However, I find that its attempt at simulating the Seven Kingdoms accurately can be a little less fun than the chaos of European expansion in the original Crusader Kings 2.Įither way, the way Crusader Kings 2 creates and recreates the chaos of feudal ambitions makes it an astonishingly good model of Westerosi politics. That user modification (“mod”) is one of most popular and best-constructed of any in CK2, and I’ll definitely be examining it and its gorgeous map of Westeros on its own soon. Once the game clicks with you, it’s a lot simpler than it looks, but that’s sadly not immediate.įinally, the Crusader Kings 2 engine is so perfect for Game Of Thrones-style storytelling that fans immediately decided to make GOT in the game. There are a bunch of video tutorials on YouTube, or, if you’re like me and prefer to read your instructions, I’ve written a guide. But the power of its storytelling engine comes at a cost: it’s a complex game, and it doesn’t do a good job of introducing new players to that complexity. I’ve played games for decades looking for a cutthroat political intrigue simulator, and was starting to believe it wasn’t really possible before playing CK2. And a medium-sized lord, well, they’ll have to do both at once, which is a fascinating role to play.ĭescribing it like this makes Crusader Kings 2 seem almost too good to believe. A minor lord, on the other hand, could follow Petyr Baelish’s example by sowing chaos wherever possible, then taking advantage of it to fulfill his or her ambitions. As a powerful lord, its game rules encourage you play like Tywin Lannister: ruthlessly crushing rebellions, aggressively using marriages to build alliances, and pursuing stability as a priority. It’s not just that Game Of Thrones could be modeled in the game, but that Crusader Kings 2 exists to create GOT-like stories all the time. And then as soon as one powerful vassal rebels, the others see their chance and attack as well: Stannis, with his rightful claim, and ambitious Renly and Balon follow suit. Then his execution of Ned Stark would cause everyone in the Stark family to loathe him, and every vassal in the realm to dislike him a little more. Joffrey’s personal traits/history would include things like “suspected bastard” and “cruel,” both of which would make people dislike him.
Every new king is initially disliked for being new, which is strike one. In the game, vassal lords are more likely to rebel if they don’t like their liege. Cynical characters hate Zealous religious characters, while powerful lords who’ve crushed rebellions earn respect.įor example, CK2 models the conditions of Game Of Thrones’ War Of The Five Kings almost perfectly on its own. It fills its world with characters, gives them all personality traits, then relationships with one another, and all this is transparent for players to see. What makes Crusader Kings 2 that makes it the ultimate Game Of Thrones strategy games is its use of characters. However, several expansions have started the game hundreds of years earlier, and also make Vikings, Muslims, and even the Indian sub-continent playable. Its original chronology took place between Norman invasion of England in 1066 and the fall of Byzantium in 1453. Why’s that?Ĭrusader Kings 2 is a slow-paced strategy game, where you control the dynastic head of a family in medieval Europe, from lowly count to Holy Roman Emperor. I even saw a presentation by its lead designer where he lamented the fact that the Game Of Thrones name was taken, since it was perfect for his game of politics, backstabbing, arranged marriages, and war. There’s no video game better at exploring the game of feudalism than Crusader Kings 2 from Paradox Interactive. For example, Robb Stark cannot declare for the Iron Throne at the start of the War Of The Five Kings, because the Starks have no claim to the throne, so instead he declares independence, which ends up making his war strategically muddled, leading indirectly to his downfall. The feudal system of Westeros, where lords have autonomy and their own armies but are supposed to follow the laws of the king, contains its own rules and wiggle room. For example: strategic games are built around rules and constraints, highlighting what choices the players can make by restriction what they can’t.
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