so this question is more directed at the historians who are familiar with this game but to explain.

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Crusader Kings 3 is a video game where the player picks a person from the time period selected in the menus, and then proceeds to look at a historically accurate map of europe at the time period, and tries to further goals, whether thats conquering entire countries and forming empires, or having massive families and dynasties, the player will play as their Heir if they have one upon their characters death, if they dont have an heir, its game over. so you're playing as the person not the nation. with all the problems that arise from that and all the rules and laws followed at the time in place, along with every other character/person in the game having their own ambitions and own goals.

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within this, the country Ireland for example is considered the "noob" start, aka the one for absolute beginners because its so isolated and easy to take your time to work out how to play and respond and then conquer ireland and the rest of the UK as an Irish lord in the 9th century or later.

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now obviously, Ireland did NOT conquer england and scotland and then somehow move on to attacking france or something. but in the game you can just fabricate claims on neighbours, press them, and raise levies, mercenaries and men-at-arm squads to take them and add them.

another example is one can play as King Harold Godwinson of England in the year 1066, the famous battle of Hastings of course. soon the player is invaded by William and also the vikings at similar to same times, an impossible situation that claims the Kings life, and title. but in the game you have enough tools available that you can actually repel both attacks and preserve Harolds lineage, and take the throne when he dies as King Magnus

my question, as an idiot/generally ignorant person to basic logic and knowledge, was wondering.

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why didnt this work in real life at the time? why couldnt lords just do this? just raise their armies and unite countries and have big families like that? if Crusader Kings is so historical surely its mechanics and tools available to the player would have also been available to the real people at the real time. so then obviously either A. the people at the time didnt have the information to see this power, or B. Crusader Kings 3 is taking large liberties with how things ran at the time. so if its these, what was stopping them?

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this question was ridiculously hard to phrase for me, and I understand if it immediatly gets removed, but my curiosity is getting the best of me.