Emperor is the highest playable rank in Crusader Kings III, but if you’ve reached these all-conquering heights you’re going to need new tactics. The methods that propelled you from a lowly count to the ruler of many kingdoms may not serve you well as emperor.
Here is a guide to the tactics you’ll need to survive as an emperor in Crusader Kings III, with advice on how to manage your power-hungry vassals, how to expand sensibly, and how to ensure you keep your family in charge.
Grant Difficult Kingdoms To Vassals
You’re normally at your most vulnerable when you’ve just become emperor. There may be vassals who are unhappy you’re their new liege and multiple factions will likely rise up against you.
Now is the time to pick your battles wisely. Save your troops for the big fights against those who want to strip you of your empire or claim independence. Be prepared to let individual kingdom titles slide—they will still remain part of your empire if you play your hand well.
If a powerful faction emerges demanding a kingdom title, grant that kingdom to one of the faction leaders and make it their problem. That might seem weak, but the disgruntled vassal you hand the kingdom too will now hold you in high regard, giving you one less thing to worry about.
If they’re a strong, aggressive leader, they might even conquer neighboring territories, expanding your empire without you having to lift a finger.
Buy Off Faction Leaders
Another way to head off factions in Crusader Kings III is to simply buy them off.
You can make cash payments to faction members, which isn’t normally a problem for rich emperors. Turn enough of the faction members green (ie. they have a positive opinion of you) and you’ll find the faction will soon disband.
Appointing powerful faction members as Council members is another way to keep them sweet. Even if they don’t have the best possible skills for the job, it’s an effective way to prevent them becoming a constant thorn in your side.
Form New Alliances
The step up from king to emperor in Crusader Kings III is a big jump. While you may have had more than enough troops to prevent other kings taking a swing at you, you’re now a plump target for other empires, as well as your own ambitious vassals.
Forming powerful new alliances is one way to fend off early attacks. If there’s a neighboring empire with enough troops to give you a bloody nose, worry about them first.
Marriage is a good way to form such alliances, but it will need to be a high-ranking member of your family. You won’t get an alliance from a powerful potential enemy by dangling a date with your 65-year-old aunt. Heirs or even your own hand in marriage will likely be required.
Take a good look at any potential ally before you jump in—don’t be swayed purely by large troop numbers. If they’re under attack from bigger enemies, forming a new alliance may drag you into a war you didn’t want.
Expand Slowly
Once you’ve got ‘emperor’ on your business cards and tens of thousands of troops on standby, it’s easy to believe you’ll just steamroll your way across the map. Don’t be so cocky. Leaders who attempt to rapidly expand their empire can quickly come unstuck.
The easiest way to expand is by vassalizing smaller territories close to your empire. Look for isolated countries that would gladly accept the protection afforded by being part of your empire, right click on their leader and look for the option to vassalize them. The suggestions menu in the middle of the screen will also tell you if you have leaders you can vassalize.
As emperor, you may also have the option to claim or usurp a kingdom from their rulers. Again, right-click on the ruler to see if such an option exists.
If you are going on the warpath, make sure you can comfortably overcome a target, paying particular attention to the number of allies they may call upon. Starting wars can also ferment unrest in your own ranks, so consider not only if you’ve got sufficient troops to beat the enemy, but whether you’ve got enough in reserve to see off any factions that may form.
Don’t be too proud to surrender if you find yourself waging war on multiple fronts. It’s normally better to concede an expansion, even from a winning position, then lose existing territories.
Plan Succession Early
At the risk of sounding like a financial adviser, plan your retirement carefully. When you kick the royal bucket, you want to make sure your chosen heir gets their hands on the empire, not a random interloper. Death can pay an unwelcome visit at any time, so don’t assume your twentysomething emperor has decades to get his house in order.
You may have become emperor after winning an election, and you may well be tempted to rip up that election law and rely on your own succession law. Be careful here. Not only does removing that election law take an awful lot of prestige, but succession laws such as partition can split your empire among quarrelling children.
It’s often easier to swing an election in your favor. You can do this by sending your spymaster to dig out secrets in the territories owned by rulers voting in the election. Once you’ve uncovered secrets about them, you can blackmail them for hooks via the Intrigue menu.
Once you’ve got the hook, you can enter the empire’s election menu and then use the “Force Vote” option to make that ruler vote for the same candidate as you. This way the entire empire passes to your chosen heir instead of only bits of it.
Be sure to keep an eye on the election as time passes, however, as electors die and their successors may change their vote.
