Problems with east Francia

[Gukpa]

Very well, I bought the Conclave DLC a while ago, and I waited until the next DLC (Reaper's due) to come to write this, since usually whena NEW DLC comes it means that the last one is either in it's final version or at least received most of it's updates

The problem is that since I bought Conclave I had never been able to create the holy roman empire, in fact western europe simple ceased to function properly, I just gave up a east francian campaign and here's a summary of everything that happened

I started, then I got a civil war for concil power, I lost and decided to restart
In the second time I cave in their demands, just to after my Louis the german died and the bavarian King took over east Francia, another ultimatum happened, I gave more power to the concil, but then all noblemans united in a faction to remove myself from power and to put a nobleman from a minor house in power INCLUDING MY BROTHERS, i imagine themselves thinking "Hey, what about removing our brother and instead of taking the power by ourselves, we end the kaarling rule of regnum Francorum", I declined, there was a civil war, I lost and gave up
In the third try Lotharingia declared war on me, this prevented any ultimatuns, after I beated them I had to give more power to the concil, but this time I got luck that one of my sons died fighting against Lotharingia, so after Louis the german died the bavarian King to take power could assassinate his other brother and their children, this way I consolated some of my power...for a while, I spent the next 30 years just accepting ultimatums to lower my power, including adopting a elective monarchy. Then my king dies, and the kingdom is divided between his two sons, again I have to concede more power to the concil, while my brother dies fighting a italian invasion and I kill his son, this allow me to annex bavaria and beat back the italians, but then it happened, I got another ultimatum to resign and put a nobleman from a minor house in power, I was about to shut down the game, but I decided to fight this war, I refused his demands (his troops were 210% bigger than mine) and fought a very slow and grinding civil war, since I got a lot of funds I built a huge mercenary army aaaaaaaaaaand I won, to comemorate my victory what I did? Concede more power to the concil of course

At this point I got another ultimatum to resign and put a minor nobleman, this time he had 310% of my army, my entire concil and most of my noblemans supporting him while I was one reform from giving the concil ulimited power, I had just spent all my cash in the last civil war so I didn't had resources to crush him, and the worst part is that I had a nice monarch, with 7 diplomacy, 8 stewardships, 3 military (I usually don't use my kings in the battlefield, at least not until their children are old enought to take power), and 7 learning, btu after taht I gave up this last time

And this infuriating gameplays only happens in western europe, I had a amazing campaign as Ilmen some time ago, it is very satisfying to play as one of the persian states or as the syrian ones, heck, saxony in 769 is easier to play than West Francia, Lotharing, east francia, any of the english factions and the kingdom of italy, it is easier to play as the byzantine empire since you actually have a chance to crush your nobles

Well, this is my ̶r̶a̶n̶t̶ problem, I just don't know what is happening, maybe my game is bugged, but I checked a reedit post about the problems of the conclave DLC, the post was made in february, but the worst part is that the same problems listed on the post are the ones I'm having now, like this one:

"Councillors will never join or start a faction while the council is content"

Councillors then proceed to start or join a faction to raise council power

What should I do? Apart from throwing my PC out of the window?

 

[Es57]

"Councillors will never join or start a faction while the council is content"

Councillors then proceed to start or join a faction to raise council power

What should I do? Apart from throwing my PC out of the window?

The tooltips are misleading.

It should be read like this :

"Councillors will never join or start a faction while the council is content AND you have Empowered Council Law AND you have War Commitee Law".

If any one of these 3 conditions are not met, the councillors will faction your a** into oblivion.

Now start a new game and do that, it should be fine.

 

[Gukpa]

"Councillors will never join or start a faction while the council is content AND you have Empowered Council Law AND you have War Commitee Law".

If any one of these 3 conditions are not met, the councillors will faction your a** into oblivion.

