Crusader Kings III

This is my work in progress Corlys Velaryon. Definitely think I need to make the face longer and tweak the eye area somewhat.


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It would be great if more Nk3 series inspired by Games played were written on this site. or with CK2 with characters or houses from Game of Thrones, like the Targaryens and see how you would change Westeros with your decisions and be able to make us participate in it, writing it as a TL AU line.
 
Got this game and all DLC for Christmas (finally). Absolutely loving it. I've been living out my fantasy of a Viking-ruled England (hybridised Norse/Anglo-Saxon - I Varangian Adventured my character into East Anglia, went on to spend years conquering Mercia and Wessex, did some "promote culture" and "convert religion" (Asatru - kind of bugs me that they went with the modern Icelandic name but anyway) for a while and then took on Jorvik.

So much fun. Next round I might try and conquer Byzantium as a Hellenic.

I'm looking forward to further expansions, both in terms of gameplay and the roleplaying aspect. I only wish there were yet more European pagan religions to choose from, though. I had another fantasy of starting as a minor pagan Anglo-Saxon and returning England to the old ways, but no such religion exists in-game. I suppose that makes sense - although it certainly wouldn't have been entirely wiped out by 846 information about it is so scant that the devs probably couldn't do much with it even if they wanted to. Celtic paganism would be fun to play as well.

Also, I know it isn't entirely in the spirit of the game, but taking the dates back to, say, to the 7th Century would be a lot of fun, too. Or, a bit later, playing as the pagan Old Saxons and fighting back against Charlemagne could be a laugh.
 
I only wish there were yet more European pagan religions to choose from, though
I think that one can be solved with mods. I vaguely remember one mod that did exactly that and added old pagan faiths.
Also, I know it isn't entirely in the spirit of the game, but taking the dates back to, say, to the 7th Century would be a lot of fun, too.
Then you'd probably love The Fallen Eagle Total Conversion. It goes actually even further back that what you want but you can play as early as the Vth Century.

In other news, the Devs are producing a new event DLC in the veins of Friends and Foes next. And there is a poll to let the players choose which one between
  • Villains & Vagabonds - Focused on Dread and Tyranny
  • Wards & Wardens - Focused on children
  • Love & Lust - Focused on Romance and Love
Don't know about you but I think I know which one is going to win...
 
In other news, the Devs are producing a new event DLC in the veins of Friends and Foes next. And there is a poll to let the players choose which one between
  • Villains & Vagabonds - Focused on Dread and Tyranny
  • Wards & Wardens - Focused on children
  • Love & Lust - Focused on Romance and Love
Don't know about you but I think I know which one is going to win...
Last time I checked, Love & Lust was actually last which is a surprise.

Personally I hope for Wards and Wardens, in the hopes of anything resembling a Regency or better still, interregnum mechanics.
 
I am incredibly proud of the CK3 run I did where I created the Kingdom of Mann and the Isles, only now with a warrior-monk tradition because warrior-monks are badass.
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For context, basically all of my vassals in the Kingdom of Mann and the Isles are also Gunarrsons.

Mythicism is sort of based on how Christians in Iceland rationalized Norse mythology as their old gods being ancient heroes who their ancestors mistook for gods, only applied to basically all pagan religions. They diverge from Christianity in that they believe these heroes of old should be studied and revered rather than reviled and smeared as demons. Not sure what they'd make of the Aztecs though.

Lastly, Manx is a combination of the Cumbrian, Irish, Gaelic, and Norse cultures. First, I hybridized Norse and Gaelic to from the Old Manx culture. Then, I hybridized the Old Manx culture with the Cumbrian culture to form the Manx-Cumbrian culture. Lastly, the current "modern" Manx culture is a hybrid of Manx-Cumbrian and Irish.

Ignoring everything the map shows outside of the Kingdom of Mann and the Isles, one wonders what effects a dynasty like the Gunarrsons, a culture like the Manx, and a religion like Mythicism being present in the British Isles would effect history. Assuming the Kingdom of Mann and the Isles continues to repel Catholic holy wars and retain its independence until the present, what would this region of the world with centuries-long traditions of gender equality, communal land ownership, and warrior monestaries would look like in the modern day, what its effects on history would be, and how it would be seen in pop culture? Anyone else interested in these questions?
 
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Last time I checked, Love & Lust was actually last which is a surprise.
...Huh. Weird.

