Crusader Kings the FAQ

[Nikolai]

From the AARland Gazette, written by MrT, moderator and beta tester:

First of all I should tell you that I feel CK has incredible potential to become an equal to EU2 – perhaps even its superior. Upon release you will find a very stable game that has incredible variety and nearly infinite replayability. This is by virtue of two major departures from Paradox’s previous games: the new character-driven dynastic – rather than territorial - focus of the game; and the dynamic event system.

The player’s primary focus in Crusader Kings is the survival of his dynasty – his “blood line”, if you will. While increasing the size and importance of one’s demesne is a good way to do this, it is by no means the only way. What is critical in the game, though, is that your dynasty survives – in some form – or your game is over. You will begin the game as the head of a dynasty – be it king, duke or count (or hierarchical equivalent, depending on what part of Europe you choose as your homeland) – with a demesne of a size appropriate to your station, and with a court that is peopled with a number of courtiers. You must then ensure your survival by appointing advisors, by finding yourself a spouse (unless you happen to have one at the beginning of the game), and by siring the next generation of your family – for when your first character dies, you assume the role of his successor. If you fail in this task and your bloodline comes to an end, your game is over.

This is quite a departure form Paradox’s previous games where the designers’ “directed historical” approach had files that predetermined who would rule each nation, when they would assume their crowns, and when they would die. Instead, think of CK as a game that contains a “snapshot” of the major personages at the beginning of a scenario and from there evolves based on the course and success of your actions. From then until the end of the game, very little will occur that is absolutely “true” to history.

That brings me to the dynamic events system. Other than a handful of major, global events that are scripted to be “faithful” to the history of the era, most of the events in CK are of a “dynamically directed” random nature. You won’t find events like EU2’s French “Wars of Religion” series that force you along an historic path – or opt for a limited number of alternative choices. For players interested in a game that is more along the lines of a historic simulation, these sorts of things could be scripted by the Scenarios & Modifications community – and likely will. Rather, CK will interact with your decisions to challenge and entertain you in a myriad of unpredictable ways.

The events in CK are rarely time-dependent, there being almost nothing scripted to happen to a particular country on any particular date. Instead, the events are triggered and/or affected by certain conditions – be it a type of law, the existence or lack of a certain province improvement, a certain social setting, or whatever. I can’t give you more details yet, but I can assure you that they can keep you on your toes and give you a real feel for many of the challenges faced by the rulers of the era.

So what does this mean to the AAR writer? In my opinion, quite a lot! No two games will be the same – probably not even remotely the same. There is almost no predictability, and thus your readers won’t be able to anticipate what is coming up next (with the exception of a few things). The game is more character driven – with each ruler and courtier having a set of basic statistics (a martial value, a diplomatic value, a stewardship value, and an intrigue value) and also dozens of available “traits” that can affect their nature – and so the opportunities to write about them are amazing. Members of your court may be appointed as your Steward, your Marshall, your Chancellor and your Spy Master (yes, murder and assassination is part of the game!)…there are tourneys…there are a large number of “improvements” that may be built in your provinces…there well over a hundred different technological advances that may be researched….and more! Each of these opens up a myriad of story opportunities that should keep the Crusader Kings AAR forum active and entertaining for years to come.

 

[Nikolai]

Most laws will affect one's relationships with the church, nobles and burghers, according to beta tester AlexanderG.
He also says that we will not try to consolidate our holdings into a nation over time.

You mean sacking Byzantium ? You can still do that..

In reply to a question following this comment, he says that one can also supplanting Byzantium with a Latin regime.

1. What level of control do you have over your dynasty? Is the only thing you do select who marries who, or can you control (to a degree) what education or life your kids live (Affecting their stats)?

Yes, you dedice education, profession etc.

2. How will the number of kids born be deceided? Randomness? In the old Genghis Khan game, you had several buttons. "Spend time with your family" both improved the stats of your sons once they came of leader age, and also allowed for a possibility of having a kid.

Depends on stats.

3. What deceides how much land you have under direct control? Will you have control over the armies of your vassals? Also, will this amount of land increase over the years, or perhaps decrease depending on certain factors?

