14 DAY TRIAL // The biggest addition in the new Sons of Abraham expansion for Crusader Kings II that paradox Development Studios has recently launched is that of the Jewish religion, which has all the features already enjoyed by Christians and Muslims and some unique flavor events.
The only faction in the game which at one point sought to embrace Judaism as the state religion was the Khazars, a semi-nomadic Turkish federation of tribes that created a strong empire in the area north of the Byzantine Empire.
Historically, the Khazar royal family and some parts of the nobility converted in the eight century, with some scholars saying that the move was designed to allow them a degree of independence from both the continuing Roman Empire, which was Christian, and the growing power of their Muslim neighbors.
In the game, players who choose the Khanate will handle Manasseh the Second and I suspect that most of them will grow to resent their choice.
The Khazars have some good provinces and start off with a big standing army, but most of their provinces are of Tengri religion and they do not react well to attempts at conversion.
The Pecenegs and the Cumans are also pretty warlike and they tend to combine their strength to invade.
This means that the Khazars usually suffer a big defeat in about 10 years and become basically irrelevant, simply existing in one or two provinces before they finally disappear.
My best result so far using them has been to hold on to about 1,000, losing only one war, but that game benefited from some good dice rolls on my assassination attempts and from the fact that the nomads were more interested in fighting the Byzantines.
Most Crusader Kings II players love a challenge, so check the official forums for the inevitable After Action Reports that will chronicle the survival and growth of the Khazar Khanate.