In Progress Let's Play Crusader Kings 2: I want to be a Basileus!

[Commissar Draco]

Shame the Game don't reflect the fall of Frankish Papacy, Having the option to create Ecumenical Patriarchs in liberated Rome, Antioch, Jerusalem and Alexandria and rebranding Latin Christianity as heresy after Ecumenical Council would be sweet.

 

[praetor]

congrats on your new title, Basileus Xeno.

and please keep going until you restore The Glorious Roman Empire

 

[Kayerts]

Shame the Game don't reflect the fall of Frankish Papacy, Having the option to create Ecumenical Patriarchs in liberated Rome, Antioch, Jerusalem and Alexandria and rebranding Latin Christianity as heresy after Ecumenical Council would be sweet.

Not to advertise on Xeno's turf, but you might be amused by a trick I pulled in my own LP, sort of along these lines.

 

[Tigranes]

Wow, that was a terrible war, though not your fault. That would probably be the point where the save loses all appeal for me. Hope they fix that.

Looks like if you get France & BE, it's pretty much World Conquest. Perhaps the Mongol hordes will stay intact and give you some trouble?

 

[XenomorphII]

Wow, that was a terrible war, though not your fault. That would probably be the point where the save loses all appeal for me. Hope they fix that.

Looks like if you get France & BE, it's pretty much World Conquest. Perhaps the Mongol hordes will stay intact and give you some trouble?

Well it kinda was my fault. I did assassinate the rather well liked former emperor who had had a long reign, replacing him with his idiot son with oh so many red traits, which not only threw them into civil war, but also significantly reduced the levies they could call on (- relations from all his vassals for highest crown authority, short reign, and each of his red traits). I will continue the game at least until the Roman Empire proper (Gaul and the Eastern Empire) are brought under my control beyond that I doubt if even the Golden Horde can muster the umph to really present much of any challenge to me (the ledger shows the Byzzies with 150k so add that to my 80k, France's ~75k, and the HRE's 70k and the Horde turns into a speed bump for me even if they expand very aggressively in the years that it takes me to replace the nobles in the HRE and France.

 

[XenomorphII]

Mini-Update 4-State of the Family

Spoiler

First off, our family tree:

My have we grown. I have no clue where, or who many of these are, though some of the Dukes are known to me as they are my vassals.

This is us. Basileus Ignatios I of the Western Roman Empire. Age 30.D-18, M-9, S-11, I-9, L-12. Traits: Intricate Webweaver (M=+1, I=+6, D=+1, S=-1), Just (S=+2, L=+1), Honest (I=-2, D=+3), Content (monthly piety =+.5, I=-1), and Charitable (D=+3).

This is our wife. Empress Consort Agathe of the Western Roman Empire, heir to the Eastern Roman Empire. Age 25. D-12, M-16, S-10, I-8, L-18. Traits: Mastermind Theologian (I=-1, D=+2, S=+2, L=+9, Fertility=-5%), Charitable (D=+3), Arbitrary(S=-2, L=-1), Brave(M=+2), Zealous(Monthly Piety=+1, M=+2), and Wroth(M=+3, I=-1, D=-1).

My newborn son Gabriel. Trait: Stutter (D=-1)

My eldest daughter Barbara. She has only recently started her education with a distant family member in our court. She is Greedy (D=-1 Tax modifier=+10%).

My second daughter Thomais. She is Slow (-3 to all Attributes). I guess that is what I get for marrying a Doukas, but it will be worth it in a few years.

My younger half-brother Hypatios, future King of France. Age 15, he will complete his education soon. D-17, M-7, S-1, I-6, L-10.Traits: Strong(M=+2, D=+1, +10% Fertility, Health +2), Gluttonous (S=-2), Charitable (D=+3), Cruel (I=+1, D=-1), Gregarious (D=+2), Honest (I=-2, D=+3), Lustful (monthly piety=-.25, +20% Fertility), and Craven (M=-2).

Family tree shots of Ignatios and Gabriel.

And one for Hypatios as well, as he is a pretty important member of our dynasty right now.

