Been reading the developer diaries. Thought it's time for a dedicated thread. Supposedly confirmed for sometime in 2020.

News | Crusader Kings 3 (https://www.crusaderkings.com/news)

Just remember that it will probably be a disaster at launch.

Just remember that it will probably be a disaster at launch.


A $40 game quickly becomes a $90 game. At least its all on lay away.

If only I had the patience to learn this damn game. I would love it.

I expect CK3 to be a heck of a game by 2022. As for me, it'll be a good long while, if ever, before I switch away from CK2. It's a great franchise, but I don't see the point in being an early adopter unless it's just the one game you want to play. That's not me. I don't have a problem with Paradox's development model given that you don't need the DLC to get the fixes/enhancements that are made to the core games.

I will be an early adopter (was for Stellaris). I think if you learn it early and see the changes, evolution & the early foundation, it'll be easier vs 1-2 years down the road when there is dramatically more of the game.

I'm still trying to get my head around CK2. Got it a few months ago, still haven't been able to get a serious game going in it

September 1

Hands-on preview: Crusader Kings 3 | Rock Paper Shotgun (https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2020/05/14/hands-on-preview-crusader-kings-3-is-the-rpg-that-will-suck-you-into-grand-strategy/)
Crusader Kings 3 is coming on September 1st, and after having access to an early build for a few days, I’m seriously impatient to get back to scheming, disinheriting, and declaring myself the new pope. It’s got that terrible magic that leads to all-day-and-half-the-night sessions, and that’s largely because, secretly, it’s two games at once. It’s a strategy game, obviously. But it’s also a roleplaying game, and a really good one at that. So was 2012’s Crusader Kings 2, of course. But developers Paradox have been shrewd in identifying what made that weird hybrid work as it evolved through fifteen expansions, and have put it front and centre in CK3 from day one.

As it stands, CK3 is one of the few RPGs I’ve played that genuinely compelled me to try thinking like my character would, rather than just pushing for optimal outcomes. And it swiftly achieved what CK2 only managed at its best, in making me feel more invested in my pretend family of medieval gits, than I did in the nation they were ruling. And on top of all that, CK3 simply does a much better job of explaining itself than most of Paradox’s historical titles do. I think it’ll succeed in bringing previously reticent newcomers into the subgenre, but not by sacrificing complexity or depth. It is, quite straightforwardly, a well-designed game.

Was a little excited to hear this earlier today, but then realized I didn't play CK II nearly as much as I should have (or still could, really).

I alternate between incredibly excited for this, and worried that the more I see of it the more it feels like it's going to way of recent paradox games (generic historical sim set in x time period) rather than the unique game mechanics and character that made CK2 great.

I'm still going to buy it as soon as it's available let's be honest. And recognize that it's Paradox so it won't actually be decent for 18-24 months and without dropping $100 on DLC no matter what.

I've been kinda increasingly soured on Paradox. The number of DLC's with increasingly limited new content/mechanics was grating on me, and they capped off my annoyance with the complete disaster that was Imperator.

I alternate between incredibly excited for this, and worried that the more I see of it the more it feels like it's going to way of recent paradox games (generic historical sim set in x time period) rather than the unique game mechanics and character that made CK2 great.

I'm still going to buy it as soon as it's available let's be honest. And recognize that it's Paradox so it won't actually be decent for 18-24 months and without dropping $100 on DLC no matter what.

Im in this boat as well

Was a little excited to hear this earlier today, but then realized I didn't play CK II nearly as much as I should have (or still could, really).
*looks at the 682 hours played* Me, neither.

Streets nerding out over this and can't wait to start an AAR/dynasty with it.

*looks at the 682 hours played* Me, neither.

A measly 327 over here.

I missed out on the original CK, and joined CK2 a little late and definitely felt overwhelmed. So I'm somewhat tempted to pick CK3 up from the beginning. Having not played it enough to find out, my biggest question regards replayability. If I start with the same province, does the game typically play out in a similar fashion? Or is there enough randomness with the attributes of other characters, spouses, children, that subsequent games play out differently?

And while they are certainly touting it like the perfect time for a beginner to jump in, I can't help but feel the gameplay appears very similar to CK2. So will an enhanced Help system really help the newbie experience?

I caved and pre ordered....I knew I would eventually buy it so might as well buy it with a discount....greenman gaming has it for 15% off for VIP members. Hoping it is a little easier for newbies as this type of game is something I should love.

If I start with the same province, does the game typically play out in a similar fashion?

I've never been able to get the hang of playing the series myself but have watched a downright silly number of Let's Plays/etc ... and I don't know if I've ever seen anyone play the same start twice.

I see where (https://www.pcgamesn.com/crusader-kings-3/gameplay-preview) there are 15 recommended starts for each of the 2 possible starting dates in CK3, so there's 30 just from the recommended choices and that doesn't count there being options in every playable region and supposedly every single Tribal/Feudal/Clan ruler of Count level or above in the game being pickable.

I've never been able to get the hang of playing the series myself but have watched a downright silly number of Let's Plays/etc ... and I don't know if I've ever seen anyone play the same start twice.

I see where (https://www.pcgamesn.com/crusader-kings-3/gameplay-preview) there are 15 recommended starts for each of the 2 possible starting dates in CK3, so there's 30 just from the recommended choices and that doesn't count there being options in every playable region and supposedly every single Tribal/Feudal/Clan ruler of Count level or above in the game being pickable.
Thanks for the preview link. Time for me to start digging in and seeing whether I can figure it out this time...

Of course, they are working in a nudity aspect to the game as well, which is...different.

Of course, they are working in a nudity aspect to the game as well, which is...different.
Judging by the number of people that seem to marry their horse, this is troubling.

I'm impressed from that preview how much transparency they've added compared to CK1 and 2.

