In this series I’m attempting to chronicle the fortunes of a single dynasty through the entire timeline of Crusader Kings II - which can last almost 500 years. Having selected the House of Cerdicing - the descendants of the Anglo-Saxon invaders of England, I will track every move, mistake and success of the dynasty's kings as they come and go.
General Mods Britannia 479 AD - The Winter King - This is a total conversion for Crusader Kings II, a dark age Arthurian setting based on 'The Warlord Chronicles' saga by Bernard Cornwell (The Winter King, The Enemy of God, Excalibur). Crusader Kings Z - A zombie invasion mod. © Paradox Interactive. Trademarks belong to their respective owners. All rights reserved. Terms of use for Paradox Account.
In Part 1 the first five kings of the Petty Kingdom of Wessex came and went without much fanfare. Most succumbed to what seems to be a familial trait of catching deadly diseases. When we left off, King Ecgbert had just died after losing a civil war. With the count of Wessex running amok, who could hope to control them?
Ealhmund 825 - 888
At age 15, Ealhmund, son of Ecgbert, ascends to the throne. Due to his father’s inability to have more than one (living) son, the kingdom doesn’t split, leaving the young king with time to set things right. Smart, diplomatic and with a exceedingly dashing mustache, Ealhmund seems a cut above the rest of his dynasty. The king marries a Byzantine noblewoman and has barely time to bed her before he’s invading Cornwall.
After a year of fighting, Ealhmund conquers Cornwall and finally finishes what his ancestors started in the fifth century - driving the Celtic Britons from England. Not long after that Ealhmund’s first son, Uhtred, is born. With the entirety of southern Britain now under Wessex control, the king settles back to ruling. Infrastructure is improved, churches are built and levies reorganised. The king’s unwillingness to leave Winchester leads to some derision and the nickname “Ealhmund the fat” begins to spread among the nobility.
In 835 the Britons revolt. Ealhmund is forced to ride out to meet the rebels in a suit of armour a few sizes larger than the one he wore in 830. He barely has time to gather his troops before news reaches him that Mercia, the Anglo-Saxon kingdom to the North, has joined the Britons. A Mercian army streams down into Wessex, met head-on by Ealhmund’s forces. The king, still in his twenties, fights in the vanguard and routs the enemy army completely. The rebels in Cornwall are dispatched just as quickly. Once again Ealhmund retires to Winchester, another war well won.
Rumours over the king’s recalcitrance are answered in 837 when a proclamation is issued, taking all the kingdom’s nobles aback: King Ealhmund has switched the inheritance laws of the country back to primogeniture. Mere days after the decree is nailed to church doors across the land, the counts deliver an ultimatum to the king. Ealhmund, more than aware of his father’s spinelessness, rejects it out of hand.
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The second Wessex gavelkind civil war is a bloody affair. Both Northumbria and Mercia are called into it. The petty kingdom of Essex also tries to steal Kent while Ealhmund’s forces are tied up. The king’s personal army smashes the forces from the north before rounding on the rebel armies, routing them in a grim battle across the river Thames. The rebel counts of Sussex, Dorset and Wiltshire are killed. The ringleaders culled, the civil war dissipates and a white peace is signed in 839.
Ealhmund turns his bloodied veteran army to face Essex and forces the smaller kingdom to its knees in a series of hit-and-run battles. With manpower drained, the war ends in a white peace in 843. Ealhmund has no time to relax, though, as the petty kingdom of Hwice - modern day Somerset - demands control of Wiltshire and declares war. Thankfully it's small armies are no match for the Wessex levies and the war is won.
With the country at war for almost seven years, Ealhmund’s manpower (and his treasury) is running low. The nobles of Wessex return again to Winchester’s gates in 846, demanding the inheritance laws be changed back to gavelkind. Reluctantly, the king agrees. Wessex spends the next few years in peace, though the gossip the king cannot sire any more heirs remains on people’s lips. Gloucester, the county owned by Hwice, is conquered in 864. The count of Gloucester is found plotting the murder of Ealhmund’s son Uhtred and is put to death.
