What childhood focus to choose

[Persipnei]

What childhood focus do you choose for each main attribute?

After some playing around I am thinking:
- best focus for martial: struggle
- best focus for diplo: humility
- best focus for steward: duty

If you think otherwise, please explain. Any ideas for intrigue/learning?

 

[Persipnei]

It was early in the morning when I wrote the first post.

I try to formulate the question again:

What childhood focus do you give to your children if you want them to be good in a certain attribute? I give my kids struggle if I want to make them good martial dudes, humility for diplomats and duty for stewards.

The question is: am I doing the right thing? do you do the same thing? and what is a good focus for intrigue or learning?

 

[AlienMaster]

I almost always go for Duty, because there is an event chain for contentious children to make them diligent or just. Also Stewardship is pretty good to invest in a ruler.

 

[alanschu]

I actually mix it up a bit among a few based on how the child is progressing by the time they are 5. But common ones for heirs are Duty, Thrifty, and Struggle as I am biased for Stewardship and Martial for my leaders.

 

[ColZimin]

I do Duty, Thrifty or Struggle fairly often too. Though I have had use out of Heritage a few times when I was mucking around with changing culture or religion.

Bottom line though, I'm still not convinced that this choice matters. The kid can still get education traits from other lines, and annoyingly: they will usually get traits both for and against the logical target education.
Like if I'm aiming for Diplomacy education with Thrifty->Curious, they're almost guaranteed to get Rowdy or some crap too, meaning that their later education is now sabotaged.

The new education is great when it works, frustratingly random most of the time.

 

[DPS]

The focus you want if you're going for learning is Faith, because it's likely to get you Idolizer.

Unless I'm doing some role-play type things, I usually go with Duty for most kids. If a kid is born with the Strong trait, I tend to go with Struggle, as that's the best focus to prepare the child for a military education, which will maximize the value of the Strong trait.

 

[josefrees]

Pretty much always thrifty or struggle. Thrifty because curious can develop into shrewd and struggle because it is best for martial

Can't figure out which focus to use for diplomacy really

 

[Tsadiq]

Diplomacy: Both Humility and Thrift have downsides, but Thrift is probably better
Martial: Struggle (only choice)
Stewardship: Duty (good traits associated with it, no downsides)
Intrigue: Thrift (many good traits associated with it, no downsides)
Learning: Faith (only choice, because Humility is bad)

Then there's Faith to convert religion and Heritage to convert religion and culture.

That only leaves Etiquette (Thrift is just superior) and Pride (awful).

 

[DPS]

That only leaves Etiquette (Thrift is just superior) and Pride (awful).

Yeah, basically I don't use either of those unless it's a role-play thing.

 

[Red Earth]

Here's a chart. Hasn't been updated for the shrewd, strong, etc. traits given instead of congenital traits after the patch but it's useful for reference.

 

[PK_AZ]

Bottom line though, I'm still not convinced that this choice matters. The kid can still get education traits from other lines, and annoyingly: they will usually get traits both for and against the logical target education.

IMO childhood focuses are not - sorry, I cannot find good word - obvious enough. You cannot just look on, let's say, Pride, and think "Ok, it has some chance to help my kid in his steward education". You cannot easily check in-game, what trait or attribute guardian should have to make your heir uberheir.

they will usually get traits both for and against the logical target education.

Important thing is to understand the difference between childhood trait/focuses and education trait/focuses. They are two different and not-obviously-compatible systems. I think it was supposed to work that way: you give some kid childhood focus, and when he/she is 12 years old, you choose education based on traits. And honestly it seems to work for any kid who is not your heir - because with Way of Life you can upgrade your stewardship education easily, so thrift->stewardship->rulership is just too tempting.

 

[Ed Mike]

Well, tricked by the name, maybe, I've being using Humility to all my younger kids, since I supose it will make them a lot less prone to shenanigans and backstabing of my heir. It have worked, I guess. Am I doing it wrong?

Etiquette sounds like something every daughter in line of succession after the first one would be raised into but despite the name, it had only resulted in terrible negotiators who couldn't impress a drunkard by giving free beer. Most disapointing of all, given I always thought that etiquette should be the bread and butter of a stable aristocracy! (Come play into my castle and all)

Otherwise, I haven't seen any reason on Earth to use Pride. Only bad things seem to come out of it.

 

[Rascar Capac]

I tend to pick Pride a lot for intrigue purposes, 'cause I like Brooding. Seems to work, but that's just hands-off feel as I generally use it on kids whom I will not play next.

 

[Pollux85]

Duty and Thrifty are safe bets, though I find myself picking Humility for my heir more frequently later in the game when I tend to have more vassals and need the Diplomacy boost. That can backfire if they get the Timid trait, but that's the risk of late-game I guess.

If I want someone with a boost to martial, I give them Struggle. If I want them to have Learning, they get Faith. Sometimes daughters or 3rd sons I don't want causing trouble get Heritage. If I have someone who's already a bad egg or I know is going to cause trouble, I give them Etiquette or Pride to sabotage them.

I miss the old education system. I hope one of the features in the new patch is for Pre vs. Post Conclave education system.

 

[Narvait]

What childhood focus do you choose for each main attribute?

After some playing around I am thinking:
- best focus for martial: struggle
- best focus for diplo: humility
- best focus for steward: duty

If you think otherwise, please explain. Any ideas for intrigue/learning?

Martial - Struggle - especially if you are brave and educate yourself, this way you are insured against dull.
Intrigue - Thrift - fussy helps Intrigue and gives good skills, curious additionally gives good skills.
Learning - Faith - kind guardian (yourself) to insure against feeble
Diplomacy - Duty? - I dislike Humility for skills. I myself would use Thrift just because, but perhaps Duty is better for Diplomacy per se since Thrift may give Fussy. Duty stays neutral and can get diligent which is always great.
Stewardship - Duty - Agree. Especially if you are just guardian.

I use Struggle a lot, almost no brainer for younger sons or vassal boys. I need good generals.
On main heir sometimes it is Struggle, sometimes Thrift (for Shrewd).

/Etiquette is actually misleading. Intuitively it feels as if it should improve Diplomacy. (just like Thrift intuitively feels like Stewardship). But actually it only helps Intrigue, that is if Indolent does not screw up everything.