I caved and pre ordered....I knew I would eventually buy it so might as well buy it with a discount....greenman gaming has it for 15% off for VIP members. Hoping it is a little easier for newbies as this type of game is something I should love.

Thanks, I didn't know there was a pre-sale.

Thanks, I didn't know there was a pre-sale.

Although I didn't realize this was going to be part of game pass subscription, which I already own:(

I am going to keep my pre order because I don't know how long I'll keep game pass, but I might have thought about it differently:(

FWIW, CK3 is up on Steam for pre-purchase for Sep 1.

$50 and $75 versions.

And just like Slyebell discovered, it is a part of the Xbox PC subscription.

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And just like Slyebell discovered, it is a part of the Xbox PC subscription.

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As a Game Pass Ultimate subscriber (which means access to Game Pass PC), I'm completely on board with this discovery.

Seems like the natural evolution of Paradox's business model of practically giving the base-game away, a year or so after release, in order to keep interest in the never ending trickle of DLC.

I honestly don’t mind it at all. They get a ton of grief over it but honestly I can not complain about a game I have 4000 hours in giving me playability. Compare it to the seasonal roster update costs for most sports games and I think it fits in with what the market is willing to pay. Plus they give a ton of updates for free every dlc for those who don’t get them too


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I'm not really all that critical of the Paradox model either cuz I figure each of their games would take 2-3 more years & a premium price point if they waited to release with a lot of those DLC features day-one, and the successful projects get years and years of active development and support & tend to (eventually) end up pretty robust as a result of that model.

I'm sure CK3 vanilla will be enough game for me, I still have a tough time with CK2.

It upsets a lot of people but I think it's actually the development model that makes the most sense in this computing era.

Having experienced this model with Stellaris, I'm okay with it. Their DLC's are pretty substantial and you can get them on sale 2-3 times a year. I've definitely gotten more than the $50 or $60 bucks I paid for Stellaris and am sure that'll be true for CK3.

I rather get a somewhat buggy, incomplete but playable product out with the promise it'll be added to.

This is definitely better than the Star Citizen approach.

Starting to see some CKIII content on some of my favorite YouTube Channels in anticipation of the game's release in Sept. Quill18 and a couple Yogscast channels.

I almost bought this today, but with Avengers coming the same day I decided not to.

I would appreciate it if you guys wouldn't bump this thread. That would help me avoid this purchase. Thanks in advance for your kindliness. :D

Can't help you by not bumping:) Pre ordering and counting the days...

I almost bought this today, but with Avengers coming the same day I decided not to.

I would appreciate it if you guys wouldn't bump this thread. That would help me avoid this purchase. Thanks in advance for your kindliness. :D

I certainly would not want you to buy a new game, nope never :D

I get this with the Xbox game subscription. I am super hyped. Probably buying Avengers as well, though I will suck at playing it.

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In a bit of a financial logjam (thanks HOA), so will have to wait until after I close on the house to get it. :( Planned on preordering to lock in the savings on DLC but oh well.

In a bit of a financial logjam (thanks HOA), so will have to wait until after I close on the house to get it. :( Planned on preordering to lock in the savings on DLC but oh well.


It will be available on Xbox Game Pass if that helps. First month is $1 then $4.99 a month after that until you can buy it. That's how I tested the new Microsoft Flight Simulator on my PC to know if I wanted to buy it on Steam or not.

Just preordered it and yes, I think their business model makes total sense and thanks to it Paradox is now a succesfull company that provides awesome games.

I fact I'd love my other fav game, Football Manager to take a similar approach, with the base game and every year a new DLC with the new season changes, but working on the game engine non stop instead of rushing a new game every year with an obsolete match engine that is abandoned and untouched (I mean for us as customers) a few months after the release.

Last night I was watching some CK3 YT and got excited about Sep 1. So I went ahead and pre-ordered. Answered which credit card, for myself or gift etc., pressed enter, and got the message that I was trying to buy a game that I already had.

Went back and looked, and sure enough it was already there waiting for Sep 1.

I feel like I preordered this game 7 years ago by now


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I feel like I preordered this game 7 years ago by now


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lol

And now it will take another seven to release enough DLC to make it great. ;)

That’s fine with me I suppose. I don’t know how many of you were around when ck2 came out but it was fairly bare bones but was still a super enjoyable game that just kept getting better year after year (except for the Aztecs)


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I agree, AlwnT. It was always a pretty solid game. The dlc just added more. From what I have seen of CK3, it looks pretty deep off the rip.

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lol

And now it will take another seven to release enough DLC to make it great. ;)

I've come to grips with paying to be a beta tester.

I'm fine with it personally. I've gotten a ton of playtime and mileage out of the CK series, and am happy to support it. Don't want to end up like the Vicceh fans.

I would like to see a game just like CK but in NA during colonial times.

I ended up biting the bullet and getting this. I'll have this and Avengers to tide me over until the next WoW expansion drops on 10/27.

I bought CK2 right when it came out because of folks pumping it up here. I've watched Cringer play it a bunch and I never really understood the game. :) I'm watching him play CK3 today and I have no idea what's going on. :)

I hope to get into this one a lot more.

Quill18 playing CK3 singleplayer/campaign on Twitch right now. Yogscast playing multiplayer

IT'S OUT!!!!

Quill18 playing CK3 singleplayer/campaign on Twitch right now. Yogscast playing multiplayer

Sidebar warning: am I alone in finding multi-player games of this type pretty much unwatchable on YouTube (et al)? There's just so much crosstalk that I can't get much, if anything, out of what is going on.

Sidebar warning: am I alone in finding multi-player games of this type pretty much unwatchable on YouTube (et al)? There's just so much crosstalk that I can't get much, if anything, out of what is going on.

Yeah it can be, along with the inevitable questions from the people watching the streams as well as the numerous call-outs to people donating/subscribing to them, but the Yogscast in particular is like an "old shoe" to me that their crosstalk and banter is just part of the experience for me. Plus they have good editors who can keep it at a minimum. The Yogscast doing this playthrough are a group that call themselves "Armchair Admirals" and almost every week have a game like CK3 that they stream while playing.

