CRUSADER KINGS 3
Back when I still used Windows, more than fifteen years ago, I used to play all manner of computer games, the more niche, the more complex, the better.
Then I moved to Macs, and all my beloved nerdy games were no longer playable. Was there anything else suitably obscure that worked on a Mac? Yes! Europa Universalis! This game, published by Swedish company Paradox Studios, was everything I love - a deep strategy map game, rich in historical detail, where a single play through would take months and there was no way to ‘win’ - you just had the pleasure of guiding the country of your choice from the 14th to the 19th centuries, trying to balance the economy, keeping the peasants from revolting, making alliances and trying to simultaneously expand your realm while not getting invaded by your enemies. Great stuff!
After some years I largely stopped gaming: Paradox had released a new version of Europa Universalis which for some reason I just couldn’t get back into. I tried some of their other games, but nothing gelled. Then my computer started ageing and I found I couldn’t run anything anyway.
But I still felt a need to sometimes lose myself in a good game. Last year I bought a new computer and finally I was be able run pretty much anything, so it was time to fire up my Steam account and see what was there. I found Civilization VI on sale, grabbed it, and before long I was really enjoying this venerable old game series. Perfect for relaxing - turn-based guiding your bunch of mud-hut dwellers from the Bronze age to the point where you could drop nukes on people - what fun!
I played this until a couple of months ago, and while I loved it, I still had a hankering for something a bit more complex, and so kept looking at Paradox’s offerings. I bought Stellaris, their acclaimed game of futuristic human expansion, but I couldn’t get beyond the tutorial. I had another go at Hearts of Iron IV, a game with a World War II setting, but again, I just couldn’t get into it. I bought Victoria 3, covering the period from 1830-1930, but it was like watching paint dry. Then I saw Crusader Kings 3 on sale and grabbed it. This game covers the period from the ninth to the fifteenth centuries, but unlike Paradox’s other offerings, this one has an emphasis on role-playing.
I started the tutorail, and wow! Instantly hooked. What an amazing experience! It has all the nerdy depth and complexity of other Paradox games, but with beautiful graphics and an intuitive interface to sweeten it.
This little 8 year-old is now the Queen of a petty Irish kingdom, surrounded by her advisors…will she survive?
So what exactly happens in this game? Well, you choose a historical character (King, Duke, etc) and then you lead your dynasty through the centuries, trying not to get wiped out. Like many games it involves warfare, economics, building and diplomacy, but where this game is different is the sheer depth on offer. You can play obscure minor states in central Asia, or even invent a landless wanderer from scratch who then has to go out and make something of herself in the medieval world.
Some Welsh bloke
You have to educate your children and nurture their traits to make suitable heirs for your line, keep vassals happy to stop them forming factions against you, employ a host of council members and courtiers to help you govern, all the time keeping an eye on what they’re up to. You can try to sway a bishop who is not endorsing you, plot to murder an annoying vassal, seduce or befriend someone to gain advantage.
All the while decisons have to be made - plague breaks out - what will you do? You hold court and some troublesome vassal presents you with a connundrum that could cost you in cash, prestige or legitimacy. Your spymaster hears that someone is trying murder you - yikes!
You can go on pilgrimages, hold tournaments, weddings and feasts, try to ally with neighbouring leaders, or go on crusade when the Pope calls on you.
The possibilities are endless, and each run through embroils you in a unique immersive story line in which you can get really attached to your characters and feel genuinely sad when they pass away and an heir takes the throne. The replay value is high indeed, and given that a single run-through might take 30-40 hours of game time, you are really getting your money’s worth.
You can let off steam, carouse, plot or sway at a Crusader Kings feast
However, this game is not for the faint-hearted - while starting out isn’t too difficult, there is a definitely a steep learning curve to understand all of the complex operations going on - but with a little perseverance you can find yourself inside an enthralling alternate world away from the mundanity of your everyday life.