Crusader Kings II sees you take on the role of a landed noble. He breeds, lives, and dies. And then you play the next one. The simple goal of the game is to have your dynasty survive, without losing your land to better survivors.
And that would be a hell of a lot easier, if it wasn't for the nobles you play as.
You see, while you can change the legal systems of your land, join factions and pull all sorts of tricks to alter your relations with vassals and neighbours, you don't have as much control over Baron Nobhead as you'd like. For example, when you send him into battle, you'd better hope for the best, because there's a chance he'll come off all brave, and then come back catatonic. Or perhaps he'll drink just a little too much at his liege lord's feast, and spill the beans on that plot you carefully put together, to assassinate said liege lord.
Needless to say, a lot of the game can be spent in prison. Or in regency. Or at war. It's part of this grand strategy game that nearly every action has consequences with someone, yet the UI is surprisingly easy to pick up. All you have to do is set your own aims - much like in Minecraft, you set the projects, whether reconstructing the Roman Empire, unifying Spain, or fighting off the Mongols long enough to convert them to your own religion.
Faith plays an important role, as it did throughout the Medieval Era that is Crusader Kings II's setting. If you're Catholic, the Pope might excommunicate you at times, or call Crusades in which there's much glory to be won. If you belong to the Orthodox Faith however, prepare for the Patriarch to be completely under the control of the Byzantine Emperor.
The political situation you deal with entirely depends on where you decide to start. As a baron in Ireland, you can calmly exist on the fringe of things, waiting patiently for the day when you can snap up that small castle in Leinster, or, if Christmas is coming, perhaps even the Isle of Man. Oooh...
Or, play a vassal of the Holy Roman Empire, and secure your independence by picking your moment right. If you get it wrong, half the bearded sword-owning men of Europe will have a serious stabbing sesh.
It's this precise freedom that makes the game fun - and it's one reason why Paradox are still developing it - whereas their other grand strategy series such as Hearts of Iron are difficult to get into, Crusader Kings II manages to suck you in from the start. It's something to do with murderous family members, or pushing the King of England off a balcony. To me, it's a game of assassination, and intrigue. To others it's one of destabilisation, and alliances. The battles still often come down to which side has the larger numbers, but that's part of the fun, and if you pick your battlefield carefully, that alone can turn the tide.
I began as a minor lord ruling from the Grecian city of Corinth, at that time part of the Byzantine Empire. Taking advantage of strife between the Islamic rulers of Sicily and the Duke of Calabria, I conquered the island, bit by bit. By the time I had fabricated claims on Southern Italy (you need claims to declare war), the old emperor had died, and his 1 year-old-son had taken his place.
Declared regent, I debated whether to raise the boy as my own, or take the Empire myself. A greedy man, I went for the latter, and with an alliance of nobles I fabricated my own claim to the title of Emperor, and assumed power in a bloodless coup. I then set about recapturing the old Imperial seat of Rome, displacing the Catholic Pope and healing the Great Schism.
Sadly, in that time, the young boy-who-once-was-Emperor had grown into a rather resentful young man, whose lands I had forgotten to steal from him. Several attempts on my character's life aroused his suspicions, and as an excuse to arrest the upstart, he had the Ecumenical Patriarch excommunicate him. A quick castration of the lad, and my problem seemed to be solved - the claim would die with him. Or at least, so I thought, but his wife bore his child a few weeks later. A bribe to the maid, and the babe was quickly smothered, and I then embarked on a campaign of intrigue and assassination, in an attempt to remove all rival claimants.
At which point my mighty Emperor died of disease, and I realised that there had been an oversight. My carefully educated son had thrown caution to the wind, and married his cousin - and she'd brought an imbecilic, inbred baby into the world, just before the father and grandfather died. Guess who inherited?
Playing as Kiddy Drool, while rebellions rose all around me and my Empire crumbled, I reflected on the game.
It's very human you see. One oversight can ruin everything, but that's part of the fun. Is it worth the risk of arresting your son-in-law? Sure, he tried to kill you, but if he escapes the guards there'll be a full fledged rebellion. Do I declare war on these guys, or will France get involved? Murder? Slander? Snog? Marry? Avoid?
If it's your thing, you'll love it, and it will steal your hours. There's something very satisfying about rewriting history, whether it's England being ruled from Edinburgh, or a Shia conversion of France. Working out just what other leaders will get away with is part of the package, and you'll come to love or hate the characters you both work with and play as. There's Ned Stark, and there's Joffrey. Both come into play here.
Speaking of those eminent fellows, it's probably common knowledge by now, but CKII has a Game of Thrones mod. By all accounts too, it's very, very good, and should tide you over until that inevitable bloodbath next Spring.
Anyway, to round it up, I now consider myself a newly converted fan of Paradox - I see their games as more complex (and harder) versions of the Total War series. Medieval history is a great battleground to play around in - and it's a shame that only RPGs and strategy games ever seem to make much use of it.
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