IT'S OUT!!!!

Not yet for me.

All it does is crash for me. Yay.

Now I've got the install button. Here goes ...

EDIT: The install was painless. Got into the play screen, thank god the fonts are easier to read!

Unfortunately have to do some real work now.

Looking forward to where this thread goes. Depending on the progress, I may consider picking this up sometime next year.

Way more role-playing involved right now. My computer doesnt handle it perfect, but my wife told me I could update my laptop if need be. One of the keys is barely working, not ideal. I am enjoying the playthrough with Ireland though

I did the tutorial. Promptly did some invading of various places in Ireland and pissed off a lot of people.

I made it to King of Ireland in the tutorial and promptly started getting my ass kicked by Viking invaders and opportunistic jagoffs I hadn't yet brought under my thumb in Ireland.

I made it to King of Ireland in the tutorial and promptly started getting my ass kicked by Viking invaders and opportunistic jagoffs I hadn't yet brought under my thumb in Ireland.

How did you do it?

One thing I don't know how to do is taking over other territories any way other than war.

How did you do it?

One thing I don't know how to do is taking over other territories any way other than war.

Your Bishop/Court Chaplain now is the one who fabricates claims on titles - not your Chancellor. Also, rather than a random chance to fire a claim, there's now a countdown meter that gives you the option for a claim after the countdown finishes.

Go to the Council screen, click on the icon for your Bishop/Priest/whatever that says Fabricate a Claim (or something like that), then click on the county you want to get a claim on.

Once you have the claim, what do you do?

I was using my claims as casus belli for wars. Can I use them in other ways?

Your Bishop/Court Chaplain now is the one who fabricates claims on titles - not your Chancellor. Also, rather than a random chance to fire a claim, there's now a countdown meter that gives you the option for a claim after the countdown finishes.

Go to the Council screen, click on the icon for your Bishop/Priest/whatever that says Fabricate a Claim (or something like that), then click on the county you want to get a claim on.

Ugh, I can’t say I’m a huge fan of that change. Feels like a dumbed down mechanism for the folks who want to blob, but I liked the uncertainty of not knowing whether you would get a claim (and if you didn’t have a great Chancellor, the chance that you’d fail and get negative events)

Once you have the claim, what do you do?

I was using my claims as casus belli for wars. Can I use them in other ways?
You then declare war. Unless you gain it through marriage. Same mechanics as CK2

Ugh, I can’t say I’m a huge fan of that change. Feels like a dumbed down mechanism for the folks who want to blob, but I liked the uncertainty of not knowing whether you would get a claim (and if you didn’t have a great Chancellor, the chance that you’d fail and get negative events)

First patch, like all paradox games, should have a ton of changes. First DLC will probably also change a lot of items.

I’ll bet you that doesn’t change though. PDX are looking to standardize across games (which is why Imperator:Rome was such an awkward clone with a ton of EU4 mechanics) rather than diversify and why would you take something out of the CK2 base code to then add it back in.

This just feels like the way PDX games will handle claim fabrication moving forward.

Ugh, I can’t say I’m a huge fan of that change. Feels like a dumbed down mechanism for the folks who want to blob, but I liked the uncertainty of not knowing whether you would get a claim (and if you didn’t have a great Chancellor, the chance that you’d fail and get negative events)

I actually love it. The randomness always felt like a deliberate slowing down with nothing to do because the chances of success were so low.

Nor is it necessarily going to increase blobbing. The AI is *super* aggressive in wars now compared to CK2. Like, holy shit. If it sniffs even the slightest opportunity, it'll go attack you.

I also think it makes more sense for claims to come from the church rather than diplomacy.

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I actually love it. The randomness always felt like a deliberate slowing down with nothing to do because the chances of success were so low.

Nor is it necessarily going to increase blobbing. The AI is *super* aggressive in wars now compared to CK2. Like, holy shit. If it sniffs even the slightest opportunity, it'll go attack you.

Each to their own. I haven't actually played it yet as I'm on vacation and my 5 year old mac can't handle it, so I'll reserve a bit of judgement, but for me this just feels like another step in the direction PDX have been taking their games, which is away from games that felt like they were trying to be historically accurate and more towards fun map painting exercises that would attract the mainstream crowd. I mean I can't blame them for it, but that does make their games less attractive to me (and I'm sure they don't give 2 shits about that, seeing as despite saying I was going to hold off due to their business practices I dropped $75 on the royal edition at launch like a dummy)

More aggressive AI and easier claims with a timer to tell you exactly when (not if) you will get it doesn't seem like an argument against blobbing, it just seems like maybe you won't be the one who gets to blob. Personally that still feels to me like it's pandering to people who want to paint the map, but I'll see if I still feel that way when I've played the game a bit. CK2 was already way too easy to get good bloodlines, eliminate negative traits in your heirs and paint the map using claims or marital alliances that the CPU wouldn't take advantage of, I'd really hate to see that be the direction that CK3 is going in already.

About half-way through the tutorial and enjoying CK3 so far.

Gamers like to optimize their decisions, know the impact of what they do or don't do (e.g. Civ, Stellaris) whereas CK series has so much variability that you don't have that luxury and just have to go with the role playing.

I spend too much time going to war just so my kids will have places to live.

It's 891 and I'm already a millennial parent.

