Crusader Kings II Spirit-all

Question for you CK2 pros: I've been playing as a county in Ireland and have been merrily going around conquering other counties. For the first county I conquered I got the actual title when I won. However, for the next two, the only option it ever gave me was to make the existing ruler my vassal (and me their liege), which is all fine and great, but I don't get any money from those guys with my current tax laws. So how do I get the actual titles?

It all depends on your casus belli. You probably conquered them because they belong to a du jure duchy you control and thus they became your vassal. If you want to take it personally, meaning add it to your demense then you need a personal claim. You can use your chancellor to fabricate a claim if you don't have one and want it.

The others ways to get personal claims are just by being a pretender to some title.

Or, you can start a plot to revoke a title from one of your vassals but they might refuse and rebel even if you get lots of people to back it. Or you can just flat out revoke it. This works well when your ruler is old and well established so that the -20 hit for a straight revocation is balanced by a long rule bonus.

Kier wrote:

It all depends on your casus belli. You probably conquered them because they belong to a du jure duchy you control and thus they became your vassal. If you want to take it personally, meaning add it to your demense then you need a personal claim. You can use your chancellor to fabricate a claim if you don't have one and want it.

The others ways to get personal claims are just by being a pretender to some title.

Or, you can start a plot to revoke a title from one of your vassals but they might refuse and rebel even if you get lots of people to back it. Or you can just flat out revoke it. This works well when your ruler is old and well established so that the -20 hit for a straight revocation is balanced by a long rule bonus.

Yes, that was it. Thank you! I didn't think about different cassus bellis (screw you Latin) causing different peace conditions, but that makes sense.

Byzantium? Instant buy.

Expansion incoming: Legacy of Rome.

Crusader Kings II: Legacy of Rome Main features:

New Faction System: Join a royal faction and use your allies in the party to enhance your strength and tear down rivals
Raise Standing Armies: You will now be able to use retinues to have standing armies in your domain: the size of which is determined by technology
Experience Factional Revolts: No more easily defeated rebellions. Disgruntled vassals will now band together in revolt against your rule through their faction
Appoint Orthodox Patriarchs: Orthodox kingdoms and empires can now control their own heads of religion and their powers, instead of being dependent on the patriarch of Constantinople
Streamlined Mobilization: You will always raise a single, larger levy from your direct vassal; no need to worry about the opinions of the lower vassals
Leader Focus on Combat: Appoint your generals wisely, their traits and skills are now of vital importance on the field of battle. More commander traits are now added to increase the importance of your choice of military leaders
Byzantium Comes Alive: New sets of decisions and events specifically designed with the Byzantine Empire in mind
Improve your ruler: You can now actively strive to improve your skills or traits through the new Self-Improvement Ambitions

Oh man...

Edit: Dev diary later this week will detail what will be in the upcoming patch.

garion333 wrote:

Expansion incoming: Legacy of Rome.

Crusader Kings II: Legacy of Rome Main features:

New Faction System: Join a royal faction and use your allies in the party to enhance your strength and tear down rivals
Raise Standing Armies: You will now be able to use retinues to have standing armies in your domain: the size of which is determined by technology
Experience Factional Revolts: No more easily defeated rebellions. Disgruntled vassals will now band together in revolt against your rule through their faction
Appoint Orthodox Patriarchs: Orthodox kingdoms and empires can now control their own heads of religion and their powers, instead of being dependent on the patriarch of Constantinople
Streamlined Mobilization: You will always raise a single, larger levy from your direct vassal; no need to worry about the opinions of the lower vassals
Leader Focus on Combat: Appoint your generals wisely, their traits and skills are now of vital importance on the field of battle. More commander traits are now added to increase the importance of your choice of military leaders
Byzantium Comes Alive: New sets of decisions and events specifically designed with the Byzantine Empire in mind
Improve your ruler: You can now actively strive to improve your skills or traits through the new Self-Improvement Ambitions

Just when I thought I was out THEY PULL ME BACK IN!

Im trying to get into this game but im finding it hard, hard in that i cant really get a grasp of all the variables/stats/factors to understand how to play well.
Anyone could give me some simple starting advice ?

There's some decent vids on youtube - have a look at seekayem99's series.

He's done a 'Guide for Newbies' series where he does some vids explaining the key concepts then launches into a playthrough in Ireland. He's done a second series which is a Let's Play series in Italy where his game goes to pieces through some mistakes and he tries to knit it back together.

Brownypoints wrote:

Im trying to get into this game but im finding it hard, hard in that i cant really get a grasp of all the variables/stats/factors to understand how to play well.
Anyone could give me some simple starting advice ?

Trying to unify Ireland is a great starting goal. Playing one of the Spanish states can be quite an education too.

