Crusader Kings 3's New

Listen up, fellow strategists! The upcoming Roads To Power expansion for Crusader Kings III may have everyone buzzing about the Byzantine Empire, but there’s something way more exciting on the horizon: landless adventurers. This new feature, unveiled by Paradox, lets you ditch the fancy titles and estates to live life as a medieval drifter, hopping from place to place, gathering followers, and taking on odd jobs for local rulers. It’s like a medieval gig economy, but with more chances of catching the plague!

What’s the Deal with Landless Adventurers?

In a nutshell, landless adventurers allow you to create a custom character at the start of a campaign (or you might end up landless mid-game after some political disaster). Instead of managing a kingdom, you’ll be living life on the road, making camp, and taking on contracts that range from collecting taxes to fighting in wars. The playstyle shifts from the traditional marriage and inheritance game to one focused on survival and roaming, where you’re free from the usual responsibilities of a ruler.

Paradox describes these adventurers as "ultimate underdogs"—outsiders with no land, no vassals, but also no burdens. You’ll be exploring the map in a whole new way, influencing realms only when you need to sing for your supper.

A Day in the Life of a Landless Adventurer

As a landless adventurer, you’ll set up camp in various regions and take on contracts—essentially odd jobs that vary in difficulty and reward. Some gigs might involve helping in a local war, assisting a ruler’s council with some scheming, or even educating a noble’s child. The variety in contracts is meant to cater to different playstyles, whether you’re a mercenary building a mobile army or a diplomat seeking alliances.

Of course, this lifestyle isn’t without its challenges. You’ll need to keep your followers happy and well-fed, which means maintaining a healthy stock of provisions. Run out of food, and you risk starvation and mutiny. But if you’re successful, you might even earn enough prestige to secure a landed title, though it won’t be as simple as clicking a button—you’ll have to work for it.

The CKIII Adventure We’ve Been Waiting For

What’s really exciting is how this new feature seems to channel the spirit of games like Mount & Blade, where you roam the world taking on tasks and trying to make your mark. The developers have even included "travel safety mechanics" from the Tours & Tournaments expansion, so expect plenty of random events like getting mugged on the road or losing supplies in a tavern brawl.

And for those of you worried about succession, don’t stress. The system for adventurers is much simpler than for landed nobles—your oldest child or closest relative will take over when you’re gone. If neither is available, your most skilled follower will step up.

A New Layer of Complexity in CKIII

The Roads To Power expansion is shaping up to be one of the most exciting updates for Crusader Kings III yet. While adventurers were a thing in CKII, they were more like pesky nuisances. Now, you can fully embrace the chaos of being a landless rogue, free from the trappings of nobility and ready to carve your own path in the intricate world of CKIII.

This new playstyle is sure to breathe fresh life into the game, offering a different way to engage with its complex systems. And it’s not even the main feature of the expansion! If you’ve been looking for a reason to dive back into Crusader Kings III, this might just be it.

Here’s hoping it’s as wonderfully chaotic as it sounds.