Especially considering a few of the most subscribed mods on Steam.

Plus, with all the whackyness about seduction and the fact this is a game where you have to have kids to keep playing, I'd thought this would be winning by a landslide. Love & Lust events are sure to increase fertility after all.
Personally I hope for Wards and Wardens, in the hopes of anything resembling a Regency or better still, interregnum mechanics.
Last I checked it was the one in the lead by a rather big margin. So it looks like it will be the one we'll get.
Not sure if we'll get Regency and interegnum mechanics but it could also lead to more family and education events which is good. From a roleplay point of view, it's also pretty interesting to have more events with your kids.

I'm kinda torn on Wards & Wardens and Love & Lust personnally for roleplay reasons.

Definitely hope we won't get Villains & Vagabonds though. Never really was fond on roleplaying an asshole...
Assuming the Kingdom of Mann and the Isles continues to repel Catholic holy wars and retain its independence until the present, what would this region of the world with centuries-long traditions of gender equality, communal land ownership, and warrior monestaries would look like in the modern day, what its effects on history would be, and how it would be seen in pop culture? Anyone else interested in these questions?
I would definitely love to see how far this goes.
 
Found an interesting quasi-exploit with Waaqi religion in Somalia. Start as a custom female ruler and it is insanely easy to pregnant your way to God-Empress. Basically, Sacred Childbirth seem to make birth complications nearly nonexistent, so you can much more easily take advantage of its piety bonuses. With some judicious conquest you can very quickly ramp up power and then reform the religion to make yourself God-Empress.

Downside of course is that this comes with a gigantic family swarm that's nearly impossible to manage.
 
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So, it has been awhile. I am a big fan of CK2 but haven't made the move. Now that it has had some time to shake out of the usual Paradox roll-out issues.... How does CK3 stack up the older game?
 
So, it has been awhile. I am a big fan of CK2 but haven't made the move. Now that it has had some time to shake out of the usual Paradox roll-out issues.... How does CK3 stack up the older game?

Graphics are better but there’s a lot that still needs to be fleshed out.
 
Graphics are better but there’s a lot that still needs to be fleshed out.
I'd argue the culture and religion system is also objectively better than it was in CK2. It's way more modular and you can have more fun with it. And there are also a few touches here and there that are great improvements. Finally, modding feels easier and there have been amazing mods created for the game.

But otherwise, yeah. In terms of content, CK3 is still lacking things compared to CK2. What you get with CK3 is still worth lots of fun and promises great things if it's fleshed out, but CK2 allowed you to do so many things that you're upset they're not yet in CK3.
 
there have been amazing mods created for the game.
Got any recommendations for mods that improve the vanilla? I.e., not mods that transform the map into Game of Thrones or Elder Kings or whatever.

I heard about a spouse-designing mod but I couldn't find it.

Also, do non up-to-date mods mess up the game? That seems to be the case for some games but not all - a couple of interesting mods I've found haven't been updated to the most recent version but I don't want to risk messing anything up by trying them.
 
Got any recommendations for mods that improve the vanilla? I.e., not mods that transform the map into Game of Thrones or Elder Kings or whatever.

I heard about a spouse-designing mod but I couldn't find it.

Also, do non up-to-date mods mess up the game? That seems to be the case for some games but not all - a couple of interesting mods I've found haven't been updated to the most recent version but I don't want to risk messing anything up by trying them.

EPE, CFP, Rice and MB+. You’ll also need to get the compatches for them to work together

EPE - Ethnicities & Portraits Expanded
CFP - Community Flavor Pack
RICE - Regional Immersion and Cultural Enhancement
MB+ - More Bookmarks +

Also the CK3 Human Phenotype Project and it’s compatches for the above four
 
Got any recommendations for mods that improve the vanilla?
I'll echo Sevarics' in the recommendations of the first three.

More Bookmarks+ is one that I don't use simply because i tend to pick the earliest start date (I like very long games). But if you want to try alternate scenarios you can.