NathanialG wrote:
Brownypoints wrote:

Im trying to get into this game but im finding it hard, hard in that i cant really get a grasp of all the variables/stats/factors to understand how to play well.
Anyone could give me some simple starting advice ?

Trying to unify Ireland is a great starting goal. Playing one of the Spanish states can be quite an education too.

A little tip to get you started: first declare a war, then raise troops. Doesn't work the other way round. The better your relationship with vassals, the more troops they give you. If you let your marshal train troops in your main county you will raise 25 percent troops more than normal. These few bits should help you start unifying Ireland.

davet010 wrote:

There's some decent vids on youtube - have a look at seekayem99's series.

Highly recommend these as well. I watched through the entire run and it was invaluable in helping me understand not only the broader game concepts, but also the nuts & bolts of how to play the game.

Here's a link to the tutorial/Ireland playlist.

Well, started a new game as Haraldr Hardratha. I decided to go with the invasion, hoping that if I turned north, Harold would head south to deal with William. He didn't, but we fought with roughly equal numbers, and after losing a few thousand men, my heavy axemen suddenly eviscerated Harold's forces, forcing him to turn tail and head south after the Battle of St. Cuthbert (in Durham). I decided to double down and ferried over some mercenaries.

The next few years, from 1066, to 1073, saw Norway in disarray as it's army and bravest leaders carried on a grinding series of sieges in England. As I watched my forces dwindle over time in pointless battles between sieges, Richard of Evraux and his fellows slowly bled both Harold and themselves to ineffectiveness. I was only slightly better off, but as both sides rallied, I pitched in the last of my resources and hired a large (3500 man) mercenary army. After watching William's men destroy Harold in the field (at some point, he died and I think Tostig took over), I crushed their army and continued taking provinces. I saw my mercenaries desert due to lack of pay, but they left amicably. My cousins in Denmark and the Isles contributed a few troops at times. The Danes were particularly important in keeping me above ground as the waves of English reinforcements kept coming.

Finally, the heathen Finns attacked Norway. I was about 75% into the war at the time, and no way was I going to give up then. I kept pulling my reinforcements into England, and slowly I forced Godwinson to the table. In October of 1073, as half of Norway lay in the hands of opportunistic pagans, I accepted the fealty of the English lords and rushed off to recapture the north, shocking one of the occupation armies into a panicked retreat after a brief series of running battles.

I am planning how to distribute the 16 provinces I can't handle myself among my new vassals. This will take some planning. I'm hoping they will bend under the yoke at least until I can push the Finns back out, but we'll see. These English are treacherous and tenacious, and though they are only some of them of Viking blood, I fear trouble even from the others. But I have strong axemen and fast boats behind me, and the wind blows sweetly through the Norwegian woods as winter approaches. Christ's cross goes before us and we thresh the Finns like chaff from wheat.

The wagons are heavy with loot, and my shieldmen are jockeying to be given dominion over the finest fields and towns of England. Times are good. Maybe all that Byzantine loot has finally bought me my throne; Sweyn will never challenge me now!

At the age of 62, King Harald the Conqueror had taken back his northern provinces from the pagan Finns, and by parceling out two English Counties and several cities and bishoprics, he convinced the English lords that the Norwegian ways were easier on them than the Saxon ones (low authority compared to middle, I guess). The English counties have been mostly quiet since; one peasant revolt was easily put down. Norway was likewise quiet.

While there was some war weariness, Harald worked to take his pagan neighbors under his wing and bring them to Christendom. Several of the nominally Swedish and Finnish tribes have been subdued, and Norway has also assisted it's neighbors in several wars. Only the Kvenn in the north provided a challenge, but the Danes and English were happy to help out.

So now it's time to sit back for a year or two, let the warriors farm and spend their new wealth. Diplomatic endeavors are more important.

Harald is now 68, and his abilities are beginning to fail. His two sons, Magnus and Olaf, could not have turned out more different. Magnus was slothful and cruel, but not incapable. Olaf, however, was not just a great warrior, but had the traditional virtues associated with a king - he was just, and brave, and capable, if somewhat cruel.

The problem of course was that Magnus had some electors under his control. So early after the capture of England, he challenged Olaf for the role of heir, and had a worrying chance at getting it. He had a good spymaster, and the coffers could not sustain a proper plot to kill him. The Pope was still suspicious of the Scandinavian leaders - or at least ignorant of their virtues - so excommunication was out. So Harald decided on a risky course - he'd give Olaf enough to ensure that he was the heir in perpetuity.

He'd make him King of England. And so he did.

Several years later, Magnus died, predictably, of consumption, no doubt God's judgement on his many sins. Olaf I, meanwhile, kept England quiet, and began a campaign of conquest in Ireland. Eventually, he died, and his son peaceably took the reins of power - and became the Norwegian heir in his own turn.

