Crusader Kings II Spirit-all

This might sound odd, but can you give a county its independence ? In my Ireland game, one of my vassals managed somehow to get his mitts on two counties in Germany (Pfalz and another one). These were nominally part of Ireland, but I got no benefit from them and my vassal kept starting 'Independence for Pfalz' factions. So how do I jettison them ?

Yes, you can usurp titles. Typically when you control over 50% of a duchy. You can usurp kingdoms as well. Hover over the usurp button in the title window and it will tell you the criteria. You cannot usurp from someone at war. There will be a pop up tip across the top when a title can be usurped.

Yes, the AI does hire mercenaries and holy warriors.

davet010 wrote:

This might sound odd, but can you give a county its independence ? In my Ireland game, one of my vassals managed somehow to get his mitts on two counties in Germany (Pfalz and another one). These were nominally part of Ireland, but I got no benefit from them and my vassal kept starting 'Independence for Pfalz' factions. So how do I jettison them ?

If they're serious about it, they'll ask you and then you can say yea or nay. The latter means war.

Man, starting in Italy is tough.

I started a game today playing Lombardy and every single family member that could came at me. When my first duke died, his son inherited a dungeon full of family. The son was married to the Duchess of Tuscany and they had a son. After about two years, the second duke dies under unusual circumstances. The boy duke was three. After another 4 years, mommy dearest decided to start something. My character is seven years old mom! What the hell! Once that war was over, the HRE decided to clean house and came down and did. Mom and son went to prison and they both died there. Game over in 1092.

You should take a job with a local political family and write a book for the Prince, to advise him on leadership. After all, you're in the right place...

So, here's a interesting (awesome?) scenario I just ran into:

First, a little context: I started a game as Duke of Moray. He died of Typhoid fever, leaving his three-year-old son in charge with the boy's mother as regent. The current king of Scotland (Duncan II) is fighting (and losing) a war against a bunch of provinces who are trying to install his brother (Donald) as king. The war is going badly for the king (-27%) and I've kept out of it on either side.

Out of the blue, the king asks for approval to marry my character's mother. I was stunned and I couldn't really see what the repercussions would be. I declined, thinking he wouldn't be king for much longer, but I'm fascinated to know what would have happened had I said yes -- what would have that meant for my character?

I don't think anything would have happened; you still would have been Duke of Moray. You are not of his family and so would not have been able to inherit. I don't even think dear old mom would have left since she was regent. And I am pretty sure that you would not have even entered the warm since regencies cannot start war (pretty sure of that) so unless you were attacked, not even that would have happened.

TL;DR - not much would have changed because of that particular marriage. Could be wrong though but I don't think so.

tboon wrote:

I don't think anything would have happened; you still would have been Duke of Moray. You are not of his family and so would not have been able to inherit. I don't even think dear old mom would have left since she was regent. And I am pretty sure that you would not have even entered the warm since regencies cannot start war (pretty sure of that) so unless you were attacked, not even that would have happened.

TL;DR - not much would have changed because of that particular marriage. Could be wrong though but I don't think so.

You're pretty much right. Not long after the king lost the war and was replaced, the new king wanted to marry mom. I said yes. She went to his court and that was it. Then he died from stress and I brought mom back, where she remained until she died of Great Pox.

I guess I was thinking it would somehow improve my character's status (as the stepson of a king), but it didn't.

A fun twist: After Donald (the new king who married mom) died, Duncan II (the former king) regained the throne because Donald and mom didn't have any kids.

Eberstad wrote:

Out of the blue, the king asks for approval to marry my character's mother. I was stunned and I couldn't really see what the repercussions would be. I declined, thinking he wouldn't be king for much longer, but I'm fascinated to know what would have happened had I said yes -- what would have that meant for my character?

I believe that once they had married, the king would have had the right to ask you to enter the war. This is because you'd be in an alliance after marriage, and I don't think that your being pulled into a war requires that you have a CB. Thus, you would not be declaring war, you'd be answering a diplomatic obligation.

I suspect that's why he asked to marry you in the first place.

tboon wrote:

Man, starting in Italy is tough.

I started a game today playing Lombardy and every single family member that could came at me.

IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/CWgJZ.jpg)

As is always the case, when I'm doing well my king dies young. I went through 2 generations of female rule and it was grueling. Irish lords do not like female rulers. Especially female dwarves. My wars to gain territory in Scotland came to a grinding halt because I kept fighting my earls and dukes in their attempts to put a male relative on the throne. This also left me in a weakened position when England came a-calling, with their own distant relative of mine. With the help of Scotland, they completely overwhelmed me and I was overthrown.

I still had a duchy, two counties, and a vassal mayor in Dublin. And right after putting our new queen on the throne, England almost instantly went to war with Ireland again! I don't even remember the reason, I think they were after some land in Scotland or Wales. Eventually, my aunt put together a faction and wrested away control of the Irish throne. Her husband and heir was sitting in an English prison and I tried to put together a plot to kill him and hopefully become the new heir, as they had no children. But he was eventually released and it's tougher to kill the king of Ireland than a guy rotting in prison.

Here's a shot of why it's important to remember what you named your previous child:
IMAGE(http://cloud-2.steampowered.com/ugc/902108797992335120/0F544DCFBA610144DF1CDD589612D762D3FA98E7/)

Here's a shot of me going down in the history books:
IMAGE(http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/902108797994822328/40A684566FEF622D8BE1F6CAA6D6458A49198F04/)

This game is amazing.