In 870 the king’s wife dies and Ealhmund falls into a deep depression. He orchestrates a few more military campaigns but leaves the fighting to his generals. Wessex conquers Oxford in 873, bringing fully half of modern-day England under Wessex control. A 75-year old Ealhmund, having failed to curb the actions of his rebellious counts and mourning the loss of his wife, finally seeks solace in preparing the throne for his only heir, Uhtred, now 48. With one final royal proclamation, Ealhmund declares that the true Kingdom of Wessex has been born, no longer shall it be called “petty”.
The old king dies aged 78. Despite his nickname and the ire he received from his vassals, the citizens of the kingdom acknowledge him as the finest king Wessex has yet seen.
Uhtred - 888 - 896
Uhtred had been a strong, healthy man in his youth. A famous general, he had personally commanded armies in many of his father’s campaigns. A short war for Middlesex follows his coronation, with the overwhelming force of Wessex’s armies blowing away the small London-based levies.
Uhtred’s twin heirs, Ealhmund and Saeweald, accompany the king on his excursions. The gavelkind rule is still in effect, and already those in court are sizing up the princes. Ealhmund is sickly and weak, the opposite of his tall, handsome younger brother. Unable to deal with the whispers about his weakness and the harsh winter of 890, Ealhmund dies of illness the same year, leaving Saeweald sole heir to both thrones. Uhtred’s reign is marred by no further wars and the king dies of natural causes in 896, aged 51.
Saeweald - 896 - 906
There is excitement over the coronation of Saeweald. A diplomat, general, statesman and theologist, the 25-year old is seen as a great new hope for a golden era in Wessex. Unfortunately, the family curse has other ideas. After injuring himself on a hunting trip in 902, Saeweald falls into a coma and dies four years later.
Eadberht - 906 - 929
Eadberht, a cousin of the king, inherits the throne age 23. Not as exceptional as his predecessor, he feels the burden of expectation on his shoulders. Nevertheless with the help of his advisors and the counts of Wessex he defeats Essex in a war for Kent in 907. With the kingdom growing by the year, Eadberht is convinced by his vassals to split the counties into three major dukedoms - Oxford, Cornwall and Kent - to better control his lands.
Buoyed by his early victories, the king takes in an exiled royal family member from the petty kingdom of Mercia. Using the exile as a casus belli, Eadberht declares war on Mercia in 911, hoping to conquer the kingdom and bring it under the control of the Wessex crown. The war is short but bloody - the king is victorious but wounded in battle in 912. The courtier-claimant, riding by the king’s side, is killed. The war’s cause is no longer valid and the conflict dies away.
Further problems occur when in 921 the Duke of Oxford dies and his son, living in Mercia, take control of the lands. A second war with the northern kingdom is started to win it back. In the midst of another battle the king is driven mad and is reduced to a gibbering wreck. His bodyguards pull him free from the melee and Wessex carries the day. Oxford safe under control, Eadberht “the mad king” sets his sights on Essex and Bedford.
Despite the wishes of his bodyguards the mad king charges into battle again. This time his luck fails and he is run through with a spear. He is the first king of Wessex to die in battle.
Cenwulf 929 - 929
The crown is hastily placed upon the head of the king’s brother, Cenwulf. Cenwulf, however, was also injured in the battle at Bedford and dies comatose in bed a month later.
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Only one king from the House of Cerdicing has been remotely successful. The machinations of vassals, counts and duke has been the undoing of the royal line. Now, with the millennium approaching, the crown is passed to a boy. What will happen next?
Crusader Kings II: Mod Roundup
Crusader Kings II is probably Paradox Interactive’s most successful strategy game to date. Its approachable and entertaining design, regular DLC, and frequent Steam sales all contributed to this happy state of affairs.
Thanks to Paradox’s focus on allowing mod development, a thriving mod community grew around CK2, with mods ranging from slight tweaks to major overhauls to premise-shattering total conversions. Here are some of the most popular and successful community creations.
CK2Plus
CK2Plus, originally by Martin ‘Wiz’ Anward, is the granddaddy of CK2 mods. Sticking to the original CK2 setting, Wiz overhauled almost every mechanic, adding more kingdoms and empires to form, more starting scenarios, more interesting expansion, and a greatly expanded faction system.
After a year of exemplary modding, Wiz was hired by Paradox and forced to abandon CK2Plus. A volunteer team was assembled to maintain and continue the mod, and it entered a state of drift. Core features of CK2Plus were allowed to become incompatible, while unnecessary new additions were wedged in. Is it really necessary for CK2Plus to have a new map in which Iceland has four provinces? The province count bloated as work in other areas was left undone.
