r/crusaderkings2

Since I am myself from Croatia it was the first game I played. Since then I played plenty of other factions, but non so far offered the same potential for expansion from almost nothing.

Try to defeat the other Croatian duke ASAP, one alliance should suffice to give you that extra kick.

If you can manage to fight off Avaria and Hungary and get most of your De-Jure territories you can become strong enough to start gobbling up your neighbors to the east. Italian and Byzantine provinces give you a pretty fat, juicy target for raiding, providing 1 gold every 4 days.

Key is to convert to Christianity in the fist 50 years, it needs to be timed just right. Then you can go ahead and purge your lands of the pagan lords and grab their lands for yourself.

Now you have a very strong tribal blob combined with holy war casus belli for every neighbor around you. Just wait until they are distracted by something else and snatch a few juicy provinces off them. This way you can blob out really fast. You will know when it's time to convert to Feudalism. I was able to do it before 867.

By the time crusades start you should have land not too far from the target areas, so you can safely keep the conquered land to yourself, and make a pretty fat profit doing it.

Eventually 4th crusade will destroy Byzantium leavling it's remaining lands ripe for your picking, then it comes down to taking all the muslim lands to the south. Make sure you don't expand too far to the east so you won't become a bulkwark against the mongol horde. They should fall apart into small realms eventually, leaving you with another set of easy pickings.

I've yet to find another faction that offers the same opportunities for expansion while also being able to catch up with major European powers in record time. And at the same time isn't also constantly picked on by numerous neighbors.

https://preview.redd.it/dtcw5t2ujebh1.jpg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7f99ac79b3009849c1a1d77503db7b8ad91dfd78

https://preview.redd.it/l5be1t2ujebh1.jpg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=501f5b1761ca366a9fe6208424225733f2569691

Why cant press this guys claim, even tho the byzantine emperor is in regency?

Why cant i send my daughter away as a mercenary but i can do that with my sister, despite all of them having the atilla bloodline?

https://preview.redd.it/1aa86rgmjebh1.jpg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ea69f697108d72d394c459980971c053a1bbd517

https://preview.redd.it/orvdgj9njebh1.jpg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2735cf39a3465c0bc3139ca3d044e8dca900e0e0

How did i manage to get multiple court physician?

https://preview.redd.it/hxo5wqjbkebh1.jpg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3f266256c4fb01712f287792a161083caf12c472

How does it work?

1. Vritually everyone can volunteer to participate in the event.
2. We democratically pick a time and a place. Preferably a count tier ruler.
3. We democratically choose the dynasty name.
4. Then the game begins starting with the first player who volunteered.
5. He takes control over said county. Designes its banner. Designes it's ruler. Plays for a ruler's lifetime and then passes the save to another participant.
6. Also each player is oblieged to publish cronicles concerning their rulers life either in the form of After Action Report (with screenshots) or as a youtube video. Whichever you prefer. The idea is to keep the community updated.

What do you think? Would you like to participate in such a game? Anyone interested should add I'm in, in their comment. Registration will be open for the next two weeks.

EDIT: I can actually start with the first member of the dynasty if you guys are to intimidated to start. But we still still pick up dynasty name and banner together.

https://preview.redd.it/k8rdqe7rtabh1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=f757010731579dd2f47fab4af31a78562bc7311c

Welcome to Feudal Friday!

This is a thread to regale the noble courts of r/crusaderkings2 with your tales of triumph and tribulation!

Please tell us about your current game, your last game, or *anything* CK2-related that has you excited -- roleplayers, world conquerors, adventurers, achievement seekers, and modders alike are welcome!

They actually love, we have 100 relations, we are best friends, but they are still plotting to kill me. Yes, when I ask them, they stop, but they start it in a while again. It is a bit... immersion destroying.

