The game really opened up for me when I started to think of it as a story generator, a choose-your-own-adventure tree of astonishing complexity. I have a character with certain traits that govern my choices, but it’s hard to call CK3 a role-playing game because I move from character to character as my would-be dynasty moves forward through history. I need to expand and build an empire, but it lacks the turn-based gameplay and victory conditions that define the 4X genre. I have armies, and can engage in strategic combat with neighboring rulers, but it's not a real-time strategy game like Starcraft II or Age of Empires. The rich simulation of Crusader Kings weaves together so many aspects of medieval life that it’s a little difficult to explain what kind of a game it is. Part of his father’s lands were granted to his brothers, so Brian faced the challenging task of reclaiming the glory of his father’s kingdom through warfare, intrigue, or alliance. After the unfortunate if unsurprising death of Murchad, my first king, I continued on as his primary heir, Brian. As long as I have lands and an heir, the game keeps moving. This complex simulation game puts me in control not just of a single king, but of an entire dynasty. Thus ended the reign of my first king in Crusader Kings III, a grand strategy game from Paradox Interactive, but my playthrough was far from over. I lost the esteem of my vassals, and died of a heart attack not long after. Sure that I was invincible, I jumped off a high roof to impress my subjects. The stress of rule took its toll on my mind, however, and in my old age I succumbed to lunacy. My wife dutifully bore me seven children, and through two wars I extended my holdings across southern Ireland. Do favors for your subjects so they will owe you loyalty – or support for your plots against your enemies.I was an ambitious king, wrathful and impatient with my subjects, but a skilled tactician on the battlefield. Seduce other characters for love or political power. Find allies in the courts of rivals you are targeting for schemes. Spy on your court to discover plots against your dynasty and your rule. Hire mercenaries and Holy Orders for your major wars. Research new technologies to increase the wealth and military might of your realm. Supplement your royal levies with professional infantry, cavalry, and siege weapons, as well as exotic regional units. Choose to use fear as a weapon, using your dreadful reputation to intimidate vassals and family. Unworthy heirs are risky, unless you can find a way to get rid of them – legally or otherwise. Raise your heirs to be worthy successors, training them yourself, or giving them as ward to a trusted friend or ally. Characters that act against their nature develop stress that could bring a new host of troubles. Character traits guide your actions and affect outcomes. Be a faithful adherent of your religion, embrace heresy, or start your own faith on the wreckage of failed belief systems.Īdopt one of five different lifestyles, perfecting your skills in military strategy or kingdom management. Knights, peasant revolts, pilgrimages, Viking raiders… experience the drama and pageantry of the Middle Ages. Gather new lands and titles to cement your legacy. Guide a historical dynasty through the centuries. Guide your character through a life of excitement, making sure that there is an heir to carry on the family legacy, building an empire whose glory will echo through history.Ī map that stretches from Iceland to India, from the Arctic Circle to Central Africa. Will you be a wise and pious king or a violent scheming duchess? Perhaps a learned caliph or gentle warchief. Lead one of hundreds of noble or royal families through the Middle Ages, as you acquire power and prestige across the generations. Crusader Kings III is the latest version of Paradox Development Studio’s beloved role-playing Grand Strategy Game of medieval conquest and royal court intrigue.
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