CK2 - Monarch's Journey - New Ruler Challenges [UPDATE JAN. 10]

[Cymsdale]

How do you avoid being crusaded hard in this one? Right now, there are about zillion crusaders stampeding though my lands and everything around.
Even though in the meantime Aztecs shown up and are doing the same things to their lands but they are still in Egypt, seemingly not wanting to defend their land (and my armies are wiped out already since i got swarmed by like dozen doomstacks at the same time).

This one does seem like a rough start. Obviously the best thing to do is turn on gender equality from the start. I made it my first order of business to kill my husband so I didn't lose my line. This did not go as planned and he rebelled at the same moment I got crusaded. Since everything was going to **** I just burned through the "kill landed people" goal by imprisoning random barons and executing them, so at least I got that one out of the way.

At this point I only need 20 more points total to unlock all the rewards, so I can probably afford to be picky about what challenges I bother to do depending on how many are left.

 

[orochi2k]

There are 3 goals which can be done in 3 play through.
1, The goal for family member number is very straight. I got it by kill the queen immediately and start to play her heir who is a male Muslim, set to seduce focus and just sit there making people.
2, The goal for killing landed people is also easy, just arrest your barons and execute them.
3, The goal for hold 4 queen titles is also relatively easy, you start with Egypt, can create 2 kingdoms, plus you can almost form kingdom of Arabic. That's 4 kingdoms.

 

[Vanhal]

Well, i was kinda surprised by the actual challeng of this. Namely, i did not seen any challenge here:
- Dynasty members are only a question of time, no problem, even if you got reduced to count in the meantime
- Killing is not hard to do too, you just do a burn out play and arrest some people or make them rebel, no big deal.
- Kingdoms? You get one at start and 2 more imediately formable. There are also some easy pickings around.
So by the description and actual historical turmoil i expected intense internal problems, but there are actually nothing, as soon as i got rid of the demesne too big malus everyone just started to eat from my hand.

And suddenly, crusaders, thousands of them.

Come on, PDX. That's low blow.

So: are there some tips how to avoid triggering crusade? I never had any problems with them because i mostly play early dates when they don't trigger by the time i still have to fear them.

 

[Spaninq]

The simplest method I can think of to deal with the imminent Crusades (which is probably annoying to pull off) is to 1st give birth to a daughter and marry her to one of the Ilkhanate's sons, since the Ilkhanate has 98k event troops at the start.

 

[Vanhal]

I actually managed to defeat the cruzergers, but it was pure luck, i completely ignored them and occupied the popeland, which gave me 58 % warscore and then the papa hat suddenly surrendered for completely no reason, since he had over 200k troops on my lands besieging literally everything.
This is not fun.
Fortunately, the actual fun came later, because i lost 90% army storming pope's holdings and independence faction which normally could kiss my boots suddenly spiked to over 200% and i lost some duchies, too bad one of them usurped my kingdom. Furthermore, Aztecs arrived and now everyone is dying left and right on the epidemic they brought. Too bad usurped kingdom claims are apprently not inherited so i lost this one permanently it seems.
Not that i care, there is only the dynasty slog to finish, but that's so boring it will probably take a lot more dedication than other ones just to start the game to do basically nothing. Though knowing my bad luck the hat dork will probably ignore the Aztecs and again crusade me.

 

[Wintermute83]

• Hold the Kingdoms of France and Aquitaine, completely controlling their de jure provinces, and form the Empire of Francia.
• Progress continues for as long as you play the featured ruler's dynasty.

Thank you!

Perhaps is the order, I formed the empire, then I controlled all the jure.

 

[HandicapdHippo]

You start with 3 great works in your territory in the latest challenge, burn them all down for extra money to fight the crusaders

 

[Vanhal]

You start with 3 great works in your territory in the latest challenge, burn them all down for extra money to fight the crusaders

This is a sound advice, though they have more than 10 times numerary advantage, and even if we factor stupid AI behaviour and arrival of muslim allies (which is usually late, fragmented and quartered in power because they are being intercepted onroute by superior numbers of crusader stacks) it's not nearly enough to hire enough mercs to actually defend from this particular crusade. Waiting for atrition is not working either, because there are really A LOT of stacks attacking this time and warscore is hitting 100% really fast, not giving you any time to outmaneuver them (well, except what i did to Rome, but it was just dumb luck and rng, if he did not surrender i would completely lost in next few months).