Realm tree, unexpanded. My new vassals hate my guts in fact:

It looks like when I do an honest to goodness update (maybe later today, maybe tomorrow) I will get more rebels. That's fine though. It just means I can replace the nobility that much faster.

Anyway that's it for now.

 

[scratchmonkey]

Very nice work, looks like you're set for unification so long as you can keep the HRE together -- consdering how blobby they are under the AI, I suspect that it's easier than it looks.

In my current game, starting as the Count of Braunschweig, I've managed to become the Duke of Holstein and have a number of claims on Denmark proper with the eye of grabbing that kingdom. Imagine my surprise when the staid gray of central europe suddenly snaps to fuschia. Yup, the Bizzie emperor had a claim on the HRE and he successfully pressed it. They have a realm size of 800+ and span the map from Eastern Turkey to Iberia. Time to work on my finagling-succession skills.

 

[SCO]

the blood is thinning

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

Very nice work, looks like you're set for unification so long as you can keep the HRE together -- consdering how blobby they are under the AI, I suspect that it's easier than it looks.

It is. Due to how rebellions are handled separately and the ease of getting a white peace, there's absolutely no concern to be had. Which is why I think *only* total victory should end with vassal retained.

 

[Cassidy]

This is the point I usually would lose interest in playing any further. Special events and mechanics giving a harder time for way too large empires to hold themselves together would be very welcomed in CK2.

 

[XenomorphII]

Update 46-The Slow Slow Slough (Part 1)

Spoiler

This is the relations mapmode. The red ones are the rebels that need to be put down. I expect more to be joining them soon.

That was fast. One.

Two. It figures that guy would rebel now.

Three. They are going to be tougher to beat then their master was.

A province is liberated that was taken by the rebels during the reign of the previous, false, emperor.

And another is liberated.

We take a the rebelling province of Modena.

Four. This is going to take me forever to deal with.

Five. I feel the love.

Another rebel province is put in its place.

Well the Doux of Ancona is about to find himself out of a job.

Why yes, yes I will help you expand my future territory!

One down.

As holdings are taken, number six rears its ugly head.

Number seven, Spoleto taken, and a holding lost in Germany. Very busy day.

Doesn't that just look like a barrel of laughs!

Another siege. Eight rises now to join the others.

I decide to take the ducal title from this traitor. It should help generate some extra hate for me in the HRE.

Another holding is taken at Pisa, I won't be assaulting that last one though.

He decided to give up. Cool.

Apparently since he did not rebel against me, but instead against my predecessor (as HRE), I do not get to revoke a title for free from him. Enjoy my dungeon!

That makes nine now. I will call in my ally soon, just to make this go a little quicker.

Look at all the red on that relations map. There sure are a lot of these little buggers.

Who ever said in-laws are awful! Hopefully she puts enough pressure on the rebels to end some of these soon.

Province taken.

Yay! Its nice to see something besides another rebellion.

Sieges won.

A rebel army is crushed at Venice.

Our bro comes of age.

I marry him to a Princess of England. Seems fitting for a future King of France.

Another siege is lost up in the HRE. I really cannot tell what is what anymore for anywhere north of Italy.

A series of sieges are won. Yay us.

Blergh.

This is going to take forever!

Another holding falls in the North.

We gain ground in Italy and lose it in the Low Countries.

More holdings are taken in Italy, and a province fall to us.

Another siege goes our way.

And more territory is lost north of the mountains.

Province taken!

Holding lost.

So many rebels! AGHHHHHH!!!!

It will be nice once I actually start having to fight them instead of just having to through siege after siege to get to them (don't want to be suffering attrition and all that).

Damn right I am an inspirational figure!

Okay I am calling this update. Tune in next time (and probably the time after that, and the time after that) as I continue to deal with uppity Catholic rebels.

 

[XenomorphII]

Update 47- The Slow Slow Slough (Part 2)

Spoiler

We lose more ground in the north.

Another conversion occurs in Iberia.

Again, we lose ground in the north.

And again. No biggie though. Once I get to them they will be swept asunder.

