CK II-The Republic

[Gusington]

Thanks for the above link Tent. Question...is CK II one of those games I can chill amd relax with...you know, with a snifter of brandy in one hand?

[PanzersEast]

Thanks for the above link Tent. Question...is CK II one of those games I can chill amd relax with...you know, with a snifter of brandy in one hand?

Yes, it is a gentlemen's game.  Those videos are good, and the Retinues explanation is very good..... Nice thing about CK 2, there is no wrong way to play, but you do learn from experience. 


PE

[undercovergeek]

Thanks for the above link Tent. Question...is CK II one of those games I can chill amd relax with...you know, with a snifter of brandy in one hand?

it should ONLY be played with a brandy in one hand - my god man you just zoomed throgh my admiration spectrum




i love Gus

and his brandy

[undercovergeek]

Have I mentioned lately how much I love having a medieval historian as one of our members?  ;D

in a very complimentary way and with only beaming respect, as soon as i saw the question i thought i can google it and copy and paste or SoM will see this and enlighten us all

[son_of_montfort]

Thanks friends! The story is much more complicated, obviously. It really is interesting history and I suggest those that are so inclined to do further reading.

As to CK II - The Republic, so far I feel pretty positive. I am worried the republics might be a little too powerful - they make tons of money and can do a justified DOW on almost any coastal town. That has some interesting applications. You also heavily rely on mercenaries as a Republic, as it should be. Interesting enough, it is hard to hold on to power and I ended up getting ousted from the seat in Genoa and had to make due with my Duchy if Capua while I nurse a campaign to get voted back in. Pretty cool stuff.

[Gusington]

Wait you actually have it and are playing it??

Thanks Geek. My goal is to redo my study with rich mahogany, wall sconces and plenty of snifters for brandy and Fresca.

[son_of_montfort]

Wait you actually have it and are playing it??

Thanks Geek. My goal is to redo my study with rich mahogany, wall sconces and plenty of snifters for brandy and Fresca.

Considering Medieval merchant government is what my research is all about, I figured I had best get it and get it early.  ;)

I have only had a few hours with it, however, so I'm not sure I can pass judgement. I also want to play it a little as a non-Merchant Republic power to see how the new changes alter the way in which the game feels for everyone. These republics get some remarkable powers, but they also have some remarkable changes in governance that can cripple them. For instance, I was a doge of the Doria family in Genoa, but when my character died his family passed to a half-brother who inherited the former doge's title as Count of Capua (later I grabbed the duchy) and the seat of the Doge passed to another family. That family seems to be a little up-and-down, getting into some successful wars against Pisa but then finding some way to royally tick off some giant Muslim power and having to surrender (not sure what they gave up, but it probably was not good). Meanwhile the doge was getting older and I was poised to be elected once he died (respect and elections are based on age age, prestige, and economic power). Instead, my character bit it at a young age of 57, leaving his title to a 13 year old son who has practically no chance of being elected Doge. He will have his day, to be sure, but for now I am pouring my considerable finances into upgrading the buildings within Capua and Napoli, to generate both money and troops needed for future campaigns.

Lots more to do here, so this DLC looks like a much more interesting one than the idiotic Aztec thing.

[mikeck]

Wait you actually have it and are playing it??

Thanks Geek. My goal is to redo my study with rich mahogany, wall sconces and plenty of snifters for brandy and Fresca.

Who are Brandy and Fresca? Hmmm sound like strippers...don't think Mrs Gusington would approve of sniffing anyone

[LongBlade]

Wait you actually have it and are playing it??

Thanks Geek. My goal is to redo my study with rich mahogany, wall sconces and plenty of snifters for brandy and Fresca.

Who are Brandy and Fresca? Hmmm sound like strippers...don't think Mrs Gusington would approve of sniffing anyone

Fresca is a frisky Latina. Mrs. Gus definitely would not approve.

[besilarius]

SOM, in regards to the falling of the Hansa, there is a book out there, Salt, on how this mineral has been so important to human development.
One of the ways was the Hansa's herring trade.  They barreled tons of herring, and it became a trade bonanza for them, because of the preservative powers of salt.  The Hansa traded as far away as the Basque homeland, and even Africa, to get a sufficient amount of salt.
Supposedly, one of the things that weakened and brought down the Hansa, was the herring banks moved out of the Baltic.

[son_of_montfort]

Yes, the herring trade was a real money maker (and salt procurement was a huge issue). But that factor seems a bit less pressing than the rise of Denmark and Moscow, not to mention the increased power of the English throne and the slow revocation of trade privileges. As the merchants of other powers began to get more instituted, the Hansa found it could not compete as effectively. But, certainly, changes in goods trades had a sizable impact. They lasted until well into the sixteenth century, so that is a pretty good run!

[TheCommandTent]

Thanks for the above link Tent. Question...is CK II one of those games I can chill amd relax with...you know, with a snifter of brandy in one hand?

No thanks need as I didn't leave the link :)  It was Yskonyn

And yes it can be a relaxing game as you can change the speed at which times advances and if you have to make important decisions or refill your drink you can pause it.

[Gusington]

SoM your first description of the game makes me all tight in the loins...need to grab some Fresca!

Is the DLC $%^#! available on Steam yet??

[son_of_montfort]

SoM your first description of the game makes me all tight in the loins...need to grab some Fresca!

Is the DLC $%^#! available on Steam yet??

Just be wary a little bit, the first time I booted up any CK game (and in particular CK II) I was like "What they hell do I do now?" You sort of have to resist the urge to constantly be doing something - like messing with your characters, ordering endless assassination attempts, or declaring war every five minutes. So relax and don't constantly micromanage. On the other hand, there is always something you CAN be doing, which is pretty cool.

[Gusington]

^Now available on Steam :)

Can anyone recommend some good reading to go along with it? Books in English on the Hanse are...not so common.

I can relax...in fact it's what I'm looking to do. With Brandy and Fresca on either side of me, of course.