 

[fg109]

I was going to abdicate to my heir but then I decided to go north korea mode instead. I gave my husband and his heir tons of land to max their opinions, then imprisoned and executed them. I raised all my troops and then unpaused the game. Tried to imprison another vassal and the whole realm rose up in revolt. Using my 40K troops, I crushed the tyranny revolt and imprisoned all my vassals.

Unfortunately, a crusade was started against me so I didn't have time to go around executing everyone and reorganizing my realm. I occupied 3 of the pope's provinces then sailed back home to defend my territories. After ~3 years of fighting, finally got enough warscore to beat back the crusaders. Now I just need to keep popping out babies...

 

[Weirdsound]

This is a sound advice, though they have more than 10 times numerary advantage, and even if we factor stupid AI behaviour and arrival of muslim allies (which is usually late, fragmented and quartered in power because they are being intercepted onroute by superior numbers of crusader stacks) it's not nearly enough to hire enough mercs to actually defend from this particular crusade. Waiting for atrition is not working either, because there are really A LOT of stacks attacking this time and warscore is hitting 100% really fast, not giving you any time to outmaneuver them (well, except what i did to Rome, but it was just dumb luck and rng, if he did not surrender i would completely lost in next few months).

You could use the money instead to prepare for your exile to Arabia. Use faith focus, scum until you get a meditation event early so you can have the piety to legalize revocation, then use the money to create titles so you have the prestige to start revoking your dukes outside of dejure Egypt. When they refuse and go to war, you will have grounds to take their holdings and establish your demesne.

Alteratively, you could swear fealty to your Mongol neighbors, Hope they can swing their doomstack around in time to drive back the crusaders, and then take out their vassals from within to create the extra Kingdoms you need. If you are going to do this, loot your great works, and don't swear fealty until just before the Crusade starts to give em time to properly burn; They ain't going to do you much good anyway if you are not the top liege.

 

[mrinku]

Hmm... is converting an option to defuse the Crusaders? Doesn't have to be Catholic... Nestorian or Orthodox would do.

 

[Voy]

Hmm... is converting an option to defuse the Crusaders? Doesn't have to be Catholic... Nestorian or Orthodox would do.

The Copts are right there too.

 

[Reezy]

How do you avoid being crusaded hard in this one? Right now, there are about zillion crusaders stampeding though my lands and everything around.
Even though in the meantime Aztecs shown up and are doing the same things to their lands but they are still in Egypt, seemingly not wanting to defend their land (and my armies are wiped out already since i got swarmed by like dozen doomstacks at the same time).

You don't need to. Just let them win.

1. Give your brother many young lustful wives.
2. find some way to end your marriage. if you can't, no big deal. Just kill your children. People will hate you and hopefully you'll be assassinated AFTER completing the last two goals.
3. Form the kingdoms you are already able to. 3/4. Then take over a little bit of arabia (or in my case, a jihad for jerusalem gave me the 4th title).
4. During the crusade, pick off the smaller stacks and execute the prisoners. If you don't get the ones you need, just imprison/execute your barons. You'll lose the cursade, but who cares? All you have left to do is make babies.
5. After you're killed or assassinated, you'll become your brother. Seduction focus and make babies. The most effective method is to Vidi, Vici, Veni 4-5 women over and over while also having children with your wives.

 

[Dadoverde]

The Copts are right there too.

Yes, it's the key. With Ramadan, Hajj and transfer money from jews to Bektashis, it's near the 250 piety to secret conversion to Miaphysite.
If it's done before the Crusade starts, is cancelled and also easy to divorce, and only need a holy war to seize the fourth kingdom of Arabia.

 

[Liquid Ghost]

What happens if you convert mid-Crusade? Will the Crusade end inconclusively?

 

[Reezy]

What happens if you convert mid-Crusade? Will the Crusade end inconclusively?

No. It has to be done before.

