If you’re not terrified of maps then you can play and enjoy Crusader Kings II. Context may help when an event occurs, or you can dip into the dry but useful tutorials. Ignore what you don’t understand until the need arises to understand it. And there may seem to be a lot of them, but don’t be daunted. You’ll only ever have to click the right button to interact with people and move armies, and the left button to bring up information, whether cycling through map overlays or selecting tabs. The interface is simple as well, even though it may look daunting. Yes, it’s not a historically accurate simulator, with plenty of alterations to reality made for balance and to sustain dynastic evolution, but it is a remarkable study of alternatives, a playground of ‘might have beens’. It’s a strategy game, it’s an RPG but it’s also a simulator. In that respect, Crusader Kings II is up there with Football Manager and Dwarf Fortress. Maybe if I play my kids right I’ll be the centre of attention for a couple of years over the centuries covered, but most of the time this is one of the games that suffers least from Truman Show syndrome that I’ve ever played. My absolute most favourite thing about Crusader Kings II is that the world will happily continue without me. I’m sure it’s possible to learn exactly how the game works and be better than it but there’s so much happening with every minute that passes (the game is real time but can be paused) that I can’t be bothered to understand half of it and I certainly don’t want to decipher it because I’m not viewing the world as a machine but as a collection of minds. Better the slow and noble decline than the bloat of victory and expansion. In fact, I don’t think winning is as much fun. One of the reasons that Crusader Kings II is brilliant is because it understands that losing is fun. I went on a crusade against them many times, but the amount of troops they could field was way above anything I could muster up. My characters were Croatian for some time, as were some of my vassals, though. So, we had lots of wars concerning the remaining lands. I took the title away from her, but Poland only ended up with a third of its traditional lands. Somewhat sad, since me and Croatia had this thing going on ever seen the minor Queen of Crotia inherited the Kingdom of Poland somehow (wasn't even in the old man's dynasty.) I don't remember seeing that many wars between Croatia and the Golden Horde.) The Mongols and the Muslims did pretty well in my game.Ĭroatia, who were my hated enemies for most of the middle game, were totally taken by the Mongols completely (it almost looks like they inherited the lands. I finally finished my first game as the Count of Silesia -> King of Poland and Denmark (I lost Denmark later.)

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