Now start a new game and do that, it should be fine

it won't, by the end of my game I had adopted all the measures proposed by the concil except the one that grants almost the entire pwoer to the concil, and they still joined the faction to remove me from power

 

[LeSingeAffame]

Did you act against the council's will ? Like imprisong someone when the council told you to not do it

 

[Gukpa]

Did you act against the council's will ? Like imprisong someone when the council told you to not do it

No, I did everything the concil asked me to in the entire gameplay, i folded every time they sent me a ultimatum, I didn't started not even one war without their approval

 

[Sunspawn]

What bothers me most is the fact that there is no cooldown on council power faction if you cave in to the ultimatum.

 

[Big Bad France]

Try pumping out children and arranging betrothals with your most powerful vassals. The non-aggression pacts should make your revolts a lot more manageable, and once you put one down, the opinion boost from that should help keep new factions from forming.

 

[User29]

I wonder at how different our playstyles are, I never get these rampant council demands, I've even played as a vicious Carloman who imprisoned and executed his own wife and children.

Do you use scheme to get vassals out of factions? do you use send gift to get vassals about 80(to get them to leave a faction) or 60(so they never join one in the first place)

Do you educate vassals as often as you can so they grow up to like you?(and have less rebelliously inclined traits)

Do you put powerful vassals on the council so they are more content?

Do you on occasion take intrigue focus so you can focus-fire on a single powerful vassal so you may imprison/revoke his titles.

Do you try to ensure your rulers focus on a strong centralized desmesne and high martial for more personal troops or ensure your rulers have high diplomacy so people like you more?

I know much of what I said are things that require getting farther than 30 years in game, but I'm pressed into thinking you must be heavy-handed or something. I never have to take council ultimatums more than once a reign(twice if I'm unlucky or my ruler is especially a bastard trait wise)

and as above, betrothals with vassals are non-aggression pacts and they won't faction against you(although you can't revoke their titles either)

I hope this post doesn't seem accusative that you're a bad player, I just wonder at how different you and I must play

 

[Gukpa]

Try pumping out children and arranging betrothals with your most powerful vassals. The non-aggression pacts should make your revolts a lot more manageable, and once you put one down, the opinion boost from that should help keep new factions from forming.

I can't, I always try to have one song because if I do have more my kingdom breaks into my heirs, or worst, they take most of the counties leaving one or two for my new king and then proceed to support the concil against him

Do you use scheme to get vassals out of factions? do you use send gift to get vassals about 80(to get them to leave a faction) or 60(so they never join one in the first place)

Most of my vassals in the concil (except in the last year, when they asked me to leave the throne), had 80 approval, they still proceeded to push me out of my power, the only thing that prevented me from giving up before was the fact that I somehow managed to crush them every time they rebelled, even my sons rebelled in those damned factions

Do you educate vassals as often as you can so they grow up to like you?(and have less rebelliously inclined traits)

If that means educating my children, yes, how could I educate my vassals?

Do you on occasion take intrigue focus so you can focus-fire on a single powerful vassal so you may imprison/revoke his titles.

I can't revoke their titles as east francia, I would need to adopt the revoke title law, something that the concil made impossible, the same happens in West Francia, lotharingia and aquitaine, they end breaking up in dozens of states

Do you try to ensure your rulers focus on a strong centralized desmesne and high martial for more personal troops or ensure your rulers have high diplomacy so people like you more?

The second one, as East Francia of course, when I play as any non western country I don't have problems with the concil, I just pass the title revocation law and every time some vassal revolts I take his demense and increase my power, while giving them to my family members after I take eight holdings

I know much of what I said are things that require getting farther than 30 years in game, but I'm pressed into thinking you must be heavy-handed or something. I never have to take council ultimatums more than once a reign(twice if I'm unlucky or my ruler is especially a bastard trait wise)

I still have my save, but it is frozen in the ultimatum screen, I can give you if you want to, but it is hopeless at this point

I hope this post doesn't seem accusative that you're a bad player, I just wonder at how different you and I must play

I just have to play against the game when I'm going for westerner, there is no better way to put it

 

[Big Bad France]

Children are a huge asset in the game. I think the strategy of trying for just 1 son is flawed. They are a great way of controlling vassals, gaining claims to expand your realm and getting strong allies. Bastards work for non-aggression pacts, too, and they aren't as difficult to deal with later, so I always acknowledge them. Just make sure you have a lot of gold in the bank when your king dies, and you can put down the coming rebellion with mercs and alliances. I actually sort of look forward to rebellions because they are a great way to knock my vassals down a peg and give ducal titles to someone who will appreciate them more. If you can make it so that the vast majority of your dukes are of your dynasty, you can switch to elective monarchy and almost always have a strong heir, so I try to replace dukes with dynasty members whenever possible.

