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Crusader Kings 3 lays out its grand strategy in a new monthly video series

It's good to be King

It's good to be King. This week, Crusader Kings 3 game director Henrik Fåhraeus donned a crown and cloak to lay out his vision for the big ol' threequel. It's the first in what Paradox say will be a monthly series of video diaries diving into the creation of a political powerhouse. Episode one is all about the big picture, and how the team want to bring some contemporary grandeur to the sprawling, occasionally awkward series.

That kinda thing requires a certain regal flair, don't you think?

Cover image for YouTube video

A lot of this will sound familiar to long-time Crusaders. CK3 is once again a game of bloodlines and dynasties, following a family line more than any individual actor or greater nation. So far, so familiar.

It's the scale of things that's really gotten Paradox excited. Fåhraeus (almost rudely) calls CK2 an indie game, a proving ground for the mechanics they want to see excel in CK3. Paradox has grown in those years, and CK3 should feel not only far larger but more accessible and manageable. All that nitty-gritty depth should still be there for experienced power-players, but it shouldn't take 100 hours to get a grasp on the feudal fundamentals this time around. That's the hope, anyway.

A large part of this comes down to characters. Details aren't just added in the transition to 3D models - Fåhraeus wants every last man, woman and horse to feel far more believable. There's also a hell of a lot more of them, added into areas that would've made do with a menu in CK2. Character is everything in Crusader Kings 3, and Fåhraeus "really wants to strengthen the role-playing feel" this time around.

Paradox games tend to come with the caveat that would-be buyers wait a few expansions for them to get good. With Fåhraeus claiming 3 to be the most polished version of the CK format yet, maybe - just maybe - that won't be the case this time 'round.

Our own feudal lord Nate marched upon Berlin for PDXCon last month to fill us in on ten of Crusader Kings 3's biggest changes. That is, when he wasn't larking about a live-action reenactment of Crusader Kings' medieval politicking in an old East German radio station. With a sheet on his head.

Never change, Ghoastus.

Crusader Kings 3 is due to arrive next year.

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Natalie Clayton

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Writes news when everyone else is asleep, sometimes

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