Two sieges are lost up north, but we take a province. Too bad most of his territory is in Germany (and that I won't be able to revoke titles from him).

The rebels take a province from me.

Another group of heathens come to the light.

I think I may stop taking shots of each lost holding, and just report on them (since they kinda don't matter).

We win two more sieges, the enemy has taken several more holdings as well.

We take another holding.

And another.

I assault and take the province of Istria. This will be the first of the nobility that I am able to replace.

I give the county to a Greek Orthodox courtier.

We take another rebel holding as the rebels continue to run rampant in the north.

One of my enemies died it seems. I bet his heir attacks me immediately.

Another rebel province falls to us.

Holding taken. We are ever so gradually getting ready to push out of Italy.

Advancing ever so slowly.

A couple more sieges go our way.

Another rebel... I am never going to get done putting these bastards down.

Rebel province taken.

And a holding is taken too.

Ughhh. About the time I finish all these bastards off I will probably have another wave of rebels.

I think that makes eleven now. Maybe.

Province taken.

We assault and take a province and we win a siege in Savoy.

Great. Another rebel. Somebody decided to join our last rebel in their war for the HRE.

Yay! One of them gives up.

Boooo! But since he didn't rebel against me personally, I cannot take a title from him.

Ahhhhhhhh! That damn countess keeps calling people into her war!

Alright that is enough of this for one day for me. I know this is kinda a short update, but damn, rebel stomping just isn't as much fun as "enlightening" the Muslims was.

 

[Merkwürdigliebe]

This is the part of the game when it becomes to tedious for me to continue and I just quit. My game as the Duke of Sicily went a some what similar path, but after invading the HRE it just became to much.
Have a bro fist for carrying on through this.

 

[Cowboy Moment]

So many counties, so many rebels. Although, to be fair, it shouldn't be so easy to claim the HRE in the first place.

 

[SCO]

Why don't they ally in a war for independence (with a random new dynasty OR separate baronies/counties according to how much they hate themselves)?

 

[XenomorphII]

Why don't they ally in a war for independence (with a random new dynasty OR separate baronies/counties according to how much they hate themselves)?

I think (could be wrong and I am going off of something I saw awhile back) that in 1.05 people can ask to join wars that are in progress (and as an offshoot of that I think independence wars work together too, but I could be wrong not having tried it myself yet) but if I update it won't be save game compatible (well not safely anyway).

 

[XenomorphII]

Update 48- The Slow Slow Slough (Part 3)

Spoiler

First thing is first. Let's end the war for the HRE.

That should do it.

Geez. Just die you old hag.

Thank you.

Holding taken.

The Eastern Empire has successfully expanded. Yay.

Siege won, time to move on.

We re-take a province that had fallen to the rebels, and take another rebel holding.

Province taken.

One of my armies is beaten by the rebels.

One of the larger rebel armies is beaten by my forces.

Well that's just dandy. God damn ambitious people.

Glorious! Now to end one of the rebellions.

He has lots of ducal and county titles. I start with one of the counties further south (because I don't have any Greek vassals in the area to give ducal titles to).

His defeat has helped things alot.

Another child is on the way.

A rebel army gets beaten.

One of the rebels surrenders to me.

Another county is taken from the Catholics, and given to a good Greek Orthodox member of my court. Eventually I will strip them of their duchies and hand them

over to my people.

In other news, the Horde has beaten Scotland, and forced them to become vassals.

Also I missed the shot, but my mercs that I hired defeated the army of the rebel in Africa (Tangiers) and are now pursuing them.

Another rebel surrenders to us.

I opt to take her county further south.

Another holdings is taken. I hope that when I eventually engage the armies of Swabia and Upper Lorraine (the two largest revolters now) I can capture their Dukes so that this ends quickly.

My mercs defeat the rebels of Tangier, though it seems their leader died at some point.

In the pursuit they capture a traitor baron.

We take a holding from the rebels. For those keeping track, while this rebellion has taken several updates, I think (could be wrong) that it has "only" been going on for just over 3 years now (we took the HRE in October of 1275). So, I guess this isn't too bad.

