For the gamers in general this can be a problem, since grand strategy games of the scope of Paradox titles are very rich in features, some of which are deeply ingrained in the engine, and not at all apparent from just looking at the data presented to us. Likewise, the data that is presented to us is often complex, very rich in terminology and tightly integrated with the rest of the game. There’s load and loads of numbers and terms that need to be learned and understood; both their meaning and the vast web of consequences of messing with them.

Truth be said, not every information is meant to be taught to the player. An intrinsic part of playing any grand strategy game is to learn the innards of its engine. But this isn’t possible to do if we don’t have a basic knowledge of the gameplay. It’s very easy to look at a title like Crusader Kings II, Victoria or Hearts of Iron (all Paradox games) and quickly lose interest because the player finds the game unplayable without the knowledge of how to play it.

Thankfully Crusader Kings II isn’t a hard game to get into. Paradox did an excellent job abstracting the whole complex affair of internal politics in a feudal system into an easy to understand set of game features. At first glance the game looks as daunting as any other Paradox title, with the exception of Hearts of Iron (possibly the most complex game ever conceived). But once we get a helping hand, we realize that things do fit in, make a lot of sense and can be easily understood.

That helping hand is the players community, who had been doing a great job publishing all sorts of material to help others learn the ropes of Paradox games.

What I’m going to present next is the set of links that I personally used to learn how to play the game. With the material below, I was able to understand the gameplay to its fullest. With a little free time in your hands and a bit of perseverance, you will find too the pleasure of playing Crusader Kings II.

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(1)
What introduced me to the game and pretty much taught me how to play it were the excellent tutorials by TekkorGJC. He has a pleasant voice and demeanor and guides us through the game in 5 tutorials followed by two Q&A videos. After going through all of them I was essentially introduced into the gameplay and could play it on my own.

TekkorGJC also has a Let’s Play Crusader Kings series on his channel that you may want to follow too. He explains many of the things he does in the game and you get to see the game being played in its fullest.

Crusader Kings 2 – Tutorial Series (5+2 episodes, running time: 2 hours and 10 minutes)

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDF61F4A4275A64D4&feature=plcp

Crusader Kings II – Let’s Play

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBC43D965734D3050&feature=plcp

(2)
Another excellent source for learning the game is Das24680 Let’s Play series. Another good communicator that is easy to follow and won’t tire you. Das, explains the game as he plays it in 11 episodes. He doesn’t fear making mistakes, talking about them and learning (him too) how to play the game as he goes.

I watched Das series a fair bit after I started playing the game on my own. And it was worth it since it introduced me into yet more game concepts.

Let’s Play Crusader Kings 2 Series (+11 episodes; running time at the 11th episode: 6 hours and 25 minutes)
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL71983E0A94A47DA0&feature=plcp

(3)
The game forums are an essential resource for any game of this type, as you well know. There, you can learn about everything there is to know about the game, as players share their experiences and accumulated knowledge of the game. There’s however an invaluable resource in there in the form of a sticky thread in the FAQ subform for Crusader Kings II that gets into a somewhat deep analysis of the key game concepts. This is the In-depth Guide to CKII thread, managed by Meneth.

In-depth Guide to Crusader Kings II
http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/showthread.php?589469-GUIDE-In-depth-Guide-to-CKII

There is also on that FAQ subforum a PDF conversion of this Meneth guide.

However, I’m not entirely a fan of Andreas work. I certainly recognize his talent. And some of his compositions are indeed great. But I’ve been growing tired of a certain tendency of games, no matter the genre, to produce music that is often qualified as heroic epic.

After a little while I feel inclined to just set the music level to 0, or replace it entirely with a playlist of my own. That’s exactly what happened to Crusader Kings II, not even 2 hours into play. I eventually started adding songs to my playlist and am here to share the final version for you.

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This playlist is mostly comprised of Lorenna McKennitt work intersected by other great musicians and composers. My only warning is: you may lose the game if you pay much attention to these small masterpieces.

Loreena McKennitt – The English Ladye and The Knight
Loreena McKennitt – Banquet Hall
Loreena McKennitt – She Moved Through The Fair
Jordi Savall – Le Royaume Oublié (the video is an excerpt)
Loreena McKennitt – Blacksmith
Loreena McKennitt – The King
Loreena McKennitt – Kellswater
Jordi Savall – Greensleeves
Loreena McKennitt – Sacred Shabbat
Omnia – Fairy Tale
Loreena McKennitt – The Highwayman
Al Qantarah – In Hoc Anni Circulo
Loreena McKennitt – The Seasons (can’t be found on YouTube, except for a cover)
Jordi Savall – Hespèrion XXI (the video is an excerpt)
Loreena McKennitt – Coventry Carol
Loreena McKennitt – Dante’s Prayer (not entirely suitable, but one of my favorite of hers)
Loreena McKennitt – The Mystic Dream
Conrad Paumann – Mit Ganczem Willen
Loreena McKennitt – Santiago
Jordi Savall – Folías de Espanã
Loreena McKennitt – Bonny Portmore
Loreena McKennitt – Between The Shadows
Omnia – Fidhe Ra Huri

I just set the game music volume to 0, and run the playlist in loop random mode.