My first update on the historical mod I'm developing for my campaign.
Hello everyone.
I am here to give you the first update on the mod I am developing to add more historical role-play elements to CK3.
Last time, I presented the concepts—all of which are now implemented in the game—as well as the mod's context and purpose. Since then, I have been able to test it over a continuous period of about thirty years starting from the 867 start date, which is the most complex one.
I spotted a few errors during testing and have made some additions as a result.
However, let me show you how the map evolves over time; please note that I did not intervene in any way—I simply played as the Pecheneg realm, and my actions did not extend beyond the Eastern Roman Empire and the Rus' states.
The map of my game in 870. The Treaty of Meerssen has indeed taken effect, the Maghreb remains homogeneous—as does the Iberian Peninsula—the British Isles have undergone no major changes, Eastern Europe remains stable, and the Saffarid Empire has emerged, contenting itself with its historical conquests without destroying the Caliphate. The only perceived issue is the holding of the primary title for certain states—in this case, Italy. Burgundy became the primary title, and although Italy quickly reverts to being the primary title upon succession, I have to admit it breaks the immersion a bit if you look too closely.
The map of my game in 875. The Kingdom of Bavaria has indeed emerged, and the death of Louis II the Younger has taken place; his uncle, Charles II the Bald, successfully seized his territories upon his death and reclaimed the imperial title. The Maghreb remains stable, while the Abbasid Empire appears to be losing a bit of influence—or at least facing a revolt—and there is nothing else of note in the Balkans or the East; meanwhile, Harald's conquests have indeed halted at their historical limits.
Here are a few images illustrating the precision of the map's historical tracking. Shown here, for instance, is the emergence of Upper and Lower Burgundy, each with its own historical ruler at the time. Meanwhile, in Italy, the chaotic succession and the rise of Berengar—along with his numerous departures and returns—are also depicted.
Alfred the Great’s accession occurs at the historically accurate time, Scotland remains unified—neither suffering conquest nor waging it—and Ireland remains the island fragmented into various counties and duchies that it was during that period.
The Maghreb is not undergoing the chaotic dynastic upheavals that usually plague the region. Here, the Idrisids, Rustamids, Aghlabids, and Tulunids remain in place—each retaining its own historical rulers and lines of succession—without conquering or wiping its neighbors off the map.
This is a map of the West towards the end of the 9th century. Territorial boundaries and titles are accurately represented; Toulouse and Languedoc appear with their respective historical rulers, the border between the newly formed England and Scotland is spot-on—as is the situation in the Nordic lands—the Polans are quietly beginning to coalesce, Bulgaria is gradually losing influence over the Carpathians, and the setup in Iberia appears historically sound. The only downside here, once again, is obviously the main title, since the Holy Roman Empire has already been formed. And while that doesn't bother me too much in my own playthrough, seeing it form right on its historical date is always a huge plus.
The last unification of Charlemagne's empire by Charles the Fat also appears.
And of course, in the East, Kievan Rus' and Oleg's conquests also make their appearance. (I must admit, as a Pecheneg ruler, they were a real thorn in my side.)
That covers the mod's progress so far. The next additions will naturally include title corrections and ensuring the Holy Roman Empire is formed by Otto I only at its historical date.
The rest was working flawlessly; I also implemented a system that verifies, on a yearly basis, that every ruler holds their correct historical title and borders. If not, these are restored to them.
Additionally, if a historical figure died before their actual date of death—due to causes unrelated to the player—a lookalike with the same ancestry and ID would be created to replace them.
I want to reiterate that everything can be enabled or disabled in the game rules.
Thanks for following this quick update, and thank you for all your support!