Other possibilities I've seen, but you need to watch for possible compatches:
Cities of Wonders 3. Gives the option of upgrading your holdings even further, turning big cities into Megalopolis.
Partum Scuta. An overhaul of the emblems and coat-of-arms on the game. There is also this expansion that adds alternate dynamic Coat of Arms for some titles: if you restore the Roman Empire, the coat of arms isn't the same if your reformed it as the HRE, the Byzantines, Italians or pagans.
Adoption Options. It adds religious doctrines, cultural traditions and game rules that make adoption possible into the game, mostly based on historical forms. Wanted Roman style adoption? It gets you covered.
Cultures Expanded. Reshuffles the cultures on the map to be a bit more historical. Compatible with RICE, CFP and EPE.
Loyal to a Fault. It adds a loyalist faction that will fight with their liege should a rebellion happen.
Prisonners of War. Ever felt that Prisonners being automatically transfered to your dungeons was a limitation? Now these prisonners travel with the army that captured them and are only transferred to your dungeons if the army is back in your lands. Mostly suggesting here for the RP.
In My Humble Opinion. Shows what the opinion of your character would be of others (Vanilla only see how others feel about your character). If you want RP.
Unified UI. A giant compatch between several mods that affect the UI. Only get it if you have some of the mods on their list (some of the ones I recommend are).
Very Immersive Events and Tales. Tons of new events for the game, with game rules to customize their frequency and the ones you'll get (a few are superntural).
Holding Sprawl. Want to see your cities expand more than a simple castle on the map? This should do it.
Sinews of War. Reworks a lot of things to make the economy and population stuff more realistic. I normally don't use it but I've picked it because I'm curious...
More Interactive Vassals. Reworks the way vassals work: civil wars now turn into CK2 GoT Megawars and border vassals fight with you if you attack.
Muslim Enhancements. Mechanical improvements for the Muslim world.
Upgrade House Banners. Small mod but frankly your House banner should improve if your House becomes more famous...
Dynamic Trade Routes. A mod that aims to make the economy more realistic.
The Catholic Trinity. Brings back some features of CK2 like Investiture, the College of Cardinals, Anti-Popes and Sainthood. Also apparently makes the Papacy playable...
Councilor's experience trait. Adds traits for people who have sit on the Council: the more they stay on, the more experience they get and these traits reflect that.
Res Publica. Why would you want to play as a stinky feudal monarch when you can be a republic? This mods adds several playable republican governments.
Regency and ruler training. What it says on the title: it adds regency mechanics.
Missionnaries. New doctrine that allows you to decide whether or not your faith can send missionnaries to convert non-believers.
Governments+. Adds new governments to the game: Autocratic, Bureaucratic, Legionarry (Romans and successor states), Eranshar (Zoroastrian Persia), Nomadic (yes Nomads are back with this and they get migration mechanics), City-state (who said you had to be a Continental-sprawling Empire?), Islamic, Caliphal (For Islam) and Gupta (for India). They all come with unique mechanics to reflect their difference from the Vanilla ones.
Lifestyles Expandes - Prowess. Simply adds a new lifestyle for the Prowess attribute. Not really the most interesting but if you want to RP a character that cares more about fighting than everything else...
Better Marriage AI. Mostly because the AI can make stupid choices when deciding who to marry...
More Coat of Arms backgrounds. If you want more diversity to the Coat of Arms, especially when designing your own...
Displayed Birth and Death Dates. Mostly cosmetic but at least you don't have to look at the age of your character to remember when they were born or died...
Fullscreen Barbershop. This one's mostly if you want to make screenshots of your characters and seem them in full body. It's cosmetic but I like it...
Succession Expanded. New succession laws based on historical ones: Imperial Elelctive (Byzantium and Rome), Kurultai (Mongolic elective), Royal Elective (think Medieval Poland or Hungary), Mahestan Elective (Zoroastrian Persia), Outremer Elective (Crusader States) and Eldership (like CK2). It also adds mechanics to simulate the existence of co-emperors and co-kings. There are also a few other additions aimed around the theme.
Show me Your Council. You can now see who is on the council of AI rulers aside from their wife.
Inheritable Relations. Affects the relationship of a new ruler based on his predecessor. Adds some dynamic to the character's relationships.
Social Relations Expanded. This one is like the above but more for contemporaries. Having common friends or ennemies with someone now has an impact.
More Game Rules. New rules to tweak the game.
Ketaros's Interface is King. A mod that aims to improve the interface graphically. It also adds a few additions.
More Legacies. Additionnal Dynasty legacies.
Unit Packs Expanded. New unit packs for certain cultures. Compatible with CFP and EPE.

