14 DAY TRIAL // The team at Paradox Development Studios working on the Charlemagne expansion for Crusader Kings II is ready to offer more details on the changes it will introduce, including a major modification which will allow any Duke to declare himself King and try to survive the hostility of his neighbors.
Tobias Bodlund, a scripter working on the title, says on the official forums that Kings are now also able to declare an empire and that the new political entities will not have any sort of de jure lands initially, but will be able to gradually get them if they manage to maintain control and gain more power.
The developer explains, “This new feature should open up new ways for players to shape the world, and you'll see new titles arising according to the unique sequence of events that unfolds in your specific campaign. Along with this comes new support for modders to dynamically change the coat of arms for any title through events or decisions or via the history files.”
The change is major and might be enough on its own to justify the purchase of Charlemagne for long-term fans who have always wanted to grow their initial starting locations to Empire level.
The big events in Crusader Kings II, including the evolution of new kingdoms, will be recorded in the new Dynasty Chronicle.
It is designed to register important moments, including those linked to the player’s family and major wars and invasions around the world, and can be then exported and shared with other grand strategy fans.
Crusader Kings II is an historical assassination sim
Paradox Interactive has a policy of launching major patches for its titles every time an expansion is being launched, and the one which will accompany Charlemagne for Crusader Kings II will include two big changes for the assassination mechanics.
The big news is that players will no longer be able to get rid of a character by simply pushing a button on the diplomacy interface and will now have to run a plot in order to get rid of rivals or family members.
Gamers can also defend themselves, with the developer saying that “There is now a new decision called ‘Go Into Hiding’, which allows you to remove yourself from the public eye for as long as you desire and thus greatly decrease the chance of any murder plots against you succeeding.”
Diplomacy and other personal characteristics might be affected by the decision to try and stay alive for as long as possible.
