Has anyone played as the Papal States?

[Vendayn]

I lost my Welsh game...England overran us.

Was thinking of playing the Romans or Crusader States...but I always choose those.

Never played the Papal States though. In all my games, they never really did much. Anyone with a longer running game...do they expand at all or do anything? Sometimes I see Sicily against the Papal States...sometimes not. I thought it would be interesting to play as them, especially since I haven't seen anyone actually say they play as them. So seems like a "rare" nation to play as.

I know I can fund Crusades as other factions, so that isn't too special...does it work the same if you are part of the Papal States itself? With other factions, I think you lose renown or something if you fund a Crusade (or you used to in the older versions)

 

[Gthaatar]

From what I've seen, they mostly just fight petty wars with the various kingdoms around them. Sometimes they get bigger, sometimes they get smaller.  Not a very aggressive state.

However, funny things can happen to them because of the rather unique situation of the area.  For instance, in my main game, Rome has changed hands 6 times, all to different nations, in the span of ~3 months.  Currently, Hungary holds Rome:

As you can see from that, the Italian peninsula is a very unstable region.  And working with one of the factions to unite it, would be pretty fun I think.  And if you have designs on your own kingdom, the Papal States would probably be a good choice to start out with because then, presuming you unite Italy, you could find yourself with an extremely powerful ally who would be in debt to you.

 

[Vendayn]

Thanks for the details. Yeah I think that is what I'll do, which I haven't done before. Is try to unite the Italian peninsula. That is more up my alley than anything else actually, and never really thought of doing it. Like you pointed out, the region is unstable...and anything can happen on it. Such crazy things too, like in your screenshot.

I'll probably give the Papal States a go, since they seem like a good choice to do so. Like you said, a really good ally.

 

[Federico]

Actually I'm playing as lord of the Pope, I own Tivoli, where I builded my fortified manor that holds 300 troops.
We have lost Rome, by the Hafsid, but now HRE has take the Urbe, meanwhile we conquered Pisa and eliminate Pisan Republic.

But now the reign lays, the Pope patrols his own fiefs and the army is gathered in Pisa most of the time, fortunally they still indeed party in Ancona..

I'm trying, alone, to begin a war with Guelfi, I've already take 2 Guelph's lords but the Pope doesn't start war..think I'm going destroy them by my self

In any case, it's a good faction to serve

 

[Muglos]

In my most recent game, the Papal States declared war on France and conquered Paris. France was in a war with the Holy Roman Empire and were away on campaign so they didn't defend their capital. 

 

[Foster161]

Well, you know, Rome wasn't built in a day


I find The Papal State and the general Italian peninsula area to be very busy area. It is, after all, in the middle of Europe.

In my recent game, France conquered Rome (Heheh, Schizm, three popes, too soon? and from that, it had to fought the little states around it.
Meanwhile though, we lost our conquered lands and most of the homeland got raided.

It might be very rewarding, though hard, to unite whole Italy in the name of Pope. Good idea for a new game.

 

[Vendayn]

Funding crusades and crusaders are rather buggy. I don't recommend doing it.

Funded them...they attacked the papal states and a lot of the other factions around them. Not the cities, but just the caravans and chased after the lords...of the papal states..among other lords of other factions

Finally they took over a castle, it auto went to me. But the village now belongs to no one, none of the papal leaders even mention it and I can't do anything in the village.

So outside of broken crusades/crusaders...my game is doing pretty good. Though they declared war on Serbia for some reason and they are far more powerful lol. So that will be fun

 

[VegetableOil]

I'm about 100 days in as a vassal of the Pope and it's been extremely peaceful. As a vassal you automatically have 100 relationship with all but one of the Roman Catholic nations, which is somewhere around half the factions in the game. In one of my games they got conquered by the Hafsid and in the other they had a very short lived war with Sicily, but generally they're what I consider the most laid back faction you can choose. I've been lazing around with my rich village, making a large manor, and joining crusades and there hasn't even been a single border provocation. By the time we do go to war I'll probably have at least four villages (I usually get offered a newly conquered village by the Crusader States because I technically have none when I join a crusade) and a manor that can churn out a 400+ army. Then again, I consider myself to have been extremely luck to have such a peaceful faction this time around (Oddly enough, Wales has also been extremely peaceful and has out lived the Gaelic.),the Hafsid got knocked out of Italy rather quickly by the Crown of Aragon, and Sicily has been busy somehow conquering places as far east as some random town in the center of the Il-Khanate.

 

[Salty?!]

Just a thought but...Is it possible to be king of the Papal States, and replace the Pope (therefore becoming the new Pope)? And if so, then is it possible to start crusades whenever you want? Or do you still have to ask the "old" Pope?

 

[VegetableOil]

Just a thought but...Is it possible to be king of the Papal States, and replace the Pope (therefore becoming the new Pope)? And if so, then is it possible to start crusades whenever you want? Or do you still have to ask the "old" Pope?

Sadly, I don't think so. However, going on Crusades makes the Pope extremely happy. I've gone on six or so short crusades and the Pope has 100 relation with me now. I was actually able to convince him to go to war with Serbia (Us: 4 vassals, Them: about a dozen) just on the basis that we could do so. The point I'm getting at is: you can't be the Pope, but you can make the Pope your lapdog.

 

[Vendayn]

What makes most sense of a vassal of Papal to marry into? My friend thought marrying a Princess in England makes a lot of sense. I can see France working too. What do you guys think?

 

[VegetableOil]

What makes most sense of a vassal of Papal to marry into? My friend thought marrying a Princess in England makes a lot of sense. I can see France working too. What do you guys think?

As long as it's a Roman Catholic nation I think it makes sense, I'd say marrying someone from Sicily, if they even have any ladies, or any of the big three (Holy Roman, England, France) makes the most sense though. I'd say go for whoever you feel like. Heck, if you're RPing in a certain way you could even marry a Mamluke.

 

[That_Phony_Emperor]

Currently, the Papal States in my game has done nothing. So much so that, as I've conquered the two islands off of Italy that have Bonifacio and Oristano on them (as well as Genova and Pisa), that I'm sure they'll bend over backwards for me.