So after finally getting home and some time with it, my initial thoughts

- Definitely the AI is much more aggressive. I picked up a duchy in a war only to have the larger regional power who had a claim or a de jure right to one of the counties kick my ass. Nice to see.
- To this point I haven't seen any huge issues with blobbing, as these wars seem to balance themselves out. 50 years into my Wales 1066 playthrough, Ireland is nice and fragmented still (which makes it nice as the only place I can really go from here, so sucks to be them)
- In the 867 start, the Vikings are totally overpowered. I know there was some historical precedent for Viking kingdoms in the UK and the coasts of Europe, but they are just carving through the British isles like butter from what I've seen
- Some of the new mechanics definitely take away some of the cheesiness of CK2 that made it too easy when you knew what you were doing. No more having 2 sons and getting them a bunch of positive traits through being their guardian and making obvious choices. The fact that your kids become your knights has led to quite a few dying in battle as well - seems like infant mortality is still very unrealistic (as well as characters regularly seeming to live to 60 to 70 years old) but at least that new twist means it's slightly harder to keep your heirs alive
- Overall, it's definitely more of a family RPG than the historical simulator that Paradox games used to be, and it needs balancing, but I'm a pretty big fan so far. Once modders get their hands on it and things get tweaked, should be a great game. Definitely the best Paradox game on release date since.... ever?

I was feeling pretty good about myself. Ireland had been united, my vassals all loved me except the one whose wife I was trying to shag. Then small pox hit. I died and my 21 year old son took over. And my levies were pretty much cut in half. Scotland invaded. Lappland (somehow Normandy turned into Lappland?) invaded.

Is there a way to stop everybody from immediately invading you when you die?

I really really want the ruler designer.

I was feeling pretty good about myself. Ireland had been united, my vassals all loved me except the one whose wife I was trying to shag. Then small pox hit. I died and my 21 year old son took over. And my levies were pretty much cut in half. Scotland invaded. Lappland (somehow Normandy turned into Lappland?) invaded.

Is there a way to stop everybody from immediately invading you when you die?

Yeah, this is another takeaway. At least until you can (if you can?) change the succession laws, the partition on ruler death is absolutely crippling. I didn't get invaded after my first ruler died, but I did go from 6 holdings to 2, 5k levies to less than 2k and barely was able to fight off a revolt from 2 of my vassals who wanted one of the other kids on the throne. I suspect being friends and allied with the King of England (which was a nice addition btw, being able to make your heirs friends) saved me from an invasion by others. Personally I like this and think it will make for a much more variable game and also protect against blobbing, but it's definitely tough.

Also holy crap the incest. No Paradox I don't want to sleep with my son and daughter. Somebody has been watching too much game of thrones :D Sounds like they couldn't get a license in AU and NZ for a bit so the release was delayed, I'm sure that's the reason why.

+1 on the ruler designer. Even though that feels like it could be a bit of a cheat with how much more emphasis is put on flawed characters in CK3, I'm definitely waiting for it as well.

It is kind of crazy how things play out in this game.

I'm into the 6th generation. Right after I become the King of Ireland, I die. My son who was the Heir died helping me taking over so my grandson gets named King.

Immediately, everyone hates his guts and he's only 8 years old! His own mother is even pissed at him. Some of the Dukes create a faction to get her on the throne. Nothing really comes of that.

Then, when I am 30, trying to take over the last 3 counties, she comes along again with the same Dukes and immediately rebels and takes the throne from me.

Now I'm a Duke again and the bitch appointed me Spymaster.

Yes the change yo succession laws is perhaps the largest change from a direct impact for the strategy of the game. It single handedly has the biggest effect of keeping this focused more on family role play strategies than eu4 blob strategies.

That said, I feel the byzantines are currently the single most overpowered land due primarily to that reason.

Overall though this game is amazing and as a ck2 player with like 5000 hours while logged in (and who knows how much in offline mode) , I think this is a great sequel while still allowing for plenty of room for future growth.


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I managed to beat off the Scots and the Lapps thanks to a timely alliance with England. In return for England's help, I decided to sit back and twiddle my thumbs when they decided to eat away a chunk of Scotland.... only to be humiliated by the Scots who end up with a piece of Wales. I imagine if I did help England beat Scotland, those bloody brutes would turn their eyes on us next.

Then I worked on getting my vassals to come around to my point of view, which they did. Until they didn't and my cousin lead a rebellion against me which I promptly crushed and revoked the titles of all that rose against me and gave them to my brothers.

The Duke of Ulster is a powerful vassal that stuck with me during the uprising. His heir has a twin brother, which I successfully negotiated a matrilineal marriage to my youngest daughter. Once that was set, I went ahead and murdered the heir, making my daughter's future husband the heir.

I never got too much into CK2 (I'm a big Stellaris and EU4 fan), but this is definitely fun. Not too worried about blobbing though that Duke of Ulster is dragging me over to Scotland for a war at the current point I'm at.

I've gotten so tired of being badgered by alliance-in-laws about my obligation to defend their over-extended territory from attack that I've now fully committed to only marrying my daughters off to hobos and drug addicts.

At least those motherfuckers don't have anything worth defending.

...managed to beat off the Scots and the Lapps...

I haven't gotten that trait, yet. Maybe I'm using the wrong lifestyle focus?

I haven't played very much yet. Having a hard time settling on what I want to play. I have started as a earl in England with a 1066 starting date a couple of times. The first time, William won easily. The second time it was Harald of Norway. It seems it is just random based on who Harold fights. If he throws his army at one, the other wins. I just started a game as an observer to see what happens, and I don't like the fact under observer you cant watch battles, you can only follow war scores.

Dola: You also have no news feed. I wish you at least got major news from across the world.

The infamous triple dola: I just saw something really cool. The AI Duke of Northumbria which basically controls all of north and central England went to war to press the claim of the Earl of Herefordshire on a Welsh county. He was winning the war but at a big costs of men. Just as he is weakened, the same earl that he was pressing his claim for declares a war of independence against him! He now has three times the men that the Duke has.

I haven't gotten that trait, yet. Maybe I'm using the wrong lifestyle focus?

It only appears in the most of inbred of characters. Start with a Father/daughter mating and go from there.

