Silk and Silver, the merchant republics expansion for Crusader Kings 3, has a release date: November 17. Rock Paper Shotgun reported that it is the second major expansion Paradox Interactive has shipped for the grand strategy game this year, following By God Alone, the Church-centric DLC released recently, and that both belong to the game’s fifth chapter of downloadable content.
Where By God Alone built out realms ruled by Popes and priests, Silk and Silver does the same for merchant republics along the lines of Venice, according to Rock Paper Shotgun. The route to power runs through commerce: players start a trading company and build up a patrician family until it is in a position to rule as Doge.
Specialisations, constitutions and trade leagues
Players will be able to steer what their republic specialises in, Rock Paper Shotgun reported, with options that include naval trade, bread-and-circuses populism, and cultivating a deep class of nobles to send across Europe in search of favour. Laws and customs are handled through a constitution that can be shaped either to serve the player’s own ends or to deliver public good.
Foreign policy turns on trade: which routes to pursue control of, and whether to chase a monopoly or cooperate with rival republics in trade leagues for mutual benefit.
One thing the expansion does not add, despite its maritime subject, is naval warfare. Paradox addressed that directly in a deep dive on Silk and Silver published earlier this year, which Rock Paper Shotgun quoted.
We know this is a topic people care about and relate to the republics strongly, but between a whole lot of balancing and a whole lot of new systems that we are adding to the game, we chose not to spend time and energy on trying to pack in another large feature that we would not be able to give it enough love and time to do well.
The November 17 date places the expansion in the middle of a month that Rock Paper Shotgun noted a number of studios have avoided for releases this year, citing the proximity of another, unnamed launch a couple of days later.
