Your Crusader Kings 3 journey puts you behind the perspective of an iconic leader or notable figure who begins with a role among other political figures. Your objective is to fight your way to the top, get land, expand it, make it prosper and maintain it to earn the most points at the end of your campaign. One way to make sure that you can see it flourish and grow stronger is to pass it on to your children and your children's children, representing your dynasty. When this dynasty breaks out before the end of the game, you receive your fame score and you must start a new campaign. Your fame score comes from your prestige points.
To build a dynasty that can withstand the test of time, war and the economic downturn, you need to think about who you choose to marry. Having a successful marriage is essential, and the term success is different in Crusader Kings 3. A good marriage creates a powerful alliance between you and another realm, not if you truly love your spouse. It all depends on how much you hope to gain from getting married and what that supports your future. The younger your spouse, the more offspring they can give you, so you can choose the best of them to surpass yourself when your character dies.
You can use your marriage covenant to call on them to help you in times of trouble, such as when you are under attack from a neighboring kingdom. In turn, however, that means you have to come to their aid if they ask for your help. While choosing a wedding in a large and powerful country might seem like a good idea, it is a short-term advantage. You might be better off choosing to marry someone from a nation roughly equal to yours and close to you.
When you die, your children receive your fame score, which comes from your character's prestige. Prestige is determined by the land you own, your personality, your actions, and your character's titles. This is an overall score that will increase and decrease throughout your campaign, and you use it as a currency for specific actions, like putting pressure on a neighboring kingdom, allowing you to claim it in a war.
Over time and as your dynasty expands, your children can create cadet branches in your dynasty, which are houses. These different houses are run by your children, but your house must have the most power and the largest army to control a dynasty.
The more houses you have in a dynasty, the more chances you have to fight, which can potentially tear things apart. You have to keep things under control to guide your dynasty through the ages, and you are expected to have to fight against your family members to make sure your main character stays in power.
