In contrast, tribes use the leader’s prestige as their main currency. Bigger and more developed realms can raise more troops, but newly conquered territories don’t contribute troops for some time, and developing holdings takes time and money. The key difference 2 is that in my experience, feudal armies are predictably sized and only grow gradually. In the process, I made my second discovery: the game has a pretty cool model of tribal societies, as distinct from feudal proto-states. The fourth time, I chose Wakhushakk 1, a tribal chief who rules over a single province in 769 – and this time, after many saves and reloads, I was able to carve out (albeit not keep) a kingdom along the Silk Road. I didn’t last long: Vandad is surrounded by hostile neighbours, and Shorzan and his heirs live at the mercy of the Caliph. The first three times, I tried playing Persian Zoroastrian lords: Vandad Karen, an independent lord in 867 (twice), and Shorzan Bavandid, a vassal of the Abbasid Caliphate in 769.

This entry is part 1 of 5 in the series Crusader Kings IIĪfter many attempts to restore the Persian empire in Crusader Kings 2, I have learned two things.įirst, playing a Zoroastrian is hard.

Raise tribal army ck2