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I don't have many, but a few I try to play by:
1. Keep dynasty in starting culture. Will be hard with the various branches that gets a life of its own. But for my main branch I will always try to keep the ruler and main heir(s9 in the correct culture.
2. Try to spread my culture over my lands before expanding.
Some that I know others play by:
- Only grab titles in the area you are. F.x. not just grabbing three titles of an ex-communicated german king, when you are King of Sicily. Unless these three titles are in the area of your domain.
- Role-playing your ruler. So a ruler with nasty traits will be played nasty, and a coward will not expand etc.
Hi can I butt in and ask a question 
Tempest writes: "2. Try to spread my culture over my lands before expanding."
I have recently gained several new provinces that are pagan. How do I "spread" my culture & religion to these provinces?
Tempest writes: "2. Try to spread my culture over my lands before expanding."
I have recently gained several new provinces that are pagan. How do I "spread" my culture & religion to these provinces?
1) No assassinations(as the AI never does them either)
2) No marriages to old women just for inheritances
3) No grabbing of titles that are not logical: so I won't grab a title of an excommunicated ruler on the other side of the continent
4) No more king titles than necessary: I'll usually grab up to five king titles in a connected area (e.g. Germany, Italy, Burgundy, Lotharingia, Denmark) and any other titles are re-distributed to members of my dynasty.
5) Crusading, not colonizing: I will not keep land in North Africa or the Midde-east unless I move my realm there, rather I will set up independent Christian kingdoms ruled by my dynasty.
And I do occasionally role-play my ruler, even to the detriment of the realm.
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Spreading culture means you must be at peace for a while, after some time your culture can spread within your realm through connected provinces. Both the from and to province must be owned by you or your vassal, and you must be at peace as mentioned.
You will not be able to spread your culture across the map, the best I've managed is a few provinces here and there over the course of the game. With extremely few exceptions, the starting cultural setup will be nearly identical to the end's.
2) No marriages to old women just for inheritances
3) No grabbing of titles that are not logical: so I won't grab a title of an excommunicated ruler on the other side of the continent
4) No more king titles than necessary: I'll usually grab up to five king titles in a connected area (e.g. Germany, Italy, Burgundy, Lotharingia, Denmark) and any other titles are re-distributed to members of my dynasty.
5) Crusading, not colonizing: I will not keep land in North Africa or the Midde-east unless I move my realm there, rather I will set up independent Christian kingdoms ruled by my dynasty.
And I do occasionally role-play my ruler, even to the detriment of the realm.
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Spreading religion means converting, which is easiest by event. Keep oppressing them (loot the province or place more power in the clergy), and they will convert to Christianity by event.
Spreading culture means you must be at peace for a while, after some time your culture can spread within your realm through connected provinces. Both the from and to province must be owned by you or your vassal, and you must be at peace as mentioned.
You will not be able to spread your culture across the map, the best I've managed is a few provinces here and there over the course of the game. With extremely few exceptions, the starting cultural setup will be nearly identical to the end's.
I tend toward historical goals:
England: conquer Wales, Scotland, Ireland, mess with France,
Sweden: create a scandinavian empire,
Castile: untite Spain and oust the Moors, etc.
England: conquer Wales, Scotland, Ireland, mess with France,
Sweden: create a scandinavian empire,
Castile: untite Spain and oust the Moors, etc.
I took totally random direction and decided to decide every decision event by rolling a die. Have to admit it has been one of the most interesting games I have had for a while. Started with county in Norway inherited duke tittle of Opsikon and then inherited Kingdom of Hungary. Lost the kingdom tittle to Poland and took it back when Poland was weak same time forcing them to give the King of Poland tittle to one of my vassals. Then some time later Poland took areas from me in another war but managed to keep my kingdom tittle as he didn't have a claim on it. One funny thing in the game is that the family that ruled Hungary before me is now ruling Poland and only reason why they are is because of me as they were the vassal that I gave the King of Poland tittle.
This has created several interesting situations in the game as now the cracters really are different as before they were mostly the same making it quite easy to keep your dynasty on power.
This has created several interesting situations in the game as now the cracters really are different as before they were mostly the same making it quite easy to keep your dynasty on power.
Inheriting your way from Norway to King of Hungary is pretty much the complete worst way to play this game.
Well thats your own opinion how the game should be played. In history families did use every way to get them to power and it was not unheard in history that foreign culture person inherited the kingdom. Its also boring to play the game always the same way. Almost all of my earlier games were boring from the point I got to be the king and I have never even interested in playing the game so that it would go somehow by history. Its much funnier to make the europe totally different from the historical point. I'm playing the game how it can be not how you think it should be played.
No taking titles from enemies that have vassals linked, to them. It gets gamey and stupid and unrealistic. The whole arab world is not going to submit to a catholic crusader that wants to eliminate all Muslims.
