Hello I heard good things about this game and wanted to give it a try. Where is a good way to start? Vanilla without mods or with mods? If yes w/ mods, which mods are essential for my 1st play through? Thank you

I was wondering if - for future playthroughs - how to use the origins when starting a new character to build them into the ideal type for each and any of the following roles: 1) A leader of my own kingdom 2) A powerful siege fighter (likely either as a heavy armor-wearing sword-and-board warrior with 2 or 3 shields [namely a sturdy Board Shield for their back] or a 2h weapon wielder who also likely uses a Siege Crossbow with two Large Bags of Steel Bolts). 3) A lancer (likely with heavy armor, a Balanced ...

For the player I know the general consensus is longer reach weapons are better cause we know how to kite and maneuver. But for AI troops who tend to just bum rush each other and turn every fight into a mosh pit. Is shorter reach weapons actually better? Cause I noticed when I equipped my custom troops with staffs / spears / other polearms, and even swords that had longer reach, they would actually perform pretty terrible, especially during siege battles. Because spears / staffs basically do no damage up...

I know the rule of thumb is to release lords you defeat in battle who are of Good-Natured, Martial or Cunning personalities while capturing lords who are Ruthless, Pitiless or Foul-Tempered. What about monarchs who surrender to you after you battle them? On one hand, you should gain honor (like when releasing the right lords) as well as gain a few relation points with them. On the other hand, capturing them and holding them in a Castle or Town (namely one with a Guard Tower installed) can keep them from ...

im trying for a second time and i must be missing something. im just running around a giant map trying to fight random encounters? tehre are no quests. the battles are getting old and i dont even win half the time and have to re-load. can someone guide me to what i should do to have some purpose?...