The original volunteer team disbanded earlier this year, citing a lack of time and energy to maintain CK2Plus. A new group shows some promise and has made the core features compatible, but some of the best submods, like Reign of Princes (in-use in the above screenshot) are not updated yet. With any luck, CK2Plus can be restored to its former place as a great mechanic-enhancing mod.
HIP: Historical Immersion Project
Many of those former CK2Plus players have moved on to the Historical Immersion Project. HIP isn’t a single mod, but rather a set of mods designed to be compatible with each other in various combinations.
HIP is a greatly improved CK2 experience. The map is clean and subtly improved, installation is easy, and the submods include many new features and mechanics. It’s a bit more polished than vanilla, and the additions aren’t intrusive or out of place.
Of the included submods, I’d avoid ARKOPack Interface and SWMH. SWMH needlessly bloats the map with hundreds of new provinces and has not been updated to include the Indian subcontinent – released with the Rajas of India DLC months ago. ARKOPack Interace is more subjective – it’s a revamping of much of CK2’s interface. Personally, I find the new GUI to be pretty poorly designed, but you might feel differently. In any case, it’s optional.
lux invicta
This is a weird one. Lux Invicta is an insanely complex alternate-history scenario concocted to give players the opportunity to play as almost any conceivable religion, culture, or entity. Want to be a Seleucid heir to Alexander the Great? Sure. Druidic Irish megaking? Fine. Any of three or four flavors of “Roman Emperor“? You bet!
The above is a shot of Lux Invicta’s religion map. The political map is similarly fractured. It is a mess, but wonderful in its own way. If you have a pet historical or religious interest, you can play ‘for’ it. By tossing plausibility out of the window and focusing on freedom, Lux Invicta created a scenario that is crazy fun. (I’m sympathetic to this, having concocted an even less plausible EUIV mod in my own time.)
LI doesn’t change too many mechanics, but the changes it does make are reasonable and suit the scenario. It’s a refreshing change of pace, and the empires that rise out of the shattered world can be very entertaining indeed.
The Winter king
Here’s a much more plausible mod, set at the dawn of the dark ages. The Winter King is based on a zoomed-in map of Britain, Ireland and Northern France after the fall of the Roman Empire, as Druids, Roman remnants, Saxons and more tangle over this corner of the world.
It incorporates many of the best features from CK2Plus, HIP, and other mods, making it a surprisingly polished experience. The scenario can be a bit deterministic, but it’s lots of fun, and an intriguing look at a historical period and scale that the CK2 engine isn’t usually applied to.
Also, you can play as King Arthur with Merlin as your Court Druid. Consider me sold.
A Game of Thrones
This is the big one, and probably a major driver of CK2’s sales. The GoT mod team did a fantastic job adapting the world of George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series, with a beautiful map that includes both Westeros and the lands across the Narrow Sea.
Scenarios can be a bit predictable at times; for example, the main characters from the series proper have clearly mapped-out optimal paths. On the other hand, any character in the game can theoretically fall down the stairs and die on day one and immediately derail the fictional history. If you care about the series or the characters, there’s a lot to love about this mod. Without any player intervention, the AI can get up to some pretty entertaining things.
The new features, like dragons or the “megawar” system, are well-implemented and creative solutions to problems the CK2 engine wasn’t designed to handle. It’s worth a look.
Other mods
Several Something Awful goons are working on a North America mod loosely based on post-apocalyptic classic A Canticle for Leibowitz. It’s still very much a work in progress, with only America up to the Mississippi partially finished, but these screenshots are definitely exciting.
Elder Kings is an Elder Scrolls total conversion that looks very impressive. They did great work with their new map and graphical representations of the various races. There’s a Diadochi Kings mod in development now, as well, which focuses on Alexander the Great’s successors and the fractured Mediterranean of the time. Finally, there are loads and loads of minimods focusing on tweaking and improving the game in innumerable ways.
In short, the mod scene is thriving. If you own CK2, you owe it to yourself to have a look.
You can find all of these mods on the Paradox forums.
Ck2 Winter King
This article originally appeared on TheMittani.com, written by Thomas Howell.
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