How often does one play as Shia?

[Rognvaldr19]

Before the last shake up of Muslims, the Shiite were often the Muslims to play because they offered something different in the Hashashin. However, since Charlemagne, with it expanding the timeline (therefore making it much later until the Hashashin are availiable), and the Dynasty Shield packs for the Umayyads and Abbasids who are Sunni superpowers, it has made the Sunni dynasties the much more attractive option for playing (IMHO).

There is also the choice between two traits (Mutazilite & Ashari) that are available to Sunni Muslims that give them more options aswell as hegemony across the Islamic world compared to the Shia (which can't be helped as that is a historical restriction).

So I wanted to ask, how often do you play as a Shia Muslim? Is this all in my head and selective bias, or are the Sunni Muslims more playable?

 

[AjayAlcos]

Well personally my two favourite picks are Shi'a and Ibadi mostly because I'm personally attracted to the cultural perspectives which have developed around those two denominations compared to the wider Sunni mainstream (which is also quite fascinating and intriguing in its own right). I'm quite upset however that compared to the Sunni's, the Shi'a and Ibadi's tend to lack their own internal flavour. In the game no differentiation is made in regards to the different schools of Shi'a, such as the Twelvers, Alawites and Zaydis. For example, there doesn't seem to be any events relating to the lives of 5 of the 12 in regard to Shi'ism which is perplexing considering that they were alive within the games timeline. Then again, nearly every religion in the game is in dire need of a revamp - especially the Abrahamic and Pagan (excluding Norse) religions. For example, Christian vassals should be able to sponsor the construction of monasteries for different monastic orders in return for a unique bonus reward related to which monastic order they patronised (e.g. X piety + X learning/ X piety + temperate trait). Religion during the period played an extremely role in the lives of every human being during the Dark Ages. Embracing one's faith was as important for individuals as work, sustenance and survival.

But to cut this short, I find the Sunni's suitably flavoured (for now) whilst the other Islamic denominations have ALOT of game potential.

 

[BD13]

Agree about the lack of flavor. That said the CM tribal Marrakech start is one of my favorites of all the bookmarks. All the fun of tribal with no pagan religion (gravelkind) to worry about. Also a good challenge.

 

[Moarice]

I tried to play a Shia ruler exactly once. I picked Fatimids, looked at their Decadence, and thought "Nope." and left the game.

 

[Tapio]

Not anymore. They just lack flavor and when I play Muslims that lack flavor, I pick Ibadis. I would love for them to have some features though.

 

[Duckett]

i like playing as the Shias on the isle of Sicily on the 1066 start. It's pretty fun to imagine a mixed Italian/Berber culture or just a Shia dynasty ruling over Catholic subjects.
i always get decimated as soon as I take Rome though and Christians the world over declare war. Even with the Fatimids as allies.

 

[Secret Master]

I played them a long time ago when Sword of Islam came out.

The thing about Shia and Sunni is that either you end up getting wiped out as a Shia quickly (for obvious reasons), or you end up having somewhat boring gameplay.

Sunni is playable at most starts, but kind of boring. (But if I just want to play politics in the Islamic world without worrying about being annexed every day for fifty years, it's fine.)

Yazidi is difficult to get started, but far more interesting once you attain critical mass due to different mechanics and holy sites.

 

[Kilij]

I used to play Shia a lot, especially as the Kalbids or sometimes the Fatimids before the Old Gods was a thing.

I do challenge runs, so I don't mind playing the 769 Shia ruler of Aden in Yemen, it's not that hard to take over all of southern Arabia, then just put all your rescources into beating the Abbasids in a holy war for Medina, which will devastate the Sunni faith and let you form the Shia Caliphate. It's a pretty fun start. I haven't played a Yazidi run yet, but now that they fixed them up, they would be fun, problem is Iranian cultures suck and now they look like plastic, so I'd probably do it as a Turk rather than a Kurd as proper.

Really, the one thing I've hated since the game's release was that Hashashin were never made playable, they were what initially got me interested in Islamic history after reading a lot about their order.

 

[sXe_Superstar]

Playing with Shia rulers is fun, when you roleplay something. The Fatimids and the Alavids in the Old Gods start are the direct descendants of Hz. Ali, trying to completely wipe out the Abbasids and Umayyads can be fun and can be roleplayed as "wiping out the false caliphs" or something like that.
Or start with the Bavandids, convert to Shia Islam, take over Tabaristan, conquer Persia and use the Alavids as the vassal Caliph, like the Seljuks did it with the Abbasids.
There are also the Zaidi dynasties of the Idrisids, Rassids and Ukhaidirids. with which you can create a fun playthrough with a little bit fantasy.

 

[Vicodin_Addict]

Fatimid in 1081 is fun to start 75% decadence, -400 gold and your shitty 2nd son own all Alexandria while the current char, Caliph Al-Mustansir is one of the shittiest pre-defined char ever lived and walk on earth.
That being said, if you know the tricks and experienced enough, in 10 years you can become Badshah of Abysinia, and even Seljuk Turks is just another meal waiting to be eaten up whole with Tribal Invasion CB.

