List the most powerful opening moves you've found out about so far in 1066

[Alerias]

I read that for many, marrying Mathilda of Tuscany to inherit her domains later was a strong starting move because she has no heir.

Then I noticed that Imperial fiefs revert to the Emperor in the case a major dies heirless hmm...

Just started as a game as the Holy Roman Emperor, and assassinated her without getting caught on day 1. :ninja: Be sure to pay careful attention to your demsene limit before unpausing the game!

Any other reproductible opening moves worth sharing?

 

[SpecialSundae]

Marry Adelheid, daughter of the Kaiser. Curbstomp anyone for about 10 years with the marriage-alliance. I made some topics on how to do Norway & Saxon England.

 

[Diagille]

Assuming you were able to go past the 20-year limit, taking Sicily seems to be a profitable move for Matilda, as well as claiming Genoa.

 

[Jak9090]

marry matilda to the zanhringen family, (dudes in baden and austria) and by the time the lucky child of that marraige inherits all the ducal titles, u could of already claimed most of italy and bam ur a king.

 

[flame7926]

Marry Adelheid, daughter of the Kaiser. Curbstomp anyone for about 10 years with the marriage-alliance. I made some topics on how to do Norway & Saxon England.

Shes actually the sister of the kaiser, he was my brother-in-law. But yeah, this is a good marriage. If he dies quickly without a heir she is it too.

 

[Titanshoe]

I found out as Norway that waiting with our 6k stack until William and Harold fight then after that you destroy both of them and England is yours!

 

[Grayfox]

I don't have the demo, but in CK1 marrying the Duke of Aquitaine's daughter was a great move, especially as the weak Capets.

Does this remain true?

 

[Whahah]

As the King of Poland, I married a bastard daughter of the King of Denmark, the alliance comes in good handy for some pagan bashing

 

[Hashoosh]

Allies for pagan bashing? This, this is madness!

 

[Pyriel]

Playing Von Habsburgs marrying your first son to the heir of Meissen will give you a strong position in the empire, also some really really wealthy provinces. See it as a springboard towards greater things in the later game

 

[Morrell8]

I don't have the demo, but in CK1 marrying the Duke of Aquitaine's daughter was a great move, especially as the weak Capets.

Does this remain true?

She's 11 at game start. Still a good betrothal though. You just have make sure her father doesnt rebel.

 

[sirbruce]

As Scotland the first thing you want to do is get married yourself and then get the Earl of Teviotdale married or you'll lose it as soon as he dies. Marry him to someone fertile and keep your fingers crossed! Then take out the Duchy of the Isles and the Isle of Man. After that, you can conquer Ireland or go after whatever remains of England after the Norman invasion...

 

[flame7926]

As Scotland the first thing you want to do is get married yourself and then get the Earl of Teviotdale married or you'll lose it as soon as he dies. Marry him to someone fertile and keep your fingers crossed! Then take out the Duchy of the Isles and the Isle of Man. After that, you can conquer Ireland or go after whatever remains of England after the Norman invasion...

How did you get claims on the Duchy of the Isles, I had my chancellor there for 15 years and I couldnt. But I did with the extended time mod.

 

[Trovador]

Matrinearly marry any random female courtier to Rodrigo Diaz de Vivaz, el Cid. A 23 Marshal can be quite useful early in the game.
Actually, I do this trick with the best Spymaster and Steward I can find in Europe, even if I feel it's far too gamey sometimes.

Oh, and anyone can take Sicily and the Baleares - really, any coastal count can easily take the ducal title of Duke of Majorca.

Also, wait until the ruler of Napoli dies, an easy pretender will rise, and you can invite him and take both provinces wasting your chancellor to fabricate any claims there.

 

[Dans28]

Playing as Mathilda, I invited AEdgar of Wessex to my court, married him matrilineally to the Duchess, then invade England when you want with his claim to the throne. Your kids would then inherit both the Kingdom of England and Mathilda's Duchies upon their deaths. The guy's pretty much guaranteed to accept your offer to join your court because his current liege (the King of England) is obviously unable to press his claim.

 

[yourworstnightm]

Playing as Mathilda, I invited AEdgar of Wessex to my court, married him matrilineally to the Duchess, then invade England when you want with his claim to the throne. Your kids would then inherit both the Kingdom of England and Mathilda's Duchies upon their deaths. The guy's pretty much guaranteed to accept your offer to join your court because his current liege (the King of England) is obviously unable to press his claim.

Aedgar the Aetheling is in? The true King of England!! I so want to play as him!

 

[Lord Tywin]

As Matilda give The Pope the duchy of Spoleto day one which will make him love you and give you 200 piety, since the bastard will usurp it anyway.

 

[Acularius]

As the Byzantine Emperors, institute higher crown authority, and then take your entire army and place it on the defensive in the mountains against the turks or attack them in the open desert (no rivers)

It doesn't really matter about your Georgian allies, but you should start ironing your control on your dukes by marrying them into the family which costs prestige but assures their loyalty for the first while.
Never give your sons ducal titles aside from the inheritor, or you'll be boned when you die and you watch a civil war engulf your empire for 3-10 years due to the unlimited hordes the Empire can pump out and also leaves you weakened to the Turks.
The Dukes of Antioch are great, good martial and a springboard into muslim lands.
Use the best diplo guy you have to sow dissent among the Turks when at war with them.

When at peace with the turks, take on the local Beys surrounding the Empire up until you have borders with the Shia Caliphate.
Bide your time, kick the Pechangs down a notch in your spare time before the Russians and Hungarians gobble them up.

Essentially, always kick the Turks down, iron out allegiances within the Empire because it is mad to get one outside of it, don't let anyone in your family but your heir have power or risk great civil war. They will press it and gather every discontented duke in existence which is essentially all of them on ascension to the throne.

 

[soran]

As Nevarra, I basically married off my family into England, HRE and Poland, funny thing is, the English King kept coming over for more marriages, so immediately, i attacked my neighboring Muslim factions armed with my bulk of alliances and expanded from a 2 county/province country to a 5 one in less than 3 years.

However, your best ally playing an Iberian faction, is without a doubt, Leon, he's proven indispensable during my Nevarra game, specially when once, my merc. army turned against me for going bankrupt and went pillaging my holdings with the Muslims. All it took me was a message, and I had not only Leon's 2.5k+ army coming to the rescue, but also England's [who by that time were still fighting Normandy and Norway by the way]

 

[Aeon221]

As King of Poland, assassinate your sickly brother and the guy who rules Upper and Lower Silesia. No one else in Poland is strong enough to take you, so it's no big deal if you get caught. You'll inherit both, netting you quite a lot of turf you can use for stuff.