Crusader Kings II

The Dark Ages might be drawing to a close, but Europe is still in turmoil. Petty lords vie against beleaguered kings who struggle to assert control over their fragmented realms. The Pope calls for a Crusade to protect the Christians in the Holy Land even as he refuses to relinquish control over the investiture of bishops and their riches. Crusader Kings II is a grand strategy game in which you expand your demesne and secure the future of your dynasty, fill your coffers, appoint vassals, root out traitors and heretics, introduce laws and interact with hundreds of nobles, each with their own agenda. A game can start at any point between 1066 and 1337 and runs until 1453. You pick a Christian lord and play a succession of his descendants, so the dynasty has to survive from one ruler to the next. Each character you play adds Prestige to the glory of your dynasty. You expand your feudal domain and keep it from falling apart, unravel plots among courtiers and vassals, fight the Moor, the heathen and the heretic, and defend against the Mongol Horde. A competitive multiplayer mode supports up to 32 other players.