Unified Ireland from a starting position of Ulster and decided to move on to a new game. Trying to create the Brittanian Empire from Wales now. England's been in a weird state of flux between total French Control, near-total Norwegian control, and alternating Saxon/Norman control for the past fifty years. Meanwhile, my chancellors are bloody awful at fabricating claims.

Nothing worse than incompetent chancellors. I once had one that stayed in a county for years without getting a claim going. When he died, the new chancellor whipped one up in three weeks. Three weeks!

I don't know if it is just superstition but if my chancellor can't get a claim in about a year I move him to a new county. It seems to help.

Kier wrote:

I don't know if it is just superstition but if my chancellor can't get a claim in about a year I move him to a new county. It seems to help.

If it's superstition, we share it (although I typically go longer than a year). The other way seemingly to get an instant claim is to go to war with the target, thereby making the claim nigh useless for the next ten years.

I've reclaimed Ireland! IMAGE(http://rps.net/QS/Images/Smilies/headbanger.gif)

Quintin_Stone wrote:

I've reclaimed Ireland! IMAGE(http://rps.net/QS/Images/Smilies/headbanger.gif)

That's great news! And that emoticon is even more awesome.

Bah, I am reclaiming kingdom of Ireland for breakfast

On the other hand, I am quite afraid to start anywhere else, too many people want to kill me in the first minutes of my rule.

Shortly after I took Ireland, England came and took one of my territories with overwhelming force. So much for our alliance.

Then a few years later I hit 1453 and the game ended.

IMAGE(http://cloud-2.steampowered.com/ugc/902108798022767346/52E7644AE924E4E721FC3A1F0B3DB9A425EEDE8E/)

IMAGE(http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/902108798022761442/F6FCB3B8BF1A95A283F3C1DA1C6B78959DFAEADF/)

Sorry if this has been asked before:

I plan on picking this up during the sale and was wondering if I should just pick up vanilla or if some of the DLC is good to get right off the bat because it enhances the game kind of like "Gods and Kings" for Civ V.

BNice wrote:

Sorry if this has been asked before:

I plan on picking this up during the sale and was wondering if I should just pick up vanilla or if some of the DLC is good to get right off the bat because it enhances the game kind of like "Gods and Kings" for Civ V.

The "Sword of Islam" and "Legacy of Rome" DLCs are both really good to get, but neither alters the game at the level of Gods and Kings.

BNice wrote:

Sorry if this has been asked before:

I plan on picking this up during the sale and was wondering if I should just pick up vanilla or if some of the DLC is good to get right off the bat because it enhances the game kind of like "Gods and Kings" for Civ V.

The actual enhancements are almost always in the free patches. The DLC really is if you are interested in playing as one of the factions addressed by a given DLC. So if you are interested in playing as part of the Byzantines, then the Byzantine DLC ("Legacy of Rome") is a must-have; similarly for the Muslims ('Sword of Islam"). If you aren't planning to play as those, then the DLC is pretty optional.

The other "major" DLC ("Ruler Designer" and the Aztec DLC "Sunset Invasion") are extremely optional. Ruler Designer lets you replace a ruler in-game with one you design using a points system like in an RPG. "Sunset Invasion" posits an a-historical invasion from the Aztec sometime during the time period.

All the other DLC is purely cosmetic: better songs based on the culture you are playing as, better heraldry for some houses, and better Mongol faces.

Personally, I have "Sword of Islam", "Legacy of Rome", and "Sunset Invasion" and a few of the minor cosmetic DLCs. But I play a bit of CK2; the extras for the Byzantines and Muslims are worth it for me.

TL;DR version: The patches keep the game enhanced, only buy the DLC you are interested. Paradox is not Firaxis and doesn't make you pay to have the best version of the game (or they have not yet at least).

Thanks a lot for the info guys, really appreciate it.

Kier wrote:

I don't know if it is just superstition but if my chancellor can't get a claim in about a year I move him to a new county. It seems to help.

If I remember the mechanics of the game correctly the chance of success is cumulative, the longer he stays the greater the chance of success is.

Quintin_Stone wrote:

I've reclaimed Ireland! IMAGE(http://rps.net/QS/Images/Smilies/headbanger.gif)

It looks like you ended up as an Aztec

wanderingtaoist wrote:

Bah, I am reclaiming kingdom of Ireland for breakfast

On the other hand, I am quite afraid to start anywhere else, too many people want to kill me in the first minutes of my rule.

Tried Scandinavia?

Surprisingly, Denmark is a nice place to start. Wealthy, nice neighbors, stuff to take over close by.

I started in Scotland as Duke of Moray and it's been a pretty safe place so far (first 60-70 years). The various kings of Scotland have had their hands full, though. A lot of usurping and assassinations and general upheaval.

Unfortunately, my game feels a little on the boring side now because the king has instituted Absolute Crown Authority so I can't declare war on anyone. I'm not sure what I should do. If I go against the King, I think I'll get crushed as I don't have enough cash to support as many mercs as I would need. Is there a more subtle way to try and lower crown authority?

ebarstad wrote:

I started in Scotland as Duke of Moray and it's been a pretty safe place so far (first 60-70 years). The various kings of Scotland have had their hands full, though. A lot of usurping and assassinations and general upheaval.

Unfortunately, my game feels a little on the boring side now because the king has instituted Absolute Crown Authority so I can't declare war on anyone. I'm not sure what I should do. If I go against the King, I think I'll get crushed as I don't have enough cash to support as many mercs as I would need. Is there a more subtle way to try and lower crown authority?

Start a faction to lower crown authority and see who joins.