Your titles, your stewardship rating, the amount of sons demanding land.

5. Will combat be better than it was handeled in EU2? I am thinking about more bonuses for tactical choices. Flanking bonuses, encirclement bonuses, etc. EU2 was way too random for my brilliant tactical choices!

Its rather different, as the combat has phases, it has the different troops vs different troops mechanics we had in TT. Its a mix of Victoria, T[wo]T[hrones], EU2 and lots of new..

AlexanderG on whether it's best to have only one son:

But if you have one son and he dies, and of course you would be already dead, its game over.

On a follow up question on whether uncles and cousins can take over:

It depends on which succession laws you want to use.

Alexander on Crusader States:

Its just like a regular state. Except closer to Muslims.

 

[Nikolai]

Was thinking, at the start of each scenario, you start out with historic leaders.

Yes

is the deathdate calculated from the stats they[the leaders] have?

Sometimes

Do we still have have army leaders aka EU2?

Yes

Maybe if certain members of your dynasty receive appropriate training, they become leaders for use in conflict?

Some.

Hmm, I might just have to support the muslims against the reconquista! (Is that possible?)

Not realy. Unless there is a weird fluke.

Challenging a Duke (or King) - and his formidable resources - head to head can be bad for one's continued existence. Of course there are alternate methods...

Care to elaborate on those methods?

In very general terms I can easily think of 2 non-field-combat ways:

#1 Inheritance: arrange for your dynasty to marry into the Duke's line and then "hope" for one of your children to inherit the title. It would be tricky without the use of option #2

#2 A dagger in the back will seriously cramp the Duke's style.

1. Do "laws," presumably the counterpart of DPs in EU II and policies in Victoria, naturally fall away and/or naturally come into being over time? Whether through events or some mechanism in the population, is there, I suppose, a random element in their promulgation? Or, at least, in their enforcement?

Um...tough to give you an answer to that. Laws in CK are not really like DPs in EU2. I only got Vicky last week (thanks to LD who found a copy for me) and I haven't had time to even crack open the jewel case, let alone play it, so I have no basis for comparison. I think NDA prevents me from giving this a proper answer but...

Once instituted, they are in place until you change them. In and of themselves, they are "static" as far as change or inforcement goes. There could be any number of reasons that you might wish to reconsider your current laws, some of them event-driven and others might be your only hope of saving your dynasty. I think I'd better leave it at that for now.

 

[Nikolai]

2. How difficult is it to pass a new law? Like a DP click or a policy initiative (as in, insanely easy and virtually without cost)? Or is there a chance of the nobility putting up such an opposition that it's impossible? Or is there a chance that it simply won't be enforced?

Easy to institute, but you may not change them very often and the response of your population and/or vassals and/or stands mightn't be fillled with enthusiasm. In such an instance, the "enforcement" of them would be at the point of a blade.

3. Is there a mechanism for simulating the Privy Councils, Parliaments, Estates-General and other aristocratic bodies that limited the power of the sovereign? I'm thinking specifically of the final formalization of the HRE and the Magna Carta, and the French parleys. Better put, even if they don't have a substantial part in the game engine (which'd be unfortunate but understandable) are they represented in some way? However abstractly.

Yes...in a somewhat limited/abstract way. The game will present you with pressures of this nature if you give it a good reason to. (CK has a dynamic event system that is unlike what you're used to and reacts to your actions)

4. In the same way, are there real ecumenical councils? The decisions that came out of these bodies, even though the player would not be directly involved, were profoundly important, whether in simple instructions to individual diocease or Christendom-defining Papal Bulls. What I'm thinking of are religious versions of the laws we've seen, and the ability to, whether at random or at set times (preferably called by the Pope or Patriarch AI) but always at once, send envoys and attempt to influence debate. (and yes, I know I'm a dreamer, but, you know, I'm not the only one... ) Or some watered down form, even?

Sort of...but not in the way I suspect you're thinking. There are religious laws, excommunications, etc. but there is not an independent Council engine that has far-reaching effects.

