If you want to narrow down your next campaign on the 867 map, let me know:
Do not look at the Byzantine gold income and think you can easily usurp them. The Varangian Guard exists. If you attack Byzantium in 867, you will face Norse bodyguards and the most professional heavy cavalry in the game.
Led by the competent Basil I Macedonian, Byzantium starts rich, technologically advanced, and highly centralized. It is the most stable powerhouse on the map. ck3 map 867
The Great Heathen Army has landed. Halfdan Whiteshirt (Jorvik) and Ivar the Boneless (The Isles) start with massive, unreplenishable special soldiers.
When you launch Crusader Kings III and select the —officially known as the “Viking Age” bookmark—you are not just choosing an earlier challenge. You are stepping onto a powder keg. Compared to the more stable (yet still volatile) 1066 start, the CK3 map in 867 is a world of fractured empires, rising heathen armies, and unprecedented opportunities for tribal expansion. If you want to narrow down your next
Dominating modern-day France, Charles struggles with low control, factionalism, and relentless Viking raids along the Seine.
West Francia, East Francia, Lotharingia, Bavaria, and Italy are locked in a web of claims. Led by the competent Basil I Macedonian, Byzantium
While any landed character can be played, some offer more unique and engaging starting experiences. Here are a few standout rulers to consider:
Playing a Karling offers a race to reunite the Holy Roman Empire or the Empire of Francia. Alternatively, playing as a vassal within these realms (like the Count of Paris) allows you to slowly undermine your liege and seize a crown from the inside. 3. Eastern Europe & Scandinavia: The Tribal Frontier