So a bit ago I relooked at the game. I know I said (or thought) many things about it, and that the whole 'montezuma invades Iberia' thing got me to stop playing, but after a few recalibrations and buying a few DLCs I remember why these kind of simulations are so fun.
-I started as a count of Italy under 2 degrees of vassalization and managed to shake the first with my first character.
-My 2nd character expanded around Rome and took most of lower Italy, sharing it with Byzantine. At the end of his life he got into a rivalry of sorts with Byzantine over Sicily. We won the 'heel' of the boot, Lecce, from them while they were getting Jihaded, but they came back with a claim on my capital, captured me and literally blinded me. They took it, but I managed to fund 12000 mercenaries over the course of a second war to retake it. Then we took Carthage and its Duchy of Tunis.
-The third character was a terrible ruler and the first to be born as a Berber. Opps, Tunis got to me. Well, he had to overcome his gluttony and slothfulness and foreign-ness to smite revolts, three of them. And Im still under the pseudo-Holy Roman Empire here, as the King of Italy finally inherits other kingdoms. This character was viril, though, and his sons and daughters got me much needed allies. He died young (46) but all of his allies but the Byzantinians stuck (the ruler over their got killed defending against a second Jihad).
-This latest guy has a rather clear path before him. His neighbors are his old kindom of Italy/Lorthiga-whteversberg, Byzantine, a Nordic conqueror of those islands from the Iliad (lol at a hippie norseman conquering islands of sirens and cyclops in the mediterranean and eating hippie crunch for the rest of his days) and a Hungarian noble who bought some crusaders and conquered the rest of the Kingdom of Africa (and we are unfortunately allies by chance, I married my daughter to his father). I plan to Usurp the title 'King of Sicily' from my former liege and then use it to declare de jure wars for the rest of sicily . . .
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Two things, actually
-What does 'Trade' technology grant me as a non-trader? Does it make the trade posts in my counties more viable, and do I benefit from their presence in my land? The game is not too clear about it.
-And, how can I make provinces with capitals that are not baronies (i.e. the main hold is a city or bishopric) not hate me? I own amalfi, for example, and I cant seem to get a vassal for it that doesn't dislike me for 'wrong government type'.