Just bought Crusader Kings.

[Dinner]

I also picked up the HOI2 Doomsday expansion pack at the same time though I've only played Crusader Kings so far. I was expecting to be more like EU2. I must admite I got kind of lost during my first game in which I played Denmark.

Anyone have any suggestions about how to learn to play this game?

[General Ludd]

Aproach it as a roleplaying game.

[Nikolai]

I hope you have the 1.05 patch? Also, for your first game, try a kingdom, or at least not a county. Do not do as me and start with Byzantium, they are troublesome. I'd recommend you to start with duchy of Bohemia in 1066, a vassal of Germany, but already having all but the money to declare itself kingdom. But remember to reload when changing from duchy to kingdom, or else your game will get messed up.

[Dinner]

Yeah, in my second game I tried Byzantium and it didn't go so well. I quit by 1068.

[Heresson]

Argh, I want that game ;(

[Ecthy]

The fief model doesn't work right though, it is very much simplified. Especially when it comes to inheriting places.

[Dinner]

I'm honestly not getting into this game.

[Kassiopeia]

I didn't really take it as a strategy game, I enjoyed the dynasty part though. Breeding a Kwisatz Haderach and so on. The game is dangerous in that it gave me a way too simple understanding of how the feudal system worked, luckily I didn't spout off any of it as fact until I actually read up on the matter.

Oh yeah, and a good learning-the-ropes country is an independent Duchy. Not that much hassle, and you don't have a King to worry about. Burgundy is one, I think, there's another in Southern Italy also. My very very first game was as the Duke of Antioch and it was fun too, I built a vast kingdom in Eastern Europe... until the Golden Horde showed up.

[Ecthy]

The "one in southern Italy" would be the Norman duchy of Apulia, which I played my first game as

Having done courses on Norman state building in all of Europe, this was a natural first choice for me

[Ecthy]

Anyone else ever seen this? When you care more for nternal issues and slow feudal expansion than for warmaking and international relations, all the big kingdoms disappear (France, England, Germany, Byzantium) and Muslim empires conquer big shares of European land.

They need me as a major player.

[beingofone]

I just got this game a week ago. The pagentry of it was kinda cool and the intrigue of personalities.

Someone who has experience help me out with this. I was playing an Irish independant count, figuered I would start small and learn the ropes.

I set up to take this other county. Had the claim and declared war . After destroying his field army my ally and I sieged. His walls broke and he had only 1 single heavy infantry. I had almost 400 and ally had 700.

He refused to make peace. For gosh sake he had only 1 dude in his army facing over a 1000 and I was stuck. I could not claim his county title - he refused. I tried adding gold, pillage, and every other means I could think of. He would not relinquish his county as he had one mean nasty guy in his army ready to face over 1000.

I almost snapped - I began to question my sanity.
Had I truly beat his army in the field? Yes its now 1000 to 1.
OK; Had I succesfully sieged? Yes, no more siege screen.

After 15 friggin hours of play, setting up my lineage, getting my ducks in a row, gave him a major lesson in warfare and the game does not let me take control?

This is just ludicrous. If someone here cannot answer my question anyone want a game cheap? LOL

[Ecthy]

Why don't you kill off that last infantrist? Or is that one in province reserve?

[beingofone]

Thanks for the reply Ecthy.

I do not know what you mean buy 'reserve'. He just stands there in the county window. He will not come out to do battle - he just stands in the window.

[Ecthy]

That's what I just called reserve. Are you occupying the county or is your ally?

Has your enemy made peace offers?

[beingofone]

My ally left and my army is the only one in the county. My ally has no claim on his title.

My enemy has made no peace offers.