What's the best county cluster in this game?

[Coalsack]

All things considered, some specific inland places should have boons to counter the fact that they generate less money that coastal holdings. Specially if they were rich places historically (Milan, Firenze, Praga, Wien, Sevilla, Toledo)

 

[WJS]

Oh, Prague is rich. I raid it often as a Viking.

 

[Stolen Rutters]

Aquitaine:

Barcelona and Toulouse. 12 counties with 59 holdings, within that there are 6 coastal counties with 29 holdings. Also, Toulouse has two large inland counties with double baronies.

Barcelona is deJure Aquitaine in the early start. You can spread Occitan culture across the West! Drive the infidels from Spain, expand north through Francia. You are within diplo range of Egypt, England, Jerusalem, Africa, Italy or Greece... to support any expansion strategy you fancy. It’s like Sicily but with better access to the north.

 

[TheDungen]

All things considered, some specific inland places should have boons to counter the fact that they generate less money that coastal holdings. Specially if they were rich places historically (Milan, Firenze, Praga, Wien, Sevilla, Toledo)

Most of these are on rivers just make it possible to build ports in provinces next to rivers.

 

[Zsrai]

Depends on how long you hold it, keep the prosperity up and you'll start getting new holding slots quite quickly.

Yeah, I've done this with Curonia (before the map change) as a Lettigalian (sp?) Tribal -> MR game. It was nice having Riga (and every other county by the end of the game) be 7 slots.

 

[TheDungen]

Yeah, I've done this with Curonia (before the map change) as a Lettigalian (sp?) Tribal -> MR game. It was nice having Riga (and every other county by the end of the game) be 7 slots.

Haha I've turned almost the entire coast of the holy land to 7 holding provinces, but I have a mod which makes growth less random.

 

[Coalsack]

Yeah, I think that rivers need a bit of work. How comes that I can't have ports while being on the Rhine, Danube or Ganges, while some random county near the north pole, whose coasts remain frozen 9 months at year can?

 

[TheDungen]

Yeah, I think that rivers need a bit of work. How comes that I can't have ports while being on the Rhine, Danube or Ganges, while some random county near the north pole, whose coasts remain frozen 9 months at year can?

Well if you've read my signature you know what I think.

 

[Naughtius Maximus]

With a desmense of 11 I tend to hold

Taizz, capital at Aden. with an MR at Bayda. Silk Road trade post node along with two other counties along route.

Socotra. One province trade post node.

Gilan. One trade post node and another along route out of three counties.

Tabaristan. One trade post node and two along route.

So of my 11 counties 4 of them are trade nodes and 5 of them are along the route. I am immensely rich for most of the game.

 

[Lopatou_ovalil]

this link on ck2 wiki can be helpfull

 

[Chunakun]

Thanks to the prosperity events (new holding slots) I really don't care anymore. I like the challenge to develop poor one slot countries into rich seven slot counties.

 

[TheDungen]

Thanks to the prosperity events (new holding slots) I really don't care anymore. I like the challenge to develop poor one slot countries into rich seven slot counties.

What really matters these days is how many coastal provinces a duchy has.

 

[Urzhail64]

Skaane is wonderful if starting as Norse. You can expand either into Denmark to create Denmark if you wanted to and the holy site of Roskilde is right next to you. Or expand northward to create the kingdom of Gautariki. I usually prefer the HIP map for this though.

Second favorite: Ravenna and the Romagna (HIP version) You'll be a major player in Italian affairs from that position.

Third favorite: Sicily for obvious reasons. Powerful in either vanilla or HIP versions.

Fourth favorite Benevento area.(HIP) The fact that it's right next to Sicily is a bonus. With both Benevento and Sicily, you can form a very powerful Kingdom of Sicily indeed. Starting area for Normans from 1043 onwards, Langobardo before that point.

Fifth favorite: Carcassone (HIP) You're right next to Toulouse and can form the Duchy of Septimania along the southern French coast, giving you access to the Mediterranean - a must if you plan to Crusade. Bonus points if you start as Cathar circa early 1200's if you feel the need to be a heretic.

Whoops left out one big one: Bohemia (HIP) Basically a land locked version of Sicily. Just without the malus of being a plague nexus.

 

[Urzhail64]

I see what you did there !

Yeah Sicily is notorious for being a nexus for plagues.

 

[Serenity84]

If you turn down epidemics to fewer the diseases in coastal areas aren't that bad

 

[Coalsack]

Hmm, so far I've been able to set those a my demesne:

Playing as the ERE:
-D.of Abydos, Thrake and Adrianopolis (11 counties)
-SR counties (Alexandria, Jerusalem, Antiocheia and Bagdad)

Playing on India
-D.of Saurashtra, Lata, Gurjara Mandala and Kannauj (16 counties, 1 SR)
-Extra SR counties (Cholamandalam, Goa)

Playing on Spain
-D. of Seville, Granada, Tangiers, Latium and Tuscany (18 counties, thank you treasury :v)


I used to like playing with Russia, specially on the Vladimir-Suzdal area, but sadly its filled now with those ugly 2-holdings counties. Does someone has any suggestios of where play as Russia? It seems like a place forgotten/avoided in most suggestions.

 

[jonjowett]

I used to like playing with Russia, specially on the Vladimir-Suzdal area, but sadly its filled now with those ugly 2-holdings counties. Does someone has any suggestios of where play as Russia? It seems like a place forgotten/avoided in most suggestions.

That might be because there are no obviously amazing options any more. (IIRC, Novgorod used to be amazing.) There are lot of good solid choices though - eg. Novgorod, Vladimir, Smolensk, Kiev. Basically, pick a large duchy near your starting point and stay there.

 

[Urzhail64]

I forgot Outremer. (HIP version) Acre or Antioch are great. You can easily take Cyprus as a safety valve if things go bad against the Muslims. Plus the title k_Cyprus gives you alot of leverage as a ruler. Antioch is fantastic if you want to be independent from the KoJ but it's a very stiff challenge to play due to the fact that you're surrounded on all sides with enemies particularly as a Crusader State - especially once the Seljuks estabalish Rum not to mention you'll be somewhat close to the start date for the Mongol invasions.

 

[Ilion]

Depends on how long you hold it, keep the prosperity up and you'll start getting new holding slots quite quickly.

New slots auto-generate under these conditions? Wow!

 

[jonjowett]

New slots auto-generate under these conditions? Wow!

Yes, but they are very expensive. (Several years' income - usually several thousand gold.) Make sure you save up to avoid going into debt!