Field of Glory: Kingdoms News

Kingdoms offers a vast arsenal of options to alter the course of the game, beyond the more traditional gameplay of developing one's kingdom, recruiting units, and engaging in battles. These are, of course, the regional decisions, which veterans of the previous game, Empires, are familiar with, but which have been greatly expanded in Kingdoms. Indeed, we have four times as many as in the previous game. For newcomers, who we hope will be numerous, regional decisions are somewhat like playing cards that create exceptions to the rules or unexpected events (for your opponents). A large part is more peaceful, such as those that allow strengthening a border, ennobling freemen, or prospecting for natural resources.

We have also made a special effort to ensure that decisions producing an advantage can be used both by you and for the benefit of a close ally, which in the context of a multiplayer game allows for increased interactions between participants. For example, a decision that allows destroying a bandit lair can be played in an ally's territory to help them, and the same goes for combating the plague. It goes even further as some personal decisions can be played on one of your armies in an ally's territory, such as recruiting local troops. Send one of your generals to a distant allied region, if you know the troops will be useful, and thus recruit 'exotic' units, such as camel riders or forest runners.


Decisions are used, as we have said, for game rules that cannot be used systematically or by everyone, and thus launching a crusade, a jihad, or excommunicating a nation is managed by the decisions. These decisions are obviously not granted to just anyone, as their consequences are significant. For example, to receive the decision to launch a crusade, you must be among the most pious nations among the Christians, while the Jihad is only granted to the nation that is 'First Muslim'. More modestly, many decisions are more or less rare depending on your nation or the profile of your nation. For instance, the Seljuq Turks will receive a more generous 'Instill Revolt' decision grant than the norm, with an additional bonus each time they declare war on the Byzantine, this being part of their 'Dissent Sower' trait, while the French, through their 'Royal Domain' trait, will receive a decision more often to absorb a friendly vassal. As you see, playing and receiving decisions is rather organic, as it is based on the in-game situation.


When it comes time to play a decision, do not think that there is only one possible outcome and that the probability of success depends on a simple die roll. This may not be readily apparent when you discover the game, but a large number of decisions evaluate their success probability based on the relative skills of the involved sovereigns, as well as other factors, and this can be quite involved in the end. For example, assassinating a sovereign is a decision that you can play on a foreign sovereign, of course, but also against yours (if you find them really too incompetent). In the first case, the skills of each sovereign, the presence of bodyguards, the authority of the sovereign, the possibility of a spy network, and even the relative treasury of the two nations will play a role (in this case, it is assumed that a wealthy nation can more easily bribe less honest guards).


As for the outcome, you will initially only see the tip of the iceberg, but with a bit of practice in the game, you will appreciate the finesse and variation in the results. To take our example of the assassination again, besides the death or survival of the targeted king, there may be revelations about who commissioned the operation, or not. Perhaps a false lead will be given, maybe the king will only be wounded and weakened. And this philosophy has been repeated for many decisions (even if not all are as detailed), thus the mercenaries recruited depend on your nation and the era, and a trial for witchcraft will also depend on the piety of the victim, their wealth, and their influence.

As you see, the system of regional decisions is extremely rich and allows for great variations in the game. Rest assured, however, that in more than a year of testing, our testers have never told us that it overturned the table too much or added too much chaos to the games. But it does add soul to the games, at least, and just enough to diversify the game even more.

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[h2]Field of Glory: Kingdoms will be released this June[/h2]

Kingdoms continues and expands the concept of national traits, just like its predecessor Empires did, but significantly broadens it both in number and diversity. The assumption here is that certain nations (or often groups of nations with the same culture) had specific traditions or approaches that cannot be covered by general rules applicable to everyone. Thus, it represents a blend of pragmatism and humility, recognizing that a game cannot replicate the entire complexity of the real world, and therefore, abstractions and simplifications are necessary.

There from the start - Doge reigning for a long time

But enough about the theory; perhaps it's best if we give you some juicy details about the specificities of certain nations and how these affect, or even shape, their gameplay. Let's start with the heavyweight of the game, the Byzantine Empire (called by its contemporaries the Roman Empire). The Byzantine Empire is somewhat a colossus with feet of clay. Its vast expanses are not necessarily well-administered, and remote regions can be quite disloyal. One of its strengths is the ability to easily recruit mercenaries (more frequently and at a lower cost) but having too many can encourage coups.

