Why does everybody play Bayzantium in Paradox games?

[Magkas]

Or better let's ask who does not in most of the cases end up clicking the Roman Empire?

I may be wrong, so please don't flame, but when I google Paradox games, I normally see huge purple maps, and even the devs are most often releasing screenshots that show the area of Byzantium! Not to mention the DLCs and music packs made to glorify the Roman Empire in Crusader Kings II and Europa Universalis IV.

Well there are some exceptions though

This player chose Poland...

[TheBromgrev]

Why not? I play them for the challenge of reversing history, and it's normally quite challenging to not only survive as them, but to regain lost ground as well. If I wanted an easy game then I'd play as France in most of PI's titles, but easy isn't always fun.

[Kamikaze470]

I might've played the Roman Empire once or twice, but I take pleasure in watching the the ai play them instead and try to lead the empire to it's formal glory, especially if you end up doing a megacampaign spanning all the current games. There's nothing more amusing than seeing a thriving fascistic Roman Empire by the end of vick2.

[Magkas]

... There's nothing more amusing than seeing a thriving fascistic Roman Empire by the end of vick2.

Lol! I believe so, although I never got past 1860 in Vicky 2.

TheBromgrev, yes
But for example in Crusader Kings 2 the Roman Empire is probably the easyest faction to play, you can easily conquer Syria and Southern Italy, and automatically get territory in the Ponto-Caspian area through claims, etc all that in early game.

[Town Watch]

Here's what SHOULD be the player goals for Byzantium

-stop trying to restore the thing into Eastern Roman empire

-instead, aspire to reach the full glory of Emperor Trajan's extent of the Roman empire (yes, this means infact taking over Iberia, Gaul, half of Germania, most of Balkans etc...)

It's just so infuriating to see these byzantine AARs, where they don't even pretend to become the True Roman Empire once again, in its FULL GLORY. Instead they expand into the weak countries in India, Persia etc... SOMETIMES THEY DONT EVEN RETAKE ITALY COMPLETELY

[John I Tzimisces]

Lol! I believe so, although I never got past 1860 in Vicky 2.

TheBromgrev, yes
But for example in Crusader Kings 2 the Roman Empire is probably the easyest faction to play, you can easily conquer Syria and Southern Italy, and automatically get territory in the Ponto-Caspian area through claims, etc all that in early game.

well it depends on the start date the byzantine player chooses. at 1066 a good player should be able to beat the seljuks, but a start date even a couple years later leaves a byzzie player in a difficulty position. I personally don't like to play them or the HRE because they already hold an emperor level title; I have a lot more fun playing the long game as a separatist and/or heretic doux

[Neoton]

I don't know about the others but I am a huge "fan" of the Byzantine Empire because of its intriguing history and the challange it offers. But maybe it has something to do with the fact that I am Bulgarian and more or less I am interested in the history of my region(the Balcans) and I know more about Byzantium than any other W. European state so it's kind of fun to play as someone you know and to try to do what he did. Actually right now I am reading The Alexiad and I am planning to start a new game as Alexios in CKII.

[ccllnply]

I tried a few games as Byzantine in EU3. They were pretty fun. I enjoyed trying to reclaim the empire and the games were usually challenging but not overly hard. And I don't know about other people but I enjoy expanding the Empire into India and Arabia.

Don't see the appeal in CK2. I've played a few games as counts and dukes in the Empire but got bored very quick. Don't really know why, it just seemed to take an age to get anything done.

[Mangalore]

Imo they plainly are an underdog faction with big history and potential. You essentially have a reference how "good" you are because there was a real Byzantine/Roman empire you can compare yourself to. That way you have a simpler goal than playing the xth German minor attempting to unify Germany and it feels more unique.

[Feanaro Curufinwe]

Because the ERE is very interesting? Also, Paradox Games are some of the few where the ERE doesn't get shafted (Case in point: Vanillla M2TW, apparently an Empire which survived for over 1.000 years has one of the worst and least varied rosters).

[Hookah Smoking Caterpiller]

wtf are you on about, ERE isn't even in Vicky or HoI.

[DarthShizNit]

wtf are you on about, ERE isn't even in Vicky or HoI.

There is one in Vicki2

[SLN445]

Atleast in the context of EUIII-IV, players get both the ability to play a powerful historic nation with a rich history and an underdog game where you have to fight hard to regain power and carve out your empire.

[Slaxx Hatmen]

Atleast in the context of EUIII-IV, players get both the ability to play a powerful historic nation with a rich history and an underdog game where you have to fight hard to regain power and carve out your empire.

So, basically the same reason everybody loves Gondor in LOTR games.

[SLN445]

So, basically the same reason everybody loves Gondor in LOTR games.

Pretty much

[Kaiser Quanah]

So, basically the same reason everybody loves Gondor in LOTR games.

I read somewhere that Gondor is based off of the 'Byzantine'/ Medieval Roman Empire and Arnor is based off the Western Roman Empire. Only in LOTR, this primeval Roman Empire restores its rule to its full glory and beyond, rather then in the real world where barbarians, separated in time and space, unintentionally perform divide and conquer on that Mediterranean diseased juggernaut.

[ShockBlast]

1) There is no such thing as Byzantium.
2) I play German factions.
3)

[hellheaven1987]

Because there is no Chinese faction to play...

DAMNED IT!!

[Kanaric]

1) There is no such thing as Byzantium.
2) I play German nations.
3)

Because there is no Chinese nations to play...

FTFY

DAMNED IT!!

[Candy_Licker]

Well, it's not restricted to Paradox games, the ERE is the darling of nearly every history buff/ strategy gamer. The Same applies to Med2 gamers. They are all crazy too about the Byz Empire. If there is a new Medieval overhaul mod, the Byzzies will be the first ones to get new shiny units, while the lackluster vanilla Islamic factions will often remain untouched.

That said, in my current CK2 game, I'm a vassal of the Emperor (or Empress currently). As a ruler in Italy, I wanted to get rid of the damn Karlings and be the vassal of an Emperor so I could get my own King title. So it was pure pragmatism