I just had a force of 24k troops get completely routed by a force of 13k. My entire army gone. Retinues, Levies, Vassal Levies. I had my best commanders on the lines. It was a holy war on the shattered map where I started as Constantinople and was trying to finally kill Bulgaria. Please tell me how this is possible so I don’t fuck it up again. They had 30% bonus for defending in hilly terrain but I had a good mix of light infantry, heavy infantry, and archers in my retinues and whatever else my other armies had. Any help and advice is appreciated

Gameplay Goals - Character Side

1. Ruler traits - Future player rulers must have Stewardship education and must be at least Fortune Builder for greater Demesne Size. Extremely recommended to be male and be Midas Touched for greater number of children and demesne.
2. Spouse - All player rulers will marry high Stewardship for greater Demesne Size. Spouses must be either infertile or menopausal (45 years old) to prevent unplanned heirs.
3. Focus - All player rulers will be on Seduction focus with genius/strong/attractive courtiers for routine Genius Tumbling. I've found that the optimal routine is about 3-4 characters favorited and routinely Tumbling ("Vini, Vidi, Vici") them down through the list, skipping pregnant characters. Preferably also used to turn a prospective spouse into Lover for added opinion. All PCs will prioritize the Master Seducer lifestyle trait in order to have a greatly improved chance against desirable targets with Chaste.
4. Children - All bastards to be acknowledged as player ruler's. This prevents Spouse and legitimate children from gaining stacking negative opinion from Legitimizing Bastards and to open up the bastards for possible legitimizing as next heir. All children in court will be educated in Stewardship regardless of childhood traits.
5. Heirs - Legitimizing only the most genetically blessed bastard as next heir, preferably upon PC reaching old age/deathbed. Eugenic + prevents bastards from expanding the player dynasty which causes gameplay slowdown due to dynasty bloat. In case of possible Game Over and if Agnatic-Cognatic, immediately legitimize a female bastard which will be married off once a good heir is available
6. Court must haves - Court Tutor must be Midas Touched, Diligent, Kind, and preferably Shrewd and/or Erudite. Children who are Genius and Quick educated in Duty, elsewise in Thrift. Court Physician must always be available and must have highest Learning possible (e.g, via dharmic gurus invited via favor). Steward must have the utmost in Stewardship for greater demesne size. Marshal must have the utmost in Martial for cheaper retinue upkeep (via Organize the Army). Landless, lowborn courtiers of strategic importance must be married to prevent getting pruned upon PC death.
7. Culture and Religion - All player rulers must aim toward being either Ashkenazi/Sephardi or be of Jewish religion (or its heresies) due to remarkable stacked bonuses given by Radhanite Quarters on the Silk Road. Two hypotheticals: If the player wants to retain the excellent retinues and raiding culture of Berbers, they should convert to Judaism. If the player wants to retain the overpowered nature of Catholicism or their homebrew reformed religion, they must become Ashkenazi and content themselves with the relatively powerful Bar Kokhba Guards.
8. Society - Preferably be a Hermetic due to tech bonuses, artifacts, horoscopes, and more importantly the Potion of Eudaimonia to more easily remove the perpetual Stressed and Depressed traits. If a Warrior Lodge is available, stick around long enough for the Lodge Trait and to create a Bloodline. At the start of a PC's reign, make sure to gather enough prestige and piety to be able to secretly convert to another religion, create a Secret Society of that religion, Openly Adopt Faith via decision, and then convert back. This gives you free +2 Diplomacy within a single masterstroke.

Note for Immortal Characters: Multiple Warrior Lodge traits and bloodlines may be collected within a single lifetime.

