Crusader Kings 2 Redux

[Sheilbh]

Really inspired to play Bohemia now.

If only there was a King Wenceslas start though.

Don't be a wimp. Start 867 with the first of the Przemyslids and throw off the Moravian yoke.

And if it goes wrong you can always restart from your save

[jimmy olsen]

Really inspired to play Bohemia now.

If only there was a King Wenceslas start though.

Don't be a wimp. Start 867 with the first of the Przemyslids and throw off the Moravian yoke.

Eh, operating in the HRE seems integral to the Przemyslid experience. I want to be elected emperor like Charles IV. How often does the HRE get founded by the AI from the 867 start? I'm guessing not much.

[Grinning_Colossus]

Bohemia is a wealthy little duchy. I once played a game where I built a small independent kingdom out of Bohemia+Moravia+Saxony+Silesia, and it was a lot of fun. 

[Barrister]

Really inspired to play Bohemia now.

If only there was a King Wenceslas start though.

Europe has that effect on me too. Really want to play a King of theIsles game.

[The Brain]

Really inspired to play Bohemia now.

If only there was a King Wenceslas start though.

Europe has that effect on me too. Really want to play a King of theIsles game.

[Barrister]

Okay... so dirty little confession here.  Even though I played the shit out of CK1 I never really got into CK2.

Two years ago though on a steam sale I did buy every expansion up to and including Rajas of India.  But I never got into it - it's a pretty dense game.

But I'm determined to give it another go.  As I said, I was inspired by being in Europe again.

So since 2014 and now it looks like 4 expansions have come and gone - Charlemagne, Way of Life, Horse Lords, and Conclave.  Are any of them so useful that I should make a point of getting them before starting out (at least until another sale comes along)?  For right now Horse Lords looks right out, but the other three look like they might be useful.  Are they really just more chrome, or do they significantly add to the core game experience?

[Valmy]

Horse Lords is awesome. I love playing the mighty nomadic tribes now. I haven't gotten any DLC since then though they all look sorta 'more is more' type stuff. I feel like CK2 is fine the way it is.

[OttoVonBismarck]

Charlemagne is a must have, Way of Life and Conclave add some features you may or may not like. Honestly for a brand new player (which is what you essentially are), it probably makes more sense to buy Conclave and learn the way that works versus learn the old council management system and then update to Conclave down the road (which works differently.) I also don't have a firm memory of what is included in the DLCs versus the base-game content patches released along side them, but I'm pretty sure the new council management stuff is actually part of the Conclave DLC.

So yeah--you have the right of it, of those four Horse Lords is the least interesting, Charlemagne is a must have, and I'd probably recommend Conclave. Way of Life is closer to being meh, but it does add some good character-management features.

[OttoVonBismarck]

Horse Lords is awesome. I love playing the mighty nomadic tribes now. I haven't gotten any DLC since then though they all look sorta 'more is more' type stuff. I feel like CK2 is fine the way it is.

I guess I should add I had no interest in nomadic tribes, I play Ck2 for the feudalism. After the first few months this is what kinda bored me of the Old Gods expansion too, the pagan tribal government structure just isn't as interesting to me as the feudal structure of the Christian/Muslim rulers.

[dps]

You should get everything except Sunset Invasion and the upcoming DLC.

[Jacob]

You should get everything except Sunset Invasion and the upcoming DLC.

Yeah I agree.

I really enjoy Conclave and Way of Life. If I had to pick one, I'd go with Conclave, but both add a nice layer to how you interact with the game.

[Barrister]

You should get everything except Sunset Invasion and the upcoming DLC.

Yeah I agree.

I really enjoy Conclave and Way of Life. If I had to pick one, I'd go with Conclave, but both add a nice layer to how you interact with the game.

The question is more "which are so essential I should pay full price, rather than wait for a sale".

I'm leaning n picking up conclave at full price, and wait on others. Final decision will wait for tonight.

[Jacob]

I'm leaning n picking up conclave at full price, and wait on others. Final decision will wait for tonight.

Yeah, that's a good strategy. As Otto said, Conclave sets up a very different dynamic with how you manage vassals so going for that first so you don't have to relearn the mechanics of that makes sense.

Way of Life just adds another layer of decisions, so it's much easier to adapt to IMO. Charlemagne is great, but again it's not like you'll be relearning core mechanics. Both of those are much better suited for giving the core game new life without having to relearn the underlying mechanic.

... and now I want to start a game....

[jimmy olsen]

Charlemagne and Conclave are must haves.

I like Way of Life, but some people don't.

[OttoVonBismarck]

If you're just looking to learn the game I can see not getting Charlemagne since it just gives you an earlier start (to let you play as Charlemagne, obv) and events that help you forge the HRE if you play as him (computer controlled Charles's almost never seem to do it.) So I might agree with getting Conclave and Way of Life first.

I also might suggest doing the 1066 Hastings start, start as William. I feel like it gives you a nice introduction to the game. Back in Ck1 I used to recommend people start as a count or a duke to really learn game mechanics, but I think in Ck2 you should start your first game as a King, and England in 1066 is a good starter kingdom and won't be insanely hard to manage like some alternatives. That's my opinion.