Alongside armored knights and Viking raiders, the royal court is one of the most popular public images of the Middle Ages. We all have in mind images of a royal throne in the center of a tapestry-adorned hall, with pawns and supplicants seeking justice from a powerful ruler or bringing gifts to win the favor of royal power.
Therefore, Royal Court is a natural starting point for expansion Crusader Kings III, our role-playing strategy game about the medieval world. This expansion puts players in the shoes of Majesty and must deal with the problems a King or Emperor would face, while also using the size of their court for diplomatic and strategic ends.
First, it’s important to note that in Royal Court, the royal court is ambitious. Only player characters with the rank of King or Emperor may hold court; The Court is intended as a sort of reward and distinguishing feature of these higher titles. However, lower ranked characters can pay homage to their liege lord at court.
Second, your court is sort of a super buff for your character and realm. Aside from the obvious roleplaying elements of making decisions whenever a vassal or courtier asks you for a favor, spending money on your court and adorning it with relics and artifacts will earn you bonuses for your character, empire, or dynasty.
Decorating your royal court with artifacts aligns with two of the new features in Crusader Kings III for console – inventory and inspirations.
Inventory works much like a traditional roleplaying game. You have your character model and you can equip it w ith weapons, armor, jewelry, etc. to make it more impressive or powerful. How do you get these special items? Of course you will find special people.
Inspiration comes when you, as the ruler, hire a craftsman to create something special for you and your castle. It can be a special tapestry, a new weapon, a shiny crown, etc. Each of these, as mentioned above, can give you and your realm bonuses. But sometimes master craftsmen come up to you with their own inspiration and ask you to hire them. The more impressive your royal court is (better food, better housing, better quality of people), the higher the quality of craftsmen you will attract. You can craft better weapons and better decorations, which can further increase the reputation of your royal court.
In many ways, Royal Court underscores one of the core strengths of Crusader Kings III. Even if you choose to play the personal story of a particular family, all of the seemingly insignificant cosmetic decisions — the choice of decoration, the money invested in your court, the choice of relics displayed — can have an impact on your realm. It’s like the old horseshoe nail nursery rhyme – small things can have big consequences.
Much of this has to do with the fact that in crusader kings III, Gold isn’t the only currency that matters. You need gold, of course. Soldiers cost money, titles cost money, bribes and ransoms cost money. Gold is certainly important.
But gold, for Royal Court, is an investment in other important currencies such as prestige or the prospects of success in certain activities. Any gold you spend to increase your size will give you certain benefits as you increase in size. For example, if you have a fashion-focused place (perhaps in Milan), higher splendor can mean a hefty prestige bonus. A court that values good servants can give more power to your spymaster’s schemes. You can even reduce the effects of bad food or unlock special actions for your council with enough awesomeness.
So the Royal Court is not just a fun place to put on small medieval plays. With careful management, the court can become the focus of activity from which to plan a long-term theme for your dynasty. It can even serve as a center for short-term activities as you redecorate the throne room with artifacts and relics that enhance a specific ability you need at the moment.
Royal Court is the first major expansion for Crusader Kings III
Crusader Kings III: Royal Court
Paradox Interactive
There is only one true center of power and prestige: a ruler’s court. Enter your own fully immersive throne room with Crusader Kings: Royal Court and get ready to impress vassals and courtiers with your splendor and treasures. Watch visitors pay respect or family members squabble as you pass judgment in royal audiences, forming the vital link between your people and your empire. In Crusader Kings: Royal Court you can commission great works of art from inspired craftsmen. Impress your rivals with the splendor of your court, or impress them with the heirlooms and relics of your noble family. With an expanded culture system, you can lead your people to new cultural discoveries as they band together or break away, embrace their heritage, learn languages, or embrace new traditions. A Royal Court on Display ● As King or Emperor, witness your personal throne room come to life with the wide range of drama and intrigue of your court. Enter a fully 3D rendered space, available in one of four major cultural visual styles, and fill it with regalia and majesty. ● Judge harshly or kindly those who seek arbitration. Hold court and watch as your courtiers plot and vie for your attention. ● Match the splendor of your court against your greatest rival. Or they fail to impress her and suffer the sad diplomatic consequences of poor taste. A Treasure True ● Display your exquisitely crafted relics or focus on the history of your noble house with your family heirlooms. A whole host of new artifacts can be admired in the return of the series’ inventory system. ● Talented crafters, from jewelers to weavers, can be deployed on special projects to add even more unique items to your domain. ● Commission special great works of art or win artifacts in battle. Be careful, as they can just as easily be lost in a botched duel or in the machinations of a rival. Culture and people ● A completely revised culture system is at your disposal. Important new cultural traditions allow you to significantly alter the way you play, from choosing the right perks according to your empire’s terrain to granting new bonuses to your military. Define your heritage through cultural pillars or let your subjects learn new languages. ● With the new Hybridization feature, create a truly dynamic melting pot by blending and merging your race’s distinctive traits into a unique cultural fusion. Become a great Bedouin conqueror, uniting with newly conquered humans, or follow the adventurous Norse ruler who came to adopt the local Sri Lankan customs. ● Witness your realm’s culture evolve with the new divergence feature, subtly transforming a single culture strand into smaller subcultures with the hands of time. Shape it as you see fit, or sow the seeds of change and watch a monolithic culture grow into a collection of many different people.
