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

[XenomorphII]

Update 44-Another Step Towards Being Basileus

Spoiler

As one of my armies marches deep into Africa to smack some peasant rebels around:

I realize I can usurp the title for the Duchy of Axum.

There is our new Doux. He has a kid already which is why he was chosen.

I also realize that I have over 200 piety so make the Kingdom of Abyssinia. It is our 7th kingly title.

We also receive news that our wife is expecting. Not sure how I feel about this since our younger brother will have claims on both France and the HRE.

The true faith continues its spread.

And some more.

This is the speed of religious conversion that I like!

Sometime later, I have a daughter. Booooo.

Well, since the situation is changing, I think it may be time to cause an "accident" to happen to our brother-in-law so that our wife inherits the Eastern Empire.

Another province converts. I am still unsure about taking over the Byzantine Empire this way. It isn't really the direction I wanted to go. Oh well. Screw it. Let's do this:

This is our target.

The spymaster is put in place to boost our chance of success.

This is really too easy. I feel kinda cheap for it.

Oh well. The deed is done. Now to wait.

In the mean time:

I attack the Shia Caliphate. This time for Sinai which is de jure a part of the Kingdom of Egypt.

The army out of Greece that I will be using. My current overarching goal right now is to pick up Sinai, Cyprus, and Harer off of the Caliphate, then murder the HRE and attack them in the ensuing chaotic (hopefully) aftermath.

Several things happen at once. The Byzantine Empire joins our war (I figure it might help make this pretty quick).

We get to sponsor an artist and increase our learning.

And we recover from our wound. Good news! Ignatios should be around for awhile now.

Another conversion as I lay my siege, and rally some troops to go peasant stomping.

Our first siege is won. It shouldn't be too long now before he gives in.

Ignatios gets an event. I opt to remain loyal to my wife, because there is a good chance she will be empress here before too long and pissing her off could be bad for me if that is the case.

As my funds are high, I decide to build another city at Venice.

A siege is won.

And an assault. Now I get the hell out of there because the province is suffering from smallpox which has lowered the supply cap to 3k troops (and is why my army is half the size it was earlier).

That's handy.

Counties get handed out, but I cannot usurp the ducal title yet.

Hey, this hasn't happened to us in awhile. I go for falconry.

And I succeed at it.

A chance to pick up the diligent trait. Ignatios needs to be diligent if he want to achieve the long held dream of the Spartenos family and become Basileus. It doesn't work out though. This time at least.

Conversion.

Some time later:

I hope its a boy! Also soon my army will put down the peasant rebels in Abyssinia, and then I can attack the Muslims again. The Shia Caliphate has now lost the Island of Cyprus. It broke away and is now independent.

I get a call to arms. Of course I accept. I want my future land to be intact, not falling apart.

I also take the opportunity to grab Cyprus.

My army lands and destroys the enemy levies.

Then they beat the merc force (I am guessing they were mercs due to the low morale they had).

And wipe out the enemy completely and lay siege. Also the rebel was put down in the Empire.

I try to destabilize the HRE but fail.

The retaliation is swift, and it hurts me.

Then we retaliate and fail. I will try again later.

Give me a son!

As I wait on the siege, the city I ordered built is finished.

I go for calming the peasants as I have plenty of money.

You better not die yet!

A siege is won.

Ignatios recovers from his illness. I hope he recovers from his wound soon too.

A few assaults later and the province is ours.

I have a new and much better spymaster but he fails still. I will try again.

Yes! Success! This should destabilize the HRE. Because:

This guy took over. He has high martial, but miserable diplomacy and lots of red traits which will make his vassals hate him. I need to make Cyprus give up so I will be able to capitalize on this.

A conversion and a holding taken. Good day.

Excellent. I cannot usurp ducal titles yet, as he is still at war with others.

Excellent! My army that defeated Cyprus goes to smash rebels.

Time to spend some money:

Now then. Let's look around at stuff before ending this update.

