Crusader Kings III is widely renowned for being a complex game where players can do just about anything they want, from conquering a duchy to restoring the Roman Empire. There are plenty of strategies to achieve these goals in CK3, but one of the best is playing tall. Playing tall refers to the strategy of empowering a small realm. Whether it be just one county or a small duchy, the player uses all of their resources to funnel a small area on the map.
Through a few different means like increasing development and constructing tons of buildings, the player can amass hoards of gold and levies without having to sacrifice resources through vassals or border conflicts. This leads to a stable realm with bountiful gold, prestige, piety and all the other resources without the stress of managing a kingdom or empire or having to deal with rebellious vassals every few years. Overall, it’s a pretty solid strategy’ here’s how to go about using it.
As mentioned, playing tall centers around having a very small realm. The player’s realm should never exceed their domain limit, which is the number of holdings they can possess at any point in time. Help from a spouse or a stewardship lifestyle can raise the domain limit, but for the purpose of playing tall, this isn’t really necessary. Generally, the domain won’t be any larger than around five counties. If the player goes above that amount, they should consider gifting some titles away to dynasty members of the same religion and culture and then granting them independence. This will help generate some extra renown and guarantee a few extra alliances.
The player should always have their steward increase the development of their capital with the “increase development in county” councilor task. Since there aren’t any powerful vassals to worry about when it comes to granting council positions, the player is free to give it to whoever has the highest stewardship in their court. The player should also spend most of their money on constructing and upgrading buildings within their domain, and especially within their realm capital. Which buildings to construct is up to player preference, but gold-generating buildings are always a good option.
Playing tall is a long-term strategy, so players should generally start using it at the beginning of a campaign, especially if they’re under a strong liege. If the player is having trouble with expansion, transitioning to a tall playstyle can help to prepare for future wars. Players can continue to play tall for as long as they want, but after a couple hundred years, they should be in a position to win most wars and generally achieve whatever goals they have for the campaign. They should also have the funding for a truly regal royal court, which is available with CK3‘s newest expansion, Royal Court.
Starting in a secluded area of the map like Sardinia or Iceland is great for playing tall since there won’t be a lot of conflicts. Aside from that, mines generate massive amounts of gold and development, so any area with one is a good starting place. Cagliari and Thessalonika are especially great options due to their locations in Sardinia and the Byzantine Empire respectively. Aside from these places, any holding with four or more slots is ideal for playing tall since it allows the player to construct more holdings and buildings. Zachlumia, which is on the coast of Croatia, has eight holding slots, which makes it a perfect county for playing tall.
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