I haven't played very much yet. Having a hard time settling on what I want to play. I have started as a earl in England with a 1066 starting date a couple of times. The first time, William won easily. The second time it was Harald of Norway. It seems it is just random based on who Harold fights. If he throws his army at one, the other wins. I just started a game as an observer to see what happens, and I don't like the fact under observer you cant watch battles, you can only follow war scores.

In my first long game, Norway has held all of England and most of Scandinavia for over 100 years, and is slowly eating Scotland (I've managed to keep them out of Wales and Ireland with marriages/alliances although have had to fight off a couple of invasions by their vassals)

Although Harald winning in 1066 isn't a hugely ahistorical outcome (I think your theory makes sense) it doesn't feel like that massive Norwegian/Danelaw empire for that long is very realistic. Europe is basically 3 huge blobs at this point (France/HRE/Danelaw) with Castille well on the way to eating all of Spain as well. I think there's a couple of mechanics that contribute to that - firstly the Viking succession being electoral where they can choose the strongest candidate and keep the entire empire together vs. the British being stuck with partition until deep into the game, and secondly the decision to abstract ships/transports which means as long as you have coin (which a big empire will always have) it's trivial to transport your entire army back and forth across the water in days or months. Norway/Danelaw just had 2 wars going on at the same time - one with most of Finland and one with Scotland and won both - that kind of thing probably wouldn't have been realistic with 7000 men in 1960, let alone 1160.

I might put this one down for a bit until realism mods and/or some balancing patches come out. I can't put my finger on it, but it does feel that something is less "fun" than CK2. It's definitely a very polished and well done game, and Paradox should be commended for finally nailing a release, but it's just not grabbing me for some reason.

What I'm really missing is some of the reporting that came with later expansions. Battles that have happened, house rankings, etc.

Stuff across the map changes so fast that I can't keep up with what's going on in the rest of the world.

Also, my son and heir, who I made the Duke of Lothian just "resigned" his title to his newly born son. He'll still be King of England when I kick off, but for now, he's just a courtier in his infant son's court. I have no idea what the internal reasoning was for that, and the game isn't giving me any clues. I'm sort of assuming it was a scandal that my spymaster just didn't uncover?

Love the stories and SO intrigued. Whats the learning curve?

Love the stories and SO intrigued. Whats the learning curve?

There is a tutorial that I think does a pretty good job of teaching to the basics.

I was totally lost in CK2 and never learned it. This one was much easier to learn especially with the tutorial. I have 44 hours into and I am still learning every time I play.

I'm going to have to tap out of playing until a 2D map comes out, I think. The 3D map gives me a migraine if I'm playing for any length of time.

Spent all day playing. I totally lost track of time, and I kept getting that "one more thing" suction to keep going. I am enjoying it. I jumped on that observational game has an early with two counties. When I quit,y grandson was King of England and my granddaughter was Queen of Jursalem. I won't say it was easier than CK2. It was probably easier than early CK2 was.
It was interesting that the first thing I had to do when I took control of my Grandson was have him seduce his wife. They had been married for ten years, but never had a kid. After seducing her, they had two boys in short order.


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So you're saying it's also like a real-life marriage simulator...

If it is anything like CK 2 the best place for a beginner is to start in Ireland. It’s a fragmented island without a major power and atleast in the early game stays isolated pretty well giving you a good chance to learn the mechanics without being overwhelmed. I’m not sure if this all carries over to CK 3, but it was good advice for CK 2.

If it is anything like CK 2 the best place for a beginner is to start in Ireland. It’s a fragmented island without a major power and atleast in the early game stays isolated pretty well giving you a good chance to learn the mechanics without being overwhelmed. I’m not sure if this all carries over to CK 3, but it was good advice for CK 2.
I think it still is, but with one thing to consider. Invasions from sea is much easier in this game. All you need is a little coin, and you can send any size army quickly to sea. In CK2 it was often hard to get the number of ships you need, which meant sending smaller chunks of your army over time.

I think it still is, but with one thing to consider. Invasions from sea is much easier in this game. All you need is a little coin, and you can send any size army quickly to sea. In CK2 it was often hard to get the number of ships you need, which meant sending smaller chunks of your army over time.

It's somewhat less so Tutorial Island because of this and the more aggressive AI. Especially in 867, where the Vikings like to eat your face. 1066 is less harsh but can still be tricky thanks to Scotland.

Invasions from sea is much easier in this game. All you need is a little coin, and you can send any size army quickly to sea. In CK2 it was often hard to get the number of ships you need, which meant sending smaller chunks of your army over time.

That feature right there was worth the purchase price all by itself. I tend to play in England most of the time, which means that reprisals against vikings or Crusades were such a pain in the butt.

That feature right there was worth the purchase price all by itself. I tend to play in England most of the time, which means that reprisals against vikings or Crusades were such a pain in the butt.
I agree, but I do wish they would have add a mechanic either making it more expensive (maybe cheaper the more sea-based the country is) and there should be a chance of armies being lost at sea.

The two main slow-down mechanics are converting religion and increasing control in a county.

I agree, but I do wish they would have add a mechanic either making it more expensive (maybe cheaper the more sea-based the country is) and there should be a chance of armies being lost at sea.

Yeah, this plus generally increasing the length of time to embark and tweaking the AI willingness to do it might solve two problems - firstly how trivial it is to fight wars on two landmasses at once and secondly how annoying it is when enemy armies just escape to the sea, wait for you to siege down a castle and then decide to land and target one of yours.

The two main slow-down mechanics are converting religion and increasing control in a county.

I'm wondering if culture shouldn't be a much larger brake than it is right now as well. Historically if you look at large invasions and land being held by outsiders in Northern Europe (Danish invasion of Normandy, Norman invasion of England) the conquerors typically at least paid service to taking on board the culture of the new realm. Right now it feels like there's absolutely no penalty whatsoever for a Scandinavian king to rule all or most of the British Isles and whatever revolts do happen are just vassals who are pissed off for one reason or another.

