Years 1–10: Secure Your Base
Goals: Stabilise your rule, improve income, and set up your long-term strategy.
- Check succession laws immediately to understand how your realm will be divided. If possible, work towards partition reforms that keep your power centralised.
- Strengthen vassal loyalty by giving them council positions where they excel, sending gifts if needed, and avoiding unnecessary revocations.
- Develop your capital county first, prioritising farms, markets, and walls. Your capital’s bonuses apply directly to your ruler, making it the most valuable land you own.
- Arrange strategic marriages for alliances. Aim for at least two strong defensive partners.
- Choose a lifestyle focus that complements your immediate needs. Stewardship is often best for new players, as it boosts income and domain size.
Years 11–20: Prepare for Controlled Expansion
Goals: Strengthen the military and set up your first conquests.
- Fabricate claims on nearby counties with high economic value or strategic positioning.
- Train men-at-arms regiments suited to your region. Specialise early rather than spreading your forces thin.
- Stockpile gold for war expenses. Aim to have at least 200–300 gold before declaring your first major war.
- Upgrade military buildings in key holdings to improve troop quality and numbers.
- Keep an eye on neighbours in crisis such as revolts or succession disputes.
Years 21–30: First Major Conquests
Goals: Expand without overextending.
- Target small, isolated realms or single counties first, not large kingdoms.
- Use allies in your first wars to save your own levies for later conflicts.
- Grant newly conquered land to loyal vassals, preferably those without large power bases already.
- Improve control in new territories using your marshal to prevent rebellions.
- Continue upgrading your economy so expansion does not drain your treasury.
Years 31–40: Consolidation and Internal Growth
Goals: Strengthen the realm before pushing further.
- Convert new lands to your culture and religion to avoid unrest.
- Replace underperforming councillors with higher-skilled characters, even if they are not vassals.
- Pass laws or reforms that increase crown authority if your realm is stable enough to handle it.
- Educate your heir to match your planned playstyle.
- Keep alliances active through marriage planning for the next generation.
Years 41–50: Strategic Expansion
Goals: Build momentum for long-term dominance.
- Take larger territories by pressing multiple claims in a single war where possible.
- Use marriage and diplomacy to inherit or claim distant lands without bloodshed.
- Invest in higher-tier men-at-arms for stronger offensive wars.
- Expand your influence through vassalisation of weaker rulers instead of constant warfare.
- Prepare for a smooth succession by strengthening your heir’s position before your ruler’s death.
If followed, this 50-year plan ensures you avoid the usual beginner’s trap of expanding too quickly and collapsing under internal unrest. You’ll have a loyal vassal base, a strong economy, and the military strength to continue growing for generations.
