Still available for purchase piecemeal

Even though Crusader Kings III is already out and available for all your nepotistic megalomaniacal fantasies, Paradox is continuing to push its Crusader Kings II candy on strategy fans at large. The base grand strategy game was previously made free for all just before the announcement of the sequel in late 2018, and it's currently free-to-play on Steam.

The problem is that the Crusader Kings II base game is simply that, a base – and Paradox used that base to build and sell six years' worth of DLC and expansions, some of which vastly changed how the game was played. If you wanted to buy the entire catalog of expansions, DLC, and soundtrack additions, it would run you around $300. That's? a lot of dosh.

To give new players the option of trying all the DLC at a reduced rate, Paradox has now implemented a subscription service where $5 a month grants you access to the entir?e collection. You'll still be able to buy any and all of the DLC that tickles your fancy to own forever, which is nice as there's a lot of fluff i??n the form of art and music packs. To me, those seem a bit frivolous when compared to the mechanic and gameplay expansion sets.

In the forum release announcing the start of this new venture, Paradox stated that it is exploring th??e option to bring a subscription service to other game?s. Ominous.

The real question I have is what does this tell us about Victoria III? Nothing? I reject your answer.

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Go grab a great strategy title gratis

There's a helluva lot of video game conventions taking place this weekend - most of them with an "X" in the name - and PDXCON 2019 is no exception. Paradox Interactive's annual trade show will be showing off the latest builds on titles such as Empire of Sin, Bloodlines 2, Werewolf: The Apocalypse, and much, much more.

And to celebrate the start of this weekend of all things Paradox, the publisher has made its medieval strategy title Crusader Kings II free on ??PC! Just head on over to Steam and grab yourself a copy of the licence, and its yours to keep. And as one of the finest and deepest RTS ti??tles on the market, it's definitely worth picking up.

And if you want to go all in, then Crusader Kings II's mammoth catalogue of DLC is also rocking 50% off its asking price for the duration of the weekend. So if you ever wanted to dive headlong into the intense realm of strateg??ic warfare, empire-building, and marrying off your relatives, now's the perfect time to do so.

Crusader Kings II is free on PC via Steam. PDXCON 2019 takes place October 19-20 in Berlin, Germany.
Crusader Kings II is free on Steam [PC Gamer]

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Questions of morality

Crusader Kings II is a fantastic strategy game that combines the best of real-world geographical locations, history, and? unique player-driven stories. That said, when I'm not playing Crusader Kings II, one of my favorite pastimes is browsing the community page on Steam or th??e various subreddit??s.

Why? It's simple: withou??t the lens of context, it becomes one of the most hilario??us (and disturbing) communities out there.

Truly, one of the mos?t troubling things a father can go through is trying to stop his s??on from banging his own mother. Thankfully, it would seem Reddit user AlphaCodeNumerial found a solution. Sadly, though, their son won't be entering the priesthood anytime soon.

Reddit user sta6 asks a simple query, and in return, receives an answer that will resul?t in attractive, genius, and inbred weaponized superhuman children. Now all they have to do is convince their cousin!

Reddit user Tu?torele went down a very dark path. Now it would seem they're paying the consequences. Here's hoping their plea for help is answered. My advice: maybe do some soul searching (if you still have one)?

You've g?otta hate when that happens. Thankfully for Reddit user A_Sentient_Top_Hat, if their husband ?isn't in heaven now, he certainly was beforehand.

On the plus side, perhaps he'll be an inbred s??uperh?uman that can be weaponized?

For those of you interested in more out-of-context hilarity from the Crusader Kings II community, I highly recommend you check out the ShitCrusaderKingsSay subreddit for more! You can also check out some more imag??es I whipped up in th?e gallery below. Enjoy!

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Paradox gonna Paradox

Today at PDXcon's announcement show, among the game reveals, news of more DLC packs for Crusader Kings II, Europa Universalis IV, and Stellaris were all announced to be coming in 2018.

The first pack to be released will be the Stellaris story pack, Distant Stars. The pack will add new solar systems and "a mys??terious sealed off constellation entirely removed from our galaxy." The main focus of this?? pack will be returning the thrill of exploring the galaxy by adding in more anomalies when traveling through space.

The free update that accompanies the game will introduce new types of stars to the base game, and to help keep all the new anomalies organized, the anomaly menu system has also been reworked. Distant Stars will be avai?lable for purchase on May 22, and will sell for $9.99.

The Crusader Kings II expansion, titled Holy Fury, introduces two new warring factions: the Northern Crusaders of Catholic Europe, and their Pagan neighbors just to the north. Holy Fury wi??ll add bloodlines into the mechanics where characters that are descendants of great leaders such as Charlemagne w??ill have comparable skills to their ancestors.

New crusade events, succession laws, and changes to the way religion works will also accompany the expansion as well as the ability to have your character be canonized or even coronated as ruler because a higher power demands it. Holy Fury only has a release windo??w of 2018 so far but when it does release, it will run you $19.99, as well as be joined by a free update for tho??se unwilling to buy it.

Finally the Europa Universalis IV expansion, Dharma, will retool and expand the country of India and how the outside world will attempt to utilize and exploit the East Asian countries that surround it. Focusing mostly on peacetime interactions, the government mechanics for many of the nations will be customized and reworked so that they feel more appropriate. Indian mission trees will be introduced as well as a special new government for those players that already own the Cossack expansion.

As well as the government mechanics, the trade system will be reworked to allow European nations to "interact" more with Asian and African nations. This includes adding in a charter co??mpany that will allow rich nations to buy their way into trading so long as you can find a ruler that trusts you. Trade centers will also be able to be upgraded, further expanding your means of making money.

The accompanying free update will rework the maps of India, Tibet, and Burma as well as spruce up the look of the policy system. Like Holy Fury, Dharma doesn't have a set release date and instead is only listed as coming by the end of the year. Dharma, like Fury, will also run you $19.99.

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Deus Vult!

