14 DAY TRIAL // One of the core tasks for any kind of character in Crusader Kings II is to establish an ambition and I seem to always go for the plot-based ones, despite the fact that I could just as well select a Piety-based or a cash-oriented goal for my actions.
The ambitions act as a way for the game to guide the players gently towards something to do rather than simply allow them to get lost in the myriad of possibilities it offers.
I first choose to assassinate one character who is already the chancellor of the Holy German Empire because I would like to get that position and people seem more than happy to join my plot, with the deed done in under one year.
I then choose the ambition that will allow me to declare myself King of Bohemia, elevating my stature and making it somewhat more likely that I will be able make someone in my own dynasty Emperor further down the line.
One aspect of the title creation process that I dislike is that I need to pay both Piety and Gold in order to create one, which seems a big limitation for the smaller game powers. But I have time to amass those as long as I manage to keep my vassals content for a few years and avoid any unnecessary wars or assassinations.
I love how plots make Crusader Kings II a game that really emphasizes how important palace culture and covert action was in the Middle Ages, but I wish that the development team had been able to include more options because simply hunting for titles or assassinating people tends to get boring after a while.
Another baffling element of the plot system is that it often allows me to kill my own children, those that I am preparing to sometime be my heirs, without any obvious rational reason for the bloody acts.
I am all for suspicious deaths in the family, but at least give me a justification for it.