At the beginning, I focused on improving my relations with neighbouring countries so I sent my Grand Vizier to them to improve my relations. I was playing as Emir Abu-Bakr when I started and I have played as him for 7 years. The Aftasid Emirate was a Berber Miknasa emirate, which was founded in A l Andulus, existed between 1022-1094. CK2 fans who need a fresh, exotic challenge should check it out without delay.This time, I played Crusader Kings II as a Muslim monarch, Aftasid Emirate. As it is, weвЂ™ll have to settle for nearly perfect. If Paradox had paid more attention to the music then weвЂ™d be looking at five stars. However, itвЂ™s a great way to learn about medieval Islamic culture, and those who are already familiar with the region will probably experience the same hometown familiarity that I get when IвЂ™m playing as Eadric Wilde of Shrewsbury. If you have no interest in the geopolitical machinations of Arabia then you can skip it without diluting your CK2 experience in the slightest. In many ways, this is an exemplary piece of DLC. Or you could just play a Rachid Taha CD in the background.

Because of this, IвЂ™d recommend that you pick up one of the music DLC packs at the same time as Sword of Islam. My only criticism is that the developersвЂ™ attention to detail doesnвЂ™t extend as far as the music, and itвЂ™s jarring to hear western-influenced pieces in an expansion thatвЂ™s largely set in the Middle East. I was genuinely humbled by the gaps in my knowledge regarding Islamic culture, so I found the game both entertaining and educational. Sword of Islam isnвЂ™t any harder than the base game, but it does have a rhythm and complexity all of its own. However, this will leave you dangerously overextended should the Pope come a-knocking with his army of crusaders. Fortunately, the conditions needed for casus belli are significantly more relaxed than in the base game, so itвЂ™s never hard to find a reason to invade your neighbour.

TheyвЂ™ll need landed titles, and the best way to get those is to take them from someone else. The solution is simple enough, and it involves giving the pesky delinquents something to do. If you donвЂ™t take swift action then you can expect family strife, peasant uprisings and maybe even a nocturnal visit from the hashashin (assassins, folks вЂ“ ed). A surfeit of feckless younglings increases your dynastyвЂ™s Decadence score, and decadence is A Very Bad Thing. ItвЂ™s endearing at first, but after a few years youвЂ™re overwhelmed with the critters and the gameвЂ™s second subtlety begins to make itself felt. Shortly afterwards, your palace will echo to the pitter-patter of tiny feet. Muslim convention expected the (universally male) rulers to take a number of wives, so the game provides a penalty to your Prestige until youвЂ™ve reached the required level of conjugal bliss. Muslim practices in the middle ages were quite different to their Christian counterparts, and the result is a game that feels different to anything thatвЂ™s been done before. However, itвЂ™s the gentle subversion of the rules thatвЂ™s most interesting.

Paradox have worked hard to make sure that this expansion imparts an authentic sense of Islamic tradition, so the familiar stained-glass icons have been replaced by sand-toned geometrical patterns and the gameвЂ™s random events have been reworked with a suitably Arabic feel. The map has expanded to include the Arabian peninsula and a smattering of North African nations, and youвЂ™re given the option to play as any of the major families in the region. The most obvious change in Sword of Islam is the interface. ItвЂ™s a mighty strategic challenge, and itвЂ™s a world away from how we do things in Shrewsbury. Sword of Islam is the first substantial DLC package for Crusader Kings 2 and, as one of the gameвЂ™s newly-added Muslim rulers, youвЂ™ll find that a typical day involves scheming wives, treacherous vassals, lazy offspring, murderous assassins and - of course - the Pope. Spare a thought, then, for the leaders of the embattled Arabic nations. Eadric lived around the corner from my house and, if the game is to be believed, he spent his time fathering children and going on work outings to Jerusalem. Mostly, though, I avoid the stresses of medieval life by playing as Eadric Wilde of Shrewsbury. I defeated Harald Hardrada by ignoring him until he wandered off. I survived the Norman Invasion by hiding my troops in Wales until it was all over. IвЂ™m a bit of a coward when it comes to Crusader Kings 2.

Crusader kings 2 muslim