Paradox Development Studio is known for its grand strategy games that have largely the same gameplay but are spread about different eras of human history. Six years ago though it released Crusader Kings II and while you could still move about Europe expanding your empire and spreading your influence like most other grand strategy games, there was an expanded diplomacy and heritage system that perfectly bro??ught in the best elements of the role-playing genre.

Ever since the game released, Paradox has been supporting the game through DLC and expansions that range from small things like unlocking new kingdoms to play as all the way up to the latest expansion which added an unplayable but still influential Chinese kingdom that changed how you played in Eastern Asia. Some people think the DLC plan is bad but for a chunk of Crusader Kings players, it is the only game they play ??so tossing another 15 bucks to the developers every six months isn't the worst thing in the world for something you love.

Today, Steam announced that if you simply click the install button on the Crusader Kings II store page before Saturday at 10:00 AM Pacific, the game will be permanently linked to your account for f?ree. You don't even need to install it at the time, just click it and it's yours forever.

While the base game is paltry compared to what the game has become over the years, it's suggested that you learn the basics of Crusader Kings II with the base state so as to not be overwhelmed by every piece of DLC and expansion t??hat has come? out. If you are feeling bold or already own the game, the entire DLC catalog is on sale.

I do wonder why they are giving this away. Victoria and Crusader Kings are the two oldest series in the Paradox rotation that haven't received a sequel in recent years and the usual turn around on sequels is seven years. Could this be Paradox's way of gathering hype for the next release in the Crusader Kings series? Only time will tell. Until then, go forth and conquer fo?r t??he Glory of the King, and if my words aren't enough to convince you then why not listen to Paradox Interactive CEO Fredrik Wester?

As if you needed another reason to play Crusader Kings II, here is a classic. "Crusader Kings II forum out of context" pic.twitter.com/eNxCZyka5f

— Fredrik Wester (@TheWesterFront) April 5, 2018

Crusader Kings II [Steam]

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You can look but you can't touch

Continuing their conquest to make Crusader Kings II the longest DLC sup??ported game ever, Paradox Interactive announced at Gamescom 2017 a new expansion for the five-year-old ?game.

Jade Dragon will bring t?he Empire of China into the mix in an odd way.

The Empire of China will be an off-map entity that acts as an influencer to those in ??their realm of the world. You will interact with the Chinese AI through their Emperor whose power will wax and wane through the game depending on different events in the world.

You will be able to give the Emperor gifts to earn his praise, make deals with border guards, and interact with fleeing princes from the Empire who will bring great treasures with them. If you see an opportunity to ? escape the power of the Jade Empire due to waning power you will be able to take it. It isn't clear if China can attack you but from what I'm reading all interaction with China will be through a separate screen that details the Emperor's wants and needs so I wouldn't be surprised if they aren't allowed.

Now comes the kinda crappy part: ?they are putting rally points in this expansion instead of in the free update that will come alongside it. I love Paradox, do not get me wrong, but they tend to do this stuff with their games and it really bothers me that I need to shell out money for what should be a basic feature in a strategy game. They are also adding in eight new casus bellis which while is not as bad as the rall??y point feature, would be nice to see in the base game.

No release date or price point has been set but I expect it to be out by the end of the year. I also wonder how long they will continue to use the Crusader Kings II base before moving onto Crusader Kings III. I guess at least another six months or so.

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Increasing prices was a Paradox

Paradox Interactive may not be the most well known publisher around, but they have a pretty dedicated cult f?ollowing of fans in the states. Their real prominence rests overseas, where they are providing games within a niche that more appeals to gamers in Europe. About a month back, the company announced it would be increasing the prices overseas on all of their games in an effort to "match the purchasing power of those a?reas." This did not sit well with fans.

The main defense from Paradox was that, "Our prices have remained pretty much the same for several years," which sounds a bit odd. Shouldn't a product getting older face natural depreciation value over time? Regardless of whatev?er the real reason was (probably that everyone loves money), the company has now backpedaled entirely on that decision.

The boss of the company, Fredrik Wester, issued a statement on their official forums to apologize for the rash choice. He also stands committed to refunding anyone who purchased the games at a higher price point, is promising to get prices rolled back once the Steam summer sale ends (something about Steam's policies prevents them from changing prices during a sale) and will communicate any future? decisions "well in advance" of when they go live.

The m??an even refers to himself as a "pig-headed CEO" before claiming, "All problems/feedback can easily be sent my way, I will ?not always agree but I promise to listen." He's nothing if dedicated, that's for sure.

As for how the aforementioned refunds will work, Wester states, "For anyone who bought any of the games during this time (including during the summer sale) we will ?try to refund (if possible in the Steam platform) or reimburse with games of a value exceeding the difference. If none of this is possible (I do not in detail know the limits to the Steam platform) we will internally calculate the difference in revenue before and after the price change, double the value, and donate the money to the UNHCR [the UN's refugee programme]."

I don't thi??nk anyone can be mad at that. This could have all been avoided in the first place, but at least the result isn't a slap in the face to long time fans. It may also directly help a lot of people in need, so that is just plain great.

Paradox perform?s price rise U-turn?? following fan backlash [Eurogamer]

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Deals on CKII as Monks and Mystics DLC goes live

Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan, and perhaps even Emperor Justinian (if we are to believe the Secret History) all possessed by the devil himself. Is that the case with your medieval monarch in Crusader Kings II? Well, the strategy game that won't die is getting yet another DLC, Monks and Mystics, with an ?emphasis o??n holy and anti-holy orders alike.

Best part is it's even on sale along with the Crusader Kings II base game and a few of the other more recently released DLC packs. GMG is holding the first discount on the new Monks and Mystics DLC and the best discount online from Crusader Kings II at $8.57. No coupons or other hassles, just login? or create ??an account to see the deal.

