It’s now possible to create custom kingdoms and empires outside of the standard de jure laws. In fact, the expansion features probably one of the single best additions to the game since its release two years ago. Thankfully there’s more on offer in the Charlemagne DLC than just the new start date and character focus. Charlemagne doesn’t get that balance right just yet. If done right, narrative content could well be the way forward for CK2, but Paradox will have to work out how to perfectly balance player choice with linear narrative. It’s certainly cool to follow the path of a historical figure, but it’s much more fun to forge your own nations and empires. On the other hand, however, it does somewhat work against the basic principles of the game - total player freedom of choice. On one hand it sounds like a fantastic idea that could be applied to so many different events and people, providing loads of interesting campaigns. Managing the empire once it has formed is more fun, but by this point the narrative begins to tail off.įocusing on one character or one historical event is an interesting concept within CK2. Veteran players should be able to form the Holy Roman Empire in a relatively short amount of time - and while that’s actually fairly historically accurate it’s not especially engrossing. The events attributed to the overarching ‘story’ (for lack of a better term) are interesting and fun, but it’s ultimately far too easy to succeed. Playing as Charlemagne feels more like a linear path, and while that’s not a bad thing in and of itself, it could certainly have been executed in a better way. This is an unusual move from Paradox who has typically just provided players with the tools to create their own stories. Eliminating your brother Carloman, for instance, seems like the obvious action to take as doing so will place the entire Middle Frankish empire under your control. You’re able to make all the decisions you want as with any other game, but events and narrative elements have a tendency to funnel the player towards certain actions. It’s obviously possible to play as Charlemagne and doing so will embark the player on a campaign that’s much more rigidly structured than your typical game of CK2. This division is the source of one of Charlemagne ’s unique features: the series of events that make up the king's historical campaign. The game begins with the empire split in two between King Carloman of Middle Francia and King Karl of West Francia, the latter of which would later become known as Charlemagne. The most noticeable change is the huge Frankish empire that dominates much of western Europe. Which means plenty of new nations, historical figures and a whole different map layout in terms of national borders. This time the clock can be set back a further 100 years, allowing players to begin a campaign in 769 AD only a few hundred years after the collapse of the Western Roman Empire. What we have here then is another time extension expansion for Paradox’s seemingly never-ending grand strategy king. So while Crusader Kings II: The Dark Ages sounds pretty good, it’s understandable that Paradox went with Crusader Kings II: Charlemagne, he was essentially an era unto himself. The lands he formed under the Frankish, then Holy Roman, banners laid the foundation for the Europe we know today and his impact on law, religion and culture is second only to the Romans themselves. But then, Charlemagne is arguably the single most influential person in European history. It’s unusual for Paradox to name a grand strategy expansion after one single historical figure. Reviews // 1st Nov 2014 - 9 years ago // By Ryan Davies Crusader Kings II: Charlemagne Review
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