New House Rules for interesting games.

[Hootieleece]

I am near completion entire campaign as the von hapsburgs with new patch.(inspite of my technical difficulties)

I will probably play a Byzantine Campaign next......

But I think I need some house rules.

Since I generally educate my heirs and only create Stepford Rulers from a Kwiswatz Haderach gene pool.

I think the First Rule of new game is NO educating heirs.Only able to pick a guardian and hope for the best.(Good traits will help but its in the AI's hands)

Rule 2:Marry correct rank coutiers:If character is Prince only marry/betroth Princesses or landed Duchesses(with early betrothal) even if their stats are horrible to get less SUPERMEN.

 

[unmerged(206584)]

Only reload for incredibly dumb occurrences like jihads on galicia while africa is being steamrolled/forgetting stuff

 

[nyah]

No expanding out of de-jure boundaries.

 

[Comradebot]

No expanding out of de-jure boundaries.

That's always a fun one. Plan to do it someday soon with Ruthenia.


Roleplaying can always spice it up, and I tend to have a dash of it here and there... especially with educating heirs. Sure, sometimes its fun to make them super-duper awesome, but it can also be fun to be realistic with it. You're gluttonous? Then why not encourage your son to be more like his dear ol' dad! You're a cruel son of a bitch? Then beat your kid any time you get the opportunity.


And you should aim for the "intended" goal of the game, which is all about the prestige, piety, and making your dynasty t3h awesome. Making SUPERMEN as you put it, often times works against that as you're sacrificing potential inheritances, claimants, and prestige for the sake of possibly creating a strong genius (which in my experience usually results in weak imbeciles...).

Additionally, it can be fun to, rather than just be a gross blob, to instead try to mold the world. For example: in my current game with Nubia, a Byzantine noble house has created the Kingdom of Armenia... which, sadly, is now not its proper Miaphysite faith. I've invited a claimant, mat-married him to a member of my dynasty, and once my realm is a bit more stable I plan to launch an attack on the ERE to put him on the throne and, hopefully, cause his Miaphysite off-spring (he refuses to convert, the jerk) to take over the new, independent Armenian state. The only problem will be the Ilkhanate... those guys are serious CK blockers.

 

[Hootieleece]

I generally do the don't expand out of Dejure boundaries thing already.Like in current game,I inherited HRE,It had blobbed into Iberia and Africa.I gave those areas independence when factions requested it and never pressed claims.

As for reload I only do it after a ctd or other game freeze.(thats what autosave is for)

I generally Save the game or end a session when succession happens.

The DeJure borders thing doesn't work with Byzantine Empire because of Restore Roman Empire Decision.(Unless you consider 2/3 of map DeJure)

Edit:In my current Hapsburg game,I put dynasty members on other thrones, only one that has stuck is Poland.My current Superman is Genius 25 Diplo Tough Soldier.(He will be last Emperor,1410 in game.and dear old dad is only in late thirties)

 

[Spartanlemur]

Guardian has to be in the council. A king would only grant his son to one of his trusted advisors, after all.

Also, execute those responsible for treason. Treason is punishable by death, and mercy was as rare in the Medieval age as water in the Sahara. You'll take an opinion hit, but the law is the law.

 

[Padre Pio]

Guardian has to be in the council. A king would only grant his son to one of his trusted advisors, after all.

Also, execute those responsible for treason. Treason is punishable by death, and mercy was as rare in the Medieval age as water in the Sahara. You'll take an opinion hit, but the law is the law.

I like this. But what would be the instances of treason in the game?

 

[Vindahl]

I have stopped playing for Prestige and Worlddominating a long time ago... I now play entirely based on Roleplay, gives a whole new dimension to my game...
I mostly marry into my own culture, with the correct ranking as you also point out, and focus also on how well they get along, those to get married... Let them share some traits...
I also take decisions based on traits. Content people, will not wage war, but focus on maintaining their lands, while ambitious think differently... Cruel and wrathful characters will rule with hard hand, taking bad decisions and executing those they dislike... Kind and naive characters will do other things...
If I am greedy, I will sit tight on my coinpurse, while a generous type will hand out money all the time... Religious types will build bishoprics and ask the Pope for forgiveness, everytime they do anything, and cynical characters will not care about the clergy...
So, in every event I will look more on what they will do, than based on the outcome of the action they do. That should not matter in my game...
Even the events I myself can trigger, like going on a hunt, or holding a feast or not, I base on traits...
The game will become more "alive" this way, and it feels like I am actually playing different characters, rather than playing the entire game taking the same decisions and have the same ambitions, only with the difference of a new name and a new portrait from time to time...
That is the most important house rule in my game...

You could also, if achieving great success and rise to be a mighty King, grant some land to a young favourite familymember, save, exit, and continue your game as this new character, with no chance of inherrit the Kingdom, it will become a new challenge, without quiting or playing 150 years more, not knowing what you want to do next...
Just an idea...

 

[Spartanlemur]

I like this. But what would be the instances of treason in the game?

All rebels would have to be executed, so that factions who declare war on you would seriously upset the balance of the kingdom. There would be no releasing all the dukes who rebelled against you to make nice, and you'd have to live the rest of your life being hated as a tyrant. Makes them far, far, scarier.
The other category would obviously be people who plot to take your life.
Traitors were indeed often executed, as happened at the end of the Cornish Rebellion of 1497, to William Wallace and Dafydd ap Gruffyd, among many others. In cases of white peace they are allowed their lives, but you must pursue a full victory as long as it seems distinctly possible.

I suppose you could let lords you like (your opinion of them as the game shows it) go if you are "kind" and after 5 years or more of imprisonment. A wrothful king will always execute everyone though.

 

[mr_human_555]

Try this house rule:

Every duke/above titles can only be granted to your dynasty

I always play with this house rule. Turns out this becomes very interesting when you get into inheritance blobs for Christians, or massive dedacence generator for muslims (especially if you're aiming World Conquest)

 

[Clophiroth]

I think the First Rule of new game is NO educating heirs.Only able to pick a guardian and hope for the best.(Good traits will help but its in the AI's hands)

Rule 2:Marry correct rank coutiers:If character is Prince only marry/betroth Princesses or landed Duchesses(with early betrothal) even if their stats are horrible to get less SUPERMEN.

I always have followed these two, marrying "High society" women... Princesses, DUchesses and so, along with no educating my sons, EXCEPT I really haven´t any suitable guardian. I guess Kings wouldn´t marry their children to some non-girl from across the world, and haven´t time/will to be educating and supervising personally whatever their children do... I find it more reallistic, and also, more difficult: you will never know if your next ruler will be awesome or crappy, you can only hope the guardian does his better...

Try this house rule:

Every duke/above titles can only be granted to your dynasty

I always play with this house rule. Turns out this becomes very interesting when you get into inheritance blobs for Christians, or massive dedacence generator for muslims (especially if you're aiming World Conquest)

I like to give titles to family too, but most for RPing and realism purposes

 

[mr_human_555]

I like to give titles to family too, but most for RPing and realism purposes

Agree with the realism; every nobles should try to build strong powerbase, and what kind of powerbase is stronger than to have your dynasty the only nobility with voices in the game? Most of the times I also attempts to somehow undermine my non-dynastic vassal's powerbase & replace them with one of my dynasty, either through matrilinear marriage or title revokes

Another house rules I can think of is that if you invade foreign culture areas, appoint nobles with matching culture to the area to rule. Though I never do this because I like to have all cultural assimilation, not to mention they are not so historical