Crusader Kings 2 Redux

[Jacob]

They are useful for that apocalyptic North America Mod.

Yeah, that's why I turned it on...

[garbon]

Not sure what to make of this.

Hi folks!

This week is a big deal for me and for everyone else who has worked on Crusader Kings II over the years, because the game is just about to turn five years old! It was released on Valentine's Day, February 14th, 2012. (So, if you're running low on ideas for a gift to that special someone tomorrow, what could be more romantic than a copy of Crusader Kings II? Just saying.)

Five years on, we are still cranking out expansions and updates, all thanks to you folks! I have to say, the lifespan of this game has been pretty amazing compared to all the previous games I've worked on. I loved them all, of course - those games we no longer actively support - from Europa Universalis to Victoria II, but it's been fantastic to be allowed to keep building on a game for so long, unlocking so much of its potential. CK2 is also special to me because I owned the vision and have done so much work on it personally. Stay tuned for a special anniversary dev diary tomorrow, where I will talk about the history and development of the game at length.

Of more immediate interest, we have essentially finished work on the upcoming expansion, Monks and Mystics, and it's shaped up very well! You might already know, or suspect, that most of the new Societies will be part of the paid expansion, but there is one type of Society that actually comes with the free update; Secret Religious Cults (yes, this means that the Society framework itself is also free, so that modders can go nuts even without the expansion.) These Societies consist of followers who falsely profess faith in one religion while secretly belonging to another.



Almost all of the main (non-heretic) religions have a corresponding "Secret Cult". The membership consists of characters who fake belief in another religion in order to avoid persecution. Rulers can join any of these cults if the religion exists within diplomatic distance, and at the highest rank, the ruler can finally overtly embrace the religion and convert. Meanwhile, you get missions and powers to induce Sympathy for your real religion in other characters in the realm as well as the population in the counties. With careful groundwork, you can stage an extremely powerful religious revolt; as long as your subversive activities go unnoticed by your liege...





Next week we'll start going over the patch notes, and don't miss our anniversary stream later today or the special dev diary tomorrow!

I guess nice to have another route (and for free) but seems unnecessary.

[Syt]

I see this mostly as an RP mechanic.

[Josquius]

It just seems so....bleh.
We're dealing with rulers in the game. If you played as a courtier than fair enough. But for rulers this stuff is just daft.

[garbon]

It just seems so....bleh.
We're dealing with rulers in the game. If you played as a courtier than fair enough. But for rulers this stuff is just daft.

Yeah, that's it. Seems to miss the mark a bit when trying to RP for rulers.

[Valmy]

It just seems so....bleh.
We're dealing with rulers in the game. If you played as a courtier than fair enough. But for rulers this stuff is just daft.

Yeah the leader of a nation needs to hide his secret religion to avoid persecution? Huh?

Nevermind that the guy is in a region bordering powerful Sunni empires. Seems like being openly Sunni would be a good policy.

[Zanza]

Most of the playable characters in CK2 are not top-tier rulers, but rather vassals. If your top-tier ruler is a zealot, I can see why it would make sense from a role-playing perspective to pretend being of a different religion. Also strikes me as a rather historical thing - unlike most of the other content of the next patch/DLC.

[garbon]

Most of the playable characters in CK2 are not top-tier rulers, but rather vassals. If your top-tier ruler is a zealot, I can see why it would make sense from a role-playing perspective to pretend being of a different religion. Also strikes me as a rather historical thing - unlike most of the other content of the next patch/DLC.

Sure so a possible event. Not a whole separate mechanic.

[dps]

Also strikes me as a rather historical thing - unlike most of the other content of the next patch/DLC.

I'm not sure about that.  While I certainly won't claim to be an expert on the subject, it sounds more appropriate to the first half or so of the EU period more than the CK period.

[Razgovory]

I'll probably end up buying it, cause I'm a schmuck.

[Syt]

Just received the 5 year anniversary email:

Let's be honest; there has been a lot of murder...

On Valentine's Day 2012, Paradox Interactive released Crusader Kings II into the world. To celebrate 5 years of world conquest, daring Crusades, accidental empires and soul-compromising sins we have a free portrait pack to give away to everyone that owns Crusader Kings II. The South Indian portrait pack will add more color and personality for those who fight for control of the great subcontinent. The pack is available here.

For all of those who crave more plotting and intrigue, we celebrate the 5 year anniversary at the Paradox store with a massive sale, check it out!

The South Indian portrait pack will add more color? 

[garbon]

Jerks didn't even email me...

[Razgovory]

I'll email you garbon.

[Valmy]

I just installed it. Glad to get a little more color in my south India games.

Though I usually play the Guptas, though I suspect it is not historical.

[Jacob]

I might get that portrait pack - the default ones are pretty terrible