The HRE is starting to have some troubles. This should make it ripe for invasion from me.

The Golden Horde is attacking Scotland. That's interesting.

The Empress of the Byzantine Empire is getting on up there in years.

As is the King of France. If I am successful in taking the HRE for myself I can press my younger brother's claim to France and he will become my vassal I think (maybe). If not, at the very least it shouldn't be long before I end up with a claim due to being his brother.

Orthodoxy continues its steady spread, while Islam continues its steady decline.

Tune in next time to see the start of the great war to determine whether Ignatios will be a Basileus or not!

 

[Cowboy Moment]

Meh, they really need to make assassinations more expensive in a patch. Right now they're way too versatile for how cheap they are, especially with a good spymaster.

Also, about Scotland being attacked by the Golden Horde, I'm playing as House Ua Conchobair, currently kings of Ireland, Scotland and Norway, soon to be England, since it's a total mess. And my Scandinavian holdings have the Golden Horde right at their doorstep. Fucking 40k attrition-less armies in an area where a typical county supports less than 15k.

 

[Merkwürdigliebe]

If you press the claim of some one of your house he will become your vassal regardless if the title is a de jure vassal of yours, well as long as you have a title one step above the one in question. So with an imperial title you should get him as your vassal.

 

[Luzur]

Golden Horde defeated Norway?!

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

Meh, they really need to make assassinations more expensive in a patch. Right now they're way too versatile for how cheap they are, especially with a good spymaster.

Also, about Scotland being attacked by the Golden Horde, I'm playing as House Ua Conchobair, currently kings of Ireland, Scotland and Norway, soon to be England, since it's a total mess. And my Scandinavian holdings have the Golden Horde right at their doorstep. Fucking 40k attrition-less armies in an area where a typical county supports less than 15k.

Just so you know, if the Golden Horde was actually serious you'd have a lot more than just one 40k doom stack riding on you.

Why aren't you using my independence_cb fix? It makes life with the Golden Horde a LOT easier.

Golden Horde defeated Norway?!

Generally Golden Horde curbstomps EVERYBODY except BE and HRE (and of course the Southward Mongol countries).

 

[Cowboy Moment]

Meh, they really need to make assassinations more expensive in a patch. Right now they're way too versatile for how cheap they are, especially with a good spymaster.

Also, about Scotland being attacked by the Golden Horde, I'm playing as House Ua Conchobair, currently kings of Ireland, Scotland and Norway, soon to be England, since it's a total mess. And my Scandinavian holdings have the Golden Horde right at their doorstep. Fucking 40k attrition-less armies in an area where a typical county supports less than 15k.

Just so you know, if the Golden Horde was actually serious you'd have a lot more than just one 40k doom stack riding on you.

Why aren't you using my independence_cb fix? It makes life with the Golden Horde a LOT easier.

I don't mind the Horde and the Khanate being very powerful. What pissed me off in that situation is that the attrition-less nature of mongol armies leads to really stupid results in low-supply areas - 40k+ armies merrily skipping around Scandinavian mountains. Best fix for this would be to change their "no attrition" atribute to "requires x times less supply", or something like that.

Anyway, I just waited for a good moment, then invaded their Norwegian holdings. They called in the Il Khanate to help, and the Khanate is even more powerful than the Horde in my current game. Alas, as the Khanate doomstacks approached, I assassinated the Khan, making his 6 year old son succeed, and they all went home. So yeah, assassinations still rule.

 

[KickAss]

bump to page 15 already!!

 

[KickAss]

bump!

 

[KickAss]

dammit

 

[KickAss]

aw hell

 

[KickAss]

i want an update

 

[KickAss]

I give up

 

[Azira]

I give up

Quitter.

 

[praetor]

new page new update?

 

[praetor]

let us try

 

[praetor]

προσκρούω

 

[The_scorpion]

heh...

 

[SCO]

he had some computer trouble; check the thread on the science forum.