Yeah, this plus generally increasing the length of time to embark and tweaking the AI willingness to do it might solve two problems - firstly how trivial it is to fight wars on two landmasses at once and secondly how annoying it is when enemy armies just escape to the sea, wait for you to siege down a castle and then decide to land and target one of yours.

This pisses me off as really unrealistic, you attack an army, they lose, retreat into the sea (wtf??) and then land and attack you far from there.

Retreating forces should only be able to go back to the sea if they came from the sea, like vikings etc as they had their ships waiting for them, but a regular land army embarking all the suden is really weird.

I mean, Dunkirk turned into Normandy, a few years later. That sorta thing HAS happened in history. It's just that in CK3 it happens with a much faster turnaround than it should.

First to the capital wins the war!

I got this game the other day based on this thread. I’ve never played CK before. Very happy with the purchase. I am kicking around the tutorial and slowly acquiring Ireland. But as I was doing that, some Scottish King came in and kicked my ass, and now I am his vassal. I do not want to be a vassal. What is the best way to regain my independence? What sort of strategy should I be pursuing?

Create an "Independence" faction, and attack when you are stronger. Usually the best time is when your overlord is involved in a big war (or two).

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Also, concentrate on building up your capital. I'd suggest a mix of gold-generating and military-generating buildings. Money is critical, but you also need a good-sized garrison and substantial armies. Invest in men-at-arms regiments that are good against the Scottish armies (there's a rock-paper-scissors things with regards to units).

I got impatient and attacked him. He captured me and imprisoned me. I tried to escape, so he took away all my titles and had me executed. This is a really awesome game. I think I will start the tutorial over and be a little less impatient this time around :-)

So if I take prisoners, what good does that do me? I am capturing people in war, and I can only imagine that I can parlay that into huge leverage over the rulers who care about the captured people.

How do I maximize that value?

So if I take prisoners, what good does that do me? I am capturing people in war, and I can only imagine that I can parlay that into huge leverage over the rulers who care about the captured people.

How do I maximize that value?
1. If it is an heir or close family member, it will increase the war score.
2. If a ruler or rulers family, you can ransom them back for good old cash. If they don't have money, you can gain a hook from them.
3. If they are not someone who can be ransomed, you can negotiate with them to join your court, get a hook, convert their religion, or just let them go.

So if I take prisoners, what good does that do me? I am capturing people in war, and I can only imagine that I can parlay that into huge leverage over the rulers who care about the captured people.

How do I maximize that value?

You can get ransom or a hook, and/or take some other options. In one of your menus (I forget one), there's a Prisoners tab. I personally almost always take the money, but there might be cases where it's more advantageous to do something else with them - for example, taking a hook of a vassal and then using that hook to rewrite their Feudal contract for more advantageous terms or force them to vote your way if they're a voter, etc.

Thank y'all.

Learning that there is a "prisoners" tab is, I think, going to help me a lot here :-)

The reddit guy that had his Norseman eat the Pope is fantastic.

PC Gamer explains it a bit:

https://www.pcgamer.com/this-crusader-kings-3-player-ate-the-pope/

Played about 20-30 years in my first game and will likely start up a new one as I learned a few things and still am struggling with others.

I don’t quite have a grasp on the strategy as to when and who to grant titles too. I cut my tax and levies pretty harshly with some of my decisions.

I did learn that raiding is a thing and I should be doing that to get gold.

I’m definitely not comfortable with how to succeed via diplomacy vs. military dominance but can’t seem to figure out why my levies don’t replenish even when my counties have a high control number.

Thank y'all.

Learning that there is a "prisoners" tab is, I think, going to help me a lot here :-)

...or you can just check in on them periodically to see how many are still alive because you forgot to ransom them after your last war...

I'm really not a bad person despite the fact that scores of people tend to die neglected in my dungeons. Let's just agree to call it a clerical oversight.

Played about 20-30 years in my first game and will likely start up a new one as I learned a few things and still am struggling with others.

I don’t quite have a grasp on the strategy as to when and who to grant titles too. I cut my tax and levies pretty harshly with some of my decisions.

I did learn that raiding is a thing and I should be doing that to get gold.

I’m definitely not comfortable with how to succeed via diplomacy vs. military dominance but can’t seem to figure out why my levies don’t replenish even when my counties have a high control number.

The last part is a bug. Raise your armies, let them get to full strength, and disband. I’m sure it’ll be fixed in first patch.

The other thing that may be effecting your levies is penalty traits.

I had a county receive a -25% levies penalty and I forgot about it. I was wondering why my levies were so low until 5 years later when the penalty expired and I was notified it had expired.

You can click on your counties and see what traits they have on the upper right of the window, both good and bad.

1. If it is an heir or close family member, it will increase the war score.
2. If a ruler or rulers family, you can ransom them back for good old cash. If they don't have money, you can gain a hook from them.
3. If they are not someone who can be ransomed, you can negotiate with them to join your court, get a hook, convert their religion, or just let them go.

You can also torture them which I believe reduces stress if you are that type of King...
:D

So far I'm enjoying it. I don't like that succession that splits all the land. Last game I generally got rid of that ASAP. In this game it isn't possible to do that. That being said it's easy enough to get what you want by revocation. If you revoke and they decline they start a rebellion and you can then revoke what you want after the war without penalty.

I've actually found myself not even worrying about that though and just going with the roleplay.

So far I'm enjoying it. I don't like that succession that splits all the land. Last game I generally got rid of that ASAP. In this game it isn't possible to do that. That being said it's easy enough to get what you want by revocation. If you revoke and they decline they start a rebellion and you can then revoke what you want after the war without penalty.

I've actually found myself not even worrying about that though and just going with the roleplay.

