"Crusader Kings 3" is a massive sandbox that promises to put you in the shoes of every medieval ruler, and while history likes to highlight the achievements of heterosexual men, Paradox seems to avoid that trap.

"CK3 is a truly diverse game. It spans almost half the world's map and almost six centuries of history," the latest development journal states.

"This world is inhabited by a myriad of titles, cultures, beliefs, and characters. Our goal was to represent all of these in great detail and accuracy, and to provide everyone with a deeply immersive experience with ever more dynamic elements and player choices."

"Accuracy" has been used to excuse countless oversights regarding the representation of gender and race in games. Even The Witcher 3's choice to make everyone white was defended as historically accurate, despite being a fantasy game. Thankfully, Paradox has not used historical accuracy as an excuse to limit CK3, but instead to further increase choice and diversity.

For example, one can immediately play as any culture or faith. In Crusader Kings 2, Islam was added and fleshed out in places like India with DLC, but in CK3, all of this will be available upon launch. Also, these cultures and faiths may have characteristics that limit players, such as certain faiths being frightened of women, but the system is now dynamic and can be changed or de-restricted as appropriate.

Because "Crusader Kings" is about making your own rather than following history, Paradox has also included game rules that shake off historical limitations. For example, you can immediately play as a queen instead of a king, and the gender equality rule lifts most restrictions and seems to cover more territory than the CK2 version. You can even make the world a matriarchy right away.

Even playing with the default rules, one can still see women influencing the world. Since the queen may rule in the absence of the king, Paradox creates a new role for the spouse, giving her a special position at court and allowing her to manage a significant portion of the kingdom.

While CK2 boiled down sexuality to heterosexual and homosexual, the sequel added bisexual and asexual characters. This time around, heterosexuality is not presented as the default, as it is not expressed in terms of characteristics. In addition, sexual preference and sexual behavior are treated independently, although sexual attraction and romantic attraction are not treated separately. For example, if one belongs to a religion that has strict rules about same-sex relationships, it is not illegal to be homosexual even if sexual behavior is illegal. Adjusting the rules of the game can also change the views of all faiths on this subject and make same-sex relationships acceptable everywhere.

There is also the option of starting a game where being asexual is the most common, as one can adjust the dominance of different sexualities, like gender. Besides being more diverse and welcoming, this seems like great news for simulation. I would love to see how the medieval world would unfold if it were matriarchal or if most people were asexual. That is what "Crusader Kings" is all about.

That sounds very promising. Especially since it is being considered now, during development, rather than as after-the-fact DLC. No word yet on when we will get "Crusader Kings 3," but it is scheduled for release this year.