Your Favorite Faction When Playing Crusader Kings II

[Gusington]

Finally looking to start my first CK II campaign, maybe as Venice, maybe as a Hanseatic power, maybe as a Muslim power...not sure yet. What are your favorite factions to play as? Thanks all!

[undercovergeek]

oooooooooooooo, if only it was that easy!

its a chicken and the egg decision at the start - do you choose a faction and then your goals, or your goals and a faction to fit them?

Do you want to be King and rule from the top and manage the intricacies of state politics, vassals and dukes, and choose a lofty goal like the unification of Italy/Spain/Germany

or start as a count and see where it takes you - work up to be that King and then revisit your goals - but starting down here youll find your own rivals that may make your path deviate from the noble quest to Kingship to eradicating the filthy XXXXXXXs for stealing your land/wife/child

[Barthheart]

UCG explained it well.

For me if I'm feeling Kingly I try to unify Spain.... after killing all my siblings....  8)

For a count challenge I try to unify Ireland and become the Irish King then challenge England.  :o

[Gusington]

How about if I want to be a medieval captain of industry?

[LongBlade]

How about if I want to be a medieval captain of industry?

My guess would be Venice.

[Gusington]

Anyone play as a merchant republic yet? I wonder if they are more or less difficult than the average faction.

[Kushan]

Anyone play as a merchant republic yet? I wonder if they are more or less difficult than the average faction.

I've played a fair amount as Genoa and Venice. They start off really slow, due to low income. I found myself playing on the 3rd and 4th speed settings for a years, until I was able to afford to build trade posts and improvements. Once you get a few trade posts built and upgraded, and some improvements to your house, you'll be ok. If you start as a doge or get elected as one, its not so bad since you get tax income from all of your republics provinces. The thing I didn't like was that all males in your family get a portion of your income, and if your not constantly expanding, they will make a noticeable difference in your income per month after a few generations. There's been a few patches since they last time I've played however, so they might have tweaked things.

[TheCommandTent]

The Irish are a good place to start as you are learning the game as there are some great tutorial videos out there using them as an example.

[Gusington]

Thanks Kushan. Irish eh? That would definitely be fun too. How many friggin' factions are there to choose from? I fear my mind may melt in trying to decide. Are there playable Mongol factions?

[besilarius]

Like the old pyramid of skulls, eh Gus Vader?

[Gusington]

Hard to resist after a long day at the office wishing I could turn everyone into a pyramid of skulls, you know?

[Longdan]

Not everyone.  Only my clients.  A pyramid of Arrogant Imbecile Pilot skulls!   ARRRggghhh!

[MetalDog]

Ireland is supposedly, "Newb Island."  It's where a lot of people cut their teeth.  If it was me, I would suggest starting there to get the basics down and a feel for how things go, and then jump out into the greater world.  I would also start as a Count.  You learn all the little nuances to gaining as much as you can with the little available to you.

[Silent Disapproval Robot]

I guess the nuances were too subtle for a knucklehead like me.  I just seemed to spend the bulk of my time hiring tutors and waiting for my incompetent lackey to generate a cassus belli for me. 

[Gusington]

^Since EUI I have been trying to learn similar Paradox games and just never get it. I am hoping for better results this time.