New Crusader Kings II Deals

• Released today: Crusader Kings II: Monks and Mystics (Steam) — $12.79  (list price $15)
• Crusader Kings II (Steam) — $8.57  (list price $40)
• Crusader Kings II: Conclave (Steam) — $7.49  (list price $15)
• Crusader Kings II: Charlemagne (Steam) — $7.49  (list price $15)
• Crusader Kings II: Horse Lords (Steam) — $7.49  (list price $15)
• Crusader Kings II: The Reaper's Due (Steam) — $4.99  (list price $10)
• Crusader Kings II: Way of Life (Steam) — $3.99  (list price $8)

Other DLC packs are also on sale at Bundle Stars. There you'll find Charlemagne, Horse Lords, The Reaper's Due??, and more 50% off. These discounts and GMG's will go through Friday, March 10.

2012's Crusader Kings II is still getting DLC released in 2017? Paradox Interactive must be doing something right. The 15% discount is at least some savings for the CKII fan who faithfully buys t?he new DLC as i??t comes out. 

Monks and Mystics adds several new features to the game players might enjoy. Monastic O??rders are given new options, devil worship is an option for your ruler, and new events are added to the game with secret socie??ties playing a huge role.

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Dothraki Sim 2015

Paradox Interactive has unveiled the eighth and latest expansion to the kill-your-child-and-marry-their-wife simulator Crusader Kings 2.

Titled Horse Lords, the latest expansion lets you become the great Khan. As in Genghis of the Turkic and Mongol tribes, not Star Trek or The Jungle Book. Just so we’re clear. There’s a trailer up top if you’re still not sure, but you d??efinitely don't get to be a tiger. Sorry.

Paradox has this to say about the expansion:

The nomadic invasions of the Mongol and Turkic steppe tribes transformed the history of Europe, the Near East and much of Asia. Genghiz Khan built the largest contiguous land empire the world has ever seen. And now Paradox Development Studios brings you the clan politics, the mighty hordes and the migratory push for new lands that will bring this exciting and vibrant culture to life.

Nomadic rule, clan politics, armies of horsemen a?nd archers, the great Silk Road trade network, a bigger map, forts, a??nd tributaries to get your khan a bit more money will all be added to the game.

When all this is happening, we don’t kno?w other than “very soon.&rdquo?;

The post Crusader Kings 2’s Horse Lords expansion brings in the Khans appeared first on Destructoid.

Extend east, including the entire Indian continent

Crusader Kings II is going strong since its release two years ago. Last year saw the release of a Linux version, The Old Gods expansion (which lets you start playing 200 years earlier in history), and The Sons of Abraham expansion.

Now, Paradox is readying another massive expansion, The Rajas of India. As the ??name implies, you?? will now be able to rewrite history as an Indian ruler; the entire Indian subcontinent is opened up. This doubles the landmass of the base game.

That's a lot of map -- map that you'll get as a free update to the game, but if you want to control an eastern territory and show those colonialists what's what, you'll need the expansion?. And why wouldn't you want it?

It has war elephants.  

Crusader Kings II: The Old Gods (Mac, Linux, PC [previewed])
Developer: Paradox Development Studio
Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Released: March, 2014
MSRP: $14.99/€14.99/£9.99

If you're reading this because I said "war elephants" and you've not played Crusader Kings II, know that it's a grand strategy title wherein you assume control of nation and subsequently guide them through history (867-1337 if you've the Old Gods expansion, 1066-1337 otherwise). 

The map expansion is the hugest change in Rajas, naturally. Aside from allowing players to play as one of these newly playable nations, opening the map puts more pressure on some of t?he previously far eastern countries of the old map as they now h?ave more potential problems to contend with on all fronts.

The large increase is equally dense, adding hundreds of new provinces throughout Central Asia as well as large parts of Siberia. Naturally, there is also a lot mor??e jungle terrai?n in the area. With these playable territories come the rajas, Indian rulers of one of three new religions -- Buddhist, Jain, and Hindu -- and their vassals.

Your n??a?tional religion will have some affect on the trajectory of your country. Buddhists are able to research faster thanks to a technology bonus, Hindu are a bit more warlike, but also hamstrung by the new caste system, Jainism tends to lead toward a more peaceful, stable population. Plenty of historical license is rubbed into the systems, of course.

Should you find it a prudent path, rulers may be able to change a national religion once in their lifetime, at a cost of high piety and, perhaps, resultant discord amongst vassals. It may be prudent, though, to start with inward stability before altering a nation's course toward outward aggression for greater overall strength and efforts in repelling incoming?? imperialist probes.

With new religion, terrain, and war elephants comes other, more character and narrative additions that color the CKII experience compared to other grand strategy. There are reincarnation tales, religi??ous festivals, a new set of facial profiles and attire, and other events specific to the region.

Crusader Kings II is also bringing over some technical features from the recently released Europa Universalis IV, including Steam multiplayer matchmaking and Steam Workshop support, and borderless windowed mode. The Steam Workshop support is neat; Paradox seems to be doing a lot to encourage the modding community, while supporting matchmaking makes sense as people discover the joy of playing multiplayer grand strategy.

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Rule the land of Skyrim

With the Elder Kings mod you can now bring the rich world of The Elder Scrolls into Crusader Kings II. Everyone from Argonians, Dunmer, Nords, Falmer, Khajit, Bosmer, and the E??mpire are here and playable in Paradox Developmen?t Studio's grand strategy game.

The mod takes place at the end of the Third Era, which is filled with political and religious turmoil in Tamrial, so there are all kinds of awesome possibilities here. I for ?one want to take over the world with my Khajit em?pire. What would you try and do first?

The post ??Elder Kings mod brings Tamriel to Crusader Kings II appeared first on Destructoid.

And a new announcement is teased on Facebook

I write about Crusader Kings II quite a bit, and I play it even more. If conquering the me??dieval world, using children as bargaining chips, and assassinating half of the heads of state of Europe was a problem, I'd definitely have a problem.

Now the intrigue-laden title is making its way onto Linux, marking the first time a game from Paradox Interactive has appeared on the platform. Other games in the publisher's catalogue will be available on Linux soon, but in the mean time you can download Crusader Kings II via?? Steam. If you previously purchased it on Mac or PC, you'll also be able to play it on Linux as well.

It can be a somewhat daunting experience -- as grand strategy titles so often are -- so check out this developer walkthrough&??nbsp;on Paradox's Twitch channel, recorded yest??erday, if you want some idea of where to begin.

