son, will he get the crown?

Thanks again for all your help!

As long as it's below High CA he will. But I don't know if you want to go down that road. Abyssinia is, how should I put it, quite tricky to play