Crusader Kings 3 (PC) (Steam, Xbox Game Pass)
by Jason Mical, Contributing Editor
It’s Good to be the King
A couple of hours into Crusader Kings 3 and I’m checking the status of my vassals with almost obsessive regularity. What if they’re plotting against me? No? But what if they’re plotting against me, now??
The sequel to the… strategy? RPG? sims-like? game from 2012, Crusader Kings 2, CK3 puts you in the royal pants of the ruler of a Realm (or Domain). There is a thin veneer of 4X about the game, but at its heart, CK3 (like CK2) is about characters and their relationships to each other. Paradox Interactive has stripped out a good deal of extras (Satanism, the Sunset (Aztec) Invasion, more flexible start options) from CK2’s countless expansions and given us a lean, mean, and incredibly fun sequel.
Play as Harold Godwinson in 1066 and try to reverse the tide of history.
If you’ve played CK2, the fundamentals of the game will be familiar; still, even for an experienced player, I found enough has changed that I still needed the tutorial. It takes about an hour and introduces you to the changes to the game along with its core concepts: your character, their heirs, your dynasty, your domain and realm, marriage, alliances, and war. While the tutorial gives you the tools you need to play, it requires you to think for yourself and adapt if something isn’t going right--a core tenet of CK gameplay. The tutorial war, for example, is unwinnable without raising additional troops.
The single biggest improvement, and it’s a huge one, is the inclusion of mouse-over popups on important concepts. Any time text appears in blue, you can mouse over it and see a popup definition of the game concept, which really helps when you can’t always remember the difference between a Domain and a Realm. There’s also a vast in-game Encyclopedia to help with this as well.
Characters now have expanded skill trees, allowing for a stunning degree of customization.
While it may look like a 4X game, CK3 is far more about characters than about winning battles. After playing the tutorial, I’ve earned the ire of one of my vassals, and my schemes to bring him back in the fold haven’t borne fruit. My wife has begun an affair with my Bishop, which I’ve opted to keep to myself as blackmail material later. And my vassals: Are they plotting against me? What about now? What about NOW??
As I descend into the uneasiness of the head that wears the crown (of the petty kingdom of Munster in Ireland, mind you), I save and quit and see what my other start options are. The Republic of Venice is frustratingly off-limits (all Republics are), as is the Papacy (all theocracies are as well.) Starting before 1066 requires you to choose one of a handful of factions; the entire map doesn’t open up until a month before the Battle of Hastings.
The loading screen accurately captures everything you'll be doing for the next 600 hours of gameplay.
So clearly there is room for Paradox to release more expansions, and all the more power to them for improving on this amazing game. There’s also some great choices regarding representation: like before, you can choose to ignore gender rules for things like inheritance, and give women the chance to rule the Realm. You can also chose how often gay, bi, and asexual characters appear; the fact that ace characters are represented is a huge step.
There is now an amazing array of flexibility when setting up your game.
All in all, after several hours, CK3 has me hooked. What’s next? I think I’ll start with the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of England in 1066. The Godwinson is going to expel William the Bastard right back to Normandy. And maybe I’ll press my claim to his realm.
