Seduction, Intrigue, Secret Cults, Devil Worship, oh my.

[Morte66]

Some things I have always disabled...
- Secret religions
- AI intrigue focus
- AI seduction focus
- Supernatural events
- Absurd events
- Devil worshippers

But... I think I might have one more start in me before CK3. So I'm going to turn them all on and try... something.

Any suggestions for things that are fun to do using the above?

I want to instil obedience in somebody who will then accept my offer of vassalisation. Preferably somebody of the opposite gender. Obedience, yes...

I heard that intrigue works well in Islam because the wives are all trying to murder each other's kids. Though perhaps that's something to be encouraged in some cases. I never played Muslim.

I kind of like the idea of creating Israel by secret Zionist conspiracy. Don't know if that's a thing that's practical.

And what do you use seduction focus for?

 

[Pied-Noir]

I also disable matrilineal marriage.

I seem to recall having religious marriage set to Restricted (the harshest setting) and yet still routinely see weird Catholic-Sunni marriages in Iberia and sometimes even France. I don't know if that's broken or there just isn't a good enough setting for it, but it's something I hate seeing. If the Dauphin's mother is a Sunni Arab I'm pretty sure he'd have been removed from the line of succession, and I actually had a recent game where I tried to make this happen.

 

[ThePettyQueen]

I also disable matrilineal marriage.

I seem to recall having religious marriage set to Restricted (the harshest setting) and yet still routinely see weird Catholic-Sunni marriages in Iberia and sometimes even France. I don't know if that's broken or there just isn't a good enough setting for it, but it's something I hate seeing. If the Dauphin's mother is a Sunni Arab I'm pretty sure he'd have been removed from the line of succession, and I actually had a recent game where I tried to make this happen.

I assume this is related to the fact that in Iberia, you'll frequently have Catholics with Muslim vassals/courtiers, and vice versa. The religious restriction is between the two who arrange the marriage, as I understand it, not the two who will actually be getting married. So if a Catholic Iberian ruler and a Catholic French ruler agree on a marriage, the bride being Sunni doesn't play into it.

 

[Pied-Noir]

I assume this is related to the fact that in Iberia, you'll frequently have Catholics with Muslim vassals/courtiers, and vice versa. The religious restriction is between the two who arrange the marriage, as I understand it, not the two who will actually be getting married. So if a Catholic Iberian ruler and a Catholic French ruler agree on a marriage, the bride being Sunni doesn't play into it.

Fascinating - thank you. I had no idea that's how it worked as I never play as Muslims or try to marry into Muslim families.

That is quite bizarre, then - I hope this is changed for CK III. There really should be an option to forbid separate religion groups from marrying at all.

 

[DPS]

I assume this is related to the fact that in Iberia, you'll frequently have Catholics with Muslim vassals/courtiers, and vice versa. The religious restriction is between the two who arrange the marriage, as I understand it, not the two who will actually be getting married. So if a Catholic Iberian ruler and a Catholic French ruler agree on a marriage, the bride being Sunni doesn't play into it.

Favors can also be used to force acceptance of marriage proposals regardless of religion. And frankly, that's probably as it should be for the times.

 

[Sunshine Moon]

Cross-religious/cultural marriages did happen, and fairly regularly in some cases, in the middle ages, but beyond fairly limiting 'culture/religion group' vagueries it'd probably be way too finnicky to program in every single exception and counter-exception for all the cultures in the game, especially since playing the game for long enough introduces ahistorical cultural interactions anyway. So imo the current system where it's harder but possible works fine.

Anyway, I personally find all of those options improve my experience, except maybe devil worshippers sometimes. Letting the AI do intrigue and seduction just makes the world feel more alive and busy...anyway, use secret religions, convert to some really obscure religion (Mazdaki, Hellenic, Zunit, go wild) and secretly get everyone on board so that when you go public, everyone realises everyone else was already a cult member. Watch your former religious head pitch a fit as an entire empire leaves his sphere of influence at once.

 

[DPS]

I let the AI do Intrigue and Seduction, and leave supernatural events on, but turn off secret religions and absurd events. I don't have Monks and Mystics, so devil worshippers don't apply to my games, anyway.