Recent reviews by Fauzt

This game does well as a grand strategy game and dynasty simulator. It’s all about elevating your dynasty to high prestige and power through conquests, devious schemes and morally questionable management of heirs.

It’s not a mindless conquest game where you constantly invade whatever is nearby. Except for the pagans, they get to do that. More than half of your time is spent maintaining a stable rule over your land and vassals. The rest of your time is plotting up ways to invade and acquire more lands. This is because to invade other provinces would require Casus Belli. CBs are reasons that allow one to go to war with another ruler. Fortunately, there are many ways to acquire said CBs. Claims for lands can be inherited through betrothals and marriages under pretence of an alliance and then pushing those claims against them two generations later. Being a different religion from them is reason enough to go to war too but risky as that gives the others the same reason to attack you.

Maintaining stable rule is another kind of challenge the player has to constantly face. Rulers must maintain a favourable reputation to his vassals and manage their vassals so they won’t grow too powerful. Or else, the vassals will revolt and put someone else on your throne. A sinning arbitrary ruler can rouse a lot of rebellions if not careful. Sometimes, there are some things that you just can’t prevent and your ruler becomes an old mentally-challenged possessed homosexual lunatic. Just the flavourful element of fun in CKII that you have to deal with.

Heirs must also be carefully chosen and groomed to ensure the transition to the throne on your death goes smoothly. Or else, the vassals will revolt and put someone else on your throne. So there’s nothing wrong marrying your sister/aunt/mother/daughter to ensure your heir inherits good traits that would make them popular to your vassals. Of course, there’s the occasional premature death, you end up as a child ruler, the vassals are revolting because they don’t see you as a mature adult fit to rule them and your personal spymaster is plotting to assassinate you. But that’s just one of the many obstacles you have to face in CKII. Hopefully, the previous guy saved up enough money for you to inherit and hire mercenaries to aid your army in fighting off the rebels.

There's actually no true endgoals to win the game. You play until 1453 AD and what you do with your time until then is up to you and whatever self-imposed challenges you’ve made. Be the king of England and wish to unite Scotland and Ireland into the Britannia empire and then storm France through Normandy? Go for it. A traitorous count in the Byzantine empire with a desire to overthrow your emperor so that your dynasty may rule it instead? Nothing’s stopping you. Be a possessed lunatic, convert to heresy or a foreign faith and spread said faith through Europe by force? Very hard but possible.

The base game only lets you play as a Christian European ruler but that’s enough for a sufficient crusader king experience. Many playstyles and start locations are available to the player, even more with the DLCs, giving it solid replayability value.

A list of the main highlights of the DLCs for those wishing for more content. I’m only reviewing those I currently have.

Old Gods DLC
• Pushes the start date back to 879 AD and lets you play as one of the Pagan religions, such as the Norse Vikings and Mongol hordes. Terrorise Europe, and the whole world while you’re at it, and instil your own brand of paganism as the major religious power.
  
  I highly recommend it due to the new start date which gives a different scenario to play in for any kind of ruler. The pagan gameplay mechanisms are also interesting such as Germanic Vikings being able to pillage coastal provinces, Tengri Mongols able to seize entire kingdoms, defensive pagans such as the Romuva and Slavics having huge defence boost against foreign invader(excluding other pagans) and the decision to reform a pagan faith into a more powerful religion.
  
  Sons of Abraham DLC
  
• Lets you borrow money from the Jews, expel the Jews from your land and then borrow even more money from the Jews. Without intending to pay it back of course.
  
• Lets you play as a Jewish ruler. You can then choose to reclaim the kingdom of David (AKA Jerusalem) from the hands of the Christians/Muslims/whoever-is-controlling-it-that-is-not-you. That’ll teach them for stealing your money and expelling you from their lands.
  
• A chance that your wife may birth the Antichrist who would, if not stopped, proceed to kill all other eligible heirs you have so that it would be your only heir to inherit your titles. And once you die and get to play the evil heretic that happens to be next in line for the throne, you get a loyal unholy army gifted by Satan and commandeered by three powerful witches. Neat.
  
• Opens up the College of Cardinals. Helpful for Catholics since you can elect your personal candidate to become Pope. Popes that likes you can grant you money, free divorce, permission to invade other rulers or even a crusade against infidels.
  
  I recommend this DLC due to the extra benefits from the Pope and also the exploitation of the Jews. Also, Satan.
  
  Legacy of Rome DLC
  
• Adds more content playing as the Byzantine empire such as castrating and blinding captured prisoners of war from the Arabian empires next door when they miserably failed to take over your holy lands. Also allows history to be drastically altered by mending the Great Schism. Achieved by capturing the Papacy and kicking the Catholic popes out of Rome, thus ensuring Orthodoxy status as the true faith. If you want to push it even further, reconquer the old Roman Empire of SPQR back in 117 AD.
  
  Sword of Islam DLC
  
• Allows the Muslim rulers to be playable. Rule as the Caliph and wage jihad against the infidels and protect Jerusalem at all costs from the crusaders. Or play as another Muslim ruler and take the Caliph title for yourself from the Caliph’s cold dead hands. Preserve the purity of your dynasty by making sure none of your dynasty members grow decadent. If they do, a stay in a jail cell and a meeting with the executioner axe solves the problem permanently.
  
  Rajas of India DLC
  
• Not my favourite DLC but it does add some variety to the game. The Indian rulers in the Indian subcontinent becomes playable and three new religions to choose from (Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism). Each of these religions has their own special mechanics with Jainism benefitting stable peaceful rule, Hinduism granting military power and Buddhism a mix of both. Become the Chakravarti that unified India, preferably under a single faith, and maybe bring the glory of Shiva/Kali/Buddha/Mahavira to the rest of the world.