Pagan NK Mode - Dirty Tip for Threat and Prestige

[jwalche]

Pagan NK Mode is very powerful with spamming lv1 earth hillfort and building huge prestige based retinue army to paint the world map.

But a well executed plan may demand so much prestige that conventional methods of collecting - raiding, wars, concubines - simply can't support your retinue to grow. Also, your neighbors will soon realize your blobbing and band together.

Well, here is one solution that can take care of both problem!

Preparation - really you should have these already if you have ran into the problems above;
1. At least some decent sized retinue - 10k+. Size matters, so pure LI retinue is the best.
2. At least 10+ (20+ preferred. The larger the better) demesne OUTSIDE of any de jure kingdom title you hold.
2-1. Or two kingdom titles, so that you can give one to someone else while personally holding most of the counties.
3. A heir.
4. A vassal (a priest will do)

Execution
1. Get enough un-connected men of your religion and culture to hand out most of your demesne counties.
2. Give them a county (OUTSIDE of de jure kingdom title you personally hold) each and make them independent. Leave a few counties strategically middle of each cluster, so that you can border them all. Your threat level should drop to 0 with about 15 of them.
3. Try to wrongfully imprison a vassal. If you get successful with all your vassal, release them and try again until you fail so you can have a revolt.
4. Surrender and abdicate your realm to your heir. (loose 500 prestige and law to revoke title)
5. With new ruler, immediately (well, first after have a new bribed counsel) declare tributary wars to each and all of the new independent realms. As you go, immediately follow with a peace offer. Most of them will surrender immediately without a fight. Use your retinue and new allays to finish off a few stubborn ones. This gives 200 prestige for each.
6. Enjoy the prestige and low threat level to finish build up your prestige retinue and/or continue your wars. Declare a brand new Subjugation CB. Spam lv1 earth hillfort on all new tribal holdings.
7. As they surrender, offer vassalization. Most of them will accept immediately or pretty soon.
8. Go NK Mode again.
9. Use the large prestige to create max prestige retinue while holding all the counties on your own.
10. Rinse and repeat.

 

[Castimirr]

Doesn't the voluntary vassalization just jack the threat back up again?

 

[Dragatus]

That's tribal NK mode, not necessarily pagan. You can also do it as a Muslim (Open succession) or Celt (Tanistry succession). Tanistry with NK mode is especially powerful since you can nominate absolutely anyone in your dynasty, as long as they're not disqualified by their gender.

 

[jwalche]

Doesn't the voluntary vassalization just jack the threat back up again?

YES. HOWEVER,

You first conquer enough to raise the threat to 100% before doing it. So voluntary vassalization doesn't add any.

(Sorry that I put #6 and #7 in the wrong order. I edited it. Thank you.)

After that, you make about 15 independent states to drop the threat level back to 0%.

Your next ruler (even re-used ruler) start with 0% threat level and 15+ (or dozens) of independent states to add 3k~10k prestige within a few months, enjoy some conquest, then rinse and repeat.

 

[Castimirr]

YES. HOWEVER,

You first conquer enough to raise the threat to 100% before doing it. So voluntary vassalization doesn't add any.

After that, you make about 15 independent states to drop the threat level back to 0%.

Your next ruler (even re-used ruler) start with 0% threat level and 15+ (or dozens) of independent states to add 3k~10k prestige within a few months, enjoy some conquest, then rinse and repeat.

Oh, cool. Okay. Thank you!

 

[jwalche]

That's tribal NK mode,...Tanistry with NK mode ... you can nominate absolutely anyone in your dynasty,

1. You are absolutely right that it is tribal NK. Thanks. I can't seem to change the subject though. I used it with Pagan because each of the new heir (sons of the first ruler) could have a Pagan Subjugation CB and control the entire pagan realm quickly before moving into using Pagan Invasion CB.

2. I found that tribal pagan is just fine about choosing your next ruler. When you go NK mode, make independent states, and loose a revolt in a short period, there is no elector and you can easily choose your heir. And the world should be conquered by the second generation.