Paradox is also teasing fans on its Facebook page with an image being slowly being revealed day by day. We're on day 2 now, though the image is far from complete. I see the sea! Or at least I think I see the sea. And is that the glow of a fire reflected in the clouds? I guess we'll have to wait to find out. I'm hoping for some more Crusader Kings II DLC.

Speaking of DLC, the latest expansion, The Republic, has been available for download from last week. It puts players in the shoes of a Patrician from a merchant republic, and changes the dynamic of the game completely. I've lost many hours to it already, and am in the proce?ss of chronicling the rise and -- perhaps -- fall of Doge Domenico I of Venice. I hope to have something to post soon.

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Revenge of the Aztecs

In the world of medieval strategy games, there isn't a more terrifying f?oe than the Mongolian Horde. Riding out of the east, it chews up everything in its path, devastating entire nations. The horror of this wave of pillagers, raiders, rapists, and conquerors doesn't really have a counterpart in Western Europe -- indeed it ends up benefi?ting them, as any foe in the east rapidly has to focus his resources on dealing with Genghis and chums. 

On a freezing cold afternoon in Stockholm, I saw the rest of Europe get its comeuppance in the form of an Aztec invasion. The latest piece of DLC for Crusader Kings II, "Sunset Invasion," subverts history and has the Aztecs pay a visit to the old world before we can reach them and steal all of their gold. It's the first time t??he Paradox Development Studio have tackled something not based on real history, and it's a ?wee bit crazy.

The Sunset Invasion is a random event that happens late in the game. Aztec explorers arrive on the shores of Western Europe; their apparent goal is innocuous -- they just want to shift lots of beads. Much like? hippy street vendors trying to offload crappy bead necklaces, these Aztecs are not to be trusted. Not long after they arrive, an invasion fleet appears, and all hell breaks lose.

What they lack in technology, they more than make up for in sheer numbers. It's like the whole population of South America decided to take a bloody holiday to Europe. In the game I witnessed, they landed in Spain, and quic?kly started harassing Castille, Aragon, and Portugal, much to the dismay of those nations. 

In almost no time at all, this war machine had swallowed up most of n?orthwest Spain, and the native powers were doing naught but throwing troops away in a pathetic attempt to slow down their progress. Normally, when one sees an unpleasant neighbor getting schooled by an enemy, it's best to leave them to it or maybe pick apart the carcass. With the Aztecs, however, it's a considerably more international concern. Teaming up against them seems like the smart way to approach the horde from across the ocean.

New unit models and detailed character portraits have been added, giving flavor to these exotic invaders. Leaders wear multi-colored feathered head dresses, warriors dress up in garish and intimidating costumes, and their weapons are ??a far cry away from the swords and spears of the European armies. 

While the?y are not playable due to being awful pagans, they still have quite a bit of an impact, much as the Mongols already do. With them, they bring a new disease that ravages their enemies and spreads throughout the lands they attack, and the dynasties of Europe now have to worry about their hearts being ripped out and made as a sacrifice to the Aztec's distant gods. 

Once they settle their new, oppressed provinces, the Aztecs can start to create cavalry and make other advances, increasing their power and the risk of other nations being attacked the longer they linger. Paradox has been working on an oft-requested feature where conquerors can rename captured lands with culturally appropriate alternatives, so Europe may eventually play host to some suitably e?xotically named provinces that few would be able to prono??unce. 

The quirky nature of Crusader Kings II's character creator means that some very unusual Azte??c leaders crop up organically. One such leader was the result of an Aztec and Mongolian coupling, and he strutted around with his oh-so fabulous feathered garments, while sporting a very fetching handlebar mustache. That's a leader I can admire.

There's no doubt that it is more of a novelty than serious DLC. It doesn't add much to the core game beyond the typical fixes and tweaks that get added with each expansio?n, regardless of whether or not one purchases it. Yet with the huge scale of the invasion, there's certainly going to be hours of wars with the blood-drunk would-be conquero?rs. For those who want their historical strategy absent any fantasy, it can be turned off on the launch menu just like a mod. 

"Sunset Invasion" will be available for downl????oad from November 15 for $4.99. I'll be kicking some Mesoamerican arse with my reconstructed Roman Empire the moment it goes live, I can assure you. 

The post Crusader Kings II: Sunset Invasion impressions appeared first on Destructoid.

Get Orthodox

Paradox Interactive has released the latest expansion for Crusader Kings II today -- a game that has already swallowed up a vast portion of my time. On top of a plethora of new features, "Legacy of Rome" further fleshes out the Orthodox Church and the lumbering behemoth that is the Byzantine Empire.&?nbsp;

Rulers have become more customizable in-game, now able to work on improving traits and abilities through new ambitions. A new faction system has been implemented, which allows players to join with their cohorts in a royal faction, and scheme to their heart's content. Standing armies, tougher rebellions, new events and decisions, and streamlin??ed mobilization are just a few of the other additions to this alread??y massive game.

You can pick it up now via the in-game store for $4.99?, along with some appropriate music and unit DLC if you ?feel like splashing out a bit more. Patch 1.07 has also gone live, meaning that there's a lot of new content even for those who don't want to pick up the latest expansion.  

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Crusader Kings II is a game I can't quite bring myself to stop playing. Ruling a medieval nation has never been so much fun, and I've now rewritten history more times than I can count (so, at least ten times). Paradox has been steadily updating it with patches and DLC, like the Ruler Creator and a whole bunch of extra music, but now the company is almost ready to launch its first major piece of DLC: "Sword of Islam."

Unsurprisingly, this expansion will allow players to control a myriad of Muslim dynasties, but it's also adding a whole lot more. Project lead Henrik Fåhraeus took some time out of tinkering with the game to fill us in on what to expect.

Destructoid: How different will the Muslim dynasties play? For instance, what role does polygamy have?

Henrik Fåhraeus: Polygamy is kind of expected of Muslim rulers. So if you don't have enough wives -- depending on your?? station -- you will lose some prestige.