 

[DPS]

Are you sure that your council was content? You mention that in at least 1 case that your ruler had just died. Your council will be discontent for 2 years after a new ruler takes over.

 

[SovereignGrave]

I usually buy favours from enough members of my council so they'll accept law changes, then implement the ability to revoke titles, and then strip them of everything when they have the audacity to rebel.

 

[TheDungen]

Well staying gavelkind isn't all that useful, both elective and seniority are preferable.

 

[Rags17]

Sounds like a bug to me

 

[Heiliges Thüringens Reich]

Strange... in my Georgia game, my vassals never bothered me with their demands, even at 100% or a bit more of my force. Of course, my Chancellor was doing a hell of a job pacifying some of them - as soon as I got at least +40 bonus to relations, jumped to another one. If the vassal was a really troublesome one, assassinate.

Nowadays I'm marrying them to my nephews and nieces

 

[Gukpa]

Strange... in my Georgia game, my vassals never bothered me with their demands, even at 100% or a bit more of my force. Of course, my Chancellor was doing a hell of a job pacifying some of them - as soon as I got at least +40 bonus to relations, jumped to another one. If the vassal was a really troublesome one, assassinate.

Nowadays I'm marrying them to my nephews and nieces

Georgia is eastern, I am having a excellent playthrough as orthodox syria right now, the game is only unplayable as westerners, west francia, lotharingia, east francia, Italy and the english dukes

I usually buy favours from enough members of my council so they'll accept law changes, then implement the ability to revoke titles, and then strip them of everything when they have the audacity to rebel.

Well staying gavelkind isn't all that useful, both elective and seniority are preferable.

The problem is that I'm not able to reform since the concil is alway sending more and more ultimatums to myself, there was one time that I got favour from three members of the concil to revoke the banishment comitte, a week after it passed I got another ultimatum to pass it again

Sounds like a bug to me

So I will reinstall my game

Are you sure that your council was content? You mention that in at least 1 case that your ruler had just died. Your council will be discontent for 2 years after a new ruler takes over.

Yes, but even after that effect passes they still continue sending me more and more ultimatums

 

[Rags17]

I once made the mistake of sending my Chancellor to my liege to improve relations and forgot about him, the next time I looked he was at +320 for "Improved Relations" and presumably was camped outside my window singing serenades to me while cutting my name into his forearm.

"Look at me Damian, it's all for you !"

 

[TheDungen]

The problem is that I'm not able to reform since the concil is alway sending more and more ultimatums to myself, there was one time that I got favour from three members of the concil to revoke the banishment comitte, a week after it passed I got another ultimatum to pass it again

Why waste you political capital on reimplementing banishment soverginty? You don't need that to change your sucession type.
All you need to pass a succession reform is peace in the realm, and having been on the throne for ten years.
To me it sounds like you're just not very good at the game. Pause more, read more and think more. Hasty decisions are why people lose at this game.

 

[knppel]

what the op needs is 18 martial so those pity counts can't go on top of his demesne troops.

 

[Gukpa]

what the op needs is 18 martial so those pity counts can't go on top of his demesne troops.

I can't up my king martial because he usually ends taking a heavy blow to the head and getting incapable

Why waste you political capital on reimplementing banishment soverginty? You don't need that to change your sucession type.
All you need to pass a succession reform is peace in the realm, and having been on the throne for ten years.
To me it sounds like you're just not very good at the game. Pause more, read more and think more. Hasty decisions are why people lose at this game.

No, I also need to have all my vassals over count to be supportive of me and to have late feudal administration