The ones I mentionned should be up-to-date and not affect the map.
Can't be sure about the compatibilities though... I haven't necessarilly tried of them with each other and keeping track of compatibility can be a bit of a pain... Hell, I've actually dived into modding a bit because of that. You'll have to check manually on their pages to see what is compatible with what.

Additionnal Options:
The Fallen Eagle. This one is technically a Total Conversion but in practice it's designed to add the Dark Ages to the game so it's a Historical one. I don't think it changes the set-up of the map and provinces but don't quote me on that... But if you ever want to start in 395 AD or 476 AD, this is the mod for that. Some of the mods I suggested also started as Fallen Eagle submods.
Rank and File. Reworks the way titles are given in the game depending on their relationship to the ruler (Dowager Queen, Crown Prince, etc...), make them dress apropriately (why would a dowager empress suddenly go back to wear lowly commoner robes?) and remove sick traits from the dead (because they are dead...) Not mentionning it with the others because it's technically in Beta, and thus not finished.
Fornication/Adultery split. Only suggesting that one because it's true that Fornication and Adultery are different crimes and shouldn't be treated by the same religious doctrine... Even if admittedly few religions authorize one if they forbid the other. Pick only if that really bothers you.
Ibn Battuta's Legacy 2. This mod does change the map... But only for historical purposes and to make the map more realistic. And mods aren't necessarilly build around the changes it brings. Only suggesting it because you might be looking for a more historical experience, but it's a map change technically...
Asia Expansion. Extends the map all the way to China and Japan. Sadly that makes it a Total Conversion... But with Historical purpose.
When The World Stopped Making Sense. An Alternative to the Fallen Eagle, but that does things differently. It has new bookmarks going from 476AD to the Charlemagne bookmark of CK2.
Show me Your Personnality. Breaksdown the personnality values of character. Picked it because I found it interesting but it's more gamey than anything else.
Height label for Ruler Designer. Might not be up to date. Is supposed to help you design the height of your character when you design him by giving a height value. Only pick if you really want to push that detail.
Cat's Coat of Arms Emblems. Adds more emblems to the games. Some of them are Fantasy ones (like the three-headed Targaryen dragon) but there are also additionnal historical heraldry ones (like a Dragon Rampant, a dragon that's standing up) or based on historical ones (like the Napoleonic Eagle). Not up-to-date according to the game but it's a graphic mode so it should work... There is also a submod that changes some of the historial coat of arms with dynamics.

The few Total Conversions I suggested here are because the ones you mentionned were all Fantasy-based ones so I'm not sure if you rule Total Conversion completely or simply wanted to look for more Historical mods.

(Damn, I may have gone overboard...)
I heard about a spouse-designing mod but I couldn't find it.
I think you might be talking about that one.

Sadly it's not up-to-date. And possibly abandonned...
I think I once saw someone who tried to update it, but he ran into a few nasty bugs he couldn't get rid off by his own admission.

A shame because I really liked the idea that I wasn't just designing my own lord but also his wife.

An alternative I've seen might be A New Sensible Family. It's a mod that lets you create your own family at the start via a special decision. You get to design not only your wife, but also your parents, siblings and children if you want. That being said, I have never tried it because I kinda like the idea of starting as a nobody with no known connection by historians and people of the time... so I don't know the quality. And the fact it's a decision and not a use of the ruler designer also made it less appealing to me as I feel it has more limitation than using a ruler-designer like engine. It's possible I passed on a great mod without knowing but I can't speak for certain.
Also, do non up-to-date mods mess up the game?
They can. It depends on what exactly they affect.

I think as a general rule mods that only affect graphics are relatively fine because they don't touch anything beyond playing on graphics. CFP and EPE are a bit of an exception but it's because they actually also change a few other files. But these two are regularly updated.
Also the CK3 Human Phenotype Project and it’s compatches for the above four
Didn't know about that one. I'd probably check it out.
Though if there are no compatch with EPE or CFP, I'll probably stick to those two.
 
@Yorel the Human Phenotype Project should have individual compatches for EPE, CFP, Rice and MB. I am using them altogether in my currently Laskaris-Batatzes runthrough.

I like it because it makes all the characters that pop up a lot more varied looking
 
^ It's interesting, because dynastic events drove much of European history even going into the 19th Century. I can't help but imagine a version of this game, or a similar one, that goes from the fall of the Roman Empire all the way through Europa Universalis' timeline.
 
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