Survival is Everything! - A Narrative CK2 Vanilla (Megacampaign) AAR

[blklizard]

Hi, everyone! I'm blklizard and I'll admit I'm pretty nervous right now. I have never played CK2 before so this will be my first game. I know jumping into the deep end isn't always the best method but I'm going to attempt just that for this AAR. With this being my first game, my main focus is pure survival and try to grasp the basics the best I can. The goal is of course reaching the late game with something to show but I'm not going to get ahead of myself.

I have not included any DLCs because I believe even the vanilla game will have plenty of things for me to experience. I will be learning as I go and, despite seeing some tutorials and guides, I feel like I only touched the tip of the iceberg. Due to my inexperience, I will most often not choose the ideal path which should make this AAR rather interesting. Feel free to give advice and comment on what I could work on so I can improve (though I cannot promise I can make use of the advice depending on how much of the game I played). I will try to roleplay but, let's be honest here, I'll do anything that I think will improve my chances of surviving till late game.

I prefer narrative style where I will write stories associated with the screenshots I'll be taking. My updates might be quite irregular due to my real life schedule changing a lot lately but I'm aiming for at least an update a week. I won't cheat through saving and reloading as I intend to see this game to the end (victory or defeat). I will be starting in Ireland on Very Easy but I haven't determined who yet. I hope to get my prologue out in a day or two once I decide on which poor fellow I'll be playing as.

 

[blklizard]

Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13

 

[Dohaeris]

It's been a long time since I've seen the vanilla game, so this'll definitely be interesting. I'll follow along

 

[blklizard]

It's been a long time since I've seen the vanilla game, so this'll definitely be interesting. I'll follow along

Welcome! You will also see how a newbie will fare in this game for the first time.

Prologue

Prologue

The story began in a distant island called Ireland. Not much is known about this island as many assumed the place was something of a myth. Yet, Ireland did exist and so did the Petty Kingdom of Mumu. Mumu was certainly an unique name but, in an ideal world, this would be a very well known name in the future. This petty kingdom certainly looked more promising than the other kingdoms in Ireland, though not by much.

The self-proclaimed King Murchad ruled over this petty kingdom. Very little was known about the man except the fact that he was arguably one of the more powerful rulers in Ireland. Whether he could make that reality was another matter. For the time being, Murchad was content with his simple life of ruling over two counts. Yet, he had a dream one day which made him more ambitious.

King Murchad saw a glorious nation forming as the entire island was united by one man. The ruler was someone he didn't recognize but he had some striking resemblances to him. He wondered if this was a vision of the future. Murchad then woke up from his sleep and took a walk in the fields. After absorbing everything, Murchad understood what must be done. He must pave the way for his descendants.

If one asked those serving Murchad, they would literally say the king had changed overnight. Something was driving the man to greatness and many of them felt pride serving such a king. The Petty Kingdom of Mumu was going through some changes but only time would tell if those changes were positive or not. Until then, the Petty Kingdom of Mumu would just be another part of Ireland no one really knew about.

 

[Idhrendur]

This ought to be fun! Hopefully not too short-lived.

 

[Z-Z-Z]

Subbed

 

[KhanAnderson]

Subbed

 

[blklizard]

This ought to be fun! Hopefully not too short-lived.

The start is definitely fun and I can assure you I reached my second ruler.

Subbed

Subbed

Welcome!

King Murchad

Chapter 1

King Murchad returned to his throne after his walk in the fields. He didn't know what happened to him but he enjoyed the sensation of the vision itself. While he wasn't exactly familiar with the map of Ireland, Murchad was aware of how divided the island was. There had never been a ruler who was capable enough to rule all the realms. He, the most able of all the Irish rulers, only ruled over two counties.

Sometimes, Murchad wondered if he just lacked the ambitions to accomplish something greater. He had contemplated on life on numerous occasions but he had yet to find an answer to his questions. Murchad felt like he was missing something in life. Of course, he would admit that, in all honesty, he was missing a lot of things in life. Murchard just felt certain he needed something just that moment.