So it will be a little bit embarrassing if you don't have enough wives then?

(laughs) Yeah, well, a little bit. Maybe it's not completely realistic, but it's a gameplay thing. Muslim rulers will be stuck with a lot of heirs or children...

Squabbling over land.

E??xactly. So we want this kind of dynamic where you have a large family, so you won't have a problem producing an heir, but on t??he other hand, your titles will be contested when you die.

There will be quite a few civil wars then?

Definitely.

That should make things rather exciting.

Yeah, you know, Muslims conquer land, but the??y have more trouble keeping it tha?n taking it.

Will there be any laws specific to Muslim rulers?

No, we don't have any specific laws, although there is a succession law called the Turkish Succession Law, which is reminiscent of the old Elective Law in [Crusader Kings] where the guy with the most land succeeds. So you can influence who you want to be your heir by giving him more land than your other sons. Also, Muslims pass laws just by spending piety,?? they don't have to hold a vote.

So it's a lot quicker a little less democratic?

Yeah, exact????ly. You're this despot, you don't have to worry about pleasing your vassals in the same way.

What sort of Muslim-specific events can players expect?

Oh, there's a load of those. Firstly, we've replaced some of the major decisions, like holding a tournament or a feast with Muslim equivalents. So they can observe Ramadan, or go on a pilgrimage to Mecca, stuff like t??hat. A little story plays out, al?most, along the way to Mecca, a little roleplay-ish.

A little bit like when you go to a feast and insult people or get in duels in the core game? 

Yeah, things like that. You might be attacked by robbers, and you get the choice of whether you want to fight back or flee.

And will that add new traits?

Yeah, and give you prestige. Of course, we've also added lots of regular events that just happen as you play the game, with a Muslim flavor.

Are there going to be any noticeable differences in how Muslims fight and go to war?

Yeah. As I mentioned before, they have an easier time conquering territory, so they have other rules for their casus belli, so it's easier for them to just take stuff. For instance, they have a border conquest casus belli, which means they can just take any province on their border even if it's from brothers of the faith, so to speak. However they do take a hit to their piety when t?hey are fighting other members of the faith.

I take it they get some unique holy orders which they can use, like the European powers.

They get one, the Hashishin.

Oh, awesome! Assassins!

They're kind of equivalent to the Knights Templar or Knights of St. John. There are a??ll kinds of cool events for them, just murdering people. (laughs)

I like the sound of that.

You'll find a head in a basket at your doorstep.

Very Mafia. (laughs)

Exactly.

Are there going to be any Muslim start dates which you are highlighting. The core game had periods like the Norman Conquest and the One Hundred Years War, so will there be anything like that?

No, not this time around. We've kept th??e same bookmarks as the?? base game.

Will the Muslim leaders be able to install their own religious authority, like the way Christian leaders can set up an Anti-Pope?

No, there's no concept of an Anti-Caliph, although it's something we'v??e tossed around a bit. Maybe at some point we'll see something like that.

Will there be any new additions to the soundtrack? One of the things I loved about Crusader Kings II was the wonderful music.

There's additional DLC you can buy with Muslim-specific music. It's not included in the base "Sword of Islam" DLC, though. It's over ten minutes of new music from Andreas Waldetoft who did the old music for Crusader Kings II.

Excellent! Now, will there be any new content for European rulers, alongside the additions for the Muslim dynasties?

Every time we release new DLC, we also release a patch which features all kinds of stuff. This time around we've added new provinces down in South Western Africa, representing Mali, So?nghai, and Ghana. So we've?? extended the map a bit. Also, there's all kinds of new events for Christians, too. And there's a system for strong and weak claims, which is kind of a big deal.

Oh, so would a weaker claim be one that the Chancellor has just fabricated?

Basically, only the first and second in lin??e to the throne get strong claims, and everyone else gets weak ones. You can only use weak claims to try and attack titles, or gain titles that are involved in a civil war or something. For example, you can use a weak claim against a female, if your ruler is male. Or you can use one when your target has a regent. So it's harder to use them, but we've made it pretty clear when you can use them. A little alert icon drops down and tells you when you can use your weak? claims.

It sounds like you're making claims a lot more interesting, but also increasing the level of risk involved. 

Yeah, absolutely. Also, they don't last very long because strong claims turn into weak claims when they are inherited. So, there's not so much spamming with lots of rulers having lots of claims. We also revised combat. We got some feedback about combat? not being interesting enough and smaller armies always losing to bigger armies. So we've done a lot of stuff with that.

I quite liked the addition of flanks in Crusader Kings II, so will there be more formations like that or new tactics?

It's been developed a bit further. We have something called commander traits, where if your character has a martial education, he will get one or two commander traits. They will a??ffect the efficiency of various troop types, his flanking abili?ty, and so on.

So choosing leaders for armies is pretty important now?

Exactly. And we've added combat tactics, and they're more decisiv??e as well. So combat is going to be less predictable??, but on the other hand more tactical as well.

What did you find to be the most challenging aspect of the DLC to work on?

Oh, that's a tough one! I'd say that ?the whole decadence system?? was the toughest to get the balance right. 

And how does the decadence system work?

Basically, we want to represent the ebb and flow of dynasties that you can see in real history in the Muslim world. When a dynasty begins or i??s founded, it's kind of pure and not decadent, but as time passes -- if the members of the dynasty are just hanging around not doing anything -- the whole dynasty will start getting decadent. That will give you various penalties, and eventually -- if the decadence is high enough -- a new and vibrant tribe will ride out of the desert and displace yo?u.

Oh dear. So there will be problems if family members are just lingering around harems, enjoying their lives?

Yeah! Exactly. Muslim rulers need to ma?ke sure that their dyna??sty members have land, have jobs and get to fight in wars. 

What part of the DLC are you proudest of, or are most excited to see people play?

Hmmm...

It's another tough one! (laughs)

It is another tough one! (laughs) I think it's probably the decadence system again. It's what gives the Muslim dynasties a different gameplay flow and feeling, so that's kind of the core of the ?expa??nsion.

