Crusader Kings II: Introducing the Monarch's Journey [Questions Thread]

[Heavy Industries]

The challenge to have sons is kicking my ass with awful RNG.

Even when I'm not cursed with a wife that turns celibate after her first pregnancy, or who gets sick and dies, or whatever other random calamity makes more heirs unobtainable, I just can't manage to get anything more than a single son. I'll have five daughters in a row, and then just before my sixth child is born and I find out it's a male, my original bastard who I legitimized will die randomly and I'm back down to just a single male heir.

I've restarted so many times now trying to manage this. It's super frustating.

It probably doesn't help that I don't have any DLC for things like Focuses, or other ways to increase fertility and improve my chances. I basically just marry the best Lustful wife I can and then wait around for awhile until some random nonsense causes me to have to restart.

Could future challenges please not be entirely RNG based? Or if they are, can they please not be on a timer?

 

[Sebtombs]

I’m loving this this mode at the moment. I’ve managed a full score in iron man in two of the three but am utterly unable to kill Williams family! I’ve played through twice and they keep dying off and not at my hand! The closest I got was in marrying into the dynasty and then becoming King of England and Breton at the same time but that resulted in absolute chaos and I lost both kingdoms and all Williams family died out! I’ll keep going but just wanted to say I’m really liking this mode and the challenges! Thank you.

 

[Vindahl]

I really think this Monarchs Journey sounds awful. So, I am forced to play in some specific way in order to get content for the next CK3? Or else I am gonna live without it or being forced to buy them later. That is not a reward - it is a punishment for us who do not have time to play as much.

I have for long felt that Paradox have exploited the fans and the game, with all these minor dlcs, which they have sold us. I already fear that CK3 will be even worse, and end up being a monthly expense for us, if we want more content.

I loved CK1 and the simplicity of it, and I was blown away with the original CK2. But for every DLC, the game felt more and more complicated and hollow, and it lost part of its charm. I could not keep up with all the new stuff and sadly no longer have so much interest in it. It is like a TV-show that keeps making new seasons, which results in a far-stretched and boring story, with too many complicated details. And for me, CK3 seems like yet another spin-off, so I dont know if I wanna go that way really.

 

[Gabriel G.N]

I really think this Monarchs Journey sounds awful. So, I am forced to play in some specific way in order to get content for the next CK3? Or else I am gonna live without it or being forced to buy them later. That is not a reward - it is a punishment for us who do not have time to play as much.

I have for long felt that Paradox have exploited the fans and the game, with all these minor dlcs, which they have sold us. I already fear that CK3 will be even worse, and end up being a monthly expense for us, if we want more content.

I loved CK1 and the simplicity of it, and I was blown away with the original CK2. But for every DLC, the game felt more and more complicated and hollow, and it lost part of its charm. I could not keep up with all the new stuff and sadly no longer have so much interest in it. It is like a TV-show that keeps making new seasons, which results in a far-stretched and boring story, with too many complicated details. And for me, CK3 seems like yet another spin-off, so I dont know if I wanna go that way really.

Can u help me how to play as a vassal in CK1? I'm trying but i don't know how to. How to have alliences in that game? I tried with marriages and increasing opinion with my neighbours, but the marriage option stills grey, i can't declare war against neighbours counties because i'm a count too and every time that i have a ''grab title'' option to press my enemy titles they have more than 20k troops in comparison to 3k max on my side because of they aliances. Without alliances in my side seems to be impossible to win something as a vassal, so i do not know how to do.

 

[Vindahl]

Can u help me how to play as a vassal in CK1? I'm trying but i don't know how to. How to have alliences in that game? I tried with marriages and increasing opinion with my neighbours, but the marriage option stills grey, i can't declare war against neighbours counties because i'm a count too and every time that i have a ''grab title'' option to press my enemy titles they have more than 20k troops in comparison to 3k max on my side because of they aliances. Without alliances in my side seems to be impossible to win something as a vassal, so i do not know how to do.

Seems a bit off-topic, and I am sure there are good guides out there. But as far as I remember, you needed to win Independence first, in order to play an almighty conquerror. Sure there have been improvements to the game, but I just have some great memories from that game and no matter its flaws, it was still an amazing RPG. And I guess a lot of people have good memories of simpler games from the past.

I cannot see what CK3 brings to the table! It is a business of course, to a succesful franchise, but I just dont approve the direction, where it already feels like they intend to break a whole new game up in a vanilla part, and extra content.

