Help create a Mega Campaign, Part 1: First game

[xlbeutel]

Hello! Lets get this started by me saying that I am very interested in doing a mega campaign. I have many of the paradox games and am willing to spend a bit of money to get whatever extra games/expansions are necessary.

There is a lot of information out there on mega campaigns that is contradictory, confusing, and hard to sift through. That's why I have created this thread, in order to figure out the details of my mega campaign.

Now, you may have noticed that the title of the thread says 'Part 1'. That is because this is going to be done incrementally, so the discussion in the comments can focus on deciding one aspect of the mega campaign at a time rather than all at once. Once I have decided on a choice (whatever the topic of the thread is), I will move on and create another thread that deals with another aspect of the campaign. Each subsequent thread will list the choices already made so there is no confusion. The mega campaign will not start until all parts are resolved.

Here are my broad general intentions for the campaign. 1. I want to end with Stellaris 2. I would prefer to start with one of the CK games perhaps 3. I would like to prevent blobbing too much. 4. Border gore should be somewhat minimized. Whether that means cleaning it up after each transition, or having mods that prevents border gore during the games, is a topic to be decided later. 4. I plan to make an AAr

(Note i am pretty ignorant on what games are compatible together and how converters work.)

Now, Here is the topic of the first thread. I need to decide on which game will be the will be the start of my mega campaign. The main Choices are CK2 or CK, but if there are any other obscure options, you can bring that up too. Please say why the one you chose is a better choice than the other. Keep in mind my main goals that I wrote above. Also if each game has different compatibility with converting to other games, please state that too.

I am excited to make this as it will end with a product that is not only mine, but all of ours. I'm hoping this will end up creating a concrete template that others can follow.

Now lets get started with designing this mega campaign together. Thank you!

 

[elektrizikekswerk]

The main Choices are CK2 or CK

CK2 has the big advantage that there is an official EU IV converter:
https://ck2.paradoxwikis.com/Europa_Universalis_4_Save_Converter

Plus, of course, it's the most current game. I'd prefer and advise to use the most current iteration of each franchise. So that would make
CK2 -> EU4 -> Vic2 -> HoI4 -> Stellaris

As said, for the first transition there is an official converter. All others have to be made by user mods. Personally I used this for EU4 -> Vic2 and this for Vic2 -> HoI4. (To access the links you'll need to register your respective copies of EU4 and HoI4 as described here: https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/foru...team-account-to-sync-your-owned-items.894506/). Both worked quite well when I did the transitions (even for multipalyer games) but that was some time ago. I don't know about the support for the most current versions of the respective games.
I never did a transition from HoI4 to Stellaris.

As for your goals:

1. I want to end with Stellaris

Ok

2. I would prefer to start with one of the CK games perhaps 3.

3? I guess that's a typo? Otherwise that may last some time until they announce - let alone release - that game... In case it was a typo, use 2, as said above. To put the "mega" in Mega-Campaign get yourself the Charlemagne DLC and start in the 8th century.

3. I would like to prevent blobbing too much.

Well, then don't I think that's the hardest part. Maybe just stick to a limited geographical area or other goal posts? Examples: Francia in CK2, Colonial expansion in EU IV, Industrial growth in Vic2 only to make the world conquest in HoI so you have a "unified" Earth for the jump to the stars in Stellaris.

4. Border gore should be somewhat minimized.

As you yourself suggested you could edit the savegames prior to/after each transition. While in the game it's up to you how to prevent that. Shouldn't be that hard. You always could give lands to your vasalls or whatever.

4. I plan to make an AAr

I hope so

 

[Woifee]

Wait for the next DLC. There will be a mechanic might or might not some border gore issues.

But the converter will be broken for werks I assume.

You might be abnle to ensure better borders by maling all the other kingdoms your tributary.

In the transfer files you just can end the tributary in the files.

 

[Susanna]

Definitely CK2 rather than the original CK. (I played it to death, bless its little heart, but it's not even a pale shade of CK2.)

 

[TinWiz]

Agree with waiting for Holy Fury to start this, to use the rule that limits border gore, and go with CK2 -> EU4 since those are the only games with an official converter support.

It's a lot of fun to export a CK2 game into EU4; it reminds me of those RPG series where you can import a save from an earlier game. Really great idea and something I hope Paradox continues to develop for their future games.

 

[Knuf Wons]

Wait until Imperator: Rome comes out to push the start date back even further, then use CK2 with Charlemagne and the Converter DLCs for best effect.