I got a chance to have a wee peek at the beta and grabbed a random Muslim dynasty to take for a spin. But I'm still trying to decide who to take for my first full "Sword of Islam" game and when to start. Do you have any personal favorites?

I always prefer the mid-sized countries. The Hamudids of Northern Africa are nice to play. It's ??a challenge, but you still have something t??o work with!

Have you added any new empires with the expansion? We already have the Holy Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire, so will the Muslims have their own?

They will. We've adde??d a number of new empires to both the Christian and Muslim worlds. The Muslims get the Persian Empire and the Arabian Empire. In the Christian world you get stuff like Britannia, which is basically the united British Isles, and you get Scandinavia and so on. These empires don't exist at the start of the game, and you'll rarely see AI creating them because the creation conditions are pretty harsh. But still, this gives players something to aim for.

So it is an extra challenge for ambitious players.

Yeah.

And I assume the Persian Empire will often be at odds with the Byzantine Empire?

Well, if they exist.

Finally, when will "Sword of Islam" be available.

It will be available on Tuesday, next week.

Great! Very soon.

Yeah, very! I hope pe?ople enj??oy it. It's more polished than the last DLC we released, which had a rocky launch. I think you'll enjoy it.

Thanks a lot for chatting to me about "Sword of Islam."

Thank you.

The post Interview: Harems and sand in Crusader Kings II appeared first on Destructoid.

Paradox has announced a new DLC pack for Crusader Kings II called Sword of Islam, a mini-expansion that will let players control Muslim ruler??s. New mechanics will be added to make playing as a Muslim nation feel distinct ??from playing as a European power. You'll have to worry about Islam customs about marriage, holdings, titles, and laws.

Sword of Islam is going to be available in June for $9.99, which is an interesting price for Paradox. Most of their expansion packs run for $19.99 - $29.99, while their add-ons are usually under five bucks. This most likely means that it will be slightly larger than their usual DLC, but not quite as substantial as something like A House Divided.

A major patch is coming to Crusader Kings II right around the same time Sword of Islam comes out, fixing some bugs and tweaking combat, and adding a new area to the game ma?p. This patch will be free, of course. 

The post Defend the Holy Land fro?m the Crusaders in Sword of Islam appeared first on Destructoid.

Videogames and history have a wonderful and colorful relationship. Thousands of years of warfare, culture clashes, technological advances, political upheaval and intrigue have given developers a massive pool of content to work with and it's given players countless "what if?" scenarios and outlets for their power fantasies. Despite this, 2004's Crusader Kings managed to stand out from the crowd with its focus on dynasties and the elaborate web of medieval relationships. It offered something unique and managed to humanize the maps and statistics of?? the grand strategy genre.

A couple of days ago, on the most romantic day of the year, its long awaited sequel -- Crusader Kings II -- finally launched. After many long nights spent conquering Europe, crusading in the desert and insulting the Kaiser of the Holy Roman Empire, I've played enough so that I know whether this will be a love affair that continues or if I'll be dumping it and moving o?n.

Crusader Kings II (PC)
Developer: Paradox Interactive
Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Released: February 14, 2012 
MSRP: $39.99

Crusader Kings II puts you in the shoes of a medieval Christian noble and head of a dynasty. While it's usually a male ruler, women ca??n still hold such a position. Pagan and Muslim states exist only as non-player factions and frequently act as the antagonists, but no doubt diligent modders will make it so you can take charge of them in the future. It's all in real time, so there's no waiting about while your opponents take a turn, a boon both offline and online, where you can have up to 32 players. Your goal is to keep your dynasty alive for as long as possible and rack up lots of piety and prestige -- which act as currency for specific actions and get added together to get the score for each ??ruler -- maybe even outdoing history's greatest noble families. Beyond that your goals are personal and will likely change dozens of times before your successes and failures are consigned to the history books or the scoreboard.

The grand strategy genre is not known for being easy to grasp, but Paradox has taken great strides to make Crusader Kings II one of the most welcoming games in the genre without sacrificing depth or complexity. The optional tutorials do a great job of easing players into leading their line to glory. Each major aspect of the game is spli?t into beginner, intermediate and advanced levels but they are over quickly so you can get to ruling with has??te.

The interface is equally friendly to newcomers and old hats alike, ditching the cumbersome yet charming interface of the original for a more minimalist approach. Paradox has made it significantly easier to lead your dynasty to greatness. I'm sure the mention of things being streamlined has some people panicking, but don't fret, there's still menus galore. Menus are layered and deep, but easier to deal with than before. The map, which you will be spending most of your time staring at, is a gorgeous and realistic rendering of the landscape and while I'll admit I do miss the medieval look of the first game's map, it wasn't nearly as practical. You will probably spend more time looking at the color coded overlays than the geographical one though, making it look more like a very complicated game of Risk.

There's a vast number of histor?ical dynasties for you to take charge of between 1066 and 1337 and unlike the original, you can choose any time period between those dates. You will always play the head of a dynasty, but your position within the hierarchy of your chosen nation is more fluid. Depending on what family you choose and what date you start, you may be a Count, Duke, King or Emperor. Wars, plots and claims will ensure that there's always plenty of opportunity for you to gain new titles, or, if you are unlucky, lose the ones?? you have.

Being a ruler wouldn't be much fun if you didn't have minions to boss about, and in Crusader Kings II these minions take the form of family members, vassals and your court. But you'll quickly learn that they have their own ambitions and plots and will happily stand up to you ?if you cross them, especially if they think you owe them something. When dealing with your lessers it feels like a nerve wracking balancing act, if you give a Duchy to your favored son to keep him happy you might find yourself dealing with an angry noble who also has a claim on the land. Titles may be the currency with which you keep your minions appeased, but it's cursed gold.

Relationships really are tricky things and in Crusader Kings II, but they are at the core of the game. How other nobles see you, both in your own realm and internationally, affects the actions you can take and how efficient you are as a ruler. You can manipulate others through a variety of methods. In your own court you can offer people titles, honorary or landed and every ??character, regardless of what court they are in, have their own ambitions that you can help them out with. If you want to befriend the widowed King of Poland you can offer him one of your lovely daughte??rs. You'll get an alliance (marriage is the only way you can forge such relationships) and if they both have the marriage ambition you'll make them even happier. When you succeed it makes you feel like a puppet master of the highest caliber.

