My partner @jasonsansargonauts.bsky.social has spent a bit of time on CK3. I think CK2 was the gateway, but he's also done off-game reading to work on strategies.
The same thing happened to me with CK3 and the solution was to play a game letting time pass and making as many mistakes as possible. It went better than I expected and it was a lot of fun.
it is a super fun game, but it does have a very steep learning curve. I can't even remember how I got into it (I started with CK2), I think I ended up watching some explainer videos on youtube.
i remember playing EU3 (my first paradox game) for a while, and then being asked by my brother about what you do in the game and just having to answer "i have no idea"
My personal favorite faction is the Danish, especially because they start from a single province and makes it easy to create a fortified choke point for your capital, plus axe-wielding cavalry and archers that can hold their own in melee.
CK3 can seem daunting. It was for me. You can do it though. Start small. Save scum early and often until you learn the rules and consequences. Then go ham on being the truly medieval psycho you've always wanted to be. :)
I have read that Warhammer is much more about heros and less about tactics. 3 Kingdoms would be my recommendation. Or you can go back to Medieval: Total War, which still rocks.
I have the fondest memories of Rome 1 and Medieval 2, I think Shogun 2 might be the best overall execution, I found Rome 2 underrated, and the Warhammer ones are good if you don't mind the setting.
I recently learned that Mick Jagger has a great grandchild older than one of his sons and that seems to be a situation I find myself in in CK3 fairly often
I know this is effectively adding homework and might not help, but if you want to see a good example of how you can approach CK3 from a roleplay perspective, the playthroughs by a YT channel called OneProudBavarian are great
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Warhammer 2 if you want to build your commanders up like rpg characters and watch them fuck shit up in a world of elves, lizards and ratmen.