 

[Kayerts]

MONGOLPOST:

Generally Golden Horde curbstomps EVERYBODY except BE and HRE (and of course the Southward Mongol countries).

I figured out why those two get spared. It's not just because they're strong; it turns out that empires are sort of Mongol-proof, due to the way the Mongols' invasion mechanics are coded. Basically, in a Papal invasion, winning means that you get your target's primary title, as well as any captured territory for your personal demense. Invade the HRE and win--congrats, you are now Kaiser. But with Mongol invasions, winning means that the target becomes the horde's vassal.

This is a weird mechanic. It presumably makes the Mongols less of an apocalyptic threat if you're playing the Russians, which seems reasonable. But it also means that a successful Mongol invasion tends to be immediately followed by a civil war. (Ilkhanate invades Persia -> Sultan becomes the khagan's vassal -> Sultan is mad at this dick khagan who declared war on him! Time to rebel!)

It gets weirder with empires, because khagans are ranked equal to imperial titles. This means the kaiser can never be a vassal of the Golden Horde. So even if the horde wins an invasion against him, they only get the territories they conquered. So to conquer an empire/caliphate, they have to win not one but a long series of wars. Combine this with the inherent strength of late-game empires, and overthrowing an empire is an unlikely proposition.

I don't mind the Horde and the Khanate being very powerful. What pissed me off in that situation is that the attrition-less nature of mongol armies leads to really stupid results in low-supply areas - 40k+ armies merrily skipping around Scandinavian mountains. Best fix for this would be to change their "no attrition" atribute to "requires x times less supply", or something like that.

I think the AI generally doesn't understand attrition. Given that, and the fact that the hordes' initial targets are a bunch of low-supply counties (~5K, in the Ilkhanate's case), making the hordes attrition-proof is probably the most straightforward workaround. Otherwise, each horde's 100K-strong expeditionary force would starve to death within a few years of its arrival.

 

[XenomorphII]

Don't worry everybody. This will resume!

It will probably be later this week though as I am currently trying to redownload everything that was on my computer after having to do a fresh install of windows. No worries though, I made sure to back up everything pertaining to the LP so it should be able to continue later this week (when hopefully my internet not in use as much). Expect updates to resume sometime this weekend (maybe even Friday). Apologies for the delay.

 

[praetor]

ανώτατος ΒΡΩΦΙΣΤ

 

[KickAss]

Don't worry everybody. This will resume!

It will probably be later this week though as I am currently trying to redownload everything that was on my computer after having to do a fresh install of windows. No worries though, I made sure to back up everything pertaining to the LP so it should be able to continue later this week (when hopefully my internet not in use as much). Expect updates to resume sometime this weekend (maybe even Friday). Apologies for the delay.

yeeaaaah!

 

[Multiple Sarcasm]

I believe gentleman KickAss has quite eloquently expressed my thoughts on this recent development.

 

[XenomorphII]

Update 45- Veni, vidi, vici

Spoiler

When last we left the Spartenos family I was preparing for war against the HRE. Let's look at the map some so that we (I) remember what the hell is going on in the world.

Alright. I am allied with the Eastern Empire, and have a claim on the HRE. My heirs will in all likely hood also be the heirs to the Eastern Empire in due time.

Also the Golden Horde is invading Scotland in an attempt to expand its holdings some more. France is pretty powerful thanks to their territory in Iberia, and everyone else is irrelevant. Let's start some shit and wrap things up so that I can download what looks to be a really nice patch here in about a week (because I am seriously doubting its save game compatibility at this point with all the changes).

This should prove to be an interesting war.

I doubt that the Eastern Empire will join us, but if they do this will be much easier.

As the Grand Army of Sicily mobilizes, I receive word that the armies of the Byzantine Empire march to war with us. The Holy Roman usurper is about to be screwed.

My first to armies form up. My plan for this war is to secure Italy, then drive into Burgundy, and sweep through Germany at that point if the enemy isn't ready to give up his title to us.

