14 DAY TRIAL // Khagan Manasseh is known as The Flayer, for his tendency to use torture people who end up in his dungeon. Yet there are vassals in Khazaria who have the temerity not to open the gates of their holdings when he goes on a taxation tour of his realm.
I would directly break through their walls to punish them if I wasn’t afraid it could lead to wider rebellion. Thankfully, there are plenty of others who host the ruler with the required pomp and are ready to pay their tribute and contribute to our efforts to make this a more powerful dynasty.
All these extra funds will be put to good use: a Grand Tournament, with a horse racing event and a board game tournament. I have an excellent knight that might win the first, while my smart ruler might be able to take the second, as long as I succeed in sabotage events for some of my rivals.
Crusader Kings III: Tours & Tournaments is developed by Paradox Development Studio and Paradox Thalassic, with Paradox Interactive handling publishing. This is a major piece of downloadable content for the grand strategy title that makes ruler travel a central mechanic.
The tour in the title is an activity that will take the player through his realm, for extended meetings with vassals and chance encounters along the way. Depending on the ruler's lifestyle and the player's role-playing choices, there are options to extract more tax, intimidate people, or try to help them and deliver justice.
To help with the progress and limit danger, gamers can hire a caravan master and other specialized helpers, as well as set objectives and control costs. It’s a good representation of the fact that Medieval nobles actually had to move through the world because an absentee duke staying in his castle would attract significant negative attention.
Marriage festivities are also revamped, adding a ton of new choices and plenty of ways to make friends, interact with the newlyweds, or try to kill off an entire dynasty (hard to execute but great when in a feud). Feasts, pilgrimages, and hunts now also work along the same lines, increasing the level of immersion and the impact they can have on characters.
Competitive rulers can travel to or, better, organize a Grand Tournament, selecting events to favor them or their knights. Once the player’s ruler arrives, he can access a range of locations to gain artifacts, cheat to increase chances of success, increase piety, and more.
Tours & Tournaments also introduces accolades for knights, which can be passed down through the generation, and bestow bonuses to the realm. All the DLC additions make the game’s world feel more alive and increase the range of interactions.
The associated free update for Crusader Kings III makes other significant changes. The building system, including slots and costs, has been revised, and players can now station regiments in their demesne.
When the ruler is on the road, a regency system kicks in. These short power-sharing periods typically don’t affect the realm much. But when children are unable to rule over longer time frames, regents can amass power and even prepare a move against the rightful authority and execute it.
Tours & Tournaments adds a ton of new graphical elements, including new clothes and animations, to power all its newly revamped grand events. The game continues to look great, both when watching the map and when players engage in character interactions. There are music cues for all the important activities and the soundtrack remains immersive.
Conclusion
This is the rare piece of DLC that transforms a video game so thoroughly that I cannot imagine playing without it. Anyone who plays Crusader Kings III for a few hours and likes its blend of role-playing and grand strategy should quickly pick up Tours & Tournaments to get an expanded experience that better reflects the requirements of medieval rulership and is simply more fun.
A review key was provided by the publisher
