Crusader Kings 2 Redux

[Admiral Yi]

The Catalan County ("Duchy") is too, as are the largest French vassals.

Flanders isn't, which is my favorite French duchy to play.

Tried a game as Leon, the old quick assassinate trick doesn't work as well as it did in CK I.

My first heir also gayed up, had one daughter, died and the game crashed.

On the other hand I did learn that the Duchess of Toscana will marry in CK II.

[Viking]

But I'm having a deeper, metaphysical problem with this game.  In CK I you expanded by slowly stacking up provinces and handing them off to courtiers or whoever as you gained the ducal titles.  In CK II you can't slowly expand because everybody starts out with gavelkind and can't change it.  So the game reduces to a soap opera where you diddle diddle with your character beating up hedge knights or exorcising sink holes.  It may be very realistic in that you'll likely end up about where you started--barring a couple of miraculous marriages + deaths--but it's not a whole lot of fun for a guy who likes to go conquering.

In one of my first games, the one which prompted me to bitch about plots. A series of plots resulted in a quick succession of random relatives being made king with me controlling two counties middlesex and essex while the rest of england atomized as more and more counties declared independence during the succession crises. Once the dust had settled I realized that my primogeneture had been changed to gavelkind due to yet another revolt and I set about uniting england. I made three attempts to do so, each ending badly as my king died and divvied up all his titles forcing me to start from scratch. The 4th duke of bedford managed to pull it off. It was annoying as fuck.

[Queequeg]

Yi, is that Vanilla or +?

[Razgovory]

So when is the new expansion expected?

[Admiral Yi]

Yi, is that Vanilla or +?

Vanilla I assume.

[Martinus]

But I'm having a deeper, metaphysical problem with this game.  In CK I you expanded by slowly stacking up provinces and handing them off to courtiers or whoever as you gained the ducal titles.  In CK II you can't slowly expand because everybody starts out with gavelkind and can't change it.  So the game reduces to a soap opera where you diddle diddle with your character beating up hedge knights or exorcising sink holes.  It may be very realistic in that you'll likely end up about where you started--barring a couple of miraculous marriages + deaths--but it's not a whole lot of fun for a guy who likes to go conquering.

In one of my first games, the one which prompted me to bitch about plots. A series of plots resulted in a quick succession of random relatives being made king with me controlling two counties middlesex and essex while the rest of england atomized as more and more counties declared independence during the succession crises. Once the dust had settled I realized that my primogeneture had been changed to gavelkind due to yet another revolt and I set about uniting england. I made three attempts to do so, each ending badly as my king died and divvied up all his titles forcing me to start from scratch. The 4th duke of bedford managed to pull it off. It was annoying as fuck.

It is extremely easy to prevent your realm from partitioning even with gavelkind and if you have several of the top titles (like few ducal titles and you are not a King). Your constantly complaining comments make me feel that you really do not know how to play this game.

In fact, I often end up using gavelkind deliberately, as it is very easy to counter its negative sides, and its positive sides are well worth it.

[Admiral Yi]

Share your advanced technology Marty; how do you counteract gavelkind?

[Martinus]

When you are approaching the time when you may realistically expect to die, just give all your counties by one to your eldest son.

If you hold several ducal titles, but only one county, and all your sons but your eldest are landless, then he will also get all your ducal titles on inheritance.

[Admiral Yi]

Thanks Marty.

CK being CK, you're still going to get a fair share of early deaths.  Have you been able to sustain this strategy for an entire game?

[Viking]

But I'm having a deeper, metaphysical problem with this game.  In CK I you expanded by slowly stacking up provinces and handing them off to courtiers or whoever as you gained the ducal titles.  In CK II you can't slowly expand because everybody starts out with gavelkind and can't change it.  So the game reduces to a soap opera where you diddle diddle with your character beating up hedge knights or exorcising sink holes.  It may be very realistic in that you'll likely end up about where you started--barring a couple of miraculous marriages + deaths--but it's not a whole lot of fun for a guy who likes to go conquering.

In one of my first games, the one which prompted me to bitch about plots. A series of plots resulted in a quick succession of random relatives being made king with me controlling two counties middlesex and essex while the rest of england atomized as more and more counties declared independence during the succession crises. Once the dust had settled I realized that my primogeneture had been changed to gavelkind due to yet another revolt and I set about uniting england. I made three attempts to do so, each ending badly as my king died and divvied up all his titles forcing me to start from scratch. The 4th duke of bedford managed to pull it off. It was annoying as fuck.

It is extremely easy to prevent your realm from partitioning even with gavelkind and if you have several of the top titles (like few ducal titles and you are not a King). Your constantly complaining comments make me feel that you really do not know how to play this game.

In fact, I often end up using gavelkind deliberately, as it is very easy to counter its negative sides, and its positive sides are well worth it.

Gavilkind had nothing to do with the atomization of the kingdom, that was due to the independence plots hatched during the various succession crises. In this case I (a 2 year old with an incompetent regent) got deposed by a random relative from italy. That random relavtive was almost immediately subject to his own plot to be replaced (this time with me as the target). Naturally this plot failed, but another plot did replace him shortly after. At this point everybody in the kingdom is hating everybody else and everybody is plotting. By the third round of coups various dukes were starting independence plots, which were succeeding. The superdukes then further atomized as well due to gavelkind one generation later. I was not an actor in this process i was merely an observer and the last loyal duke.

[garbon]

So, I've been watching the Paradox live stream and Johan mentioned that we would be seeing Celtic Faces and unit pack DLC before TOG is released. This is fairly exciting news (even if it is simply cosmetic), I just hope the quality has been increased since Med and Russian face packs.

[garbon]

Hmm, curious that they picked Jan 1 867 given that they then decided to twerk the history of Byzantines/Abbassids to have ahistorical developments by the start of 867.

[Maladict]

they then decided to twerk the history of Byzantines/Abbassids

I'd pay to see that. 

[garbon]

[garbon]

Ooh, pagans can't change away from gavelkind until they "reform" their religion.