Crusades impossible?

[unmerged(173313)]

I've started some games as Kingdom of England and Duchy of Flanders, both 1066 games, and I get massive reputation from crusades. I have DV and the improvement pack(latest edition) and the wales add-on. Instead of the provinces automatically switching hands from a successful siege, I have to get them from peace deals which results in a lot of badboy for no reason. Crusades are an easy way to get a lot of piety and are an important part of the game, yet I can't partake in them.

Can someone help me out with this? Is there a way to restore it to normal, where the provinces go to whichever christian conquered them?

 

[Veldmaarschalk]

Can someone help me out with this? Is there a way to restore it to normal, where the provinces go to whichever christian conquered them?

In DV you get BB from taking provinces from Muslims and Pagans. There is no way to change that.

It is done to make the game harder. Before this, it was just to easy to conquer large parts of the map without any drawback.


You need to plan your conquests more carefully and don't take to many provinces in one war, you can f.e. force-vassalize muslims and pagans, that won't give you BB.

Another way to expand without hurting your reputation goes as follows (an example)

1. Conquer 6 province
2. Make peace and take 2 provinces (=2x2=4BB)
3. Give up the claims you have on the other 4 provinces (=4x-1BB=-4BB). You automatically get a claim on a province that you conquer from a religious enemy

You now have gained 2 provinces without any BB gain

 

[unmerged(173313)]

In DV you get BB from taking provinces from Muslims and Pagans. There is no way to change that.

It is done to make the game harder. Before this, it was just to easy to conquer large parts of the map without any drawback.


You need to plan your conquests more carefully and don't take to many provinces in one war, you can f.e. force-vassalize muslims and pagans, that won't give you BB.

Another way to expand without hurting your reputation goes as follows (an example)

1. Conquer 6 province
2. Make peace and take 2 provinces (=2x2=4BB)
3. Give up the claims you have on the other 4 provinces (=4x-1BB=-4BB). You automatically get a claim on a province that you conquer from a religious enemy

You now have gained 2 provinces without any BB gain

Thank you. That's answered my question. Now for another one...

As KoE around 1095, William died and his son took over. I had only a slightly tarnished reputation, yet all my vassals except about 3 dropped to 0 loyalty. Even Robert's family members(his sons and brother) couldn't stand him, and they were dropping at rates as ridiculous as 3% a month. All of them said "due to character traits" for this, and eventually I wound up with realm duress trying to repeat the trick I used with William of decisively crushing disloyal vassals before the rest can get any ideas. Could someone help me out on this?

 

[TempestDK]

Thank you. That's answered my question. Now for another one...

As KoE around 1095, William died and his son took over. I had only a slightly tarnished reputation, yet all my vassals except about 3 dropped to 0 loyalty. Even Robert's family members(his sons and brother) couldn't stand him, and they were dropping at rates as ridiculous as 3% a month. All of them said "due to character traits" for this, and eventually I wound up with realm duress trying to repeat the trick I used with William of decisively crushing disloyal vassals before the rest can get any ideas. Could someone help me out on this?

What traits does your new king have?? ... if he is a heretic or kinslayer, then don't expect alot of loyalty from your subjects.

Having awful kings is part of the game, and sometimes there isn't much you can do to keep the peace. You just have to live through it and hope the next in line is a bit better

 

[Veldmaarschalk]

As KoE around 1095, William died and his son took over. I had only a slightly tarnished reputation, yet all my vassals except about 3 dropped to 0 loyalty. Even Robert's family members(his sons and brother) couldn't stand him, and they were dropping at rates as ridiculous as 3% a month. All of them said "due to character traits" for this, and eventually I wound up with realm duress trying to repeat the trick I used with William of decisively crushing disloyal vassals before the rest can get any ideas. Could someone help me out on this?

Well your new king has some traits that make him disliked by almost everybody. Possibly he is excommunicated or a kinslayer. So check which traits he has.

With a good chancellor (+15 in diplomacy f.e.) you can try to offset this loyaltyloss from your vassals, also lowering your scutage will increase the loyalty and getting feudal contract law also helps.

 

[unmerged(173313)]

Well your new king has some traits that make him disliked by almost everybody. Possibly he is excommunicated or a kinslayer. So check which traits he has.

With a good chancellor (+15 in diplomacy f.e.) you can try to offset this loyaltyloss from your vassals, also lowering your scutage will increase the loyalty and getting feudal contract law also helps.

His chancellor has 16 diplomacy, his only negative traits are lisp and coward, and the loyalty dropped to 0 instantly after William died. I wish William could live forever... he did incredible things for my England.

At any rate, I'll try and hold the line, white peace a few, force vassalize a few, wait for things to settle down. The same thing happend to Douwe van Vlaanderen, the cowardly duke of Flanders. I had to fight about 4 wars per vassal when he took the reins at 6 years old, then things settled down and he lived into his 70s, shockingly enough. He never lost the coward trait either, no matter how many enemy commanders he dueled or pirate ships he personally boarded. Strange how he could be romantic, valorous and a coward at the same time...

Thanks for your answers and time, I'll try and push through it.

 

[Veldmaarschalk]

His chancellor has 16 diplomacy, his only negative traits are lisp and coward, and the loyalty dropped to 0 instantly after William died. I wish William could live forever... he did incredible things for my England.
i

Everytime you get a new king, there is a -50% loyalty drop for all your vassals.

 

[Snaake]

Another way to expand without hurting your reputation goes as follows (an example)

1. Conquer 6 province
2. Make peace and take 2 provinces (=2x2=4BB)
3. Give up the claims you have on the other 4 provinces (=4x-1BB=-4BB). You automatically get a claim on a province that you conquer from a religious enemy

You now have gained 2 provinces without any BB gain

Better yet, conquer (for the sake of example, you'll be kicking major Muslim ass) 6 provinces, take them all in the peace, you get 12 BB (still not too bad if you started out with 0, and you won't have this for long). Then go to war against someone else, specifically targeting the weak one-province sheiks (if you made peace with their liege and not them, do you even lose prestige, I can't remember?). Conquer 12, force-vassalize them and recognize their claims to their respective fiefs, and voila, -12 BB.

Or more realistically, what I do when fighting someone pretty big: Go around cutting into their military strength by beating their vassals first (more usual with infidels, since it basically costs nothing to DoW the numerous sheiks and emirs), and do this so you actually seize the lands of some, but then in the next couple of peaces just vassalize to lower BB again.