The stage is set for the next act. With luck, when Harald goes to his reward, the Kingdoms of Norway and England will be united under a single leader, and the unification of Scandinavia shall continue.

Oh, and Duke William? He's just another cog in the machinations of Phillip Capet - a king who is, by the way, quite taken with Harald...

And thus the Norenglish language was born.

Just wait until the Manchester Lutefisk riots break out...."eee, those Norweigians and their rotting fish, it's not like the good old days of tripe and onions.."

One of the things I love about Crusader Kings is that all of these wild things can happen, but because it's a simulation in a sense these things actually happened.

Dev Diary 0 for Legacy of Rome expansion. Hell, it's so short I'm just gonna post it here:

It's Wednesday, and time to answer some questions about the upcoming DLC for Crusader Kings II; Legacy of Rome. The focus of this mini-expansion is going to be the Byzantine Empire and the Orthodox church. First off, in order to clear up any confusion from the original announcement, it's a bit smaller in scope than the Sword of Islam so the price is set at $5.99. While I say it's smaller in scope, if you include all the stuff we're adding for free in the accompanying patch (v1.07) it's probably about the same size as SoI and v1.06.

So, let's take a look at what's in the DLC and what's in patch 1.07...

LEGACY OF ROME DLC

Retinue system. If you don't have the DLC, you won't see the new interface and you cannot hire retinues (and neither will the AI.) The technology that controls the max size of your retinue and relative decrease of normal levy sizes simply does not have this effect without the DLC.
Orthodox Councillor models
Major Decisions for the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Events

Oh, and we're taking another tack with the DLC this around - if you don't own the DLC, the AI won't be using the new mechanics or events either. Also, from now on in multiplayer mode, the host will control which DLCs are active.

PATCH 1.07

Faction system. Replaces many existing plots and normal revolt mechanics with factions.
Personal Improvement Ambitions
Orthodox Patriarch system
Have both a Plot and an Ambition at the same time
Revised levy raising. (You raise a single, large levy from each direct vassal. The opinions of vassals of vassals are irrelevant.)
Leader Focus on Combat
More Cultural Buildings
Improved AI
Bug fixes (of course)

I will talk about all these features in detail in upcoming dev diaries, but for now, that's all!

[size=9](Emphasis mine.)[/size]

I'm sold. I'm a Paradoxical Female Doggo.

Robear wrote:

I'm sold. I'm a Paradoxical Female Doggo.

Me too. Really looking forward to the faction stuff and the personal improvement ambitions.

Count me in !

As I found from my earlier game, playing the Byzantines when they're on top is a little boring at the moment. You can play through the whole decline if you have more patience than I do, but these changes look like they'll spice things up right from the start.

Of course, I was sold the instant they announced the name of the expansion, so take that for what it's worth.

King Harald II took one more province from the pagans and promptly shuffled off. Long live King Skjalg I of England and Norway!

(He'll be 12 next year, we're all very proud of him.)

Robear wrote:

King Harald II took one more province from the pagans and promptly shuffled off. Long live King Skjalg I of England and Norway!

(He'll be 12 next year, we're all very proud of him.)

Who is regent?

Robear wrote:

(He'll be 12 next year, we're all very proud of him.)

Don't know why, but that made me want to say, 'He's not the Messiah, he's a very naughty boy!' out loud.

Any idea when the new DLC is coming?

ZaneRockfist wrote:

Any idea when the new DLC is coming?

Right now it's just in Q4.

So I started a game in Dublin and had established the Kingdom of Ireland at the end of the second generation. Had a really good run with ruler three, but the elder sons had a tendency of dying and things got really ugly for a bit.

I ended up with an age zero King of Ireland -- who is still ruling at almost 60, and now counts three duchys in "France", most of Wales, and other interesting things amongst his kingdom.

So I went on the Pope's Crusade to reclaim Andalusia. We won. I kicked butt.

So -- a question -- was I supposed to gain 45 holdings as personal demesne from the Crusade? DA-YUM!

Guess I don't need to worry about those unlanded sons anymore.

LilCodger wrote:

So I went on the Pope's Crusade to reclaim Andalusia. We won. I kicked butt.

So -- a question -- was I supposed to gain 45 holdings as personal demesne from the Crusade? DA-YUM!

The pope has a habit of awarding the prize of a crusade to the largest contributor. My king of Scotland was pleasantly surprised to find himself not only Emperor of the Britons, but king of France as well after one good round of heathen-smiting. Couldn't find enough loyal clansman to run the new duchies, and a generation or two later, the whole country was a hotbed of sedition.

This is why I started a new game later and concentrated on growing my lands no faster than I could grow my extended family.

Sota wrote:

This is why I started a new game later and concentrated on growing my lands no faster than I could grow my extended family.

You know, I've found family -- especially extended family -- to be far worse than loyal non-dynastic vassals.

The claims they carry cause them to revolt far too often.