 

[Kazanov]

I once tried to do a Poland goes into space megacampaign. But i lost the save...so always back up your saves

Wait until Imperator: Rome comes out to push the start date back even further, then use CK2 with Charlemagne and the Converter DLCs for best effect.

Then wait until vicky 3, ot until ck4 releases xd?

 

[Knuf Wons]

Imperator is only coming out in early next year, and since the year is nearly over it’s not so ridiculous to wait until it comes out for a megacampaign. But I will admit a modicum of facetiousness in that suggestion .

 

[Truewhit]

Play as a Muslim Taifa in 1066. I reccomend the Zirids due to their facinating history. Only take land in Iberia and Morocco. Leave one Iberian Christian state as a tributary until you take it in eu4. This is so you will always have to deal with the reconquesta. Colonize the new world like Spain did and play as a rebel colony so in Vic 2 you are not a super power. Call it "Mazula".

 

[Jaang]

I recommend starting in CK2 at the 769 start date, converting to EU4 using the official CK2->EU4 converter. That alone is a massive undertaking if doing an AAR, so worry about what will happen after 1452, when/if you get to 1452.


Also, if you plan on playing this same mega-campaign in Stellaris as an end-point, then that means you plan for the planet to be unified under one government at some point... and, if that is your plan... then know that an average player with average luck and average knowledge of the game mechanics who was actively working towards a world conquest, would have no problem doing that from a one-county start in 769 CK2 by the time the 1800s rolled around in EU4... so are any other games besides CK2->EU4->Stellaris necessary/desirable for your mega campaign?


That's a question to ponder... but isn't really necessary to actually decide on before you reach the end date of EU4 anyway.

 

[Falhxer]

There are many ckii mods that avoid bordergores, also with holy furry the exclave seems to be solved ? (Not owning holy furry, since I'm already working hard on my converted eu4 mod.) Said so, i could suggest, even if u blob, in ckii, try to roleplay ur rules. That means that a lunatic, crazy or power obsessed or cruel charatcher or even pretenders could possibly break a kingdom apart especially an empire. Nice to roleplay and say it had influence over countries spreading "civilization" to the barbaric Germanic tribes or spreading Islam to India or establishing a norse kingdom in Sicily and Greece. What I mean, blobbing for some centuries is ok. As long as u collapse to a more reasoning size later for eu4. Also I'll suggest a mod that avoids culture conversion. It's something called like "vassal culture spread" that means that they will keep their culture and will NOT convert to yours so ull have ethically more diverse countries in eu4.

 

[Susanna]

The 3.0 patch even without Holy Fury takes care of exclaves.

 

[Stolen Rutters]

Imperator is only coming out in early next year, and since the year is nearly over it’s not so ridiculous to wait until it comes out for a megacampaign. But I will admit a modicum of facetiousness in that suggestion .

Such a big gap between Augustus and Charlemagne (sob). I think paradox is missing a game.

 

[xlbeutel]

CK2 has the big advantage that there is an official EU IV converter:
https://ck2.paradoxwikis.com/Europa_Universalis_4_Save_Converter

Plus, of course, it's the most current game. I'd prefer and advise to use the most current iteration of each franchise. So that would make
CK2 -> EU4 -> Vic2 -> HoI4 -> Stellaris

You're comment was really Helpful. I will use all of this information in the future when planning this. I really hope you will answer questions on future planning threads! (I'm making the next one now)

Wait until Imperator: Rome comes out to push the start date back even further, then use CK2 with Charlemagne and the Converter DLCs for best effect.

Thanks for the suggestion . I appreciate the half-jokingness of this idea. I can only imagine the border gore if the start date was pushed back that far. It would be a nightmare.

I recommend starting in CK2 at the 769 start date, converting to EU4 using the official CK2->EU4 converter. That alone is a massive undertaking if doing an AAR, so worry about what will happen after 1452, when/if you get to 1452.
That's a question to ponder... but isn't really necessary to actually decide on before you reach the end date of EU4 anyway.

I do plan to roleplay my rules as a blobbing counter measure, but actual rules I will set on myself will be set in future threads.

Thank you all for your imput! From answers here and on reddit I have decided to got with CK2 as my first game. I have created the next thread for the panning, where we discuss the DLC's that I should get for CK 2. Here it is: https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/foru...eate-a-mega-campaign-part-2-ck2-dlcs.1130880/