It was still dark out with all the servants still in bed. Murchad didn't mind being alone in his court since he wanted some time to think. As the ruler of the Petty Kingdom of Mumu, he didn't feel content with what he had. He wanted a mighty kingdom as oppose to a petty one and only expansions could accomplish that. As someone who was familiar with weapons, Murchad could envision himself leading an army into one victory after another.

 

[blklizard]

King Murchad

Chapter 2

Murchad then thought about his court, the five men who were on his council to aid him in various affairs both within and outside his realm. He never did speak with them too often because he was content with sending them on their duties. Murchad was aware that he and the marshal didn't really get along. The man had always been too full of himself with what he bragged as the best swordsmanship in all of Mumu.

In a few hours, he would be seeing the five men so they could discuss how they would make the Petty Kingdom of Mumu great. Following his new vision, Murchad wanted a clean slate to work with. He didn't care what they were doing before this day as long as they made changes to accommodate to his new ambitions. He wasn't about to take a no from anyone this day.

With a few hours left, Murchad debated whether or not he wanted to catch up on some sleep. Thinking back, he realized that he only had a few hours of sleep before waking up from his vision. Normally, he would be exhausted from the lack of rest. Yet, he felt energized and motivated this day. With all the energy within him, Murchad went to the barracks to practice his swordsmanship.

 

[Dohaeris]

I'm curious, do you usually write such short chapters? Good couple updates, anyhow.

 

[alscon]

I'll follow. For a small duke like Murchad, he has a really capable council - a sign for good things to come?

 

[Specialist290]

Looks like this one will be worth keeping an eye on Since you're a new player, I'm curious as to what you think of the game so far, from what you've played already.

 

[blklizard]

I'm curious, do you usually write such short chapters? Good couple updates, anyhow.

I'm afraid this is the length I prefer. I might do longer updates for certain chapters but, overall, I like to keep it relatively short so I can be flexible with when I can update. I apologize if you were looking for an AAR with longer updates.

I'll follow. For a small duke like Murchad, he has a really capable council - a sign for good things to come?

Welcome! Capable councils need a capable ruler to lead them to greatness. I most likely won't use them even close to their full potential.

Looks like this one will be worth keeping an eye on Since you're a new player, I'm curious as to what you think of the game so far, from what you've played already.

Welcome! I've played a fair bit into the game and must admit I love it. I have one incident where I thought I lost it all (won't tell you when until we get there in updates ). The wait can be bad since I'm using a six year old laptop so the years pass slowly when nothing happens. I'm also learning as I go so there are things I'm certainly not optimizing. My role-playing is also suffering since I know so little of the overall mechanics. Overall, I enjoy the game and got a few pleasant surprise along the way.

King Murchad

Chapter 3

King Murchad thought back to the vision and tried to recall the person he saw. The man was certainly his descendant with their matching physical features but he couldn't help but wonder whose descendant this might be. With the Gavelkind inheritance in his realm, titles could be split between a number of his sons which could complicate matters greatly, especially when one son wasn't satisfied with what he got.

He was fully expecting succession crisis to happen once he left for the afterlife. With plans and ambitions to accomplish something in his life, Murchad was certain there would be more land to be split among his sons. Currently, his realm had two counties and one of them was held by a foreigner. How the foreigner got the county at all was anyone's guess but, with only a single county available, he got the title to it without any oppositions.

As his realm grew, his sons would no doubt be desiring more for themselves. They would want their own county to rule over and, if he refused, they might even get ideas. It wasn't exactly new for sons to murder their father for land. These were all matters for a much later time in his life when he had other holdings. For the time being, Murchad just wanted to focus on his actual expansion.

 

[blklizard]

King Murchad

Chapter 4

While looking forward to meeting with his council again, King Murchad remembered one of the topics mentioned by one of them. He believed it was the spymaster but he just couldn't remember for whatever reason. The topic was definitely not one of his favorite given his very limited knowledge on it. Murchad sometimes wished he could just let his councilors deal with certain matters while he focused on other things.

