Should I stick with my dynasty?

[Kimberly]

I'm playing as William the Conqueror, and have lived up to my name. My eldest daughter is married to my good friend, the King of France. I was recently considering changing to Absolute Cognatic (I removed the culture requirement) so my daughter could inherit, because my eldest son was a bit of an oaf, and my daughter was rather more skilled. As a bonus, I thought, it would unite the kingdoms of England and France peacefully. Then I realized the marriage wasn't matrilineal, and hence my French grandson was a Capet.

What should I do? Stick to my Norman roots, or go Capetian? I feel good about the inheritance overall, it's abandoning my dynasty that doesn't sit well with me.

 

[jonnydesperado]

You can't abandon your dynasty. You will always play a member of your dynasty, and if you dynastic line ends, you lose. If another dynasty inherits, you'll lose all the titles.
(Of course, if you just want to play until the Capets unite both kingdoms, then resign from the game and use the save to play the Capet king, that works; I personally don't like these savegame plays)

 

[Kimberly]

You can't abandon your dynasty. You will always play a member of your dynasty, and if you dynastic line ends, you lose. If another dynasty inherits, you'll lose all the titles.

Well, in this case I'd just switch characters upon my daughter's death. I want to follow William's line of inheritance, wherever it may lead.

 

[jordarkelf]

You will lose the game if your daughter dies and your heir is of another dynasty though, the game does not then offer you a choice of a new character in the same game.
One way to get around this: when you feel your daughter has lived long enough or the grandson is old enough, load up as the grandson and then kill the daughter. You will be playing as the Capets from then on and should inherit your mother.

 

[Daelix]

Stick with your Norman roots. Use your friendliness with your daughter to marry one of her children into your dynasty if her husband inherits France. Then murder every other potential claimant before your de Normandie pretender to France, making them the heir to England and France.

I matrilineally married my daughter, heiress to the Empire of Hispania, to the landless brother of the English king, figuring to inherit his strong claim to the English throne into my line and eventually press it. Then some bloke in England started a faction and put my son in law on the throne while I was busy crusading. I come home from the Crusades only to realize my newborn grandson is heir to all of Spain and England.