Crusader Kings III is set to release on September 1st and is available for preorder now! The first official trailer was released today and highlights the dramatic medieval narratives that the Crusader Kings series often breeds. Two aspects of the upcoming third installment are definitely emphasized: the lifestyle system, and your interactions with other characters.
Every character in the game, including the player, has their own personality which dictates how events in the game will play out. Choosing a lifestyle is a significant part of this, as it determines which options are available to the player and lends itself to the life they will lead. All five skill categories are returning from Crusader Kings II; them being Diplomacy, Stewardship, Learning, Intrigue, and Martial. Each category houses three lifestyle focuses with their own unique skill trees, rewards, and player traits. The trailer tells a story of an heir who grows up a bullied child and goes on to presumably excel in a Marshal lifestyle. This also does a good job of highlighting how the way an heir is raised will have a deep impact on their personality in adulthood.
Then there’s NPC interaction and skullduggery. The new intrigue system offers much more this time around, with schemes involving a lot of player interaction and gameplay possibilities. The new secrets feature is a big part of this, as players can discover the secrets of other characters and use this as leverage to get what they want. Having a good spymaster helps with this, and also helps protect their liege from schemes against them. The trailer notes the benefits of getting ahead of plots, so that the player, their spymaster, or even say, their lover, can get in the way of schemes against them. The developers speak about the vast new intrigue system in their press release, saying “Learn the secrets of your courtiers and vassals so you can blackmail them for their support. Seduce your way into a superior’s good books, or plot the untimely demise of an unfortunate relative.”
Crusader Kings III is on sale through all major online retailers at a preorder price of $49.99.