Making Republics and Theocracies Playable - Am I the only one who didn't notice it?

[Lordy's]

When the game release I had a quick look if governments like republics and theocracies can be made playable with modding. As the government files do not have a "playable = yes/no", I thought, "well, quite sad".
When I had a look at the files today, I noticed the following entry in the scripted_rules file:

is_character_allowed_to_be_player = {
    custom_description = {
        text = "GAME_OVER_CANNOT_PLAY_THEOCRACY"
        NOT = { has_government = theocracy_government }
    }

    custom_description = {
        text = "GAME_OVER_CANNOT_PLAY_REPUBLIC"
        NOT = { has_government = republic_government }
    }
}

And one can actually make republics and theocracies playable by deleting these two lines.
Dear devs, I'm sorry for being totally blind and being a little bit disappointed about the supposed lack of this option.
Am I the only one who didn't notice that until now?

Anyone interested in making a republic/theocracy mod?

 

[sunbi-yolong]

What happens when you play them?? I have a feeling that succession will give you a game over but I’m curious!

 

[Ezumiyr]

There's this mod I didn't try because it doesn't explain what it does: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2216851503

 

[Ferrous Will]

You probably wouldn't want to play as them seeing as: A) theocracies and republics probably don't have any fleshed out mechanics anyways, and B) your game will be over upon character death. So you will just be playing a weird crippled version of feudal/clan/tribe government. Assuming the game doesn't bug out...

 

[Lordy's]

What happens when you play them?? I have a feeling that succession will give you a game over but I’m curious!

Yes, playing is possible but of course not having an heir is kind of problematic and leads to game over.
I had a look at modding the succession for theocracies, but I seem to be missing something. I thought that modifing

bishop_theocratic_succession_law = {
        can_keep = {
            can_have_bishop_theocratic_succession_law_trigger = yes # same as can_have
        }
        can_have = {
            can_have_bishop_theocratic_succession_law_trigger = yes
        }
        should_start_with = {
            always = yes
        }
        succession = {
            order_of_succession = theocratic
            faith = same_faith
            pool_character_config = pool_theocratic_succession
        }
    }

to

bishop_theocratic_succession_law = {
        can_keep = {
            can_have_bishop_theocratic_succession_law_trigger = yes # same as can_have
        }
        can_have = {
            can_have_bishop_theocratic_succession_law_trigger = yes
        }
        should_start_with = {
            always = yes
        }
        succession = {
            order_of_succession = election
            election_type = feudal_elective
        }
        flag = elective_succession_law
    }

would result in elective succession (which could then be modified, so not using the feudal_elective values), but it didn't seem to have the desired effect. I also tried to set the succession clause to basically primogeniture, but even that did not work out.
If anyone has some experience with modding succession in CK3, I'd be interested in it.

There's this mod I didn't try because it doesn't explain what it does: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2216851503

You don't need to try it out. I've had a look at it and the author has absolutely no idea what he is doing. The mod changes a few files here and there, but nothing that makes republics/theocracies playable. Well except for adding a typo in the venice history file.

 

[NarcomancerPL]

It's honestly pretty interesting how deleting few lines can make Theocracies and Republics playable in CK3 Does it mean paradox will allow us to play them in future? :O
In case of eclasiastical/republican succession I don't know if adopting someone to your dynasty is available thru modding in CK3, but it definitely was in the previous game. So if it is, I would go this way with some requirements to fulfill depending it's a Republic or Theocracy

P.S.: Instead of adding to your current dynasty I'd make papal dynasty "House of St. Peter" (or sth like that) which every Pope would take upon his ascension on St. Peter's throne. Same could be done with different Theocracies or Republics, but I don't really have names prepared for them

 

[Jenkins48]

Would there be a way to use a modified version of feudal elective? Say for Venice, if the top tier title is 'feudal' elective, as long as you held one title that was based on hereditary succession, it wouldn't be a game over.

 

[NarcomancerPL]

Would there be a way to use a modified version of feudal elective? Say for Venice, if the top tier title is 'feudal' elective, as long as you held one title that was based on hereditary succession, it wouldn't be a game over.

I honestly thought they will allow as to play Merchant Republics in release but as Elective Feudal duchies or kingdoms. They are kind of dynastical

 

[Jenkins48]

I am glad they decided to flesh out other features more than try and get everything in all at once. We will most definitely see it as future DLC at some point.

On another note this post gave me flashbacks to 2012 when everyone was trying to mod playable Muslim characters somethings never change haha.

 

[Cèsar de Quart]

I don't think playing theocracies should be a focus of the team now, considering playing as a nobleman needs work still.

But playing a theocracy could be fun if they approach it in a way that makes the core elements of being a priest and becoming Pope interesting.

1- Dominium Mundi - Balance your temporal domain over direct-control lands and indirect influence over kings and lords, with the prestige and authority of your spiritual influence. Which is to say, being a political animal (like Innocent III) would require you to partake in activities that may not be spiritually sound, and that would mean you'd lose piety and moral rep, and I guess you'd need the piety to influence kings further.

2- Election by the College of Cardinals. I think this is self-explanatory, so much fun we're still doing it today and showing it on TV.

3- The Latin Dynasties
In the period 800-1200, most Popes came from the same five or six families, usually from the powerful baronial Roman families (Colonna, Orsini, Frangipane...) or from the landed nobility nearby (Conti de Segni, the Counts of Tusculum...) - So playing balance between these families, while you yourself trying to keep your own guys as Popes could be fun.

 

[Lordy's]

Okay, I had another look at it. So first of all, making republics and theocracies elective (feudal elective) requires changing another scripted_trigger. Of course, so obvious!

has_unelectable_government_trigger = {
    OR = {  
        has_government = republic_government
        has_government = theocracy_government
        has_government = mercenary_government
        has_government = holy_order_government
    }
}

Secondly, elective succession is a title only succession law, meaning that it cannot be applied as a realm law. Don't really know why...
But even when adding the elective law as a title law for the papacy, it did not turn out to work: I was able to get the election interface for the papal states and I could nominate an heir. But it had no effect on the succession. Since the title was destroyed upon death, I suspected the "destroy_if_invalid_heir = yes" in the k_papal_state title definition to be the problem, but changing it did not fix it.

When trying to make the theocracies have basically primogeniture, I also encountered some problems. Mainly, the succession doesn't seem to update: When I had a child, the titles would still go to my father and when my character had no family at the game start, it went to a random vassal / the liege. Also, this lead to the papacy title being destroyed on the death of my ruler.

So there's certainly something weird going on... Honestly, I believe that the succession system in CK3 is just bugged. Or I am still missing something really important.

 

[Ferrous Will]

I suspect that has something to do with the papacy being a spiritual head of faith.

 

[imperatorscotorum]

Anyone managed to solve this?

 

[Hx2222]

So um i know this is over 4 years old but i figured it out

 

[overthetop_G]

how?