Okay, started playing CK II after some false starts with the Norman Invasion, and finally worked out the system.
Playing a suggested start as William (I'll play a future game as Tostig...) and really enjoying it, partly for the detail and strategy but also in large part for the alternate history of known characters. Though I'm not sure if I'm playing it 'wrong' as I find I have little to do between rebellions, not having the income to build anything and not wanting to make drastic legal changes or commit to major wars while having to sit on standby in case discontented nobles cause trouble. I can't make many diplomatic overtures without either money or ranking children to marry off.
Anyway, the Norman Conquest went ahead and I was able to extort the kingdom of England from Harold after crushing his army, promptly throwing him in prison. Discontent started rumbling away - my efforts to appease Morcar in York went unheeded, and nothing appeared to happen with my scheme to kill Eagar, the candidate he favoured for the throne. I put down the Yorkist rebellion - slightly time-consuming, but I didn't lose any provinces and only one battle (a surprise attack on an army in Rouen).
Shortly thereafter Harold was released from prison (not my doing, it just happened). It was quite pleasing to appoint him my Marshal and generally build a positive relationship with him, at least until I imprisoned someone for plotting to claim one of Harold's vassals - since it was one of Harold's own sons. This despite the fact that Harold was spending his time stripping his vassals of titles to claim for his own, before staking his claim to be king.
He didn't get any supporters, but unwisely declared a rebellion anyway despite having two of his vassals still imprisoned following the last rebellion and having a fairly small army. That rebellion was very short, although did result in William being rendered incapable during the major battle and replaced by Odo as regent (who has rather poor stats for most things; my income has gone down quite a bit) - reluctantly I executed Harold, since the penalty for revoking his titles was so severe.
The Duke of Kent was then released from captivity and I was told I had a reason for justly imprisoning him, despite the fact that, having been in prison since the end of Morcar's rebellion, he hadn't had any opportunity to side with Harold. Since I had only a 36% chance of success, I decided to make him my Court Jester instead.
So, I'm now in (currently) uncontested control of England with an incapable monarch and a claim against Rouen from Amiens, while my own chancellor is busy fabricating a claim on Gwent. Of course, Harald Hardrada and Tostig are both still alive in this universe - maybe with Harold gone Tostig will try for a claim on the English crown again.
EDIT: Played for another generation (William died, Robert who succeeded him was killed in battle, handing over to Richard who had pathetic stats all round; most of his former allies, including stalwart Odo, turned against him until he beat them in rebellion and imprisoned most of them). Morcar and Godwine remained perennial problems, even when imprisoned (and freeing them and offering them titles only worked for so long before they started scheming again - at one point they both declared war on me, supporting different claimants). I'm a bit puzzled about what I'm supposed to do with prisoners - I can keep them locked up indefinitely without penalty, but killing them is unpopular, however if I ever relent when they seem to have good relations, they're immediately up to their old tricks.
I let Godwine out after that rebellion since his neutral armies had helped out against the rebels, but he soon started plotting again. That time I actually seem to have blunted him - cajoling from my chancellor and a betrothal to a member of my dynasty eventually prompted him to disband his latest faction. I had Morcar assassinated in prison, but that may have been a mistake - although the duchess who replaced him had weak claims, and few of them, she started clamouring for independence and rebelled when I tried to revoke her title. I think the game's up now - she allied with Brittany and Scotland, which was something I could ordinarily deal with. But then I had a war declared on me by France, with a much superior army (my own claim to France had lapsed as it was from Mathilde, who was ousted before she died by Philippe reclaiming his throne). My military never fully recovered from a full attack I launched on Jerusalem as part of an unsuccessful crusade.
Yeah they need a chance for homosexual nobles to get burned at the stake or whatever the church did to them after they were done with the alter boys.
Active church (and social) approbation of homosexuality is a rather recent phenomenon for the most part, largely dating to the Victorian era. From what I gather it was only an issue in medieval times indirectly - such as with Edward II, who became unpopular due to favouritism towards his rumoured lovers (not an issue for heterosexuals generally given the low status of women - favouritism towards mistresses was not a threat to the political power of important nobles).
Though on the latter subject, the treatment of women in CK II is much more of an obvious historical error than its treatment of homosexuality - women and men appear equally likely to develop martial traits, for instance (even though women can't lead armies), and while their powers of succession are limited they are generally much more equal with men than their historical counterparts. Allies seem no less likely to help press a woman's claim to a title than a man's, which is certainly at odds with such things as the way Matilda was treated.
