Crusader Kings 3: Friends and Foes is a new event pack for the Paradox medieval strategy game, introducing more complex relationships between your friends, enemies, and lovers, as well as new player-driven stories and a free-to-play weekend for September. The new Crusader Kings 3 DLC is available on Steam now.
Friends and Foes offers a range of events aimed at the various social dynamics and relationships that Crusader Kings 3 requires you to manage. Although you might forge a long-lasting, legendary friendship, new events may now see that friend turn against you. Rivals will appear in court, attempting to block or stifle your rule, and plotting against you in the background. The same goes for courtiers – treat them unfairly, and they might try to enhance their own position through various in-game events, or at the very least, undermine your rule. Lovers, meanwhile, demand more attention than ever, but are more likely to offer benefits and advancements.
There are over 100 new events, all sparked by various player interactions, in Crusader Kings 3: Friends and Foes, with the objective being to place you in the mind of a suspicious but ultimately socially strategic medieval ruler. The drama and interplay between king, queen, and the various luminaries of the court has always been at the centre of feudal drama, with manipulative, Machievellian characters like Game of Thrones’ Petyr Baelish embodying the dangerous power games of the era. Crusader Kings, perhaps Paradox’s most famous series, has always been an attempt to simulate this, and never more so than in Friends and Foes.
If you want to try it out, it’s available now on Steam. Alternatively, if you’re new to Crusader Kings 3 and want a sample of its strategy delights before jumping in wholesale, Paradox is running a free weekend from September 8 to September 12, during which the entire CK3 base game will be available to play at no charge. If you’re still unsure, check out our Crusader Kings 3 review (spoiler: it’s great).
If social and political machinations are your kind of thing, you might want to check out our guide to some of the other best strategy games on PC. Alternatively, if you want something a bit more war-mongering and bloody, try some of the best RTS games, which naturally include Age of Empires and Starcraft.