I'm playing Crusader
Kings II: The Republic, an expansion for the role-playing grand
strategy game by Paradox
Interactive.
This time around, you get to control one of the
merchant republics spawned during the time period (Venice, Genoa, Pisa, the
Hanseatic League). The rules are slightly different: your main concern is
placing and defending trade posts, which can be constructed in any coastal
province (for a higher cost the further away you are from your home province).
Much like traditional holdings, these can be upgraded to pull in more trade or
tax income, and linking them together provides a bonus. Trade posts owned by
your league but not by your family can be captured through plots, and trade
posts owned by other leagues can be destroyed by winning an embargo war: basically,
you bribe a large country to fight the war on your behalf (since merchant
republics have mediocre army levies), if you have significantly good relations.
Succession in the merchant republic is elective, and you can invest money to
improve your chances. Alliances can still be made through marriage, but a high
cash price must be paid to align with any female noble. At a $10 price point,
The Republic offers enough unique changes, and a different focus, from the base
Crusader Kings II formula to make the expansion a good choice for fans of the
game.
