Cherry picking a wife

[McLovin']

What am i looking for in a spouse for both myself and heir (son) and daughter?

Is it best to go through all the kingdoms -> liege with some alliances -> pick family member of liege's highest vassal -> click daughter til say yes?

When is matrialineal marriage acceptable?

Or just click the ring icon and pick one of the top (princess of some 2 bit county)?

Oh, and should i focus my marriages upon vassals/duchies in one kingdom, or sow oats worldwide?

*yes, ive read the starter guide, yes getting my head round the details.

[Yaldabaoth]

Originally posted by McLovin':

What am i looking for in a spouse for both myself and heir (son) and daughter?

Is it best to go through all the kingdoms -> liege with some alliances -> pick family member of liege's highest vassal -> click daughter til say yes?

When is matrialineal marriage acceptable?

Or just click the ring icon and pick one of the top (princess of some 2 bit county)?

Oh, and should i focus my marriages upon vassals/duchies in one kingdom, or sow oats worldwide?

*yes, ive read the starter guide, yes getting my head round the details.

You should use the character finder in the lower right corner of the UI, change it to Women, not married, my religious group and then type in Genius into the search bar. Everything else does not matter. Except if you are feeling lucky, are already genius and want to breed in Strong as well for your heir. Then search for strong.
Maybe make an exception if you are in a terrible starting position and need a strong ally really fast (cough 769 Asturias cough)

[McLovin']

Even if marrying into HOuse Lowborn, this is a good idea?!

[Yaldabaoth]

Originally posted by McLovin':

Even if marrying into HOuse Lowborn, this is a good idea?!

Prestige only matters if you are just starting your game and are tribal or nomad. For everyone else prestige is trivial.

[McLovin']

Okay - yeah thinking about early game...is the Arrange Marriage (rings) icon better to use than search characters?

[Yaldabaoth]

Originally posted by McLovin':

Okay - yeah thinking about early game...is the Arrange Marriage (rings) icon better to use than search characters?

When looking for an ally and/or possible inheritance chance, yes. Just don't marry your heir matrilinearily (unless it's a woman) or it's game over soon. Common mistake among beginners.

[Solitus]

I never marry my heir to a landed woman, because then he will go to her court and start doing all sorts of stupid stuff.

I tend to use the Arumba approach, and go for congenital traits first (Strong, Genius, Quick, Attractive; though this seems to matter less now at least since Conclave that traits are passed on less) and then go for lustful, then for Midas Touched or Grey Eminence for that fertility boost.

If your heir takes a prestige hit to get married you can stack all your nice honorary titles on them to offset that a little before they take over.

[McLovin']

Should I marry off councillors to spouses that match their primary stat?

[McLovin']

Why have vassals got such limited marriage options? One guy's only option is to marry my 77yr old aunty!

[McLovin']

Originally posted by McLovin':

Should I marry off councillors to spouses that match their primary stat?

Wait, it looks like councillors dont get 1/2 stat increase from their spouses?! So inviting all those women to court was a waste of time?!!!! :/

[Yaldabaoth]

Originally posted by McLovin':

Originally posted by McLovin':

Should I marry off councillors to spouses that match their primary stat?

Wait, it looks like councillors dont get 1/2 stat increase from their spouses?! So inviting all those women to court was a waste of time?!!!! :/

They also do not produce children if your court is over a certain size (which is fairly small) and they are not close family (son/daughter/brother/sister). So, yeah, wasted your time. Only reason to marry courtiers is if you plan to land them soon.

[al_x_ator2411]

Why would you put courtiers (apart from your kids or wife) in your counsil? Going for the "yes-men" achievement?

In any case, good wives are never a bad choice. Their kids will have better stats and you'll have more options for good educators.

Regarding your initial question, I always go for high stats (genius/quick) first unless an alliance is imperative. But alliances can be forged with spare kids and siblings.

[Random]

I pretty much search for genius and then sort the list by stewardship, thats what my first son and heir marries. (superwoman).

Then I start fishing in the courts of kingdoms of interest and setup marriages with any other sons. Or I will invite a 2nd or 3rd in line prince from their court (regardless of being married or not) and then assassinate his wife, and then force him into a marriage with my daughter where she wears the pants...

Then once a grand kid or 2 is born from 3rd prince guy I kill him to force the title claim onto my dynasty grandkids then press their claim on kingdoms... all to get it inside my megablob of doom.

[McLovin']

Originally posted by al_x_ator2411:

Why would you put courtiers (apart from your kids or wife) in your counsil? Going for the "yes-men" achievement?

Because some have higher stats than the original ones?

[Gnome Boy]

Originally posted by al_x_ator2411:

Why would you put courtiers (apart from your kids or wife) in your counsil? Going for the "yes-men" achievement?

So if I have a 32 diplomacy courtier I shouldn't make him cancellor instead of a 12 dip. vassal?
You do know that councilors move to your court even if they have land on their own? So by picking vassals I only increase my court size.

[Random]

thats actually why i dislike being any form of councilor as a vassal for my leige. Because it places you in their court along side their down syndrome physician that likes to hack limbs off as a "safe option"...

I hole up in my county along side my 20 learning physician until I usurp my idiot for a king and fix up his dynasties stupidity.