After beating the army of Tangiers again, they are ready to white peace, which is fine by me. I really want to wrap this LP up so I can update, as I am interested in seeing how all the new mechanics work together (they sound good in theory to me, with some exceptions).

GAH! My wife, who was still pregnant with our child, has died! Also we took another holding off the rebels.

A Polish Dwarf Princess... HAWT!!! Because in time that means I will have people in my family with claims on Poland. (Though I doubt I will keep the LP going to that point, right now I want to try to get the HRE under control, inherit the East, then conquer France so I have a pretty solid Roman Empire).

Province taken.

I decide to give the Duke of Upper Lorraine a white peace because he did not rebel against me so I won't be able to revoke a title from him anyway.

Our armies continue the slow process of putting all these idiots down.

For some reason the Il-Khanate has had this levy standing in my territory since I took that province. I bet that is why they stopped growing (since you cannot declare wars with raised levies).

The Duke of Holland wants out and I agree. Again I wouldn't have been able to get my free title revocation so I see no need to press him into complete surrender.

The Duchess of Swabia dies, and that rebellion ends. I had nothing to do with it though, so stop looking at me like that!

Ahhhh, much better. I think I will end this update here. Next time I will wrap up the last of this set of rebels and send my levies back home.

But here are some map shots to look at:

Religious mode.

Cultural mode. (Lol at Mongol Iceland, look out New World the Horde approachith).

And political. You know if the Horde were to take the rest of the British Isles (less the French bits) and Poland/Hungary and then hit me while I am fighting a civil war, this might be able to turn interesting again!

 

[Fens]

For some reason the Il-Khanate has had this levy standing in my territory since I took that province. I bet that is why they stopped growing (since you cannot declare wars with raised levies).

happened to me in my current game as leon as well... one day two hordes of 20k mongols each crossed the pyrenees and went straight for portugal. they were standing around in silves for some years without any hostilities happening (and no attrition either), while the il-khanate was falling apart on the other side of the world. then one fine summer day half of them vanished and the other half marched back over the pyrenees. was a bit scary seeing those huge stacks stand around there, while i was fighting uprisings with my max personal 7k troops all around them, after some unpopular policy changes (reconquista first, kindness later).

maybe they just check how far you can walk before you must swim.

 

[XenomorphII]

Update 49-Ending a Civil War (Mostly)

Spoiler

Let's see if we can end this rebellion.

Siege is won.

Making one of the rebels ready to surrender.

And I take a province from him.

Looks like it is time for the second wave already.

I also realize that thanks to my wife's death, the Eastern Empire is now going to go to my eldest daughter. Not sure how that works out (I would expect it to go to my son as it is A-C gavelkind, but oh well I guess).

We accept her peace terms. No reason to push for a win against her (I think she was already rebelling when I took over).

I win a few more sieges and force peace on a rebel.

Another one goes our way.

And another. I might actually be able to send my levies home soon.

Province taken.

We win a siege and a bit later while fighting enemy forces we gain some martial skill.

Another vassal joins the rebels. She sure does pick a stupid time to do this (when I have already practically won).

I win another siege and I decide to use some of my HRE levies to help speed things along.

Another holding taken. We should soon be out of the civil war, and then I can turn down my crown authority, which should make things more stable.

Conversion occurs. This one might have been the conversion from a heresy.

We win another siege, pushing one of the rebels over the edge. After he surrenders we take a county and hand it out to a Greek nobleman.

A rebel dies.

Excellent! The first province of the HRE converts to the True Christian Faith! I also decide to spend some money upgrading my holdings (not going to do screenies for those anymore).

We get married to our Polish Dwarf Princess.

I don't think I will ever get to be at peace again.

We win another siege.

And we decide to back up Poland in their war for Polotosk. (Against Novgorod, not the Horde).

We win a siege and a rebel surrenders. I take a ducal title here because that is all I can do.

We win another siege, and try to make peace with a rebel, before he responds, we win another siege. He agrees to surrender, but it turns out he had rebelled against my predecessor not me, so I don't get to revoke a title. Enjoy the dungeon.

