Inviting Councilors: Worth It?

[Thrumdi]

Currently in an effort to recruit good councilors, I have been sorting through the "Search All" returns on the Character Tab. I sort by trait I want, and then click through on those that have high opinion ratings of me (usually 40 or higher). This nets a fair return on Yes replies to "Invite to Court".

However, it is incredibly tedious, so I don't do it that often.

My question is: is it worth scrolling through all the results for the recruits? Is there an easier way to identify who might respond positively?

I also wondered if searching in this way is WAI, since it is in fact so tedious.

 

[unmerged(494787)]

I haven't found one, but in vanilla you only really need to do that if your available councilors are less than 15 in skill, or someone hostile to you - especially for the Spymaster. Alternatively, you can train your own once you get some good ones - find an underage heir to one of your vassals (preferably with genius/quick/strong), have him educated by a same-culture councilor of high skill.

 

[unmerged(47028)]

I seek somebody with negative opinion towards their liege and then bribe with 20 Gold. It is usually enough to invite.

 

[cybrxkhan]

It's worth it. Especially if the difference between your 'starting' councilor is drastic.

One tip: a great way to get councilors of the highest stats is by marrying a female courtier to a guy of a different religious group (if the girl is zealous, you can marry a different denomination as well). Since the female courtier is of a different religion, chances are she'll hate her liege and you can invite her - and her new uber-awesome husband who has to follow her, hilariously enough - back to your court (you may have to gift her 20 gold, but the tradeoff is immense). And voila, give the guy a council post, convert him, and you got your uber-awesome council member. In all my games my council always ends up as some model United Nations kind of thing with councilors from different cultural and religious backgrounds.

 

[Sarog]

It's worth it. Especially if the difference between your 'starting' councilor is drastic.

One tip: a great way to get councilors of the highest stats is by marrying a female courtier to a guy of a different religious group (if the girl is zealous, you can marry a different denomination as well). Since the female courtier is of a different religion, chances are she'll hate her liege and you can invite her - and her new uber-awesome husband who has to follow her, hilariously enough - back to your court (you may have to gift her 20 gold, but the tradeoff is immense). And voila, give the guy a council post, convert him, and you got your uber-awesome council member. In all my games my council always ends up as some model United Nations kind of thing with councilors from different cultural and religious backgrounds.

That's brilliant. I've been revoking bishoprics and giving them to the most skilled courtiers I can find in the courts of my vassals. Which also works nicely but it isn't quite so efficient.

 

[aniuby]

I'm wondering if inviting courtiers is really WAD. I've basically invited all the members of my dynasty, princes, princesses, and heirs, and all manner of geniuses to my court, and we all live together in one big happy family. (Then the plots start flying.)

Once you get large enough, your state diplomacy, the bonuses from "has the power to press my claims", and a little bribery if necessary means almost anyone who doesn't have a 80+ rating with their liege and doesn't outright hate you for some reason or another can become your servant. I also get the impression that matrilineal marriages were recently fixed to prevent you from snagging noble men to your court, but you can still snag all manner of noble women, as well lowborn men by using matrilineal marriages with lowborn women. The irony in this is that lowborn women are now more valuable commodities than noble women.

There ought to be some limit, cost, or penalty built into the game, apart from the lowered fertility and the mad amount of plots flying around, to prevent or discourage you from basically inviting half of Europe to your court. Assuming you don't actually already own half of Europe in the game.

 

[Ahaz Flagg]

It is worth it for sure imho!! Once you get some decent family prestige, they will come easy. Where I find it is most useful is to get the best military minds. You can get it so you can have 6 25+ generals, which is awesome for 2 armies!! So my current Armies have 28 middle 27's flank, this is for RET, my levie army has 27 Middle and 25's on flank. I do not lose battles unless I am really out numbered bad. It also keeps anyone else from having better generals. Also, it is great having 25+ council members.

You just have to build up some good family prestige, or you will spend a lot of gold for no return. As to my court, keep your spymaster home, he will catch almost all of the plots if he is 19+. It should not be an issue unless you keep bringing in Envious, ambitious or greedy people. Those traits you do not want in your house!! They will plot, they will attempt to kill your spymaster, and sometimes succeed!! Though I sometimes let plots to kill my ruler go if my heir is better, you marry him to an ambitous lady, and you can count on being dead withn 5 years.

 

[Grubnessul]

Yes, it's worth it. Be careful though with letting them educate your kids. They will switch to the tutor's culture and when you become them, your cultural buildings are deleted.

 

[Bertouch]

Yes, it's worth it. Be careful though with letting them educate your kids. They will switch to the tutor's culture and when you become them, your cultural buildings are deleted.

Plus, they have a negative modifier (haven't checked the last patch, though) against you as a foreign liege. This can cause all sorts of humorous effects if you give them counties, much less duchies.

No reason not to do it, mind. I regularly comb the list for good people to invite. It can be difficult if you have very little prestige, so it's not really cheese. I tend to prefer rulers who have little prestige at game start, in any case.

 

[Valynor]

That's what I usually do (I did lose all my cultural buildings once forgetting to change my heir's mentor).
It's sort of gamey, IMHO, how can I know that Bulgar guy so skilled in diplomacy?

But either it has to be limited or it needs to be made simpler (green thumb on the general list I think).
The way it is, it's only meanness to the player

 

[cybrxkhan]

Yes, it's worth it. Be careful though with letting them educate your kids. They will switch to the tutor's culture and when you become them, your cultural buildings are deleted.

Agreed. When I had my model UN of a court, all of the kids (including my own that weren't educated by me or relatives) ended up with random cultures resulting in... another generation of model UN folks.

 

[DisgruntledLemming]

That's what I usually do (I did lose all my cultural buildings once forgetting to change my heir's mentor).
It's sort of gamey, IMHO, how can I know that Bulgar guy so skilled in diplomacy?

But either it has to be limited or it needs to be made simpler (green thumb on the general list I think).
The way it is, it's only meanness to the player

well, you could pass it off as "This legendary man from the Eastern Realms is said to have a tongue of silver, perhaps I should try to lure him over to my court, and employ his services?"

If someone has 33 Diplomacy, or 40 Martial I imagine their fame would spread a bit. >.>