[Three of Seven]

Here is one game I heard a lot of chatter about and didn't really think it was the game for me, but I picked it up and gave it a go, since then, the only thing I have regretted is the time I have put into it. For those who haven't played the game, this will give you an insight as to if it's for you, if you have played this game, you might still be interested in my interpretation!

The very basic premise of the game is religion and the medieval ages, you play as a character during these times and the most interesting aspect of this game is that you can set your own goals. You will have to make sure you have an heir at each stage, you don't want your dynasty to die out, that spells game over! There is however a steep learning curve to Crusader Kings 2, for some, tutorials are defiantly the way to go and that helps them out a lot, my method of learning was through multiplayer, learning with people who have played the game before, this allowed me to play and learn at the same time, my preferred method. You will need to work out your own method of learning the game, different styles work for different people.

If I talk about the multiplayer aspect, you really get to learn how differently others choose to play Crusader Kings 2. While new to the game, multiplayer was a good way to get support when I made a mistake, making the experience more enjoyable than single player, after learning the mechanics through my own method, this made single player much more enjoyable and you can find my stories on those within this forum. Aside from the benefit of learning and having someone to help you in multiplayer, there is also very much a social aspect to it, if you are playing a political style, then human players are easier to persuade than AI players, you will have to deal with betrayal between friends, it's never personal but it can add that extra element you don't get solo.

Going back to the single player, you can still create much of a story about your family, each character you play and those you interact with. In my games, I like to reward loyalty with landed titles, spoiler for an upcoming play through of mine, a eunuch regent of mine served me very well with his high diplomacy, so when I was old enough to rule alone (which is 16), I granted him a temple. Equally, disloyalty is punished with death. That is how I choose to create a story, often I go for what titles my review, gold, power and prestige! Anyone who is a threat to my land has a plot put on them to have them killed, gold helps me buy popularity and people to support my plot, my heir is usually taught by a courtier with high diplomacy and stewardship, these are the two areas I focus on.

I could not begin to go into much of the details of how mechanics interact with each other or the small details that you need to focus on, I am still very much learning this game. It took a few games to put aside the idea that this was a game of conquest, it's not, the game is what you make of it with your own set of goals and the story you create. Losing your titles is not game over, you can make your goal a way of coming back or the story is that your family defeated, retired to a quite life as Lords and Ladies.

Talking of ladies, I will address the elephant in the room here, the game does discriminate by gender but that is the context of the game, depending on the culture also depends on how women are seen by other characters, some cultures allow women to lead units with no problems, while others do not. It wouldn't make sense to make everyone equal in a game where no one was equal, there are also discriminatory traits within the game as well, they all however work with the context. I addressed this because some might be put off the idea of a lack of equality, but it's inline with the theme and I have played as successful female rulers, it's not a game changer, just an added twist.

What I would like to say lastly about Crusader Kings 2 before concluding, is that it somehow made history interesting for someone who does not have a keen interest in the subject. While the game itself is not going to be historically accurate because each game is different, it made me curious on how these nations of the past progressed and why certain events happened the way they did.

To bring all of this to a conclusion, the game isn't going to be for everyone, the pacing is slow and getting into it could be a challenge, but for those who enjoy creating a story with visuals or games of betrayal among friends, defiantly a game to look into. There are also a number of DLCs available which each add something new to the base game, along with a range of mods that will change the game up to fit a new theme. The DLC might be a downside to some, however if one person has DLC, then everyone gets the effects with a multiplayer game, perhaps a great way to find out if it's for you.

The game is only available through Steam these days, at £29.99 in the UK (I don't know the other prices, sorry!), but it does regularly go on sale during the Steam sales, which is defiantly a great time to pick it up if I have made you interested in this title!

I give this game a Glitterhoof out of Turnip.

[McClintock]

Getting a glitterhoof out of a turnip does sound difficult, the game must be that good! Now make it your chancellor, and the turnip your heir!

Just..one..more..year...!

[Ashley]

If your interested in CK2 and don't have it yet, Check out this post as you can pick up CK2 and 10 dlc's and at very low price!

[Solace]

Glitterhoof out of turnip? Thats one hell of an endorsment! I'm sold!

Also cheers ashley for the link to the bundle

[Ciaphas]

A nice review, I definitely agree with it, especially with learning through MP, it's how I've taught any of my friends that I convinced on either CK2 or EUIV how to play. Though I always had trouble with CK2 MP, which is why I mostly play EUIV in MP while I stick to SP in CK2, how did you get the MP working? Or are you one of those people that CK2 MP likes, so it just worked?

[Three of Seven]

Depends on who hosts and who joins, most of the time games run smoothly but occasionally something will happen that will cause an out of sync problem to arise, not played multiplayer on the most recent major patch though, as for EU IV, I have not gotten my head around that one yet

[Ciaphas]

Might try CK2 MP again then, might work this time. And if you want to get into EUIV, I'm always happy to get more people to play with