In Crusader Kings 3, one of the most interesting things to do is start as Duchess Matilda and get the Give a Dog a Bone award.
Crusader Kings 3 is a strategy game that is almost like a sandbox. It lets players choose kings between the years 867 and 1066 AD. In 1066, Duchess Matilda of Tuscany is only 20 years old and is a vassal of the Holy Roman Empire. She is a young and beautiful queen. Due to her situation, the young Duchess is not married and has no children.
The fact that Crusader Kings 3 is open-ended means that there are a lot of different ways to play. However, the Give a Dog a Bone award is a hard one to get. The goal of this set of achievements is for players to start as Duchess Matilda, keep the family going, become the ruler of Italy, start a Holy Order, and have 50 members of the dynasty.
The Setup
Matilda should marry a person whose traits can be passed down. Any traits that could be passed down from a possible partner should boost fertility, such as being Fecund, Comely, Handsome, or Beautiful. The goal is to have many children so that the number of people in the family grows.
The spouse’s high level of skill in any living is also useful for teaching the kids. Educate Matilda’s children and try to give them good education so that their future spouses will find them more attractive.
Diplomacy
Slope Game players must make sure that Matilda’s Bishop agrees with her, that the Pope likes her, and that Kaiser Heinrich of the Holy Roman Empire likes her. To have a good view of Duchess Matilda, this is a strong group of characters. Choose the Perk “Befriend” from the Diplomacy menu. After making friends with The Pope and going on pilgrimages as often as possible, the Papacy’s coffers will open and give people a great way to make money when they need it.
Seducing or romancing Matilda’s husband or wife is also a good idea if you want the family to have as many babies as possible. Also, make sure that Matilda turns down any other character’s approaches. Adultery and fornication are not good traits if you want to be liked by everyone. Influence, befriend, and improve the opinion of as many of Duchess Matilda’s vassals as you can. This will stop any groups from rising up against her power and control.
Becoming The Ruler Of Italy: Duchy Of Romagna
Taking the Duchy of Romagna is one way to get the title “Kingdom of Italy.” To get the Duchy of Romagna. The player’s Bishop can make up claims on the counties that are part of the Duchy. The Bishop might even be able to make a claim to the Duchy of Romagna instead of just a claim to its relevant Grand City of Lombardia, if players choose to go for the Grand City first.
Once the Bishop has given the claim to the Duchy of Romagna to Kaiser Heinrich. Duchess Matilda can ask him to give her the claimed title of Duchess of Romagna. If Kaiser Heinrich likes Matilda, there is a better chance that the plan will work. You could also fight for the title, but this is the best way. Duchess Matilda could become Queen of Italy if she had enough gold and chose to create the Kingdom of Italy title after capturing Pisa through war or some other means.
Founding A Holy Order
Once Matilda is Queen of Italy, all that needs to be done is wait for the right time. Duchess Matilda needs a Kingdom or Empire, a Barony or City that can be rented out to the Holy Order, approval from The Pope, and a level of loyalty equal to or higher than “Devoted Servant” in order to start a Holy Order.
Once Duchess Matilda has the Kingdom of Italy, this step is pretty easy. You can order items with piety modifiers, Duchess Matilda can go on more pilgrimages. Or she can study the Theologian branch in the Learning Lifestyle to gain piety faster.
Babies, Babies, And More Babies
Getting the family to have more than 50 people still alive is mostly a matter of getting married and waiting. Fecund, Comely, Handsome/Pretty, and Beautiful are all traits. That will make Duchess Matilda and her children more likely to have children. Like Weeds in a Garden Intrigue is another way to increase the number of children born into the family. It gives a 30% increase in fertility.
As the dynasty gains Renown, you might want to choose dynasty heirloom. That make it easier for family members to have children, inherit traits, or get married. Bountiful Loins make people 10% more fertile, Desirable Match makes people more likely to get married, Noble Veins makes it more likely that good traits will be passed down, and going further down the Blood lineage row lets you get more benefits related to traits that are passed down from birth.
Holy Matrilineal Matrimony
As usual, marry off any boys, and also make sure that any of Duchess Matilda’s daughters get married. So that all future children will be part of the di Lucca/House Canossa dynasty. Players should also think about marrying Duchess Matilda’s children and grandkids to people who have traits that can be passed down and that make them more fertile. Keep track of all the children the dynasty has. Matilda can marry off her grandkids, and if she dies and the player becomes her heir. They can still marry off their nieces and nephews.
Duchess Matilda will live longer if she studies the Learning lifestyle with a Medicine focus after she is done having children, or earlier if the player wants her to do so. It is possible to get the Give a Dog a Bone award before Duchess Matilda dies. But this is supposed to be a scene from the Middle Ages. Just making it to 60 is a big deal.
You can play Crusader Kings 3 on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.