The Nabhanids, Emir of Oman in 1150 is an interesting start too, they are not all powerful but with steady source of income and good timing in declaring war, they can be as powerful as the Fatimids, without Mamluk of course.

But the most interesting char and I have most memories with is Hussayn Fatimid, Emir of Damascus in 867 start. You build the Fatimids from grounds up, and see if you can take the historical route by getting claim on the Egypt Sultanate.

I rarely touch Ibadi, as for now the Emir of Tlemcen in 867 will be desecrated whole by Louis the Stammerer of Aquitane, but there's one interesting Ibadi character, and that is Emir Al-Salt, Emir of Oman in the same TOG start under Caliph Al-Mutazz, you're pretty much in secure spot at the edge of Arabia. If you don't do anything stupid, the Caliph won't even bother touching you, build up slowly and eat Kingdom of Arabia whole. in 40-50 years you can even take a direct head to head with the Caliph himself

 

[Dakilla TM]

I've only played Shia once, as the Hashimids of Medina in 769. Except the Abbasids would always try to demand you to convert to Sunni or revoke your land.

I'm going to try a Berber Shia game in 769 soon enough, hopefully the Umayyads won't get too hasty and attack me

 

[raistlin_wizard]

Agree about the lack of flavor. That said the CM tribal Marrakech start is one of my favorites of all the bookmarks. All the fun of tribal with no pagan religion (gravelkind) to worry about. Also a good challenge.

That guy wasn't shia IRL. He tried to found his own religion where he was the new prophet or something like that. It would be a nice addition, but him being a shia doesn't have much sense. A sunni heresy would be more fitting.

 

[Ribbon]

Last few Norse games I've converted to Shia because then I can form the Caliphate even if I'm just off in a random part of the world, so long as I can become Sayyid. I guess I could choose a heresy, but I really like springing an organized religion up. The hard part is trying to find Shia candidates to convert off of before they're asked to convert off the face of the earth. Conquered the world for Odin once when Old Gods came out, now I just think it's funny to have a Norseman descendant of Muhammad ruling the frozen north. Going on a Viking and carving exotic arabesques using the Futhark to describe the brilliance of Allah into the walls.

 

[Sabotage13]

My issue with playing Muslims is that you can't get Mamluks or Ghilman troops unless you play the Seljuks or Fatimids, which is no fun. I keep wanting to play Muslim nomads to replicate the Mughal conquest of India 500 years early, but somehow never get around to it.

 

[Witty Name Here]

Before the last shake up of Muslims, the Shiite were often the Muslims to play because they offered something different in the Hashashin. However, since Charlemagne, with it expanding the timeline (therefore making it much later until the Hashashin are availiable), and the Dynasty Shield packs for the Umayyads and Abbasids who are Sunni superpowers, it has made the Sunni dynasties the much more attractive option for playing (IMHO).

There is also the choice between two traits (Mutazilite & Ashari) that are available to Sunni Muslims that give them more options aswell as hegemony across the Islamic world compared to the Shia (which can't be helped as that is a historical restriction).

So I wanted to ask, how often do you play as a Shia Muslim? Is this all in my head and selective bias, or are the Sunni Muslims more playable?

To this day, even with all mods, I don't think I've ever played as Shi'a Muslims. I generally challenge the Fatimids as enemies, rarely ever play as them.

 

[Rognvaldr19]

To this day, even with all mods, I don't think I've ever played as Shi'a Muslims. I generally challenge the Fatimids as enemies, rarely ever play as them.

That is the problem with them and the Ibadi, the Sunni just have more interesting features if you're looking to play a Muslim.

 

[mrstevehazzard]

I tried to play a Shia ruler exactly once. I picked Fatimids, looked at their Decadence, and thought "Nope." and left the game.

That was actually the very first start I ever did in CK2. I had no idea what I was doing and soon the whole country was in flames due to war and I had no idea how to stop it.

 

[sigeena]

I just started as Sommro in Sindhi. It's an isolated Shia kingdom bordering Sunni Ghaznavid and Hindu Rajputs. Hashishin just formed.

I've married children to Ghaznavid for the NAP.

 

[Achab]

BM 769 Hashimids in Medina are quite playable with the 2.5.2 patch and the Conclave DLC.

The Overthrow Ruler faction gives new options.

https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/foru...your-ck2-empire.588410/page-291#post-20839143

 

[Tazzoz21]

I recently started a Shia-game (CM, ruler designer, ironman) > the Khomeini-dynasty, starting of in Qom. The rest will be history...

Abbassids are starting to crumble, allready there is a Shia Caliph in Syria... things are looking up. Only one problem, for some reason my (fourth) character suddenly turned Sunni! My entire family is Shia, so in the end it's no biggie, but how the hell did that happen? I did give Sadaqah one time... anyway.