Help with council revolts

[theyouer]

Hey all. I took a break from ck2 when conclave first came out because I couldn't stand the threat system. It looks like that's been fixed enough now though and with Reader's Due out and a recent steam sale in got back in. My problem now is that i don't know how to manage councils. I looked around at complaints from March and they seem about right to me, as an empire i am constantly fighting even against my viceroys to empower councils. For a while it was annoying but recently they've been revolting with around 150% my strength.

I can't get much stronger since I'm already at 8 well-built castles in my home duchy. Unless I trade my awesome baronies in my capital for some more counties.

Defensive pacts don't work, I'm currently fighting a guy who I couldn't imprison yet he didn't abandon his faction.

I seem to be having a really hard time just keeping vassals above 50 opinion. Just noticed one duke hates my guts. Thought it was because both his father and grandfather died in my dungeons but nope, just ambitious and wanted to be king. Maybe this is just especially hard for Indians? I'm hated whether I'm Hindu or Buddhist. My guess is this is a product of the nerf to long-term liege opinion.

So are there any good ways to sacrifice some power for vassal opinion like there used to be (like reducing feudal obligation)? Do I just need to bend over? Send money to everyone? Last time I let the council decide on declaring wars i was attacked and couldn't pull my vassals in. Is that my only option?

Trying not to rant, I know the game has changed, I'm looking for advice on how to play the current patch.

 

[Frank327]

I don't know your specific situation but there's a few things that help. If you're an empire, you want vassal kings on your council. Preferably they're content or humble and you have great relations with them, that would make it more likely that they're going to be loyalists. It also helps if your own kingdom doesn't have too many duchies, or if you create a grand-duke if you have space for him on the council.

What it boils down to is that your council members can't revolt (unless you're trying to be a despot) and if your council members along with yourself control 80-90% of your empire then there's almost no one left that can revolt. Also marrying your daughters to their heirs will get you non-aggression pacts which means they can't revolt as well. The danger is that you'll face vassals with claims on your empire later on.

 

[Rags17]

Hey all. I took a break from ck2 when conclave first came out because I couldn't stand the threat system. It looks like that's been fixed enough now though and with Reader's Due out and a recent steam sale in got back in.
:

You have to be careful with Reader's Due - it adds bad backs, reduced eyesight and late nights reading until dawn. Oh, and the "Overdue Library Fines" event chain is a nightmare !

 

[theyouer]

OK I'll try empowering the council. That would also let me add another viceroy to the council. Maybe make my councilors multi-viceroys to give them more land. Kingdoms in India can be pretty small. An NAP didn't save me from my current war so I'll pass on that bit though. Maybe they only work if you've empowered the council?

 

[Olligarchy]

Yeah, the Council revolts are a tad bs. I've had Councillors joining in at over 90 relations just so they can demand more rights.

 

[alscon]

Another solution that might help keep your vassals in check: Keep around half of them in your prison. You should be able to crush their revolts then and cycle through your vassals.

And when you don't need to spy on Constantinople, have your spymaster scheme them out of factions, preemptively on strong ones.

Periodical council revolts are a drawback on being an absolute ruler, but worth it.

 

[Kumicho]

OK I'll try empowering the council. That would also let me add another viceroy to the council. Maybe make my councilors multi-viceroys to give them more land. Kingdoms in India can be pretty small. An NAP didn't save me from my current war so I'll pass on that bit though. Maybe they only work if you've empowered the council?

If you have Council War Declarations on anyone on the Council can't join factions (unless the Council is discontent). It's a great way to keep your strongest 5-6 vassals pacified.

 

[Heiliges Thüringens Reich]

Reader's Due

You have to be careful with Reader's Due - it adds bad backs, reduced eyesight and late nights reading until dawn. Oh, and the "Overdue Library Fines" event chain is a nightmare !

Ah yes, the next expansion - Reader's Due. Paradox will finally acknowledge the underwhelming technology system and give us an all-new, totally revamped system! We'll be able to build a fourth ledger building, the University*! Filled with overcosted upgrades that add technology resource (of course, those already doing that in Hospitals will be changed to give other stuff), different books telling old and new stories (each one giving you chain events of awesome historical knowledge - who needs Middle Ages classes in school?), ease to change local culture and religion, heretic theories, scientific breakthroughs and much more!

Also, new traits! Illiterate for many courtiers and all pagans - except Germanics, of course (and non-pagans Court Chaplains must be literate); Book Worm for Scholarship focus; Copyist for Theology focus; Finance Genius for Business focus; Wise Leader for Rulership focus; Kama Sutra Expert for Seduction focus; Hidden Texts for Intrigue focus; Artist of War for War focus; Master of Game for Hunting focus; Present Parent for Family focus; Brew Student for Carousing focus; Knowledge is Power if you research a lot of tech; Sharing is Caring if you spread a lot of tech; and other cool ones!

And that's not all, folks! Your Spymaster will give you chain events regarding stealing technology! New ones for your Marshal, Court Chaplain and Steward! Not only that, but as well new stuff to build with Scholarship focus in the Intrigue tab, alongside the observatory! Why not an Alchemist's Lab? Printing Press? Or something more shareable, like a scientific treatise? Or promote great events with specialists of the entire Old World?

Clashes/Cooperation with heads of religions! Wars to take away/restore ignorance or knowledge from/to someone else! Casus Belli on people announcing 'lies and deceit' (aka different stuff you believe in, all tied to chain events)! Churches and Cities get more buildings regarding technology!

*Cities will lose the university, but will get Public Library in its place, doing more or less the same

So, are you already saving money for such unskippable DLC?

 

[Rubidium]

I generally let them keep war declaration, which, as noted, means that anyone on your council can't revolt except on succession or when you disobey the council. Your councillors' stats aren't that important, compared with keeping a few powerful vassals neutralized. Conclave gives you enough money (thanks to introducing opinion-malus-free feudal taxation) that you can buy favors to use as needed. And yes, a few NAPs will help things; that's what younger siblings are for. I won't actively go out of the way to give them more, but if a revolt is threatened over something like "banishment" (which I essentially never use), then I'll give in; the only ones I'll particularly fight for are things like Title Grant/Revocation/Imprisonment.

 

[Iron Chariots]

I generally let them keep war declaration, which, as noted, means that anyone on your council can't revolt except on succession or when you disobey the council. Your councillors' stats aren't that important, compared with keeping a few powerful vassals neutralized. Conclave gives you enough money (thanks to introducing opinion-malus-free feudal taxation) that you can buy favors to use as needed. And yes, a few NAPs will help things; that's what younger siblings are for. I won't actively go out of the way to give them more, but if a revolt is threatened over something like "banishment" (which I essentially never use), then I'll give in; the only ones I'll particularly fight for are things like Title Grant/Revocation/Imprisonment.

I've even experimented with giving powers like banishment and execution to the council preemptively if I need to increase my vassal limit. I use them so rarely that if I really need to buy a favor or two it's not a big issue.

 

[Big Bad France]

If you have strong allies and enough gold for mercenaries, putting down a strong rebellion can do wonders for getting your vassals to respect you. If you don't have a lot of gold, just arrange betrothals with some of your children and your strongest vassals to gain a non-aggression pact.