I've played HoI4 to death, but try as I might I can't get into this game. The whole character focused stuff escapes me.
Yes, I did the tutorial fully, but there are so many tiny hidden mechanics and interactions that I never know what the fuck to do.

Any non-trolling tips?

>>2070929 (OP)
CK3 doesn't really have any definitive goals like in HOI4, it's the most sandbox-like Paradox game. It's especially true if you have the dlc that enable you to play as a landless adventurer band because now losing your land and title isn't a gameover like it was before, so just play it really because setback like that make the game way more interesting. Aside from that it depend on which things that confuse you about the game? Is it the schemes, the economies, vassals management, inheritance, or other things?

>>2070935
It's not know what the fuck I CAN do.
If I knew then I'd figure out my own goal easily

>>2070938
It's not knowing* what the fuck I can do, small typo

>>2070929 (OP)
Always be giving all your extra lands to your heir and make them co-monarch, always be swaying and maybe bribing your vassals, always be scheming, always be tutoring and arranging marriages for your heir and your spare, always be checking F2/F4/F6/F8 for things to do or buy, always be saving a warchest especially for inheritance, always be trying to get the highest title, always be conquering unless you sense the possibility of a civil war, always be upgrading if you have plenty warchest.

>>2070952
See, how the fuck was I supposed to know any of this shit is even an option?

>>2070954
I unironically give my lands to my hair because I say successful monarchs do that in documentaries about royalty and one day I got an option to create a co monarch. I think you can form Rome and create Tetrarchy but not sure. The Japanese Emperor would retire and name his heir emperor while still alive and would assume the title Retired Emperor, which is more powerful than an Emperor for some reason. Also the United Kingdom has a similar trick in gifting the Wales to the heir. This gives your heir a chance to learn to rule, build a base of power, establish relationships, and create and smooth transition. Other monarchs and nobles I assumed did this too.

>>2070960
You're kinda all over the place but I appreciate the input

>>2070954 #
I unironically give my lands to my heir because I saw successful monarchs do that in documentaries about royalty and one day I got an option to create a co-monarch, so they must have added it in a patch. I think you can form Rome and create Tetrarchy but not sure. The Japanese Emperor would retire and name his heir Emperor while still alive and would assume the title Retired Emperor, which is more powerful than an Emperor for some reason. Also the United Kingdom has a similar trick in gifting Wales to the heir, and the official inheritor of the crown is titled the Prince of Wales for that reason to this day. This gives your heir a chance to learn to rule, build a base of power, establish relationships, and create and smooth transition. Other monarchs and nobles I assumed did this too. Typically the people of the area the heir inhabits would get privileges over other people in the empire and made to feel special. The Welsh were bullies for the kings in the past. Another example is the Russian empire alive today in my opinion under Putin and privileging Russians and some other keys to power, particularly Siberia because it is on the opposite of the empire from the Russian base of power. Russians have basically colonized all the borders of their country to maintain its sovereignty, and similarly with America to be fair.

>>2070954
Most of this stuff can be learnt through gameplay

>>2070961
Sorry I spell checked it. I was just excited weird things I learned in history work in the game. Also when talking about a complex system, you can kinda only explain things all over the place.

>>2070965
But if you give lands to your heir you're not making money off of them while you're alive, no?

>>2070976
You become them. I think your taxes are separate if you make them co-monarch but he pays some things to you otherwise as a vassal. This is more so for realm stability, inheritance transition, demense limitations, distribution of lands before inheritance splits your realm if that's your laws, and as I said it means when you die you become someone who is already basically the emperor, then you just give all your old titles to your heir continuing the cycle. You'll figure out specific things you can do situationally with this too. Also if you have a lot of strong vassal that is super super pissed, trying having them raise your kids or gifting them lands (especially if they have a lot of sons anyway).

>>2070929 (OP)
>so many tiny hidden mechanics and interactions
No there aren't
Are you stupid?

>>2071843
Compared to a simple game like HOI4 CK3 has a lot more stuff going on, both are very easy games though.

>>2070929 (OP)
>Any non-trolling tips?
Blobbing is a good way to get bored of the game. Breed a good family with good traits. Use common sense or, if you don't want to waste time, watch a guide (some stuff is counter-intuitive in breeding so common sense only takes you so far)
If you become a King, cultivate good vassals. This is trickier than you think especially if you are thinking in terms of generations instead of the here and now.
Do some RP and defend the faith if it fits your current character. If the world around me is not going how I like it, I will start wars to correct things/put them back to how they were. I prefer this to blobbing.

As a heads up, I don't particularly like CKIII or HoI4. Love other titles a lot. I even love Vic3 and Imperator.

I kind of agree with the critique but I sense that there's another critique hiding behind it. All paradox games have mechanics that are all over the place. CKIII just has this additional feature where some mechanics are character-based family management mechanics and other mechanics are map painter mechanics. The mechanics clash thematically. This is why I sense you're hitting at something larger.

What are you meant to do in CKIII? It's a dynasty builder, not necessarily a nation builder. Shift your mindset. You're safe to ignore a lot of mechanics. I'd actually say that CKIII isn't a well-designed strategy game and you'll just hurt yourself if you try to play it as one. Shift your mindset. It's a RP dynasty manager, like the sims but the setting and scale is way different. Do you try to build the largest possible house in the Sims? That's a silly way to play the game.

Come up with a theme for your dynasty and your nation like you'd come up with a theme for your family and house in the Sims.

You need to understand that it's a role playing game cosplaying as a strategy game for it to start making sense.