Another holding taken.

Prince Gabriel goes to us for his education.

A rebellion occurs.

And then the rebel dies. R00fles!

More sieges are won, and then another rebellion occurs.

Sieges are won, and some of the nobility are going to the King of Bohemia's side in his war for the HRE (he is the former Emperor who I displaced).

I dispatch him. I just want some peace.

]

We cannot have a content Basileus!

We win another siege, then the son takes up the torch that the father dropped.

Sieges are won, a rebel surrenders, and we take a title from her.

We win a battle over the rebel army of Bohemia. They are pursued and wiped out.

Whoops.

That's better.


That is this update.

 

[Norfleet]

Question: Do revolts like this continue even if you have the offender whacked? I was tempted to start playing this, and when I had a revolt, I tried having the offender whacked, which caused the war to end "inconclusively". You have like $1000. Surely having them whacked is much cheaper than traipsing through Germany for months on end?

Also, it occurs to me that "Kaiser" is totally a cooler title, what with it being derived from "Caesar".

 

[Commissar Draco]

There is also a Kaisar title.... for the Crown Prince of Romaion. Nice Update I usualy quit at this moment couse large countries are pain to hold thanks to rabid vasals. Strange thing I noticed Wales is de iure Kingdom when Larger and more powerfull Britany is not.... Also how to obtain new Titular King titles?

 

[Cowboy Moment]

Question: Do revolts like this continue even if you have the offender whacked? I was tempted to start playing this, and when I had a revolt, I tried having the offender whacked, which caused the war to end "inconclusively". You have like $1000. Surely having them whacked is much cheaper than traipsing through Germany for months on end?

Also, it occurs to me that "Kaiser" is totally a cooler title, what with it being derived from "Caesar".

After the latest patch, assassinating a Duke costs 150. You'll also have very shitty chances of succeeding unless you move your Spymaster to the target's location, and you can only do that every 6 months. Finally, all of those vassals are rebelling because of global relationship penalties, and not personal reasons. So, you whack a Duke, and his successor will likely also rebel the moment he assumes power.

 

[Norfleet]

After the latest patch, assassinating a Duke costs 150. You'll also have very shitty chances of succeeding unless you move your Spymaster to the target's location, and you can only do that every 6 months. Finally, all of those vassals are rebelling because of global relationship penalties, and not personal reasons. So, you whack a Duke, and his successor will likely also rebel the moment he assumes power.

Well, what I usually do is whack all their successors first: Those guys would be Not-Dukes and therefore both easier and cheaper to whack than whacking a succession of dukes. At that point, their title will revert to the crown due to lack of successors, and then you whack him. As a side benefit, most of them probably live in one place, making it easier for your spymaster to whack them.

Admittedly, like you said, the 6 months thing, so at best you can get in two whacking sprees in a row, by moving, waiting, whacking, moving, and then whacking some more.

There is also a Kaisar title.... for the Crown Prince of Romaion. Nice Update I usualy quit at this moment couse large countries are pain to hold thanks to rabid vasals. Strange thing I noticed Wales is de iure Kingdom when Larger and more powerfull Britany is not.... Also how to obtain new Titular King titles?

Far as I can tell, the only way to acquire any manner of Titular title is inherit it or a claim on it: Without any land, you can't usurp it. In one game I was able to get King of Nubia by pledging to him, then having his heirs and then him whacked, causing me to inherit the title, as the only vassal. After keeping the Caliph distracted, I'm preparing to take over one or more Caliphates through the claims method: Any time someone dies, all their children receive inheritable claims, so if you grab a Princess (or a Prince, but harder), your grandchild will be able to press this claim in war later. A useful means of collecting odd Emperor titles.

 

[Silentrider]

This is dead, or?

 

[XenomorphII]

This is dead, or?

Yeah probably. I have updated CK2 now. I might come back to it at some point though and just see what kind of fubar the update causes. I had reached the point I always reach in pdox games where I pretty much lose all will to continue because it was just going to be tedium in all likely hood.