Paradox Interactive’s Crusader Kings 3 is often described as a playable version of the Game of Thrones show and the A Song of Ice and Fire novels it’s based on – and for good reason. You may not do it in Westeros, but you scheme, backstab, murder, depose, usurp, seduce, marry, and conquer your way through medieval Europe in the grand strategy role-playing game.
With Game of Thrones being based on some historical shenanigans happening in that period, it’s not much of a leap to compare it with Crusader Kings 3 – or wish for the game to be set in George R. R. Martin’s fantasy world instead.
That last wish is soon coming true, because one of the most highly-anticipated mod projects in the Crusader Kings 3 community is becoming playable soon: Crusader Kings 3 – A Game of Thrones will launch a public beta version on April 14, 2023.
The successor to a very popular and well-made mod for Crusader Kings 2, CK3AGOT will let players dive into the politics of Westeros – Essos is coming later, according to the mod team – at one of the turning points in the continent’s history: Robert’s Rebellion. Future planned starts include the Defiance at Duskendale, when a rebel lord took king Aerys as a hostage, the end of Robert’s Rebellion, and the start of the Greyjoy Rebellion.
CK3AGOT doesn’t just feature a completely new map and political landscape, but also some additional game mechanics, such as Mega Wars, which allow the winner to pass additional punishments on the losers and helps local conflicts spiral into larger ones.
Other systems of one of the best strategy games around have been overhauled and adapted to better reflect the society of Westeros, so you’ll get to appoint a full Kingsguard, have access to the Small Council, and can play out the conflict between the Night’s Watch and the wildlings thanks to the Struggle mechanic from the Iberia DLC. There will also be a mechanic allowing you to take on squires and knight them as well as a new settlement type called ruins, which represents desolate places like Castamere and Harrenhal.
This mod has been in the works since Crusader Kings 3 released and contains a huge amount of new content. With the surprising lack of official Game of Thrones games, this might well become the best PC game in the setting. You can find some additional details on this Reddit post by the developers.
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