Deus Vult!

So I’ve picked up a new toy. It’s insane, I’ve lost any semblage of free time that I might have ever had, and it’s all the fault of Crusader Kings by Paradox. This is the new sweetness by the same people responsible for titles like Hearts of Iron, Victoria, and Europa Universalis I & II, and it manages to so thoroughly rock my world that I suspect that they have been watching my sleep and mining my dreams for valuable, delicious prizes that have a market demographic of just me.

I’ll confess that when it comes to the games, I do have a delicious streak of the old-school in me. I’ve found DOS emulators that let me play Ultima V at real speed. When it comes to older games, I love them. I love them like fat kids love cake.

So when presented with a game which combines my undying love for medieval history with a game which is at least more turn-based than anything that people like to call strategy these days, I was instantly hooked. The game has a great medieval feel to it, capturing the diplomatic quagmire that was the feudal system. You can end up in a situation where you know you want to kick the living shit out of the guy in the next county, but if you do, you’ll have the King of Italy coming down on your ass with about 50,000 irate clones of Mario Vitale who all have far more impressive toys than a Henckels kitchen knife with which to menace your peasantry.

All in all, it’s quite the impressive game. So far as the Duchy of Bavaria, I’ve seen my fortunes wax and wane and finally wax again, as I’ve built up enough of a war chest to be able to front a decent campaign against pagan tribes in the Crimea. I came back from two generations of sickly rulers to have a decent one, Folkmar von Nordheim, who can actually get things done without fear of death or insanity. A relatively quick strike gave me three counties, and the followup attacks netted me 4 more. I was then able to create the titles of Duke of Wallachia and Duke of Moldau for myself, sending my prestige through the roof. My great-uncle Kuno von Nordheim, Bishop of Salzburg was even elected Pope, which then allowed me to become Papal Controller once I had sufficient prestige.

But of course, all good things must come to an end. Folkmar took a wound while fighting in North Africa and died a few months later, leaving his 11-year old son Konrad in charge, which is where I sit right now. You lose your prestige, you lose your piety; all I’ve got left is land and money, which can build both items up in time, provided that none of my bastard uncles decide to press their claims on the Duchy.

Sleep? What’s sleep when there are territories to conquer? Why, with enough luck, I could be King of North Africa by next week!