CK3 is such an amazing sequel. So good that i don't think i can return to Ck2. I specially like the UI as i don't feel like i'm fighting the game like i did when i was playing CK2.
I literaly can't wait for the DLC, i would specially like more clothes/armor and stuff like that.
I gave one of my vassals too many holdings (he's over the limit). Will I be penalized for reorganizing the kingdom?
I didn't play the tutorial so i don't know how much it is taught there. SO here is a very short explanation on Vassals.
So there are 5 ranks in the game: baron< count<duke<king<emperor which are the representation of the highest title a char holds; barony -> baron; county -> count; duchy -> duke; kingdom -> king; empire -> emperor. Barony is the smallest territory in the game and ins't playable. County is a group of baronies. Duchy is a group of counties. Kingdom is a group of duchies. Empire is a group of kingdoms.
The first thing you NEED to know is that you can only command those that are bellow your rank. An example lets say that you have the kingdom of england, the kingdom wales, the duchy of kent and duchy of wessex. If you give the kingdom of wales to a vassal that vassal will become independent because he holds the same rank as you.
You are NEVER penalized by holding the maximum titles of the max rank you have. For example lets say you are a king. you can hold as many kingdoms as you want that you never get penalized for that.
You however get penalized for hoarding titles that are below your rank with the exception of counties. For example if you hold a kingdom holding 3 or more duchy titles will incur a penalty. Another example if you are an emperor holding more than 1 kingdom will incur penalties.
The mechanics above alongside the domain limit means that most of your territory will be controlled by Vassals. This is the only way to fully use your resources without penalties.
The challenge is that each vassal as a personality which means that for example ambitious vassals will heavily try to increase their power; the stronger your vassals are when compared to you they might demand stuff like being on your council or getting a better contract.
So the core mechanic of crusader kings series is to be able to balance the plots/desires of your vassals with your own interests. This is might be really easy if you have a char that can inspire loyalty or dread but can literealy be impossible if your char is so unlikeable that all your vassals decide that you aren't fit to be their king.
Before we talk vasssals we need to udnerstand what De Jure is. De Jure is what the game calls "expected territory". Basically this means when you hold a title you are literaly entitled to the territory that title holds. If someone other than you has that territory you have a cause for war ( causus beli- CB in game). Generaly speaking if the holder of that territory is inferior of your rank they will submit to your rule and become your vassal.
How do you know a certain De jure duchy/kingdom/empire is entitled to? you have 2 ways to see. One is by using the lower corner UI buttons that change the screen. Another is when you click a territory you can click on the symbol of the title and it will appear the de jure land as well as the "upper" rank titles.
De Jure is really important to understand. For example the emperor of britania is expected to have the kingdom of england, scotland, wales and ireland under control. and he will have a CB for those territories. Another example is the if the king of england owns territory in ireland he will receive less resources from there because those counties don't belong to the de jure kingdom of england (they belong to the kingdom of ireland) This also means that the kingdom or ireland has a CB on the kingdom of england.
Now is the time to talk vassals and why de jure is important to keep them in line.
Your vassals will want whatever De jure land their title is and they will strive to reach your rank. For example the king of england will want every duchy of england under his control.
So you are free to give titles away as long as they kinda respect the de jure stuff. For example if you could a county in a territory where the duke isn't you, than that duke will have a penalty of opinon for not having their county.
You can also play with this the other way around. For example lets say that you are the king of england and the duchy of mercia has like 3-4 counties outside the duchy of mercia. you could create the new duchy titles for other vassals so that they gain CB agaisnt mercia. THis means that Mercia would probably be busy fighting your other vassals instead of ploting to overthrow you!
The problem is that vassals will expand beyond their de jure by using claims and other nefarious deeds, like incest. Your main objective is to stall their power. The best way to do this is to try and have as many vassals as possible so that if you piss someone off you won't have a rebelion on your hands. Better yet, have your small vassals fight each other as much as possible. The more wars your vassals are in the less chance and resources they have to try and push against you.
usually speaking, unless you are really good at the game, chances are that every few generations you will need to deal with a rebelion due to the consolidation of your vassals against you.
There are several ways to keep vassals from rebeling against you; the 4 principal ones are:
- They fear you (dread can be increased by doing evil actions like torturing important people, better yet your close family)
- They respect you (high diplomacy alongside being a virtous/nice char can be enough to have most vassals in line)
- You have an aliance (marry your daughters to you strongest vassals!)
- Your military is too big for them to beat you (high martial chars can 2 "easily" boost their levies to stupid high levels)
alongside the above money can solve a lot of issues, from bribing agents to assassinate dangerous vassals to recruiting so many mercenaries that the rebellion of your vassals has no chance of wining. Contracts can also be really useful to sabotage or gain the loyalty of your vassals. For example forcing confederate for a big vassal with lots of family can easily cripple his capability of challenging you.
Now i hope I can answer your question in a satisfying matter. Reorganizing your kingdom doesn't penalize you directly but if you give several titles to a single char you might be just sabotaging the reign of your son as that vassal will have a shit ton of power. Giving land to people that don't like you for example for being sinful to you than you are just giving power to the unhappy vassals of your territory. The ideal is to give it to people from your culture, your religion, with no ties to any house that isn't on your territory and like your char. You will understand quickly that the game will rarely have this perfect char and you will have to compromise where you draw the line is up to you and your patience in searching for the right chars.
In short reorganizing your kingdom won't penalize you but might eventually be the start of a challenger for your title
I hope the above helps
