The latest update for Crusader Kings 3 brings back an old favourite from CK2, the ‘Ruler Designer’. This is not a tool to design strips of wood to measure stuff with, but a complete character creator, which lets you customise not only your emperor’s visual appearance, but also their various traits, which is arguably the best thing about Crusader Kings—watching virtual human beings go completely off the rails due to their own peculiarities.
In the video above, you get a glimpse of a Paradox dev designing a ruler in dire need of a sandwich and a good night’s sleep. As with most of these character creators, I’m worried about how painted on any darker skin colours will look on the end result, but I’m fascinated by the luscious locks you can briefly see in the hair and beard options. Now that is a king I wouldn’t mind pledging allegiance to. Paradox emphasises the level of freedom you get in creating your ruler—you can play as male or female, with any in-game culture, religion, or sexual orientation.
Additionally, the 1.2 update comes with a large number of bug fixes, balance improvements and additional modding tools. Some of the most important changes include:
- Kill List that tracks the executions, battle slayings, and (known) murders by characters in the game.
- UI Improvements to the Dynasty view.
- Military Improvements allowing you to attach armies to your main force and prevent raising levies in a province beyond its supply limit.
- Siberian Paganism added to the game as a new Faith.
- Ugly characters now have more exaggerated facial features.
- Changes to rules and options. Nudity is now a game setting, not a rule. The rule set can now be configured to affect the frequency of AI matrilineal marriages.
The complete patch notes are available in their own post on the Crusader Kings 3 forums.