How do you expand?

[monsterfurby]

World Conquest or at least boundless expansion is something probably no one has never been tempted to try. In EU, it brings with itself the troubles associated with Badboy/Infamy, in Victoria your industry is crucial to the quest, and in HoI, tactics and strategy are at the issue's core.

However, the ways of expanding your realm in Crusader Kings is a bit more complex, offering several ways to do it - through smart marriage or waiting for the right time to conquer. I, for one, still feel like a newbie despite playing CK for years, as most of my games end with a territory just barely larger than the one I started with (unless I get lucky and inherit someone's crown).

So, without further ado, here's my question: how do YOU prefer to expand in CK? Share your ideas, tactics and hints with the world!

 

[Winchester]

I don't tend to go for world conquest as I am usually too engrossed in family matters, and in my most recent games I have set myself fairly modest targets (reconquer England for the Saxons as Northumberland, for example).

However, if it is remotely in keeping with my game - and either I or my heir apparent are childless, unmarried and of the right age - I will marry Agnes d'Aquitane in 1068, which is a pretty good pointer to how my mind works. As I play DVIP, a fair bit of luck is involved as if you get caught trying to assassinate an intervening heir the retribution can be pretty nasty; far more so than vanilla DV.

Marrying other rulers' daughters is my favourite way of mass expansion as I usually like to impose my culture on my realm, so the usual world conquest route of vasselising and cancelling claims in peace treaties to keep badboy in check is rarely appropriate, but I would do it if I am fighting someone of my culture. Other than that I just expand piecemeal, claiming individual territories and handing out new titles to members of my court with my culture.

 

[Keioel]

I try to pick my battles carefully and allow sufficient time for reputation to restore itself. My greatest success to date is as the Duke of Alwhatever becoming King of Sicily, Africa, and Mauritania plus a whole bunch of other stuff, game is still in progress. Easy to nail the Muslims as you don't have to grab their claims first but a wise claim grab can bring in other fish you want to nail without the associate hit for declaring war on them.

 

[monsterfurby]

I don't tend to go for world conquest as I am usually too engrossed in family matters, and in my most recent games I have set myself fairly modest targets (reconquer England for the Saxons as Northumberland, for example).

However, if it is remotely in keeping with my game - and either I or my heir apparent are childless, unmarried and of the right age - I will marry Agnes d'Aquitane in 1068, which is a pretty good pointer to how my mind works. As I play DVIP, a fair bit of luck is involved as if you get caught trying to assassinate an intervening heir the retribution can be pretty nasty; far more so than vanilla DV.

Marrying other rulers' daughters is my favourite way of mass expansion as I usually like to impose my culture on my realm, so the usual world conquest route of vasselising and cancelling claims in peace treaties to keep badboy in check is rarely appropriate, but I would do it if I am fighting someone of my culture. Other than that I just expand piecemeal, claiming individual territories and handing out new titles to members of my court with my culture.

I am the same way - more of a role player and consolidator rather than conqueror. Still, I usually play German states where true salic law is prominent, which pretty much rules out succession by marriage. At the same sime, the Emperor is quick to crush anyone who thinks to expand by more... traditional means. The fastest way to expand would probably be to play one of the baltic rim lords, who can expand into pagan lands through warfare and then proceed to pick off rebels once the Empire falls apart.

 

[xcrissxcrossx]

In about 80% of the games I play, the emperor is not a problem, since Germany collapses a few years in for me consistently.

 

[monsterfurby]

In about 80% of the games I play, the emperor is not a problem, since Germany collapses a few years in for me consistently.

Must have to do with me playing on low CPU aggression - usually I get just a few secessions during realm duress. The original Emperor usually does get toppled, but someone else (usually one of the *very* odd candidates) takes the crown and does a pretty decent job after that.