 

[Gabriel G.N]

Seems a bit off-topic, and I am sure there are good guides out there. But as far as I remember, you needed to win Independence first, in order to play an almighty conquerror. Sure there have been improvements to the game, but I just have some great memories from that game and no matter its flaws, it was still an amazing RPG. And I guess a lot of people have good memories of simpler games from the past.

I cannot see what CK3 brings to the table! It is a business of course, to a succesful franchise, but I just dont approve the direction, where it already feels like they intend to break a whole new game up in a vanilla part, and extra content.

Trust me, have no valid guides about vassals out there, but thanks anyway!

 

[mrinku]

The challenge to have sons is kicking my ass with awful RNG.

Even when I'm not cursed with a wife that turns celibate after her first pregnancy, or who gets sick and dies, or whatever other random calamity makes more heirs unobtainable, I just can't manage to get anything more than a single son. I'll have five daughters in a row, and then just before my sixth child is born and I find out it's a male, my original bastard who I legitimized will die randomly and I'm back down to just a single male heir.

I've restarted so many times now trying to manage this. It's super frustating.

It probably doesn't help that I don't have any DLC for things like Focuses, or other ways to increase fertility and improve my chances. I basically just marry the best Lustful wife I can and then wait around for awhile until some random nonsense causes me to have to restart.

Could future challenges please not be entirely RNG based? Or if they are, can they please not be on a timer?

Few things here.

1) I'm guessing you're playing with the free base game plus Old Gods you also got for free for signing up.

2) Can't really blame Paradox for throwing that one in. Probably going to be a few sales out of it from people without the DLC that makes a challenge easy. Expect that to continue.

3) You don't need to complete it to get the beard. And can come back to it at any time I you find you do need the points later on.

4) Concubines. Get a pagan courtier, marry her, convert to her faith and take three fertile ladies as extras.

5) Lovers through old school random events. There are quite a few of these aside from ye good olde random tumble. Throwing a winter feast each year is a good start, as there's a random event that can fire in that for you to seduce a random vassal's wife or daughter.

6) If you're bitching about a wife dying, this may not be the game for you. Dead spouse = opportunity.

 

[the_dinks]

Just finished all three challenges. Here's some tips:

1. Take seduction focus as your first ruler. Your priority is to pump out as many sons as possible. You start with an illegitimate bastard, but you can just wait until you have five sons to legitimize him fully. If you're worried about succession, tanistry or elective monarchy are your friends

2. Only the first goal, siring 6 sons as your first ruler, has a time limit. Take your time with the rest.

3. There are two provinces in England you can snag--Devon and Cornwall--that will be easier than going after France right away.

4. William de Normandie died a failure in my game but it was still fairly trivial to kill off his descendants. Don't worry about rushing to get all his heirs. It may be easier if you let the vermin breed first so you have more options later. As always, kids set to inherit and child rulers are amazingly easy to find plotters for. You can also duel/imprison and execute the Bastard's descendants and it will count.

5. You can create a kingdom almost immediately. It won't give you any useful claims but who doesn't like that gold border?

6. If you're really struggling, try snatching up some Irish counties to give you a safe haven you can draw from and/or fall back on if times get tough.

Good luck! This challenge wasn't very hard, the only real challenge is making sure you're never too tempting of a target for the dastardly French and English. Good alliances and savings will help you, as always.

 

[Kaiser Lumbantobing]

So I've finished all the 3 challenge. I have like 18 points. I wonder what will happen if i restart the challenge, does the rewards resets too? And how to increase the rewards I currently have? Do we ave another featured ruler sooner?

 

[Moulton]

Rewards don't reset, I assume we have to wait for the next challenge to gain more points, at most you can have 18 atm I think.

 

[Karlington]

So... are we going to talk about the fact that you folks chose Konan II as the character for this fun romp but didn't solve the typo that made his predecessor be written as Conan, so they are not considered as having the same name and thus Konan II is Konan ler in game? lol

Nope. The policy is that any time someone opens with "Are we going to talk about..." then that's it.

 

[Ed Mike]

So I've finished all the 3 challenge. I have like 18 points. I wonder what will happen if i restart the challenge, does the rewards resets too? And how to increase the rewards I currently have? Do we ave another featured ruler sooner?

Since they said there would be a new challenge every two weeks, I'm assuming another one will appear... next Sunday? I don't quite recall when it began.

 

[Ed Mike]

Nope. The policy is that any time someone opens with "Are we going to talk about..." then that's it.

Guess I should have used a different opener. lol

 

[Ed Mike]

Hey, is there a post for wild guesses at which historical charaters will be up next?

