How do u think ck3 could achieve that with the current mechanics? I may or may not have a mod based on balancing the game and it does sound like an interesting idea to me, but i have no thoughts on how to do that in a way that would let AI achieve something sometimes too.
Coz sure, you could just cut all numbers 3 times, and that probably would achieve the desired effect, but will i make the steppe an interesting place to look at? Because lets be real, 90% of what 90% of the places in any given campaign get from the player is a look, a glance over them.
A few ways come to mind, with at least some historical backing:
Fertility should be more sharply limited and require, at least in some circumstances, proactively taking it from your neighbor in order to survive. Right now that doesn't really happen but if the steppes were less bountiful that would directly translate into less ability (or even inability) to hurt a serious sedentary state next door. It would also promote more competition between various steppe powers, which would in turn limit their ability to engage in farmer-bothering. Basically, make it a bad neighborhood to live in for the most part.
Secondly, unifying the steppes to any real degree should require a ruler who is both willing to make big promises and able to ensure they happen. Throughout the Han-Xiongnu conflict, it was noted that the Xiongnu's ruling class was essentially "buying" the support of other tribes. It was something that was a mix between status competition (I've got shinier stuff than you!), enticement and outright bribery at times. So in CK3 terms, nomadic followers should be sharply limited along family and cultural lines, with any extras brought in by "buying" them off with resources that mostly settled realms provide. It could just be burning renown or prestige directly for an opinion buff in pure mechanical terms, scaled so that you can't just max everyone at +100 forever but instead have to make some decisions and compromises.
Finally, force more points of contact between steppes and settled areas. Instead of herd being a nomad-only thing, it should be tied to anyone trying to raise large numbers of mounted MAAs. It should be a boon to army movement speed and supply capacity. Meanwhile, the steppes should be rich in horses but poor in literally everything else. It should be an equivalent -- but less immediately pressing -- requirement that they get the resources offered by settled societies to advance their cause on the steppes by equipping them with useful items like swords, iron and steel armor, etc., status-indicating things like wheat, silk, spices, etc. or useful skills in medicine, siegecraft, accounting. Mechanically, it could be something as simple as a "Traded for Horses"/"Traded for Goods" modifier that makes it easier to upgrade to cavalry MAAs for settled realms and armored for nomadic realms.
Overall though, the only way the steppes should be overrunning settled states is if a whole lot of things are going bad, all at once.
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