CHENNAI: If I was taught history and politics through the lens of Crusader Kings 3, I perhaps would have appreciated its complexity better. Crusader Kings mixes history with warfare strategy, diplomacy, intrigue, religion, and economics. Everything could happen, and nothing could happen. You could start as a titled owner of land stretching from anywhere across Western Europe to East Asia. You could even be an obscure peasant, who attempts to climb up the dynastic ladder. Here’s one of a million possible stories:
I am Rani Tiruvanaikkavi of house Kelrayan (somewhere around the now Chennai). I have five children, and amazing diplomacy skills. However, I hasten a war against the house Pandya, which I lose terribly. It ends with my daughter imprisoned. I am forced to use my advantageous “hook” to free my daughter. I am angry, I could have used that hook to threaten a neighbouring king into giving me money instead.
I try to make my offspring imbibe my amazing diplomacy skills. But they either end up too shy to carry my legacy, or with chronic pneumonia. Or imprisoned (I forget to help release them; they hate me now). I grow weary of them and decide to use them as political bargaining chips. I forge suitable allies across the country by arranging their marriages. While my diplomacy skills help in solidifying trade deals, my consistent martial disadvantage causes my kingdom to disintegrate and fall prey to the growing Pallava empire. My reign is disrupted halfway through my reconstruction of the Thanjavur temple. A dream of creating a new faith dies with me.
In my defence, my poor kingdom ruling skills doesn’t extend across the different historic ages. I managed to become the king of Ireland in my tutorial run of the game. Also in my defence, there is no wrong way to play the game. It’s a “dynasty simulator”. Winning isn’t the end to the game. The strategy engine weaves thousands of unique stories based on the location, era, and choices. It has as much text and intrigue as reading a book. It is made more interesting than a history book though, because all new events are creatively presented — like notifications on your smartphone. A little ding: your spymaster has the latest gossip from the realm. A sad tune: You lost the last battle.
CK3 is a grand strategy game, a format that is wasted on me. It is available for the PC, but it requires a little bit of experience in the genre, if you truly want to appreciate the breadth of choices it offers. A rating of 100 gold coins for the game, since its scheme to get me on to this new format was successful.
Anusha Ganapathi
@quofles
(This economics graduate spends her leisure time preparing for the zombie apocalypse)