Let's Play Crusader Kings II 33: Crusading

Channel:

Kikoskia

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57,000

Published on October 23, 2014 9:00:02 AM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5B-euuqFMyQ

Game:

Crusader Kings II (2012)

Duration: 19:56

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We've had a lot of personal experience with the second word in the title of this game, but the second not so much. This is soon to change.

Crusading as a mechanic in CKII is basically a large-scale war to reclaim a portion of land - usually a kingdom - rallying under the banner of religion. The defender of the invaded territory often calls in surrounding lords and rulers of the same faith as them to defend said lands from the invaders. Success depends a lot on how many people join the crusade or decide to defend, how far away the attackers are from the target of the crusade and what time period they take place in. With a few rare exceptions, crusades in the very early game tend to end in failure for the attackers.

Taking part in a crusade has benefits of course. At the least you get the crusader trait which is positive in many respects and if you contribute the highest percentage to the war score on a victory, the religious head bestows the newly conquered lands to you to rule. People of the same faith as you are also very unlikely to declare war on you while you're crusading as they take increased penalties to relations for doing so.

The downsides however are that you can be drawn into an expensive and protracted war where you lose most of your military might and end up losing, meaning it was all for naught. And while your foes and scheming factions may have held back while you were out fighting, as soon as the crusade is over there is no such restraint and you'll be far weaker for it.

Overall, joining a crusade is a risk and you have to weigh up what you'll potentially gain against what you'll lose. Sometimes though, it's worth taking the risk.

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