Sign up for a CK2 multiplayer game!

[Norrel]

Y'all are seriously doing this all wrong.

If they are in your dynasty, press their claim regardless of whether they'll end up in your kingdom or not.

Why? Because this is a game about "dynasties" not personal kingdoms. One goal should be to spread your dynasty around as much as possible even if you don't particularly control areas. Your dynasty prestige plays a role in marriages, and other diplomacy, not just your own prestige.

Not to mention, any dynasty members are automatic allies for wars and such.

Personal prestige plays a far larger part, as does gold production and army capacity, which are likewise only gained by

Also most claims you press aren't going to be your dynasty's, they're gonna be random claimants you invited.

What I like to do is get a claimant, add him to my court, force him to marry one of my female daughters or kinswomen matrilineally, and then their kid will be of my dynasty with the new claim. It's a good way to get claims into your bloodlines.

[Velax]

Damn Popes keep getting uppity. Had to execute two thus far.

[Stabbity]

Hence why my current dynasty head, Queen of Rus, Denmark, Castille, Leon, Navarra and Galacia is Orthodox and converted spain to Orthodoxy.

[Telrunya]

Damn Popes keep getting uppity. Had to execute two thus far.

Set up Anti-Pope.
Get rich.
Watch as the Christian World falls to Heresies and Islam.
Claim innocence.

[Alpha]

Set up Anti-Pope.
Get rich.
Watch as the Christian World falls to Heresies and Islam.
Claim innocence.

This is typically my strategy

[Velax]

Set up Anti-Pope.
Get rich.
Watch as the Christian World falls to Heresies and Islam.
Claim innocence.

I did set up an Anti-pope. Then I pushed his claim to the Papacy and, because I was an Emperor and so a higher rank, he became my vassal. It's good because I can excommunicate any Catholic I want, anywhere, but the bastards keep rebelling.

[Vellos]

Personal prestige plays a far larger part, as does gold production and army capacity, which are likewise only gained by

Also most claims you press aren't going to be your dynasty's, they're gonna be random claimants you invited.

What I like to do is get a claimant, add him to my court, force him to marry one of my female daughters or kinswomen matrilineally, and then their kid will be of my dynasty with the new claim. It's a good way to get claims into your bloodlines.

Or do the above, but use seniority succession, and watch as, over the decades, you start randomly accumulating all of the titles of your spinoff family branches.

Or use elective succession to consolidate titles, which is a pretty straightforward process generally if you know how to manage your vassals.

Or use claimancies to press relatives' claims, then kill everyone between them and you/your heir.

There are tons of good reasons to press other peoples' claims.

[Ender]

I don't mean to hijack the thread (at least not for long), but I just bought CK2 yesterday since the game and dlc are on sale on Amazon and can be redeemed through Steam.

Anyone have any suggestions for ways to start playing or guides to watch/read to get me acquainted? Or is it best just to jump in?

[Alpha]

I don't mean to hijack the thread (at least not for long), but I just bought CK2 yesterday since the game and dlc are on sale on Amazon and can be redeemed through Steam.

Anyone have any suggestions for ways to start playing or guides to watch/read to get me acquainted? Or is it best just to jump in?

I'd recommend just jumping in. I started and quit 3 or 4 games before I had a game I played through. Playing as the boy King of France was my first good game. The CK2 wiki is helpful to learn while playing. For me, it was the simplest of the choices between V2, EU3, and HOI3.

[Telrunya]

Ireland is usually referred to as 'Tutorial Island'. If you start as say the Duke of Munster, you'll have an edge over most other Irish Dukes and you start with a De Jure Claim on Desmond. It's a slow start so you don't get overwhelmed by everything and keeps you a bit isolated from the bigger realms out there as you figure things out and unite Ireland.

[Stabbity]

Ruling half the world is great. There I was claiming the Papacy, contently ruling over half of Spain, all of Denmark, Rus, Ireland and Sicily, preparing to end the great schism, and BAM. MOTHER!@#$ING AZTECS. 140000 troops.

[Velax]

It's all about claims if you want to expand your realm. I started as the Count of Desmond and it took ages to get anything going. But I invited some better Councilors to my court, fabricated some claims and things got rolling. Once you start getting more regions, you start getting more claims and things just keep going. Never been without something to do since then.

[Perth]

I have been playing a Byzantine game and it has been amazing. Up until now I had mostly played Western Europe and Scandinavia games.

Still need to try an Islam game.

Am very excited for The Old Gods soon.

[Ender]

I dabbled with an Irish Count (thanks for the advice, by the way!) for a little while and was overwhelmed by what I seemed able to do, or might be able to do, so I sat through some of the tutorials to see if I can't figure it all out.

I love the potential I'm seeing in the game so far though. I just need to figure out how it works.

[Velax]

The tutorials are...not great. Apparently par for the course with Paradox games. I played through the demo a few times before the game arrived, so had some idea of what I needed to do to get started, but even now, with a world-spanning Empire, I'm still fuzzy on some things (did just manage to become Grandmaster of the Templars, though. Wee, free Holy Order!)

I suggest sending out your Councilor to fabricate claims on a region that's part of the same duchy. Then you can take it, usurp the Duke title (if you now control 50% of it, which in Ireland, you should) and then get de jure claims on the rest of the duchy.