Regardless of your machinations, inevitably you're going to have to deal with the occasional civil war. This happens most frequently due to succession disputes. There are several forms of succession that you can implement all the way from primogeniture, where your eldest son gets everything, to elective where every noble has a say??. As long as the successor is a member of your dynasty you can keep playing, even if that successor gained his position through a less than legitimate route or even outright war. At first it's strange, almost counter intuitive, but there will be moments where you are almost relieved that your universally loathed dynastic leader has been deposed by his more talented and well liked son.

War itself is a fairly straightforward, but enjoyable, affair. There are several ways you can go about starting a war, the simplest being through claims. Your character may already start out with claims o?n other rulers' land, from there it's a simple matter of raising your levies. Each vassal has their own levies and can use them as they see fit so long as their is no legislation taking control from them. However, when their liege tells them to get an army going, they bloody well better do it. It goes without saying, the more vassals you have, the more troops you get. Your levies appear the moment you call them as well, so there's no faffing about while you wait for them to be trained. Vassals don't like it when you take their troops away for a long time though, if you have a vas??sal who is especially annoyed with you it might be a good idea to not call on him. Luckily you can request levies individually or only raise your own personal levies.

You can also hire mercenaries, which require an initial payment on top of their wages and holy orders who will only fight pagans and Muslims but cost no gold, only piety. As you defeat enemy troops and conquer more land you'll see your victory percentage increase, you don't need to go so far as to conquer every single county your foe controls just to get the one you have a claim on, though. Any conquered province continues to add more to your victory percentage for as long as you control it, so wars go a lot more quickly than they did in the first game. If you don't already have a claim, you can fabricate one or you can use a vassal's claim to go to war, increasing both your own prestige and that of your minion. Unfortunately in those instances it is your vassal, rather than yourself, that gets direct control of the land. Paradox has done a great job making war less of a hassle, it enc??ourages players to be more aggressive and pro active. War is still a major investment, in terms of money and prestige and losing one can really devastate your dynasty, but it's not something you'll want to shy away from.

The actual combat itself is almost entirely hands off, but it's an improvement over Paradox's similar t??itles. It still ends up being a battle of numbers and morale, but the addition of having your armie??s split into flanks add a more strategic element which makes it more interactive.

As you relax on your ornate throne planning your next great war there's nothing that could kill the mood more than being told you need to do some economic planning or fiddle around with a bunch of sliders. Luckily that's not something you need to worry about. The dreaded inflation from the original game is gone and your vassals are perfectly capable of running their own affairs for the most part. You will rely on your vassals for the levies, income and political support they provide, but it's your council that you will rely on to expand your power base and protect yourself from enemies less obvious than armies. The council is made up from court members and each position is tied to one of the statist??ics which every character has. Your Spymaster should have a high intrigue stat, while your Chancellor needs to be very diplomatic. These characters will provide a bonus to your own stats but can also be sent out into the field to uncover plots, collect taxes, train troops or even fabricate claims on lands you desire.

While vassals run their own territory, you can still expand and upgrade both your holds and theirs. Holds have replaced buildings from the first game. They are split into cities, castles and churches and all give you different bonuses. A city gives you more taxes, but weaker troops, castles are the opposite and churches are inbetween but only give you the tax income if the ruling Bishop likes you more than the pope. Each hold can be given to a member of your court to control and come with their own u??pgrades which can be selected by you or your vassals. Customizing your realm this way is expensive but each hold offers plenty of benefits.

This historical period is often unfairly characterized as being backwards, but there are plenty of advances that you can discover. Technological improvements occur slow??ly, though you can select specific advances to focus on. Each county has its own level of cultural, economic and military technology and you can send members of your council to learn from ??them, adding that knowledge to your realm. It's indirect, but you never feel like you don't have control.

Plots, ambitions and decisions ensure that the game's forward momentum keeps going, even if you aren't dealing with wars, claim disputes or revolts. They differ depending on your station and tend to favor the lower ranks. Ambitions are usually pretty simple things like wanting to get married and father a son or get made Marshall by your liege, sh?ould you have one. Plots tend to be more sinister such as assassinating political rivals or overturning laws (again, only possible if you have a liege). For a plot to be successful you will need to invite other nobles into it, but that's only possible if they like you more than their liege or the target. Decisions cause minor events, like throwing a big feast or inviting someone new to your court. Events like banquets and tournaments offer a little bit of roleplaying as you must select how your liege reacts to certain situations, there's an element of chance involved and you may gain a negative or positive trait, some confer both. For instance, if your actions lead to you getting the "kind" trait, your intrigue will take a hit while your diplomacy will be enhanced. Other events will happen randomly throughout the game as well, so your character will always be able to grow,?? for better or worse.

While these intrigue actions keep you busy and may encourage you to really start being a sneaky bastard, there is a lack of diversity, especially if you are at the top of the pecking order. In my last ga??me I was playing as the Premyslid dynasty of Bohemia, I still had a liege as Bohemia was part of the Holy Roman Empire, but I was a King, so I had the best of both worlds in terms of intrigue options. But even then it felt a bit lackluster. It was just a list of people to kill, council positions I could hold in the court of the Holy Roman Empire and one piece of political legislation I could plot to overturn. It was a long list, but it was a dull one. In other sessions it was the same sort of thing, but shorter.

The handful of events you can cause through decisions are always the same and after you've held a couple of feasts and tournaments they stop being very memorable, they just become a way for you?? to potentially augment your stats. They are welcome diversions and thanks to the random nature of the game the outcomes frequently differ even if you've witnessed the event several times before, but I can't help but wish there was more variety.

