97. “Crusader Kings 2”, the Strategy “Game of Thrones”

If you want to play the game of thrones, there are story-based forms, like Telltale’s Game of Thrones in the previous chapter. But there are also strategy-based games, Littlefinger simulators, where you can play as a lord or a king, and try to control the Iron Throne that way.

The best of these isn’t even officially a Game of Thrones game—it’s called Crusader Kings 2, by Swedish developer Paradox Interactive, and available on Steam. There are two relevant forms of CK2 for Game of Thrones fans: the base game, a medieval European political simulator; and the Game of Thrones user modification (a “mod”) for the game, which turns Crusader Kings 2 into Westeros and lets you fight Robert’s Rebellion or the Clash of Kings. Both are great for GoT fans, for oddly different reasons.

Crusader Kings 2 is built around the idea that you control a specific dynasty in medieval Europe. That dynasty can be focused on, from smallest to largest: a count, duke, king, or emperor. Sometimes you’re a small part of a huge empire, sometimes half of a breaking kingdom, and sometimes a world power.

The thing that makes CK2 really work as a Game of Thrones simulator, though, is the building sense of history. You may start as count in, say, the southwest part of France, but as time goes on, you might find yourself in a rivalry with the Duke of Burgundy, one which eventually leads to civil war. Like Game of Thrones, you could find yourself, like Tywin Lannister, attempting to assassinate a rival like Robb Stark.

Now, before we get too far, I wanna say this: Crusader Kings 2 is a complicated game where, as a medieval lord or lady and head of a family, you have a ton of different choices as to how to change laws, declare holy war, build your infrastructure, appoint a small council, marry your children off, find new hobbies, assassinate your childhood rival, hold a nation-wide tournament of knights, and more. This is complex, and if you’re a first-time player just diving in, it can definitely be overwhelming. But there are a few ways around this. Obviously, looking up tutorials online can help, as can focusing on role-playing a specific character.

But the best way to learn how to play Crusader Kings 2? It’s probably to play the Game of Thrones mod, where you know how the politics around the Iron Throne work, and can learn how the rest of the game works from there. Want to take control of King Robert as he starts and wins his rebellion against Targaryens? You’ll also have to figure out how to keep the realm under control via marriage, like marrying Cersei Lannister.

The Game of Thrones mod is also based around specific scenarios, which makes it a great way to get into Westerosi history and geography. Aegon’s Conquest, Robert’s Rebellion, the Clash of Kings (Season 2), and the Feast for Crows (Season 5) are all potential starting points, as well as minor points in the history of the Seven Kingdoms, like the first Greyjoy rebellion or the Faith Militant uprising shortly after the Targaryen conquest. This is also based more on the books than the show, which is actually part of its appeal: the density of characterization in the novels works great in a game where you can play as literally any house in Westeros, from the Baratheons to the Mormonts.