PC Gamer - UK (2022-02)

C

rusader Kings III is a

grand strategy game

filled with earth-

shaking wars,

vendettas that can

play out over generations,

assassinations, intrigue, drama,

and tangled narratives that promise

a new twist around every corner.

But sometimes you just want to

chill out by going fishing, or have a

drinking contest in a smelly pub

with a pal. Right?

There are already plenty of

distractions in Crusader Kings III.

You can initiate events like great

feasts or hunts, and they’ll play out

with a few narrative choices along

the way. You can make decisions like

founding a witch coven or a holy

order, try to escape prison or build a

monument, or strengthen your

bloodline, and the outcomes will be

based on elements like your

attributes and random chance.

However, there’s no reflex-based

activities in CKIII, nothing to engage

those twitch skills.

The Tavern Games mods, created

by modder Castox, change that by

adding four little minigames to

Crusader Kings III. They’re not

complicated, though they can be

extremely tricky, and they make a

nice little addition to the constant

list of distractions that pull you

away from managing your

empire responsibly.

GET HOOKED

Take fishing, for instance. With the

weight of the kingdom on your

shoulders, with your family members

scheming and soldiers massing near

your borders, why not take a break,

head to the lake, and enjoy some

quiet time with a rod and reel?

With the Gone Fishing mod installed,

you just need to go to the decisions

menu, the same place where you’d go

to begin a pilgrimage, host a feast,

or call a hunt. But this is an activity

just for you. Choose to go fishing,

and you’ll find your ruler standing on

a rocky shore holding a fishing rod

with a few buckets beside them,

ready to catch some cod.

After you cast a line and wait for a

little bit, you’ll get a bite. Two vertical

meters will appear on your screen

• one represents the fish, the other
  how close you are to catching it.
  The fish meter will have a small red
  square that rises and falls, and you
  need to keep your icon on it to reel
  your fish in. That means clicking your
  left mouse button to move your icon
  up and stop clicking to let it fall.
  As the square slides up and down
  you’ll have to concentrate and quickly
  click (or quickly stop clicking) to
  keep up with it. The other meter
  will fill with green – the more green,
  the closer you are to landing your
  fish. If you let the green drain and the
  meter is empty, the fish escapes.
  You’re not just catching generic
  fish to pass the time mind you.
  There are salmon, catfish, tuna,
  dorado, pike, brill, and others –
  16 different types of fish in all.
  Catch them all and you’ve become
  not just a ruler but a master

TAVERN GAMES

Chilling out in Crusader Kings III. By Christopher Livingston

NEED TO KNOW

RELEASE

September 1, 2020

PUBLISHER

In-house

DEVELOPER

Paradox Interactive

LINK

bit.ly/3pQOE3e

YOU’VE BECOME

NOT JUST A

RULER BUT A

MASTER FISHERMAN

LEFT: Jousts can be

friendly. Unless you’re

not friends.

CAST AWAY

A few of our favourite fishing minigames

SEA OF THIEVES

Lots of lovely fish to catch, and

the water you pull them out of is

the most beautiful in all of games.

FAR CRY 5

Extremely relaxing, though there

is a good chance of being mauled

by a mountain lion while fishing.

NEW WORLD

Forget grinding out quests and

going to war. I got to level 23 by

basically just fishing.

TORCHLIGHT

Not that complex, but the fish you

catch can turn your pet into a bat,

spider, or fire elemental. Neato!

EXTRA LIFE

NOW PLAYING I UPDATE I MOD SPOTLIGHT (^) I HOW TO I DIARY I WHY I LOVE I REINSTALL I M U S T P L A Y