 

[Ninking]

Converting to Miaphysite made the crusaders go for Anatolia instead! The only issue was getting enough prestige early enough to convert using the capital county decision, but it was easy with all the titles to create!
Definitely recommend this approach

 

[Weirdsound]

Hmm... is converting an option to defuse the Crusaders? Doesn't have to be Catholic... Nestorian or Orthodox would do.

I'd imagine Catholic would be the best option if you could make the switch early enough. Then you could *join* the crusade and get some real wealth going.

The Copts would be the safety pick, as Ninking said they are an easy faith to convert to. If you want to continue to play as a muslim, you could convert and (assuming you have no kids) get yourself killed after the crusade fires, putting your last male kinsman on the throne giving you a few decades to prepare for the next crusader threat.

If you don't plan on finishing up in one generation, Nestorian might also be a good pick. If you can get its heresy to spawn, and then convert, you have access to Absolute Cognatic succession (you will need a queen on the throne to complete the Kingdom challenge). Just avoid the temptation to go full meme and do divine marriage. You will want all your daughters matri-married to people outside your dynasty to speed up progress toward 80 dynastic characters.

 

[Liquid Ghost]

I went through the Miaphysite route, but I took a longer, harder path with more rewards.

1. Choose Intrigue Focus, choose any ambition except 'Groom Heir', maybe even leave it with no ambition.
2. Spy on your husband, he's trying to get you title and is not very good at hiding it, it won't take you long to find the proof.
3. Declare a Holy War on Jerusalem for Ascalon.
4. Give your heir some of your excess land, I gave him the whole Sinai in my case.
5. Go on a Hajj to Mecca. We're farming for Piety here, so choose the options that offer it, hopefully you get the Humble trait in the event chain.
6. Now comes the part where a lot of people have to die for your own benefit. Beat the weak Jerusalem army and divide your army in three to siege the three Ascalon provinces. By now the Pope has surely called a Crusade on you and everyone in Europe is gearing up preparing for it, you are on a timer and we need 250 piety now. Charge the holdings with your armies to get 100% score.
7. With the Hajj plus Ascalon you should have 250 piety. Find some Miaphysite boytoy, the Armenians are more prone to like you because of the shared culture, but you are probably going to have to buy a favor to get them to come to you. Remember councilmen and people with important relatives won't come even with a favor.
8. Surely you have the evidence to imprison your husband by now. Go ahead and do it. If you succeed on the arrest that's great, if you don't, then you have to hurry up and win that war. Once you do. Execute your husband. Your vassals won't like it, but it's a quicker way to divorce and you'll get one count on the murder challenge.
9. Marry your boytoy, secretly convert to Miaphysite , then reveal it publicly. Crusade crisis averted.
10. Now take a look at your husband, he sucks, doesn't he? A lowborn is probably the best you could do and you're married patrilineally to him. He has to go. Divorce him or kill him, he has served his purpose.
11. Get a better husband that will accept a matrilineal marriage. There's a Bagrationi bastard around that could do the trick.
12. By now your depleted troops and outrageous behavior, surely has fanned the flames of factionalism. You will get a demand from a faction. Don't acquiesce. Yes, they probably outnumber you, but they are divided, you can beat them piecemeal by piecemeal.
13. The war was quite long in my case, but I won eventually. Execute those guys and complete the murder challenge.
14. Eveyone fears you, you are Miaphysite and in a matrilineal marriage with two challenges to go. Get the "Groom an heir" ambition and Family focus. Time to make some babies and lick your wounds.

 

[Spaninq]

Find some Miaphysite boytoy, the Armenians are more prone to like you because of the shared culture, but you are probably going to have to buy a favor to get them to come to you.

This is completely unnecessary, since you're the top level liege and several provinces in East of the Nile are Miaphysite. Once you have 250 piety, just right-click the crest of one of your Miaphysite provinces and Adopt Secret Faith (Miaphysite). Then you can go public with your secret faith. I was Jihaded a few years later after I revealed as Miaphysite in my campaign, but the Caliph was weak, and his allies were too few.

Also, what hasn't really been mentioned elsewhere: You have the Mamluks mercenary company at your beck and call. Use them.