Update log
Full Crusader Kings III update
The complete published notes, normalized for clean reading and source attribution.
Repeated intro
Hey, I’m Chop, a designer working on the upcoming All Under Heaven expansion, particularly Japan and Korea. Speaking of which, in today’s development diary we will be exploring the Japanese archipelago and Korean peninsula! Let’s take a closer look at the gameplay mechanics of three new government types: Ritsuryō, Sōryō,and Meritocratic.
Extracted changes
- Gameplay
- Maps
The Land of the Rising Sun
The Japanese islands occupy an interesting position, being near enough to China to have been heavily influenced by its culture, but remote enough to have largely escaped direct interference from its Hegemons. Expanding to eventually cover the southern islands of Kyūshū and Shikoku,and most of the main island of Honshū, the Yamato people occupy most of the archipelago united under a single emperor, and with no real external threats.
However, the northern reaches of Honshū are populated by the Emishi tribes, further north the Ainu tribes reside on the island of Hokkaidō, and far to the south the island chains of Okinawa and Amami are home to the Ryukyuan tribes. Famed horse archers, the Emishi have long struggled against encroachment from their southern neighbors, who have launched incremental campaigns of conquest for centuries.
[The Japanese political map, note coats of arms are work in progress]
Eagle-eyed diary readers will notice that Japan is no longer red, instead taking the Murasaki purple of the wisteria flower, to add some visual distinction from Chinese Hegemons of the crimson variety.
A Fragile Peace
During our period, Japan transitioned from a peaceful bureaucratic realm headed by aristocratic families, to a military shogunate dominated by more pragmatic samurai families, but is still a largely unwarlike place, far from the more militarized Japan of the later Sengoku era.
Amidst all this, there is also a ruling emperor, or Ten’nō, who is nominally the head of state, but whose power varies considerably depending on the circumstances. The Yamato dynasty has held this position in an unbroken line from ancient times, even up to the present day.
THE GOVERNMENT SPLIT INSIDE JAPAN AT THE 1066 BOOKMARK.
We strived to represent both of these styles of governments, as well the transition between them, along with the ever-present imperial family.
The Ritsuryō System
In our earlier start dates, the Heian (Peace) era is in full-swing, following Emperor Kanmu’s establishment of the aptly named capital of Heian-kyō (now Kyōto) in 794. This bustling city’s palace is the center of the governmentbureaucracy and home of the imperial family, with the Manors of the aristocratic families close at hand.
Taking inspiration from China, Ritsuryō is the Japanese legal framework, and as in China, the many provinces of Japan are assigned to governors, or kokushi. Along with the many branches of the Fujiwara family, the other aristocratic families of note compete for appointments and recognition.
Unlike China, the government is de facto directed by a regent ruling on behalf of the sitting emperor. For gameplay purposes, we have simplified the naming distinction between regents of underage emperors, Sesshō, and those of adult emperors, under the unified name Kampaku. Though nominally a regent, the Kampaku is not in a Diarch relationship with the emperor, and both characters may have their own Diarch when relevant.
Historically the position of regent was totally dominated by the main line of the Fujiwara family, who tried to minimize the influence of the imperial family beyond their ceremonial roles and maintain their pre-eminence among nobility. The Fujiwaras were an extremely prolific family, whose influence and sheer size essentially dwarfed those of any other family, with
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