As a history buff, I'm a massive fan of CK2. However, their are a series of minor, niggling things that have bothered me about it for ages, and made it difficult of me to suspend my disbelief. Here I've made a series of suggestions that I've wanted to make for a long time. Lacking the means myself, I hope that this can provide impetus for the game's development team or the modding community. My suggestions are as follows:
1. Perhaps a DLC devoted to the British Isles, with the following modifications:
-remove continental style duchies from England and Scotland and rebrand Welsh states as principalities.
-Give the king the power to invent duchies (so English vassals can no longer create them of their own accord). These English duchies would be more like consolidated counties (with a Duchy of Cornwall for example resulting in a merge from two or three counties).
-A parliament, which can result from a successful noble rebellion. The King would be accountable to this parliament, requiring their assent to raise taxes, execute noble subjects, or declare war.
-As a broader change, separate a vassal’s personal opinion from his opinion of you as a ruler. For example, the Earl of Norfolk might despise the king personally, but he might respect or fear him as an overlord, making him less likely to revolt.
-Tie movements to lower crown authority to specific acts of antagonism (i.e. executing a kinsman or firing from the council) or to unsuccessful kingship (i.e. bankruptcy, a painful defeat in war)
-Give secondary participants in civil wars the capacity to change sides, and allow primary participants to offer them incentives to do so.
-English continental holdings are no longer the sovereign territory of England, rather they are lands held by the English king in fief to the King of France (this would apply to similar arrangements elsewhere in the world). The King of England would be required to regularly pay homage to his French counterpart for these lands. Failure to do so would provide the French king with a casus belli against England to reclaim these lands.
2. Represent the reality of dual monarchies (i.e. Basil II and Constantine VIII in Byzantium, Henry II and Henry the Young King in England). Senior monarchs can either cede certain powers to junior monarchs (for example, overlordship of half the kingdom) or keep the title purely honorary. In the case of granting a crown to your heir, it will ease their ascension at the time of your death, since their legitimacy as a king will be difficult to question.
3. Allow characters to change the name of their dynasty. Firstly, in the case of a changed culture (i.e. if a Norman dynasty in Italy adopts Neapolitan culture, then the equivalent of its dynastic title will be adopted in Neapolitan. Also, in the case of female rulers, allow them to be succeeded by children of a different dynasty. The inflexible adherence to a static dynasty results in numerous strategies that are historically absurd (for example, murdering my children because they are from a different dynasty. Also it means that in order to secure a matrilineal marriage, your character often has to marry significantly beneath her (excepting the rare cases of love, a queen regnant was rarely seen to marry the third sons of provincial barons)
4. Correctly represent jure uxoris rulers. If a queen regnant marries, her husband is the king for as long as she is alive. This is more than an honorary title, with him ruling actively. I’m not sure how this would work when I came to gameplay, perhaps you could temporarily play both characters jointly (a similar situation could be adopted for co-rulers who tangibly share power). This problem manifests itself most tellingly in the Kingdom of Jerusalem, where jure uxoris kings are often entirely ignored, or given absolute precedence over their wives, who are only represented as consorts (as Queen Melisnde and Sybilla are). Give female rulers incentives other than the possibility of heir towards marriage with her vassals; a co-ruler from a distinguished dynasty, and/or with particularly good traits will be popular with vassals. Vassals will be unhappy if the queen marries too far beneath her, or if her husband has negative traits (i.e. is stupid, cruel or craven). Unmarried queens will suffer a consistent penalty to their popularity. Widowed jure uxoris rulers will immediately be deprived of their crowns. However, in the case of their being children from the marriage, he will almost always remain as regent. When a male ruler marries a female ruler of lesser status, he immediately gains control of her holdings jure uxoris. If she is his equal or his superior, then they become joint rulers.
5. Regents should have more tangible power over the kingdoms they govern. With a consensus amongst the nobility, they can declare wars. They can mobilise troops. They can raise or lower taxes and troop levies.
6. Secular and Ecclesiastical courts. Characters can be tried for crimes like treason and heresy, with corresponding punishments like death or banishment, with no penalty to the ruler. Ecclesiastical characters are tried separately in ecclesiastical courts that players have no control over. With great difficulty, a monarch can try to abolish these courts, which are generally more lenient, full o loopholes, and corrupt.
7. Institute features of the mod, CK2plus, such as old age modifiers and a tyranny system.
8. Properly represent the Catholic Church, with archbishoprics and a college of cardinals. The papacy is more lenient on characters from the pope’s own culture group (i.e. a French Pope will be less likely to censure the King of France). Make excommunication of rulers less arbitrary and more damning when it happens. The Pope should warn a ruler several times to rectify his behaviour before just excommunicating him out of the blue. Excommunicated rulers are completely fair game, with rival able to lay claim to all their titles. Alert the player to papal elections, and allow them to be manipulated through cardinals.
9. In succession wars, or wars when a foreign invader usurps a crown, always strip the deposed ruler o all their titles, either exiling or imprisoning them.
10. Provide some means to signify the strength of a title you hold. For example, if your family has held the county of Blois for ten generations, then it will be incredibly difficult to deprive you of it. I however, you recently usurped the throne of France, and there is little o no precedent of your ancestors holding it, then revolts will be more common, and rival claimants will have greater success.
11. Separate guardians and tutors when it comes to raising a child. Make it possible for children to inherit either’s education (although more probably their tutor’s).
12. A ruler’s permission is required to move troops through their territory.
13. Make barons playable.
14. 15. A second DLC that makes republics playable:
-Allow seas battles to take place, and different types of ship to be mustered. It is far more difficult and time consuming for any power to muster a navy.
-Power politics in Republics like Venice and Genoa, where power and influence is based upon money rather than land holdings.