The most positive aspect of this system is that it makes everyone else significantly more interesting. Since every character has their own ambitions and the ability to plot, there's always something going on. Sometimes that will mean you are being showered with notifications about someone doing something, but frequently you can either use that against them or aid them in their devilish schemes. It's a double sided sword, however. Your own vassals will constantly be trying to murder each other and often they are members of your own dynasty, that's a big risk. The AI is so obsesse??d with being top dog that the big picture is ignored. Trying to control a bunch of greedy, envious, overgrown children might be historically accurate, but it can get a tad annoying. You can, however, put a stop to their plans if you discover them and they don't even have to like you very much to put their ambitions on the back burner. Even when y??our vassals are being annoying idiots, the results can be well worth it. Those tense moments when it looks like you're going to lose everything you worked for thanks to a spoiled bastard son, only for another noble to assassinate him are what makes the game so unique.

You may have noticed that I've gotten near the end of the review with barely a mention of crusades. Considering it's in the title, this may seem a tad strange. Crusader Kings II has crusades coming out of every pore. It's just that I never really felt compelled to go on one. When a crusade is called you'll get a big notification and then a flag will appear on the screen for its duration, but it always felt that the crusades were something that hap??pened to other people. I could get involved if I wanted, but I had my own important business to attend to. This is far from a criticism, though. With the amount of crusades that occur, you?'d never get anything done if you kept participating in them. There's certainly plenty of reasons to join in, it just never felt necessary for the dynasties I played for the most part.

My lack of crusade experience really did make me feel like a bad Catholic, which is odd because I'm not any kind of Catholic. So I did eventually jump into the Crusade scenario. It's not really a scenario though, it's just the date of The Third Crusade. There was certainly more of a push to go and defend Christendom and it was the most tense game I'd played. But when it comes down to it, I prefer to ignore the Pope or install an antipope than go on bloody holy wars for him. When dealing with the Pope I find it best to treat them terribly and ask for forgiveness later. He might excommunicate you, but I found that to be something I could deal with. Excommunication gives your enemies a legitimate excuse to go to war with you, so it's a good idea to be prepared, but it's not the massive threat that it appears to be. Of course, like everything in Crusader Kings II your experience of excommunication could be entirely different from mine. It's perfectly p??ossible to have made a few too many enemies, ??anger the Pope and find most of Europe out for your blood.

That's really what makes the game so damn fun. So much can happen and a plan usually only lasts for a few minutes before you have to reevaluate it. It's an incredibly dynamic game that seems to perfectly simulate the state of flux that Europe and the Middle East were in during the Middle Ages. Crusader Kings II is exactly the sort of game I was hoping it would be. As deep and complex as its predecessor, but more accessible. It also manages to avoid some of the stability and bug issues that Paradox titles are known for. This is easily the most polished and bug free of all their titles to date, apart from the occasional placeholder text that crops up. The folks over at Paradox have out done themselves and set the bar extremely high. If you are looking for a new strategy game to sink an?? insane amount of time into, then look no further.

The post Review: Crusader Kings II appeared first on Destructoid.

Crusader Kings II is the sequel to one of the most unconventional and intriguing grand strategy games I've ever had the delight to play. With its focus on intrigue, relationships, and dynasty building, it really stood out from other games in the genre such as the Europa Universalis and Civilization series.

Since its release in 2004, Paradox has further explored this type of gameplay with Europa Universalis Rome and the recently released Sengoku. With Crusader Kings II's closed beta starting soon and its release date of Febr?uary 7 getting ?closer, I got a chance to pose some questions to producer Johan Andersson. Let's blow the lid off all this intrigue.

Destructoid: Can you tell our readers who you are and what your role is on the team?

Johan Andersson: I'm Johan Andersson and I'm in charge of all titles developed at Paradox Interactive. On Crusader Kings II, I've been working as the producer, so my job has been making the final call on design, quality and deadlines which means I get to play the game a lot and come up with decisions that the team has to implement. Also, since once upon a time when the grass was green and the air was fresh I was a programmer, I help out with some of the programming when I get a little extra time.  

One of the biggest differences between Crusader Kings and other grand strategy games is the importance of individuals and their relationships. Can you tell us how relationships work in CKII and what unique challenges arise when humanizing strategy and history?

Characters have unilateral opinions of each other, depending on many different things, from personality traits to past offenses, to their positions in the line of succession. AI characters tend to act in accordance with these opinions, and they also unlock various events. Humanizing strategy and history feels entirely natural in the medieval period, where rulers largely acted on their emotions -- it would be harder (and less appropriate) in a game like Victoria II, which is about Realpolitik, CKII is still a strategy game first and foremost, but the ambition is to make players feel like they are role-playing a character rather than being some kind of guiding national spirit.

Historical accuracy is clearly important in the series, is it difficult to find a balance between accuracy and player freedom?

We firmly believe that while historical accuracy is of vital importance, it should never trump gameplay. This does not mean we add things like Flaming Pigs as a military unit in a historical game. We take great pride in having historical setups when the game starts, in content being historical, and getting the historical immersion from the game. However, when a game starts, we give players a "blank state" where they can change history to what they want, in a truly believable world. The game should feel historically plausible, while giving players freedom to do what they want to do.

The post Interview: What’s new in Crusader Kings II appeared first on Destructoid.

It's time to get your medieval intrigue on, Crusader Kings II closed beta sign ups started today. I've been waiting for this dynasty focused grand strategy game for what seems like an eternity. I've been playing the original a lot in anticipation and I'm considering picking up similarly themed Sengoku just to get my fix.

In Crusader Kings II players don't take charge of a nation, per say, instead they control a noble dynasty. You still manage lands and armies, but the joy is in developing a powerful family that spreads across Europe, dominating everything. Of course, sometimes it's better to set one's sights a little lower. You win more by keeping your dynasty unbroken until the end of the era. That's easier said than done when you have to contend with popular revolts, war, plague, and the treachery of your so called loved ones. Remember your favorite brother? The one who you honored with the title "Count of Cornwall?" Yeah, he's raised an army and now he's trying to take the throne out from under your inept arse. Everyone's a critic. There's no reason why ??you wouldn't want to go through that. Go sign up. Now.

The post Crusader Kings II enters closed beta appeared first on Destructoid.