Crusader Kings III - Released

Crusader Kings III is now available on Steam.

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Paradox Development Studio brings you the sequel to one of the most popular strategy games ever made. Crusader Kings III is the heir to a long legacy of historical grand strategy experiences and arrives with a host of new ways to ensure the success of your royal house.

History

• Choose a royal or noble house from a number of realms on a map that stretches from Iceland to India, from the Arctic Circle to Central Africa.
• Guide a dynasty through the centuries, ensuring the security and power of each new generation. Gather new lands and titles to cement your legacy.
• Be a pious king to bring the religious powers to your side, or strike out on your own, designing your own splinter religion and earning everlasting fame or eternal damnation.
• Knights, peasant revolts, pilgrimages, Viking raiders… experience the drama and pageantry of the Middle Ages.

Character

• Adopt one of five different lifestyles, perfecting your skills in military strategy or kingdom management.
• Acquire character traits that will guide your actions, but beware if you act against your nature! The stress from denying your truest self could bring a new host of troubles!
• Choose appropriate guardians for your heirs, or train them yourself. But what do you do if the legal heir is not quite up to the job?
• Violent characters may develop a fearsome reputation, cowering your timid subjects into obedience with the dread you inspire.

Warfare

• Recruit men-at-arms units and powerful knights to supplement your royal levies.
• Research new technologies to increase the wealth and military might of your realm.
• Hire mercenaries and Holy Orders for your major wars.
• Supplement your income with ransomed prisoners or raiding parties on neighboring realms.

Intrigue

• Use your spymaster to discover plots against your dynasty and your rule.
• Recruit agents to assist your schemes to undermine or murder anyone who stands between you and power.
• Seduce other characters for love or political power.
• Gather information for blackmailing purposes or call in favors whenever your plans need an extra bit of influence.

More information.

Worth noting that the game is also available on XBOX game pass.

I'm not into this kind of game, but it's getting 9+ scores all over the place. IGN gave it a 10/10. There must be something to it that I cannot appreciate.

Regardless, good to see games that other people consider to be masterpieces to be released, it's never a bad thing.

It's simplified for mass appeal that's why. I might enjoy this game down the line, but I have to say I'm not liking the changes to the core game-play from Crusader Kings II.

Let me put it in RPG lingo for this forum… It's comparing Dragon Age to Dragon Age II.

Originally Posted by Nereida
I'm not into this kind of game, but it's getting 9+ scores all over the place. IGN gave it a 10/10. There must be something to it that I cannot appreciate.

Regardless, good to see games that other people consider to be masterpieces to be released, it's never a bad thing.

Yeah, I'm noticing all those stellar reviews too and can't figure it out either.

I'd love to try a demo if and when one exists.

I know, I can refund from Steam, but I make it a point not to refund a game simply because I don't like it. Also, CK3 is apparently somewhat complex and I've never played the previous iterations, so I doubt 2 hours would be nearly enough to make a judgement.

Originally Posted by tekulte
…so I doubt 2 hours would be nearly enough to make a judgement.

With this, you'll have one month for 1$

Originally Posted by largh
With this, you'll have one month for 1$

Yup, didn't know about it, just got it. I wish I knew about it before I got Wasteland 3.

W3 isn't a bad game, but not worth the price and I find myself not compelled to play it longer than a half-hour or so.

Originally Posted by Silver
Worth noting that the game is also available on XBOX game pass.

Thanks for that info. I will reactivate my game pass and give it a try. I had dropped it after playing The Outer Worlds and a couple other titles but now with Crusader Kings III and Wasteland III it will be worth the $5 to give those a try.

Edit: Well, that was a bust. I click Install in Game Pass, it goes to Preparing, then right back to Install. One of the reasons I quit Game Pass in the first place. It seems like every title that says requires administrator won't install and you can't right click on the app and run as administrator. Many, many people complaining on their forums and they never give a real answer and close the posts.

I know people are saying it's been simplified, but as I worked through the tutorial my eyes started to glaze over.

Just how complex is it? Let's say compared to Civ 3, or some other game of the same ilk.

Thanks.

I just played a few hours and it seemed to be really complex on first glance.
However after a few more hours I have the impression that it's not really complex, but the amount of entities you should (or could) keep track of and try to handle is immense.
In other words: There isn't much more than areas (counties, duchies,…), persons, and armies. The mechanics connecting these entities aren't complex.
But there are just so many of areas and persons (and later most likely armies) that you should keep an eye on, so there's a lot to handle.

I think what you have to learn is to know handling which entity exactly is important to reach your goal.