We draw first blood. I imagine that initially the armies of the HRE will be quite easy as they are spread out dealing with rebellions (presumably).

Shortly after our victory, another army forms up and heads to start the first siege against the enemy at Spoleto.

A small army out of Africa is tasked with taking the Island of Corsica.

Glorious news! Perhaps it will be a son. If so he may be the first Spartenos to be a Basileus before being a Despot.

Another of our glorious armies arrives in Italy and moves to its objective.

The first of many holdings is taken.

Another army arrives. This one is bound for Treviso. They will not be blessed by being a part of the net that my armies are making in central Italy to protect themselves.

Our eldest daughter turns 6 and is sent for an education to one of her relatives who happens to be a very good diplomat.

The final army arrives and begins to the long slow process of taking holdings.

Another holding is taken, and no significant resistance has been encountered. I will be disappointed if this war doesn't come to be much.

The province of Spoleto is ours.

Our son! He has a stutter though. That kinda sucks. Maybe we can break him of it.

Another holding taken. It won't be long now before Corsica is under my control.

A few assaults later and the province is mine.

The heathens of Iberia see where their future will be. Good for them.

For those wondering what the Byzantine Empire is up to...

Them seem to be hitting the HRE from both Croatia and from the Baltic Sea (which is a bit silly, but their armies are probably much weaker now thanks to the long boat ride there).

Another holding taken. Between me, the Byzzies, and their rebels, the HRE doesn't seem to be able to cope.

Two more fall to us. At this rate the war will be over by Christmas. I hope that on large scale wars like this (where two superpowers are fighting it out) that future patches will fix how the warscore is calculated, because as you can see with my victories so far I am already at almost 50%, which strikes me as silly (even though the guy is in a shitty situation) considering the tiny portion of the HRE that I have taken.

The internal situation for the HRE is continuing to crumble too.

Firenze is now controlled by us.

I move them north, careful to avoid any attrition.

Whoops. I completely forgot about the HRE holdings in the Holy Land. Oh well, the Byzzies have me covered there. That is apparently where most of their army is located.

I decide to hire some mercs, mostly because I have some rebel issues down in Ethiopia, and I do not want to pull any of my armies away to deal with it.

We cannot be stopped! MUAHHAHAHAHAHA! Seriously though, this war is turning out to be a big letdown. Maybe France will be more fun when I put my younger brother on its throne.

Another one bites the dust.

The Byzantine Empire makes headway in the north and another vassal of the HRE rebels.

Another siege is won. 64% now.

A city is taken.

They head for Parma now.

Another win. I still have two untouched armies in reserve. This has turned out way easier than I expected (I kinda wish I hadn't murdered the previous Emperor to weaken them now).

And that's that. That was way too easy. Peace time:

Basileus! We are Basileus! The road was long and hard (well at least at first it was, it kinda started to roll easily because I was able to win some key victories over the Muslims), but the Spartenos family, with its humble origins as the Counts of Napoli, are now, at long last, the Emperors of the Holy Western Roman Empire!

Our new laws to live by.

Our dynasty is truly glorious.

That is this update. But it is not the end (unless everyone is sick of this at this point). Tune in next time as I put rebels in their place, and go about systematically uprooting the non-Greek, non-Orthodox vassals that I now have obtained and replace them with Greek Orthodox rulers (likely to be a much harder fight then the war I just won, lucky me my ruler is young).

Also in the next few updates (as soon as his mother dies) you will likely see me try to place my younger half brother on the throne of France and you will eventually (if we keep going that long) see me inherit the Eastern Empire and fully restore the Roman Empire to its previous glory (with some new territories added in that even the Emperor's of old never conquered)!

Look for a family update to come now too. I feel like reaching the title of Basileus is definitely a good time to take a look at the family.

 

[Kayerts]

Complete lack of resistance, eh? The lapdogs of the False Emperor might as well have put a corpse on the throne.

And yeah, the war score mechanics are just all-around silly.

Anyway, congrats on your new title, Basileus Xeno.