The game depicts pretenders as the people who have claim and who use that claim as a casus belli. Those most certainly are pretenders, but it isn't everything that's to pretenders, on the contrary it's merely the peek of the iceberg the bare minimum. Which is petty and bit odd, considering that the game is all about such intrigue.
So, what pretenders should be? Well, pretenders should exists outside of their claim wars. You see many pretenders spend a decade or two gathering support and planning their invasion, while some continued to dispute their enemy's claim despite never finding enough support to even attempt enforce it. The game was not single player, as the enemy of the pretend attempted to dissuade other rulers from supporting the pretenders and ideally hand him over, as the mere existence of an external pretender caused inner turmoil.
Here is how adventurers work in CK2:
Your brother, Bob decides that he wants to be the king, he leaves the court and you are alerted that he'll return after two years with an army. If he loses he gets automatically imprisoned.
Isn't that bit... You know, dull? How does that happen? Where does he get money for his invasion? Who are the people who join him? Why doesn't his liege have any part in this? Why is murder the only way to prevent the invasion? Why does he get captured when the war ends in failure?
Wouldn't it be more engaging if it worked like this:
When Bob decides that he should be the king, he leaves your court and a landless title is generated for him. He goes to the neighbouring sovereign, who is given the following options:
1. Support
The adventurer stays in the court of the supporter. After two years the adventurer launches a "Supported Invasion" on his enemy; he'll get fourth of his supporter's levy and a whole year's income. If his invasion is successful the adventurer becomes tributary ally of supporter, while the deposed ruler himself becomes adventurer. However, if the pretender is defeated and not captured, he'll simply flee back to the court of his supporter, but after losing a lot prestige is unlikely get another Supported Invasion.
When the Supported Invasion happens all your vassals are asked if they want to support the pretender. If they do support him, they'll become temporarily vassals of the pretender.
2. Welcome
The most like outcome allows the pretender to remain in the court of the friendly ruler, but will not launch the invasion immediately. They might never do anything with the pretender, but they are given the diplomatic options to support them or sell them out. Alternatively they could attempt to install them directly, this would replace install third party claimant casus belli and be called "Client Invasion", because if the attack is successful the installed ruler becomes "Client State"-type tributary to their installer. Client state would pay almost all their income to their suzerain and in addition the suzerain has option to force their client ruler to abdicate.
If either of the two options are chosen the enemy of the pretender gets "Forfeit Pretender"-casus belli and if the war is won, pretender is handed over and their host is required to pay reparations.
The enemy of the pretender also has the option of asking the supporter of the pretender to buy the pretender, like ransom, but far more expensive and unlikely to happen unless relations are improved to a great degree.
3. Deny
Pretender loses prestige and will ask somebody else for support.
4. Hand Over
Adventurer is imprisoned and his enemy is given the option to purchase him.
Lower prestige increases the odds of imprisonment, thus instead of character going form court to court forever he would be handed over after being reject couple times.
While the pretender is free, the vassals of his enemy are more eager to form a faction to install him.
Landless title created for the pretender would make pretending more generational, as the title would be tied to the claim and passed to the primogeniture heir, thus pretender could breed and his children would be able to continue pretending, but if the title is inherited by landed character or if pretended becomes landed the pretender title is replaced with strong claim to the disputed title.
How does that sound? Obliviously I don't expect such thing to be implement, but this is merely discussion about a hypothetical revamp of mechanic.
So, what pretenders should be? Well, pretenders should exists outside of their claim wars. You see many pretenders spend a decade or two gathering support and planning their invasion, while some continued to dispute their enemy's claim despite never finding enough support to even attempt enforce it. The game was not single player, as the enemy of the pretend attempted to dissuade other rulers from supporting the pretenders and ideally hand him over, as the mere existence of an external pretender caused inner turmoil.
Here is how adventurers work in CK2:
Your brother, Bob decides that he wants to be the king, he leaves the court and you are alerted that he'll return after two years with an army. If he loses he gets automatically imprisoned.
Isn't that bit... You know, dull? How does that happen? Where does he get money for his invasion? Who are the people who join him? Why doesn't his liege have any part in this? Why is murder the only way to prevent the invasion? Why does he get captured when the war ends in failure?
Wouldn't it be more engaging if it worked like this:
When Bob decides that he should be the king, he leaves your court and a landless title is generated for him. He goes to the neighbouring sovereign, who is given the following options:
1. Support
The adventurer stays in the court of the supporter. After two years the adventurer launches a "Supported Invasion" on his enemy; he'll get fourth of his supporter's levy and a whole year's income. If his invasion is successful the adventurer becomes tributary ally of supporter, while the deposed ruler himself becomes adventurer. However, if the pretender is defeated and not captured, he'll simply flee back to the court of his supporter, but after losing a lot prestige is unlikely get another Supported Invasion.
When the Supported Invasion happens all your vassals are asked if they want to support the pretender. If they do support him, they'll become temporarily vassals of the pretender.
2. Welcome
The most like outcome allows the pretender to remain in the court of the friendly ruler, but will not launch the invasion immediately. They might never do anything with the pretender, but they are given the diplomatic options to support them or sell them out. Alternatively they could attempt to install them directly, this would replace install third party claimant casus belli and be called "Client Invasion", because if the attack is successful the installed ruler becomes "Client State"-type tributary to their installer. Client state would pay almost all their income to their suzerain and in addition the suzerain has option to force their client ruler to abdicate.
If either of the two options are chosen the enemy of the pretender gets "Forfeit Pretender"-casus belli and if the war is won, pretender is handed over and their host is required to pay reparations.
The enemy of the pretender also has the option of asking the supporter of the pretender to buy the pretender, like ransom, but far more expensive and unlikely to happen unless relations are improved to a great degree.
3. Deny
Pretender loses prestige and will ask somebody else for support.
4. Hand Over
Adventurer is imprisoned and his enemy is given the option to purchase him.
Lower prestige increases the odds of imprisonment, thus instead of character going form court to court forever he would be handed over after being reject couple times.
While the pretender is free, the vassals of his enemy are more eager to form a faction to install him.
Landless title created for the pretender would make pretending more generational, as the title would be tied to the claim and passed to the primogeniture heir, thus pretender could breed and his children would be able to continue pretending, but if the title is inherited by landed character or if pretended becomes landed the pretender title is replaced with strong claim to the disputed title.
How does that sound? Obliviously I don't expect such thing to be implement, but this is merely discussion about a hypothetical revamp of mechanic.
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