Sneak peak #1 29/03/2016: Remaking the wheel!
Hi guys, it's been a long break since the release of our last DLC, Conclave, and we're actually surprised at the amazing outpouring of support for the many changes we made. However, there was quite a lot of criticism too, and many of us at Paradox feel that perhaps we should slow down and focus on smaller expansions in the future. I wholeheartedly and completely reject this approach and it's time to 'double down' and completely re-invent the game that we love!
CK2 currently relies upon the Feudal System, in which counts are vassals to dukes who are vassals to kings etc. However, this is unrealistic. Titles are really nothing but complicated names and in real life even an Emperor can be a vassal to another ruler! In the coming, as-yet-untitled expansion, this will change. Rather than vassalising rulers directly, you must get the other ruler to agree a 'vassalage treaty' with you. Vassals will provide a small amount of prestige and piety every month, until you sign another "formalise vassalage" treaty which means they will also be able to educate children for you and start factions. After formalising the vassalage, you need to negotiate "confirm vassalage" to seal the deal. Confirmed vassals will give you small numbers of troops, perhaps 20 at most, but demesne levies and retinues have been re-balanced too. A large army in the Charlemagne start date might include as many as 200 men! Retinues have been re-done, each retinue unit now contains a single soldier who gets recruited individually. Vassalage treaties last until one of the ruler dies, at which point they must be re-negotiated.
We know how much people disliked the Coalitions system, but I really don't have the patience to deal with all the various whiners who do nothing but make exaggerated complaints about how the game is supposedly "broken". So we've decided to introduce "expanded alliances". You can sign an Expanded Alliance treaty with any ally, and upon signing it an attack on any of the parties allied with any of the parties allied with any of the parties allied with any of the parties is considered an act of war. You can refuse to honour an Expanded Alliance (as long as the attack isn't against your ally or your ally's ally) but at the cost of a considerable sum of prestige and a "treacherous little blighter!" -25 opinion penalty with all characters. If an alliance lasts for more than 20 years it is automatically upgraded into an Expanded Alliance.
Now that this has been dealt with, we'll move on to one of the more spectacular features of the DLC: enhanced Finno-Urgic cultures. Previously the vast Taiga belt tended to get conquered by steppe nomads or Russians, but this never happened in history until long into the modern era. The Taiga was highly-defensible and impossible for any 'civilised' nation to rule. In the DLC, all Finno-Urgic characters get the "Taiga Tribal Government" government type. Taiga Tribals can only own Taiga holdings, which are off-map and impossible to besiege or capture. If Taiga Tribes occupy a non-Taiga province they can't hold it directly, they have to repeatedly press an annoying little button every three months in order to sow the area with pine trees. This increases revolt risk since people don't like trees in their fields, so beware! Turning a province into Taiga will make it completely useless to everyone else and generate another off-map Taiga Holding for the tribe to use.
Taiga Tribes are stuck in Taiga Succession until they reform, which is complicated, slightly buggy and basically means that everyone is guaranteed to hate their liege always. Once a Taiga Tribe reforms they get a special conquest CB that targets entire de-jure empires and can raid using their court chaplain.
I hope this sneak peak gets you all excited for the future of Crusader Kings!
