Ck2 How To Make Antipope
If you’ve just picked up Crusader Kings 2 and can’t wait to get started, then it’s worth taking a look over my. It goes over the most basic mechanics that will help you to create a successful first game, from which you can self-learn everything else you need to know.Of course, the advice in that guide is very basic, and I intend to flesh it out with followup articles to help you make your way through a game without complete cluelessness at a later date. However, if you’ve already read it and just can’t wait to dive in (my definite recommendation) then you might be looking for advice on the best place to start.Thanks to Crusader Kings 2’s character-based play, there are plenty of options open to you, from mighty Emperors down to measly provincial Counts and everything in between. Even without any of the DLC there are potentially hundreds of starting characters to choose from across a 400 year timespan, before even including non-Christians and 2 additional, pre-1066 start dates.The game does have some options for you, including interesting historical bookmarks and the characters who are most relevant and enjoyable in that time period. However, a few of these are DLC-only, and for a beginner, I don’t really recommend any of them anyway. As strange as it sounds, the best place to start a Crusader Kings 2 game is not as one of the largest powers, but among some of the weaker options.
What Is A Antipope
Are you an independent ruler or do you have a liege above you? Only independent rulers can create anti-popes. There are also a couple of other limitations. You have to have at least 500 prestige and the bishop you're trying to make antipope has to like you more than he does the pope.
Starting as a Duke or CountStarting as a king seems like a fun idea, but is fraught with peril. Any but the smallest of kingdoms will have to contend with a mess of vassals, each of whom will contend to bring about your downfall. Not to mention a historical setup that’s a horrible tangle to try and figure out. It’s fun in its own way, but similarly quite complicated, and a new player will have enough on their hands just trying to figure out the basics.Starting as a Duke will give you the best ratio of power to responsibility.
As a Duke you can have vassals, but your vassals will generally be small and weak. Added together they give you a strong force to fight with, but individually aren’t too much of a hassle. As an independent Duke you can often begin to absorb some of your smaller neighbours, or as a vassal to a king you have less to worry about from threats outside the realm.
As you grow you can shape your realm into a system that works for you, rather than against you, and eventually become a king with a much better grasp on internal politics.Starting as a count offers slightly more of a challenge than a Duke, but with similar rewards. You won’t have any real vassals until you can upgrade yourself to a duchy rank, which also makes it harder to absorb your neighbours. However, you’ll be shaping your entire realm from the ground up, so that you never have to deal with a vassal you didn’t choose yourself. A king who used to be a count will usually have a strong powerbase within their realm, and dominate internal politics. If you can make it that far of course. Starting in the British Isles or the Iberian PeninsulaRegardless of which DLC you’ve got, I always think that the best place to start is in the British Isles or Iberian Peninsula (Spain).
Particularly Ireland or one of the Iberian kings (yes, despite what I said about Dukes).Ireland: Ireland is often colloquially referred to as “Beginner’s Island” thanks to its opportunities to learn the game relatively undisturbed. Right on the Western edge of the map, and fractured into plenty of minor powers, Ireland is safe from most outside threats.
Ck2 How To Make Antipope Money
The only superpower you might have to contend with early on is England, and they have enough worries with the joint Norwegian/Norman invasion and subsequent unrest to bother you for a while. Not to mention, they don’t really care that much about conquering Ireland.Starting as one of the Dukes in Ireland means that you can begin to fabricate claims on your neighbours and take their land, and the Casus Bellis you get from duchy titles will help speed the process along. Once you have about half of Ireland conquered you can form the kingdom and the rest tends to fall into place quite quickly. Go at your own pace and you’ll feel nicely in control for most of the start of the game. Once you’re a king, you’ll have a good powerbase to expand from and experiment with.Castile: I mention Castile as the foremost of the Iberian powers, partly because (spoilers) they end up winning, historically, and partly because they’re nice and central in the area.
Unlike in Ireland, Castile does border an immediate threat in the form of various Muslim kingdoms and duchies, and has dynastic problems with neighbouring kingdoms too. View this as a blessing rather than a curse.Having other kings of your dynasty around is a good way to build alliances, and potentially inherit their thrones too. You’ll have claims on your relative’s titles, especially if you keep intermarrying with them, and when they show weakness you can expand quickly by taking them over.Meanwhile, your Muslim neighbours to the south offer you quite a nice Casus Belli in the form of Holy War, which allows you to take entire duchies at a time. Just watch out, because neighbouring Muslim dukes will join them in the defense of their titles, so be ready for a big war, or plan it out opportunistically.Other than the Iberian Muslims and your dynastic neighbours, however, Castile has very little to worry about in 1066 and shouldn’t have too much trouble eventually securing the entire Iberian peninsula for themselves. Much like Ireland, once you’ve expanded a little, you should have a good powerbase to play and explore from.
Other Starting OptionsFrance: France offers you plenty of choice when it comes to duchies, but relatively little options to expand. You’re surrounded by other, equally powerful dukes, so will need to be patient and opportunistic to grow your realm. If you want to try playing just as a vassal, however, France is a great place to start, with nothing much to do but play the diplomatic game.Holy Roman Empire: Like France, the Holy Roman Empire (HRE) offers a player peace and relative stability as a vassal, without having to worry about outside threats. The HRE also offers a bit more opportunity to expand, with so many dukes and counts that you can marry or fabricate on your neighbours and almost always find someone weaker than you. Thanks to its start as an Elective Monarchy, it also offers you the chance to become Emperor for a while, just to experience the sort of headache that starting with a large title can give you.England: Starting as Harold Godwinson is a huge mistake. If you hadn’t heard, he has a very short and turbulent reign. However, starting as an English duke can be a bit more interesting.
Once the Norman and Norwegian invasions are over, and the dust has settled, internal politics becomes very interesting and, like Ireland, you have very little else to worry about. Set yourself up as a powerful Duke and rule the realm by proxy, or have a go at the crown yourself.Hopefully that should be plenty to start with, and with the knowledge of how to get married and go to war you’ll be well on your way to creating a fruitful and long-lasting dynasty.Keep your eyes peeled for my next post on the different Casus Bellis you can use to expand your realm, and how to get hold of them.