Help for a first timer

[lickitysplit]

Hi,

I have never played any Paradox strategy games before, but I thought I'd try out this one. The learning curve is incredibly steep, but after a couple false starts I think I have the hang of it.

My question is what do I do now?

I played as one of the counts of Ireland. I started off slowly, upgraded my county, used my Marshall to increase my levy count, and slowly took over the entire island by the year ~1150 or so. Now I have most of Scotland, Wales and Brittany. I basically cycle through sending my Chancellor to fabricate claims, declaring war and taking whatever was fabricated, and possibly creating or usurping a duchy so I have cause to invade again. I have no doubt I could eventually take over the entire map using this method (if the game lasted long enough).

I have only put in 8 hours and the game is already getting a little stale. The only harder starting conditions I found were in Iceland, but the game seems too easy after 80 years of game time.

I do not mean to sound too critical - I really like this game. But I also know I do not understand 90% of the gameplay mechanics involved (ie I rarely change my laws, use spys for anything but researching tech, plan marriages carefully etc etc etc).

What do you guys do that makes this game fun after taking a reasonable amount of land?

 

[Maizel]

If you go the way of least resistance, the game is very, very easy.

Especially with the mercenaries, it's very easy to just fabricate claims, usurp/create some duchies and press the ducal claims for those.

At the moment, if you want a somewhat harder game, you have to play by rules you set. For example: No/little title fabrication, but instead rely on the claims of your children or courtiers.

-becoming pagan

- Elective or gavelkind succession laws, instead of seniority or primogeniture.



I hope they increase the default difficulty a little bit soon. This game is leagues easier than CK1, mostly because of the lower troop upkeep costs, and mercenaries that are hireable at will, instead of through events.

 

[Zzyzx]

You are trying to 'win' the game. You can't. You might want to try roleplaying your characters or try a character that isn't on top at all. A hopeless count somewhere in the heartland of Germany for instance.

 

[SlyEcho]

Have you done what it says on the title of the game? Going on a Crusade?

 

[DarkieBabZ]

Try out Multiplayer

Trust me you wont steamroll other players as you do with the AI.
Also, you could start in a harder place as a little count..
Maizel have a good point aswell, if you set some rules yourself and do some crazy stuff the game will be harder.. but its all down to what you want, there is no goals... you could start up a game as a little count and make your own goal, create the kingdom of jerusalem...


So again my advice - Try out MP! its great fun.
Set some crazy goals and try it out.

 

[Pode]

By starting independent, you're missing a whole other world of scheming, frustration, and complexity not having a liege to deal with. Especially as a Duke in an empire. You're managing your own vassals, the Emperor is managing you, you're scheming to gain enough power that you win the next election yet not so much that the current emperor sees you as a threat and takes you down a notch, etc.

 

[lickitysplit]

If you go the way of least resistance, the game is very, very easy.

Especially with the mercenaries, it's very easy to just fabricate claims, usurp/create some duchies and press the ducal claims for those.

At the moment, if you want a somewhat harder game, you have to play by rules you set. For example: No/little title fabrication, but instead rely on the claims of your children or courtiers.

-becoming pagan

- Elective or gavelkind succession laws, instead of seniority or primogeniture.



I hope they increase the default difficulty a little bit soon. This game is leagues easier than CK1, mostly because of the lower troop upkeep costs, and mercenaries that are hireable at will, instead of through events.

You are trying to 'win' the game. You can't. You might want to try roleplaying your characters or try a character that isn't on top at all. A hopeless count somewhere in the heartland of Germany for instance.

I honestly had no idea what the 'point' of the game was besides some vague instruction to get as high a score as possible and compare it to history. I didn't realize this was predominantly a roleplaying game

Have you done what it says on the title of the game? Going on a Crusade?

Nope. Does this add challenge? At the moment, I can raise ~10k troops from my provinces, and have the money to recruit at least another 15k in mercenaries. Do Muslims put up a good fight? Is holding provinces the challenge?

Try out Multiplayer

I think I will.

By starting independent, you're missing a whole other world of scheming, frustration, and complexity not having a liege to deal with. Especially as a Duke in an empire. You're managing your own vassals, the Emperor is managing you, you're scheming to gain enough power that you win the next election yet not so much that the current emperor sees you as a threat and takes you down a notch, etc.

The whole reason I chose a count in Ireland was because the game told me the difficulty was 82% or something. All of the possibilities in France or the HRE were much lower. Are they actually harder to play? What do you do if you are trapped in the middle of a large, friendly empire? Maybe I'll try this out as well.

Thanks for the replies everyone! I thought I was missing something (which it turns out I both am and am not).

 

[The Disaster]

You have reminded me of my signature...I am yet to get to eight hours in a game before I do something stupid and the whole dynastic house of cards crashes around my ears! Accidentally dismiss my mercenaries in the middle of a battle? Check. Have every single noble in the realm rise up in open revolt? Check. Lose most of my demesne to my own mercenaries? Check. Press Quit instead of Save? Check. If I could assassinate my own character I think I would have managed that as well.

 

[James The 1st]

Paradox games are like LEGO. What happens is up to you. You can't really "win" the game.

 

[unmerged(75409)]

Hi,

I have never played any Paradox strategy games before, but I thought I'd try out this one. The learning curve is incredibly steep, but after a couple false starts I think I have the hang of it.

My question is what do I do now?

I played as one of the counts of Ireland. I started off slowly, upgraded my county, used my Marshall to increase my levy count, and slowly took over the entire island by the year ~1150 or so. Now I have most of Scotland, Wales and Brittany. I basically cycle through sending my Chancellor to fabricate claims, declaring war and taking whatever was fabricated, and possibly creating or usurping a duchy so I have cause to invade again. I have no doubt I could eventually take over the entire map using this method (if the game lasted long enough).

I have only put in 8 hours and the game is already getting a little stale. The only harder starting conditions I found were in Iceland, but the game seems too easy after 80 years of game time.

I do not mean to sound too critical - I really like this game. But I also know I do not understand 90% of the gameplay mechanics involved (ie I rarely change my laws, use spys for anything but researching tech, plan marriages carefully etc etc etc).

What do you guys do that makes this game fun after taking a reasonable amount of land?

The game plays differently once your realm has grown to the size of England or France. What works for a small count/duke or the king of a reasonably small kingdom (Ireland) no longer works for a realm where you have a dozen large-sized vassals under you. Paint the map your color is definitely not going to work that way - this is not medieval total war

 

[Zzyzx]

I honestly had no idea what the 'point' of the game was besides some vague instruction to get as high a score as possible and compare it to history. I didn't realize this was predominantly a roleplaying game

It is not a roleplaying game if you don't want to. It is essentially a historical sandbox. You must challenge yourself.

Let's put it like this: CKII is not a game you play, it's a game you play with.

 

[Dark3lf]

Holding 3 small kingdom or 2 medium kingdom is easy, the harder part start when you have more kingdom. The bigger your realm, the smaller your power relative to your vassal, they will plot against you. Also the AI opportunistic, when you have internal kingdom trouble, prepare for war from French or England.

My limit so far 4 med kingdom, at that point, i spend more time squashing rebellion and stopping plot then expanding.