Far Northern Russian Minors

[unmerged(15337)]

I started a new CK game and decided to play an Orthodox family for a change. I wanted to play a little guy, just a minor Count, and try to work my way to greater glory. So I loaded up the County of Staraya Russa within the Principality of Novgorod. Economically, it was just impossible. Even with tax settings at max and church donations at min, I was making less than 1 ducat per month. As loyalty declined it got worse, to the point that the economy was flat with literally zero income. Eventually I was able to build a forestry -- by extorting some pagan's treasury while my liege was beating him. Apart from this sort of game exploitation, I really couldn't save up any money at all.

At that point I gave up on that County and tried again with the County of Moskva. That worked out much better, with slow but genuinely positive economic growth.

My question is this: is it possible to succeed economically with a dirt poor Russian County such as Staraya Russa? It seemed just about impossible to me.

 

[unmerged(400705)]

Well, Moskva and Rostov are definitely easier (one is rich, the other in line for a princedom and with two counties), but if your patient and know all the tricks of CK in and out, it is *very* possible to be sucessful with a minor russian count. Personally, I wouldn't want to try one in Kiev or Novgorod; Cherginov and Persaslavyl (however you spell it) are much easier, as they are close to the Cumans and Bulgars. (Oh, and the tiny Tribes of Itil and the Mordvins.)

 

[Veldmaarschalk]

I played a successfull game as the count of Fareyear. It is one of the poorest counties and if you want to go somewhere you need to take a long (expensive) boattrip.

With counts like these, you need to have patience and a bit of luck. Expanding at first will be mostly done by inheritance, so try ot get your sons to marry daughters of other rulers. A strategy that usually works is to marry all your sons, continuesly into the same family, at some point you will inherit something.

 

[unmerged(15337)]

A strategy that usually works is to marry all your sons, continuously into the same family, at some point you will inherit something.

Wouldn't you run the risk of some serious inbreeding problems that way?

 

[Veldmaarschalk]

Wouldn't you run the risk of some serious inbreeding problems that way?

Makes it just more fun

 

[cpteveros]

Wouldn't you run the risk of some serious inbreeding problems that way?

Worked for the Hapsburgs, didn't it?

 

[Subcomandante]

You can succeed economically, it just takes decades. Don't overstrain your people, and wait until you have the money for economic buildings. Sooner or later you can build a mine, which doubles your income or more.

 

[unmerged(75409)]

Plundering someone's treasury is also a nice way to get money.