I'm one of THOSE guys, so I'm hoping for at least one run playing as an interesting female ruler.
Maybe Aliénor of Aquitaine, recreating the mess of plots, backstabbing and all the I-love-you-but-I-hate-you, "The Lion in Winter" style. hehe

 

[mrinku]

Hey, is there a post for wild guesses at which historical charaters will be up next?

I'm one of THOSE guys, so I'm hoping for at least one run playing as an interesting female ruler.
Maybe Aliénor of Aquitaine, recreating the mess of plots, backstabbing and all the I-love-you-but-I-hate-you, "The Lion in Winter" style. hehe

They've actually been testing Bronzeman for a few years - if you search on it in the forums you'll find threads about people that were (apparently) randomly selected to trial it. Some of the rulers used in that will probably come up. I'd FULLY expect several good female rulers - one classic challenge is to get a woman past childbearing age with no heirs or dynasty to do stuff, though TBH that's pretty much the same as "achieve it with this ruler".

I'd expect a tricky regency one at some point, too. These scenarios are meant to be instructive, after all.

My own go-to-hard-favourite (769 Faeroe) is unlikey to be used, unless they give away Charlemagne. The challenges pretty much have to be playable using free content. There may be some Old Gods start ones, though.

 

[Ed Mike]

one classic challenge is to get a woman past childbearing age with no heirs or dynasty to do stuff, though TBH that's pretty much the same as "achieve it with this ruler".

One of my funniest experiences with CK was deu to noticing a Christian old lady with muslim and landed son and grandson of another dynasty ruling smack-dab in the middle of Muslim Andalusia during Charlemagne. That made me curious so I went wikipedia-fishing for more info on her and her house. They were real and their history was very interesting. So I tried a quick run, just for the fun of it, to see how much an aged ruler could do. Created the Christian secret society (it was my only run using one of those). Managed to convert the whole Ummayyad dynasty, making that old cat the architect of a Christian Andalusian empire without a single war just as her own house died out. lol Cheeky and tricky old lady.

And there was I, happy and satisfied, ready for the Game Over... which obviously means she gained immortality. lol It was one of THOSE playthroughs.

 

[Fallender]

Should we give some advice here for new players? This is how I done it:

Spoiler

Marry the mother of the holy roman empire.
Fokus on seduction to enable a lot of kids because mommy is to old.
Ask the holy roman empire for alliance.
Watch the war in England and force war for Normandie as soon as you think you will be fine.
Let the holy roman empire win the war for you.
Now you have a lot of more lands and most of the to be killed persons are in your releam.
Continue wars for Great Britain and start killing of the dynasty but take care that are enough alive for the achivment.
Enjoy 18 Points.

 

[Karlington]

One of my funniest experiences with CK was deu to noticing a Christian old lady with muslim and landed son and grandson of another dynasty ruling smack-dab in the middle of Muslim Andalusia during Charlemagne. That made me curious so I went wikipedia-fishing for more info on her and her house. They were real and their history was very interesting. So I tried a quick run, just for the fun of it, to see how much an aged ruler could do. Created the Christian secret society (it was my only run using one of those). Managed to convert the whole Ummayyad dynasty, making that old cat the architect of a Christian Andalusian empire without a single war just as her own house died out. lol Cheeky and tricky old lady.

And there was I, happy and satisfied, ready for the Game Over... which obviously means she gained immortality. lol It was one of THOSE playthroughs.

What was the name of that lady?

 

[Ed Mike]

What was the name of that lady?

Adelgundis d'Oriola, countess of Denia, widow of Abd-al-Yabbar ibn Jatab (Abd-al-Yabbar Nadirid, sheik of Almansa ingame), 69 years old in 769.

The character of Adosinda is a stand in for the daughter of king Tudmir (duke Theodemiro of Murcia ingame), whose real name seems to be lost.
Her father was famous for the "Pact of Tudmir", also known as the "Treaty of Orihuela" (from which I'm guessing they took the surname Oriola.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Orihuela)

 

[Karlington]

Adelgundis d'Oriola, countess of Denia, widow of Abd-al-Yabbar ibn Jatab (Abd-al-Yabbar Nadirid, sheik of Almansa ingame), 69 years old in 769.

The character of Adosinda is a stand in for the daughter of king Tudmir (duke Theodemiro of Murcia ingame), whose real name seems to be lost.
Her father was famous for the "Pact of Tudmir", also known as the "Treaty of Orihuela" (from which I'm guessing they took the surname Oriola.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Orihuela)

Neat, thanks!