-Elections, and sometimes assemblies, that can be bought off and manipulated.
I hope this helps. I love Crusader Kings, and I think that implementing even a few of these changes would make the game so much better.
1. Perhaps a DLC devoted to the British Isles, with the following modifications:
-remove continental style duchies from England and Scotland and rebrand Welsh states as principalities.
-Give the king the power to invent duchies (so English vassals can no longer create them of their own accord). These English duchies would be more like consolidated counties (with a Duchy of Cornwall for example resulting in a merge from two or three counties).
-A parliament, which can result from a successful noble rebellion. The King would be accountable to this parliament, requiring their assent to raise taxes, execute noble subjects, or declare war.
-As a broader change, separate a vassal’s personal opinion from his opinion of you as a ruler. For example, the Earl of Norfolk might despise the king personally, but he might respect or fear him as an overlord, making him less likely to revolt.
-Tie movements to lower crown authority to specific acts of antagonism (i.e. executing a kinsman or firing from the council) or to unsuccessful kingship (i.e. bankruptcy, a painful defeat in war)
-Give secondary participants in civil wars the capacity to change sides, and allow primary participants to offer them incentives to do so.
-English continental holdings are no longer the sovereign territory of England, rather they are lands held by the English king in fief to the King of France (this would apply to similar arrangements elsewhere in the world). The King of England would be required to regularly pay homage to his French counterpart for these lands. Failure to do so would provide the French king with a casus belli against England to reclaim these lands.
2. Represent the reality of dual monarchies (i.e. Basil II and Constantine VIII in Byzantium, Henry II and Henry the Young King in England). Senior monarchs can either cede certain powers to junior monarchs (for example, overlordship of half the kingdom) or keep the title purely honorary. In the case of granting a crown to your heir, it will ease their ascension at the time of your death, since their legitimacy as a king will be difficult to question.
3. Allow characters to change the name of their dynasty. Firstly, in the case of a changed culture (i.e. if a Norman dynasty in Italy adopts Neapolitan culture, then the equivalent of its dynastic title will be adopted in Neapolitan. Also, in the case of female rulers, allow them to be succeeded by children of a different dynasty. The inflexible adherence to a static dynasty results in numerous strategies that are historically absurd (for example, murdering my children because they are from a different dynasty. Also it means that in order to secure a matrilineal marriage, your character often has to marry significantly beneath her (excepting the rare cases of love, a queen regnant was rarely seen to marry the third sons of provincial barons)
4. Correctly represent jure uxoris rulers. If a queen regnant marries, her husband is the king for as long as she is alive. This is more than an honorary title, with him ruling actively. I’m not sure how this would work when I came to gameplay, perhaps you could temporarily play both characters jointly (a similar situation could be adopted for co-rulers who tangibly share power). This problem manifests itself most tellingly in the Kingdom of Jerusalem, where jure uxoris kings are often entirely ignored, or given absolute precedence over their wives, who are only represented as consorts (as Queen Melisnde and Sybilla are). Give female rulers incentives other than the possibility of heir towards marriage with her vassals; a co-ruler from a distinguished dynasty, and/or with particularly good traits will be popular with vassals. Vassals will be unhappy if the queen marries too far beneath her, or if her husband has negative traits (i.e. is stupid, cruel or craven). Unmarried queens will suffer a consistent penalty to their popularity. Widowed jure uxoris rulers will immediately be deprived of their crowns. However, in the case of their being children from the marriage, he will almost always remain as regent. When a male ruler marries a female ruler of lesser status, he immediately gains control of her holdings jure uxoris. If she is his equal or his superior, then they become joint rulers.
5. Regents should have more tangible power over the kingdoms they govern. With a consensus amongst the nobility, they can declare wars. They can mobilise troops. They can raise or lower taxes and troop levies.
6. Secular and Ecclesiastical courts. Characters can be tried for crimes like treason and heresy, with corresponding punishments like death or banishment, with no penalty to the ruler. Ecclesiastical characters are tried separately in ecclesiastical courts that players have no control over. With great difficulty, a monarch can try to abolish these courts, which are generally more lenient, full o loopholes, and corrupt.
7. Institute features of the mod, CK2plus, such as old age modifiers and a tyranny system.
8. Properly represent the Catholic Church, with archbishoprics and a college of cardinals. The papacy is more lenient on characters from the pope’s own culture group (i.e. a French Pope will be less likely to censure the King of France). Make excommunication of rulers less arbitrary and more damning when it happens. The Pope should warn a ruler several times to rectify his behaviour before just excommunicating him out of the blue. Excommunicated rulers are completely fair game, with rival able to lay claim to all their titles. Alert the player to papal elections, and allow them to be manipulated through cardinals.
9. In succession wars, or wars when a foreign invader usurps a crown, always strip the deposed ruler o all their titles, either exiling or imprisoning them.
10. Provide some means to signify the strength of a title you hold. For example, if your family has held the county of Blois for ten generations, then it will be incredibly difficult to deprive you of it. I however, you recently usurped the throne of France, and there is little o no precedent of your ancestors holding it, then revolts will be more common, and rival claimants will have greater success.
11. Separate guardians and tutors when it comes to raising a child. Make it possible for children to inherit either’s education (although more probably their tutor’s).
12. A ruler’s permission is required to move troops through their territory.
13. Make barons playable.
14. 15. A second DLC that makes republics playable:
-Allow seas battles to take place, and different types of ship to be mustered. It is far more difficult and time consuming for any power to muster a navy.
-Power politics in Republics like Venice and Genoa, where power and influence is based upon money rather than land holdings.
-Elections, and sometimes assemblies, that can be bought off and manipulated.
I hope this helps. I love Crusader Kings, and I think that implementing even a few of these changes would make the game so much better.