You actually can, but 'ASAP' in this context doesn't mean 'immediately.' You hafta upgrade the crown laws to be a bit more authoritarian before you can push that change through.

Two questions:

1) is there any events log like in CK2? else, how do you know what is going on?

2) Can you control your allies armies? I started a war for the freedom of Ital vs the HRE. Their army is 20k soldiers, mine is 5k, my 5 allies have 5k each, so it's 20k vs 25k and we should have the upper hand. The problem? Can't find the way to stack our 25k men, so instead the HRE uses his 20k stack to attack one by one our 5k stacks and wins us easily.

If there's a chronicle or other reporting, I haven't found it yet. I'm hoping it gets added in the first DLC.

This feels easier to play than CK2 which I thought was a bit tedious at times. I like taking good people and making them do bad things driving their stress up. Lot of Sims like action in this.

Shattered World mod has been fun.


Am I doing something wrong in wars? I pretty much declare war and immediately go to siege what I'm trying to take over. My allies don't do shit most of the time. They just march around in circles. I wish I could tell them to follow me.

The AI ally stupidity is something I hope they fix in a patch. A lot of people have commented on it.

Yes, the Ally AI is definitely bad. Also, I think the norse are over-powered early. Probably the whole religious system needs tweaking. I let the game run on observer a coupe of times and in a couple hundred years of starting (early starts), Catholics shrink to almost nothing.

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Yeah, there’s quite a few issues right now that once you get past the initial fun factor is killing this for me. The 867 start is basically unplayable and even in 1066 it’s not unusual to see Scandinavia eat large chunks of Europe. There are definitely more than a few factors contributing to that, but 80% of people playing the game seem to be saying the same things.

Given how Paradox has been patching EU4 in the last 18 months (or more accurately not patching things and just putting out new DLC that breaks things even further) I don’t have a ton of hope for this moving forward. I really wish I had held off on buying this to be honest.

I dunno - the CK3 release is overall the cleanest of any major Paradox release. And CK2 was great after some patches and DLCs. I feel like CK3 will get the same treatment as its predecessor - my sense is it's clearly the studio's cash cow and so will get the best resources.

I agree with Izlude. It will get patched up pretty quick. I am not able very worried.

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So after a few mods (increase embark cost and make the AI less likely to use it, increase the naval range needed for exclave independence, make wars less likely overall) it's definitely a much improved game... Europe still feels chaotic in the 867 start with the Karlings perpetually at war with each other, but the UK isn't immediately eaten by Vikings, and Sweden hasn't taken over any major landmasses in Europe either yet. Willing to give it more of a chance in this state.

Which mods? Inquiring minds want to know.

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I've been playing it some but know I'm still scratching the surface.

I don't expect particularly fast effective balance patches, that's why I'm waiting. Nice of you all to test it though while I do :).

And I will wait for a sale. After my experience with 2, waiting works for me.

My #1 observation is that there seems to be much less incest in CK3. I haven't decided if that's a bug or not.

It seems like there's more incest to me, but that might be because so many players are going that route.

Yeah, I'm discounting that. I mean RNG incest -- the kind that if you didn't keep close tabs on your kids and grandkids, they'd be porking each other.

My sons referred to CK2 as my Mississippi Simulator.

ETA: It just occurred to me that I'm running a mod that specifically nerfs that seduction mechanic.That probably explains the difference.

Which mods? Inquiring minds want to know.

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These are all on the Steam workshop (the Paradox forum seems pretty quiet tbh)

More Game Rules (allows you to set the frequency of AI Wars)
[Boat Fix] Fewer AI Armadas
BSPW: Exclave Independence Enhanced
Rename Characters (this one has nothing to do with gameplay but seriously Paradox, why was this ever taken out)

Thanks, bhlloy. One of the good things about CK2 was the mod community.

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I'm always looking for a bride for me or heir with the "rose". Unfortunately, they never seem to pair up well with "alliance strength" or "prestige".

Added the mods bhlloy listed, as well as one called "better AI PDX", which is supposed to help keep the AI from being random, but make it more strategic and roleplay like. Let's see how this goes. I'm just going to let it run and see how the map looks.
BTW, one other more cheaty type mod I like is SarcFa's Custom Ruler Designer. It won't let you make a new dynasty, but it will let you create your own ruler to start a dynasty. I always like to add a personal touch to my starting ruler.

Ran from the earliest start date to 1066 using the mods above. In the first run, the Karlings stayed in control of most of Europe, dividing into two to three Kingdoms, West Francia, Lotharingia, and Aquitaine. That was untill about 1050, when the Umayyad swallowed Aquitaine and now controlls much of the Southern Med, including big chunks of Italy. Wrest Francia is just northern France and the Duchy of Kent. Lotharingia and Burgandy hold most of central Europe. The Byzantine Empire holds it's orginally territories as well as Southern Italy and stretches of North Africa.
This looks much more a likely play through than the Norse cultures holding stretches of lane all over the map. The Norse still hold the homelend and are raiding regularly, but largely have been removed from the British Isles. Britain instead is mostly being held by Alba, with all but a Duchy of Ireland being in their control as well as most of Northern England. The Anglo-Saxons stayed divided and in constant battle with each other until the Scots and Welsh took bites of of England, along with losing Kent to West Francia.
Going to try a run starting in 1066 next. Hope someone is interested in this.

Glad to hear you had some good experiences with it, but FWIW that cocktail of mods didn't seem to work in my game much past 900 or so... Sweden and Denmark still formed pretty early and ate all of Ireland/Wales - Wessex has done pretty well and actually just took over Jorvik, but half the UK owned by Sweden/Denmark or by Vikings who got independence based on Exclaves when the ruler died just isn't the game experience I'm looking for.

