You should answer asap because now I have an easy day and I can play
Two questions, 936 was added in last patch of CK2? Second one, how is it balanced and why do you prefer this over 1066?
Third edit question
Could I do an Ireland on 936, to learn the easy things first?
I like the map of 936 too, because Central Europe is less blobby.
Cheers
936's main advantage, balance-wise, is that it doesn't have as many blobs or event troops. Basically it's the period between the final collapse of Charlemagne's Empire and the reformation of the Holy Roman Empire (one of the interesting characters,
Otto, the King of Germany, is the one who refounded the Holy Roman Empire, and he has a few events to give him claims/wars; he's definitely worth a playthrough at some point to try it out). Likewise the Abbasids are in shambles at the moment, with the Middle East divided among several powers. On the other hand, you do end up with a united Muslim Andalusia, which is generally strong enough to unite the peninsula and push into Aquitaine even as an AI, but that's no different from the 867 or 769 start dates.
Meanwhile, you still have several pagan nations that are reasonably strong (Denmark and Sweden are still pagans, while Norway is ruled by a Christian but has almost all pagan vassals and a pagan brother/heir who is likely to assassinate him if he doesn't take prompt action which the AI doesn't always do). On the other hand, the Catholic kingdoms are better off than they are in 867 (for starters, 867 sees Vikings with ludicrously huge starting armies in the process of conquering England; in 936 England is already unified), so are somewhat less likely to collapse into a mess of heresy and rebellions (which is the most likely state of Catholicism in the CM and TOG start dates unless the player is involved).
I forget whether Ireland is still tribal or not in 936 (honestly I haven't played an Irish game in years, and I've never played one there in 936); if it is, then I wouldn't recommend it for a beginner.
My last comment about blobs: remember that you don't have to play as the top liege. Indeed, one of the best parts about CK2, and which distinguishes it from other Paradox games, is that playing as a vassal is perfectly fun and reasonable. Remember, you aren't playing as "the Spirit of the Nation" like you would in EU or HOI, you are playing as "the Spirit of a Dynasty." Playing as a vassal within a big blob offers its own challenges and opportunities, as you have to deal with both your vassals below you and your liege above.