Crusader Kings

- There is no reason not to get the Deus Vult expansion.

- England in 1066 is a good beginner nation because it's fairly wealthy and you don't have any distant possesions to worry about. However, a lot of your vassals hate William de Normandie and will declare war on you within a few years. Take their land and give it to your relatives, but remember not let your reputation get too bad.

- Feudal contract law is excellent becuase it causes an event that gives you free prestige and it triggers fairly often. As large kingdom with feudal contract I usually have more prestige than I know what to do with.

- If you want a somewhat playable game as a count, the province of Dauphine Viennoise in southern France starts off with a huge tax base. You can try using the huge armies that province spawns to create your own kingdom in North Africa.

- Unless you're based in the mediterranean, going after crusade targets is more trouble than it's worth.

- Don't worry about the composition of your armies. The bigger mob always wins.

- Build royal posts. They will help if you have a large desmesne and a king with low intrigue.

- Get the patch linked at the bottom.

- Try playing as a medium power duke somewhere at first, like maybe Apulia or Flanders. (I like Apulia). If you want to play as a kingdom, Sweden is pretty simple.