Downloading another mod called "Vikings Bordergore Contained" which has some good reviews, essentially nerfs Vikings from conquering anyone except direct neighbors. Shame it has to come to this, but I think this is the only way I'm going to get the game I'm looking for. And I'm bummed to lose that save because I'd gone from a one county minor to a 2 duchy council member/faction leader in West Frankia... but I just don't want to be looking at Sweden, Denmark and a bunch of duchies I can't pronounce holding most of the British Isles for the next 200 years.

I'm always looking for a bride for me or heir with the "rose". Unfortunately, they never seem to pair up well with "alliance strength" or "prestige".

So far 90% of the ones I've seen with 'comely,' 'pretty,' 'beautiful,' etc are lesbians. So that's been interesting.

But one of 'em popped out 12 kids, so.

Patch out with huge list of fixes. This Reddit post does the best job of summarizing them. Crusader Kings 3 Patch 1.1 Notes: What They Actually Mean : CrusaderKings (https://www.reddit.com/r/CrusaderKings/comments/j1okie/crusader_kings_3_patch_11_notes_what_they/)

Patch out with huge list of fixes. This Reddit post does the best job of summarizing them. Crusader Kings 3 Patch 1.1 Notes: What They Actually Mean : CrusaderKings (https://www.reddit.com/r/CrusaderKings/comments/j1okie/crusader_kings_3_patch_11_notes_what_they/)

The actual patch notes were pretty funny in their own right (at least the "training the AI" bits), but that Reddit thread makes them even better.

Thanks for passing that along, GrantDawg. It was a fun read.

I also think it makes more sense for claims to come from the church rather than diplomacy.

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It';s more realistic for the era.

What's the consensus post-patch? I have this through gamepass, but still haven't fired it up yet, based on the complaints pre-patch.

It's kind of telling I see NOBODY in my steam friends list playing it.

It’s fine. Still needs tweaking with mods to stop Scandinavia eating large parts of Europe, but most other issues were fixed with the patch and no game breaking stuff. Still has a ways to go to be as fun as CK2 was IMO, hopefully the early expansions are decent.

It's kind of telling I see NOBODY in my steam friends list playing it.

I'm in your friends list! Im playing!

I'm in your friends list! Im playing!

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/E5Q7CcINC8M" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I'm in your friends list! Im playing!

I don't see you playing it very often! Maybe I'm just not looking at right times.

CW, you must not have Alan T in your friends list. He goes by another name on Steam.

I might, actually. Let me rephrase, you bastards. :)

When I'm paying attention to my steam list, I expect a more people to be playing CK3 than what I've seen.

I don't see you playing it very often! Maybe I'm just not looking at right times.

Ah, Im usually playing around 1-4 PST or 9 to 11 PST.

I've been playing it on Game Pass, which means I don't show up on Steam as playing it.

(Good thing, because it's been obsessive.)

CW, you must not have Alan T in your friends list. He goes by another name on Steam.

Yeah my steam account name is dairnir

I don’t have as much time to play games with my new job as I used to, but I still play this as often as I have time. (Steam says 101 hours past two weeks.

Fun idea!

Please do not look at these horrifying Crusader Kings 3 characters | PC Gamer (https://www.pcgamer.com/please-do-not-look-at-these-horrifying-crusader-kings-3-characters/)
Over on the Crusader Kings subreddit, i_hate_usernames posted a screenshot of their ruler, King Svend II of Denmark, whose face unfortunately makes roadkill look appealing. They used the console menu to heap diseases and undesirable traits onto the poor king, who no doubt expired moments later.
https://i-cdn.embed.ly/1/display?key=fd92ebbc52fc43fb98f69e50e7893c13&url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Fd165niwgc1t51.png
First off, I dressed up a Holy Roman Emperor as a Knight Hospitaller and then gave him every illness, every injury (apart from ones that make him cover up his gorgeous face with bandages or masks) and topped it off with the ugly trait. I think we can all agree that despite everything else, he's kept his lovely smile.
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/fqfA6zdbgU9fMofZ34e2Bb-970-80.jpg

In my 1.1.3 save I was able to conquer almost all of Scandinavia, Russia and East France and then finally had all the boxes to move from tribal to a feudal system.

Well that basically broke the experience for me as i went from 50k+ levies down to 8 and 50 years later my land has been splintered. From what I’ve read online this seems to be what others experienced. Having not played ck2, is there supposed to be such a huge drop in levies and gold when making this switch?

It appears at this time it’s what the designers intended - whether they are holding it for something that will be rounded out in an expansion or will fix in a later patch, not sure.

There are mods out there that will fix but probably won’t help your existing game unfortunately.

Been playing some CK3 lately. I've been wanting to love it but it's kinda boring.

I read all these nice gameplay stories about how someone did this or that, how something happened etc. but it seems to require a level of dedication to write down or keep track of your realm's history. You need to make it "personal" and keep a journal for it to be fun. Takes too much effort to make things happen.

It may very well be me.

In my 1.1.3 save I was able to conquer almost all of Scandinavia, Russia and East France and then finally had all the boxes to move from tribal to a feudal system.

Well that basically broke the experience for me as i went from 50k+ levies down to 8 and 50 years later my land has been splintered. From what I’ve read online this seems to be what others experienced. Having not played ck2, is there supposed to be such a huge drop in levies and gold when making this switch?

Yes. In the short-term, you have that setback. In the long-term, you end up more stable and better resourced (through development, etc.)

Been playing some CK3 lately. I've been wanting to love it but it's kinda boring.

I read all these nice gameplay stories about how someone did this or that, how something happened etc. but it seems to require a level of dedication to write down or keep track of your realm's history. You need to make it "personal" and keep a journal for it to be fun. Takes too much effort to make things happen.

It may very well be me.

Not just you. The only time I get super-invested in a save is when I dynasty/AAR it

I finally am into this after several aborted startup attempts. It's a hard game to get into, but it is fun once you start.

A just had my great king die, and his worthless son is now the ruler. It is an interesting challenge that a lot of games like this don't have.