Gameplay Goals - Realm Side

1. Demesne - must personally own as many silk road trade posts and their counties as possible within the demesne limit (or more). the trade posts must be fully upgraded as early as possible. a single trade post at least doubles a county's income, which is improved even further by a Trade Agreement with China and a Chinese Golden Age. preferably must also own holy site counties along the silk road for easier religion switching when needed.
2. Holdings - must be able to protect the demesne from raiders, disease, and conquest. Each personal holding must have the highest fort level and garrison available, must have the best and most affordable hospitals (priority: capital holding), must be protected by cheap forts, and must be within reach of levy armies of appropriate size/retinue doomstacks. unless running with Infidel Tax, aim to convert personal silk road counties to your religion.
3. Capital - aim for coastals for increased mobility. aim to convert it to your culture and religion to reduce relying on Heritage education focus for heirs.
4. Technology and Laws - Prioritize max Military Organization for retinues and attrition-proofing, Construction VI to max the capital hospital followed by Trade Practices to increase silk road income, Legalism V for Max Centralization followed by Majesty V for Imperial Administration followed by Tolerance VI for Full Status of women. Aim to be an be an agnatic-cognatic autocratic empire with ultimogeniture but feel free to switch to gavelkind when you feel you no longer have to destroy problematic titles for increased demesne. religious revocation must be put in place asap which you will be abusing to the utmost
5. Internal Affairs - liege titles of your personal silk road counties must never form under anyone else. in order to prevent their creation and as you will most likely have awfully low vassal limit, transfer other counties in the dejure duchy to various dukes and transfer the other duchies in the dejure kingdom to various kings. spymaster must be on Scheme to discover plots which should be auto-prevented via the Intrigue tab. feel free to marry bastard children to vassals. if you have female vassals, feel free to make them lovers. use favors to force gavelkind to weaken vassals.
6. Foreign Affairs - kiss China's ass as much as possible. utilize all the favors to china as often as you could, with the exception of that one that directly sends money (cost inefficient). my SOP is sending a bastard as concubine, a "Liked" eunuch with 20+ in any stat, and replenishable Tier 4 smithed jewelry artifacts. Kowtow if you lack the pride and the urgency. China grace is to be used for the following items ordered by priority a.) Trade Contract b.) Request Invading for a dangerous blob neighbor/liege (e.g, Abbasids, Umayyads), c.) Artifacts, d.) Scholar-Bureaucrat, e.) Master Engineer, f.) 1 strategist

when you are strong enough, invade China and enthrone a bastard of your culture and religion for passive Grace gain and a more powerful Trade Contract

7. Neighbors - raiders are the bane of your existence as they can destroy a maxed trade post by sieging down the capital holding so feel free to marry off bastards to khagans and raiding cultures for non-aggression pacts. occasionally check the character finder for invite-able courtiers with useful artifacts you can inherit upon their death. if not independent, use your liege's protection to freely take trade post counties from both foreigners and fellow vassals and the proceeds of which you will use to fund an army in your inevitable war of usurpation/independence. consider vassalizing heads of large religions in order to avoid being targeted by great holy wars

8. Great Works - One that promotes technology spread rate in your capital (e.g, Library, University) in order to capitalize the quicker tech gain there and one that allows Private Conversation (e.g, Royal Bedchambers in a Palace) which you can use to bring the charm on your spouse and targets outside your Routine Tumbling list. If you own a Great Work that has Traps, do NOT build it. If absolutely desperate, feel free to build Great Walls and Grand Fortresses in frontier silk road counties
9. Retinues - stack them inasmuch as they can survive attrition in most counties even during winter and in accordance to principles outlined in the most recent optimal retinue calculators. 14k-20k is good for Heavy Infantry retinues due to their bonuses to assaulting down holdings, everyone else can use a bit more.

10. Conquest - contrary to popular belief, Claim Title is the most powerful CB in the game. claim foreign kingdoms and lower titles without limit by inviting people with Strong/pressable claims, landing them on a crappy barony/county, and pushing their rights to the title. this is doubly improved with Religious Revocation and if the winning claimant is an infidel from whom you may revoke land and vassals (from whom you will also revoke land and vassals). you may then distribute conquered land to lowborn, unmarried realm courtiers of your culture and religion to facilitate conversion and to prevent maluses. this also improves gameplay as distributing land individually to existing courtiers lessens slowdown due to save bloat from generated characters. feel free to hand out random baronies/counties/duchies/kingdoms to bastards if you're feeling paternal.

catholic PCs take note: contributing the most to a crusade and putting yourself as beneficiary nets you around a few thousand gold, the kingdom title of the target, and a portion of the land proportional to your contribution. so go for all in if you could

if you fellas got anymore, kindly include in your comments. let's be tryhards together.