5. Taken to the furthest possible extent, how centralized can an empire become? Specifically the Roman and, as I'm sure they'll be modded in within a couple weeks of release, the Caliphates had this potential and occassionally fulfilled, and of course certain rulers, particularly the New Royalty, enjoyed a great level of control over their territories. Is it capped at 10%, as I read... Probably a year and a half ago... or just progressively difficult?

Not very, and the degree of centralization that you might be able to achieve depends on a great many factors. I would think that you might succeed for brief period of time before it all comes crumbling down (much like the Roman Empire did )

6. More feasibly, to what extent is it possible to accumulate titles? Inheriting vassal thrones directly is how the Habsburgs came to power...

You could amass quite a few...if you dare.

7. I vaguely remember something about a four-tiered pop system, with Nobles, Burghers, Artisans and Peasents. I've looked around (for about a half hour), but I can't see much new information on how this is done now. Same as before? Different? In what way?

I can't give many details. There are four stands: peasants, burghers, clergy and nobles. You will be less concerned with their populations, and more concerned with the otehr ways that they contribute to your realm.

Oh, and of course, the most important question of them all, and probably one that just can't be answered but hell's bells:
Excluding fixable bugs and similiar issues...
Is MP playable?

It seems to be the consensus of the beta team that CK MP will rock! In fact in my opinion it has the potential to eclipse EU2 in this regard.

Believe me, I have extensively beta-tested the MP option and the game ROCKS! Oh the wonders I've seen! The crusades we've led!

Kevin

One more-is it possible for the Italian city states, and I suppose all free city states, to descend into fuedalism? The Sforza, Medici and Foscari families, though a bit ahead of the time period, accumulated so much power they were essentially a nobility-particularly, of course, the Medicis.

Obliquely speaking, yes.

 

[Nikolai]

1. Will you be able to name your children as you see fit? Or will the names be preset.

1) Generated.

2. Will there be exramarital affairs that lead to bastard children?

2) yes

3. Will there be incestuous relationships?

3) no

 

[unmerged(12555)]

I would like if the person who wrote the faq would edit it and put in this

Edit: How about we leave it under your post for posterity but tidy it up slightly. - T

Minimum System Requirements

Windows 98/ME/2000/XP
Pentium III 800 MHz
256 MB RAM
600 MB Free Hard Drive Space
DirectX Compatible 8 MB Video Card
DirectX Compatible Sound Card
DirectX 9.0 or higher (included on the CD)

I have run CK on my venerable old laptop with only some sluggishness as a full 400-year game wears on.

500MHz P III running WinXP
256RAM
only 1.2GB free

It purrs on my main computer though.

2.0GHz running XP
1GB RAM
~200GB free

There has been a couple of threads asking about it, so why not get it in the FAQ and stop the unneccesary threads?

Good idea. - T

 

[unmerged(22029)]

"COTs perhaps replaced?
...Thibault, and we have not had the time to redesign a new system until now.
Johan"

That means that they actually have redesigned one, havent they?

 

[unmerged(27793)]

hi. question. can you play CK with an 800x600 res? coz im planning on using it on my notebook. thx

 

[Nikolai]

Don't think so. Btw, rememeber that this is a thread for given info, and not a usual question thread.

 

[Peter Ebbesen]

The early posts by Snowball Sergei with release date Q4 2002 or Q1 2003 are quite fun, though only of anecdotal importance now. Perhaps this thread should have excess baggage (including this post) removed?

 

[Nikolai II]

The early posts by Snowball Sergei with release date Q4 2002 or Q1 2003 are quite fun, though only of anecdotal importance now. Perhaps this thread should have excess baggage (including this post) removed?

Nah - A new thread with real FAQ info can be made soonish.

Or rather a forum for it

 

[Nikolai]

We have got info from MrT that says there is already a very good FAQ made in the beta forum, and that it will be made available when the game is released.

 

[unmerged(6777)]

Actually, there are parts of a good FAQ. More will have to be written...

And I agree that this thread will very soon be unstickied and allowed to sink into the murky depths of the forum.