... The whole arab world is not going to submit to a catholic crusader that wants to eliminate all Muslims.
We just won't tell them that replacing them with our own culture is our ultimate goal.
We just won't tell them that replacing them with our own culture is our ultimate goal.
I admit that made me laugh, hard to find funny things in the normal forums.
lol, okay. It's just so easy to inherit powerful titles in CK, and it's always so gamey. It's pretty much impossible to rationalize its easiness -- how willing the king was to marry off his daughter, how nonchalant most everybody is about assassination attempts bent on securing inheritance of a kingdom. (Because the AIs, etc, don't understand your motives. In any vaguely realistic system, there would be hardcore resistance to a distant duke inheriting a kingdom through guile and murder.)
I think it's more fun to earn your titles.
lol, okay. It's just so easy to inherit powerful titles in CK, and it's always so gamey. It's pretty much impossible to rationalize its easiness -- how willing the king was to marry off his daughter, how nonchalant most everybody is about assassination attempts bent on securing inheritance of a kingdom. (Because the AIs, etc, don't understand your motives. In any vaguely realistic system, there would be hardcore resistance to a distant duke inheriting a kingdom through guile and murder.)
I think it's more fun to earn your titles.
I haven't used assassins at all in the game I'm now playing. Only reason I might use one is to secure the succession of my main tittle to a member of my dynasty. Still I haven't had to do that yet in the game I'm playing. My own rulers have been killed several times by assassins but I haven't killed anyone using it.
One feature of the game that is particularly ludicrous is the selective breeding of monarchs. Queens weren't picked for their administrative ability (especially as the concept of genetics was completely unknown in the era) and having a perfect dynasty where every King is a brilliant administrator and masterful general makes it impossible to do wrong.
I my recent game as Wales (see below), I found the game frustrating but interesting as long as I was killing off my dynasty to try to inherit a cousin, but as soon as I started breeding successfully I found that the Kingdom was too stable for too long and the game became too easy.
It's hard to know what the right rule would be. Ideally, stats should be less visible in the game, but from the perspective of a house rule I would suggest only allowing your monarch or his heirs to marry women of equivalent stature- e.g. your prince can only marry the daughter of another King. This makes the wife hunt less crazy.
I my recent game as Wales (see below), I found the game frustrating but interesting as long as I was killing off my dynasty to try to inherit a cousin, but as soon as I started breeding successfully I found that the Kingdom was too stable for too long and the game became too easy.
It's hard to know what the right rule would be. Ideally, stats should be less visible in the game, but from the perspective of a house rule I would suggest only allowing your monarch or his heirs to marry women of equivalent stature- e.g. your prince can only marry the daughter of another King. This makes the wife hunt less crazy.
Children can gain one or two skill points every year, at random. So kids start as 0/0/0/0 but can grow up with anything.
In fact it works so well that I've resorted to using an event to take away skill points, since far too many kids grow up with over 8 in multiple skill categories. I've even seen monsters with 10+ in all skills.
Traits are still partially decided by parents or foster-lord and the ranking court members, depending on education type chosen.
In fact it works so well that I've resorted to using an event to take away skill points, since far too many kids grow up with over 8 in multiple skill categories. I've even seen monsters with 10+ in all skills.
Traits are still partially decided by parents or foster-lord and the ranking court members, depending on education type chosen.
My main rule is that I will only expand to my direct neighbours. So no taking Paris as the king of Denmark. I will also focus on natural provinces. I'll try to complete my duchies/kingdoms before moving on to the next. Sometimes thats impossible because the opponent is too strong. In that case I'll forgo this rule.
I will also not change my laws to get a better ruler. If I get a schizophrenic kinslaying coward I'll go with the flow.
I will also not change my laws to get a better ruler. If I get a schizophrenic kinslaying coward I'll go with the flow.
Using Jordarkelf's mod (DVIP), I find that it's incredibly rare to find someone with a stat above 14, but they do still happen. More than one stat above 14 is a godsend. I do recommend using his mod for balancing purposes.
Also, yes, roleplaying your rulers is ALWAYS more fun, but if you have / he has a grand design, it's probably not going to get done in his lifetime. Roleplaying still kinda allows for a player's perspective, kinda detracts from the fun, but it's better than playing all out.
Also, yes, roleplaying your rulers is ALWAYS more fun, but if you have / he has a grand design, it's probably not going to get done in his lifetime. Roleplaying still kinda allows for a player's perspective, kinda detracts from the fun, but it's better than playing all out.
Good to know. I may pick it up before I play again.
...it's just a shame that every time Paradox makes a new version of game it gets uglier.
EU3: ugly
CK: DV: ugly
HOI3: ugly
I'm beginning to notice a pattern. Worse, these graphical reworkings presumably eat up a big chunk of budget. EU2 looked almost exactly like EU1 as I remember. If it ain't broke don't fix it.
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