The councilor was emphasizing that the army he commanded was somewhat backwards which displeased him greatly. Murchad had led these soldiers in the past and knew they were the best his county could offer. To be spoken like they were trash was something he couldn't accept. The councilor then corrected himself by saying it was the weapons, not the men themselves, which were backwards.

He mentioned many of their neighbors who adopted better weapon making methods ensuring better quality weapons for their soldiers. In addition, newer and better siege weapons and ships were developed elsewhere. Murchard didn't like the idea of his men using substandard weapons compared to his neighbors but he disliked it more when his councilors said they couldn't do anything until much later until more research was done.

 

[Dohaeris]

I'm afraid this is the length I prefer. I might do longer updates for certain chapters but, overall, I like to keep it relatively short so I can be flexible with when I can update. I apologize if you were looking for an AAR with longer updates.

Oh, it's not a problem, just a bit different, is all, which isn't a bad thing. I've been enjoying this so far.

 

[Specialist290]

Seconding the above. Nothing wrong with keeping it short and sweet.

Murchad sounds like the sort of man who doesn't let mundane reality restrict lofty ambitions. I'm looking forward to seeing how far his star rises.

 

[Crimson Drakon]

subbed, welcome blklizard to the world of CK 2!! I am certain you will unite Ireland in no time and do more we are always here for tips and for the story, of course

 

[blklizard]

Oh, it's not a problem, just a bit different, is all, which isn't a bad thing. I've been enjoying this so far.

Thanks! I have done long updates in the past but I like the shorter ones better.

Seconding the above. Nothing wrong with keeping it short and sweet.

Murchad sounds like the sort of man who doesn't let mundane reality restrict lofty ambitions. I'm looking forward to seeing how far his star rises.

Murchad will have a very interesting reign for sure. As for his descendants, there's quite the variety.

subbed, welcome blklizard to the world of CK 2!! I am certain you will unite Ireland in no time and do more we are always here for tips and for the story, of course

Thanks and welcome! Uniting Ireland is the main goal but I'll be content if I can survive and do things somewhat optimally.

I have many questions regarding the game but one stands out from the rest. I never seem to have enough male courtiers. Should I be inviting them from other realms or use the decision to invite a noble under the intrigue tab?

As a bit of a spoiler, Scotland is very stable/strong and owns a county in Ireland.

King Murchad

Chapter 5

King Murchad understood that ambitions alone didn't guarantee expansion or anything in life for that matter. He needed a strong army to force his enemies into capitulation whether through an actual war or just a show of force. While the latter was more ideal, Murchad was quite certain his neighbors needed to be brought to him in chains if he wanted what he wanted.

He himself commanded over a thousand men which seemed impressive but Murchad learned that many of his neighbors fielded similar number of men. If there was one thing Murchad learned from experience, it was that he could never count on his vassals for anything. His vassals might be willing to accept gifts and titles from him but, during times of hardship, they would flee leaving their lord to fend for himself.

Murchad was quite certain that his vassals would spare at most fifty men which seemed like a generous number. In a close battle, these extra men might be the difference maker but Murchad would not bet his life on them. He would rather have a strong personal levy to do battle with him. These were men he could rely upon in times of need and they would be needed very soon given the plans he had.

 

[alscon]

About courtiers, depends on who you want. Only while you are small you might need more courtiers, and then it is better to invite some claimants from elsewhere. Randomly generated nobles aren't useful in my experience. For the invitation, the courtier in question must like you more than his current liege and not be a councillor, which might be hard to find as a fairly small lord. You can also convince lowborn courtiers of other realms to marry noblewomen like your debutantes matrilineally, then they also come to your court.

Looks like Ragnvald isn't the most helpful vassal.

 

[Nuada Airgetlám]

Subscribed.