Imperiums: Greek Wars News

The release of Imperiums: Greek Wars is coming closer and to whet your appetite in anticipation of next week, here is the narrative launch trailer.

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Philip’s brother Perdiccas was killed in a battle and the way is open for Philip to ascend the throne and lead his nation to the great vision of his dreams. His mentor and teacher Epaminondas is giving him his last advice for this life journey.

If you missed the drama of the battle, you can see it here
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To celebrate the upcoming release we will also do a string of preview streams in multiple languages so stay tuned and spread the word far and wide!

Making a historical game requires a lot of research, especially when you strive to make the game accurate, yet interesting and enjoyable and most importantly, immersive for the player.

We have been following the King and Generals channel for a long time and used their series on ancient Greece as one of our sources of information. We drew inspiration, as well as many useful facts from their series, that helped us shape our game. From there, it was only a small step for us to become proud sponsors of one of their videos covering the epoch of Philip II of Macedon. Here we are.

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Here is the story of Demosthenes and Philip. An Athenian politician who led the resistance against Philip’s and later Alexander’s growing power over the rest of the Greek city-states and how he failed to stop the Macedonian rise to dominance.

Diplomacy and war go hand in hand. It is wise to explore all options for peaceful cooperation and to be careful who you choose as an enemy.

Imperiums offers many options for forging close diplomatic ties between countries. Strong relationships and friendships based on mutual treaties, pacts and unions between states can lead to fruitful cooperation. These ties require skilled diplomacy and time to succeed; gaining the trust of your opponents is just the first step in the process.



There are several minor treaties of limited impact - if these can be agreed, trust will improve. As this trust develops, more complex and binding treaties come into play, such as the passage of foreign troops through your territory or the agreement to heal injured and damaged foreign units in your cities and facilities. Eventually you may even agree to the mutual support of troops with supplies. This can extend the reach of your supply lines into new areas that are ripe for expansion.

Trading is one of the best ways to cement mutual relationships. This is especially effective if you can strategically support your ally with their resource shortfalls. These trading inter dependencies create close bonds between states and are much appreciated by the AI.

You can assume the role of peacemaker by requesting that two warring states forget their differences and sign peace. You will be the good guy here even if you have selfish motives (e.g. you need both states open their lands for your trade routes).

You can also request that one state declares war on a third party. It is particularly useful to open hostilities on a new front with your enemy. However, strong demands like these, even if obeyed, may hinder your efforts to improve goodwill and develop partnerships.




A more subtle way of forwarding your goals, at the expense of your neighbors (friends and foes alike), is the use influence in foreign cities. Local governors can be bribed and persuaded to defect, their city becomes yours without the rattle of swords. In foreign territory your Generals can incite city revolts that distract the rulers, in a best case scenario the city may even surrender to you without a fight. Cities that defect come without damage and the immediate transfer of resources, population and territory will be a boost to you and a heavy blow to your opponent. Using influence will definitely not make you many friends but it is certainly a useful way of weakening your enemies!

When it comes to war, old injustices resurface, leading to conflicts that can draw in the entire world. History teaches us that the ancient Greeks could not maintain peace for long periods.

Imperiums will test your strategic and tactical skills to their limits. Wars are expensive and very few end quickly with only minor damage and losses. Planning ahead might save you time and effort, not to mention the lives of civilians and soldiers. Prepare, have your state’s resources and population in as healthy a condition as possible. Specialize and train your units according to the terrain they will be deployed in and the actions they will have to perform (e.g. city raiders, pathfinders, etc.).




Planning a military campaign is not only about building and deploying troops though. Careful attention must be given to supply lines at all times. When invading, be sure not to overreach with your armies, too far and you risk your supply lines being severed and your units stranded and cut off. Starving and injured units are much more likely to desert their command and defect to the enemy!

You will also need to keep a wary eye on the home front; any dissatisfaction along with the lack of local garrison units may encourage rebellious factions.

Agreeing on a military campaign with your allies allows you to plan attacks from multiple directions, dividing the enemy forces to make victory more likely. Joint military campaigns allow you to plan which troops will attack, alongside the timing and location of the attack.

You will need to master diplomatic skills, strategic planning and tactics if you want to survive and grow to greatness in Imperiums!

Dardanians will have to pay with blood for the lands they claim. Are you brave enough to lead them to their final battle?



[h2]Tester’s tips[/h2]
The Dardanian Kingdom borders Macedonia. From the beginning they must struggle to grow the kingdom against Macedonia's ambitions. Defend the borders? Take the fight to the enemy's territory?

Or try desperately to seek peaceful coexistence, in order to make the land prosper? I enjoy the early choices that the Dardanian's must make.

One of our primary goals was to make the game as historically accurate as possible. The detailed map of Greece with its cities and initial factions, along with their relationships, was based on thorough research and historical sources.



With the creation of the first Imperiums scenario structure, it occurred to us that the Greeks themselves populated their world with strange beasts and creatures from their myths and legends. These were not just fairytales for children but deeply rooted beliefs of the ancient peoples. They are an important part of Greek cultural heritage, so the inclusion of this mythical layer of the ancient worldview within the game seemed obvious. It also had the potential to greatly enhance the classical 4X genre and the player experience. Often in 4X games a player may only use a small portion of the map and may never see the full extent of the world. Creating side quests for the player around the myths and legends would allow the exploration of all corners of the world making the whole map part of the game.

To begin with we introduced several mythical creatures to the game. The witch Kirke, the sea roaming Sirens and Nereids, Naiads, the water spirits, or the centaur Chiron, the trainer of heroes. Each of these creatures has its own place in the game. Some are always helpful and seeking them out brings rewards and benefits, others are unpredictable in their ways and a visit to them carries certain risks.



Some of them are permanently fixed in their map location and remain static within game. Others, such as the Sorcerer who dwells in the deep northern woods, or the Sirens who lure sailors and ships onto sharp rocks, may move around the map. It makes all travel potentially more dangerous, because these creatures are not visible to you until you run across them on the map but... such was life in ancient times. However in order not to frustrate you too much, you will be warned if one of your units finds itself too close to one of these creatures, providing you with an opportunity to avoid the lurking danger. The locations of many of the creatures will vary with each new game.

Following on, we realized that some of these creatures were privy to important secrets. It was at this point that we started to think about including quests for legendary treasures. You all probably know the stories of the Golden Fleece, the Girdle of Hippolyte or the famous Gordian Knot.

This however led us to yet another important decision. We had to create specialized units to undertake these adventures, thus Heroes and Generals were born. Both are highly mobile units with a number of interesting traits.



Heroes are pure adventurers, their sole purpose is to roam the world undertaking quests, seeking treasures and visiting foreign capitals. Throughout their travels they gain experience and when they are seasoned enough they can be promoted to Generals.

Generals are more advanced multifunctional units. On top of everything Heroes can do, Generals have two powerful functions. They can encourage your troops to increase their fighting spirit and morale and they can use their influence and reputation to persuade foreign cities to defect to your faction (friendly or enemy). Note: We will dedicate a future Spotlight exclusively to Heroes and Generals.

It is important to note, that both the mythological and quest layers are completely optional.

This design decision takes into account the fact that many of our core fans are true history buffs who will enjoy the historical accuracy of the game without any need for myths, legends or quests. At the beginning of each new game the player can decide whether to include them or not, it is simple as that.

We hope you enjoy these myths, legends and quest adventures, we can‘t wait to hear your feedback about them!