Finding the right balance is crucial, and even though it's convenient to quickly form quality units in provinces without military infrastructure, these same provinces could rebel, led by one of your generals and mercenaries joining his adventure! The Byzantines also have another concern; they do not earn as many Legacy points as they should (which is fortunate for the game's balance because otherwise, given their size, the game would be short!) but must complete missions to restore the empire's past glory, following in the footsteps of emperors from the 7th to the 9th century. Easier said than done, however, and it will require a lot of skill and effort, all while juggling the threat of the Seljuq Turks, who are keen on claiming a part of Byzantine Anatolia.

War in the North or tales of two brothers - A battle in the wood

In contrast, a power with a really small geographical footprint would be Venice. Sort of the antithesis of the Byzantines, Venice derives its power not from the number of its regions, but from its commercial outposts (noting that we're talking about Venice, but it more accurately refers to the cultural group of the Italian Maritime Republics, which includes Genoa, Amalfi, and Pisa). Through these overseas commercial outposts, known as Fondachi, the maritime republics can collect gold through lucrative trade with other countries. However, don't think gameplay is just about setting up outposts in different nations faster and faster; there are many nuances and risks to consider, otherwise, where would the interest be! On one hand, the more outposts you have in a given country, the more expensive the next one will be, preventing you from concentrating your outposts in Europe's largest country (the Byzantines) but requiring you to weigh opportunities. On the other hand, if your relations deteriorate with the host country, you risk a generalized expropriation, with a significant loss of money on your side. And of course, such frictions don't come out of nowhere, so there may come a time when the said Byzantines set their sights on some of your regions, if one of their missions leads them to a 'just' reconquest of certain lost lands. Moreover, it's likely that other maritime republics will have outposts too, leading to frictions. Fortunately, Venice (and to a lesser extent the other maritime republics) can rely on a quality navy, produced via their coastal arsenals.

Byzantine missions, it will require a major effort to secure your legacy with the Eastern Romans

Finally, let's look at the example of the Rus' Principalities, numerous at the time and extending from Novgorod to Kyiv, the city where the first Rurikid princes formed medieval Rus'. This cultural and ethnic group is massive and includes, besides the aforementioned principalities (Kingdoms includes nearly 500 factions, more than triple its predecessor Empires), principalities like Chernigov, Rostov, Halych, and about a dozen others. These have strengths and weaknesses through their cultural abilities but tend to have a defensive profile overall. Indeed, you'll easily and freely receive Detinets in your regions, kinds of small fortified village centers, which you can evolve with some effort into Kremlins (originally not limited to Moscow).

Byzantine Empire dynasty age. Coups are easily identified

That's not all, as a pragmatic people above all, these principalities could under certain conditions halt a war by forcing their opponent to accept them as vassals. It's not very glorious, but historically, facing the Mongol onslaught, this was the choice made by many Russian principalities. But awaiting this hypothetical (and unfortunate) future, the Russian principalities have their days in the sun, through powerful commercial outposts installed along rivers (after all, the nobility descended from the Varangian Vikings, talented merchants) and their powerful Druzhina cavalry has nothing to envy the heavy cavalry of nomadic peoples or their Polish and Hungarian neighbors (two countries with strong cohesion that can quickly become powerful). To complete the picture, as one of the twelve cultural groups with specific national traits, the principalities also have special rules managing their peasants and free men (via the 'Russkaya Prava' trait) and can quickly remove an unskilled leader through their 'Fragmented States' trait, which, however, slightly increases the likelihood of civil wars.

As you can see, Kingdoms is literally filled with special rules for many nations, to ensure your experience of the game is really different depending on which country you choose, beyond the initial geographical and geopolitical situation. Your replayability is thus guaranteed, especially if you want to play a multiplayer game that supports up to 16 players simultaneously.

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In Kingdoms, even the most powerful of nations will need to rely on allies or vassals. Indeed, medieval Europe and the Middle East are tumultuous and hostile lands, where the small isolated state stands no chance of survival. Nations often have territorial claims against each other, exacerbating tensions. The two major religions of the Book are often in tension, creating fault lines where nearly half the map could be hostile to you, especially as holy wars, crusades, or jihads regularly appear.

Gelasius II, Head of the Holy See, wisely befriended the Knightly Orders and the Byzantines

Kingdoms offers a diplomatic model with more than half a dozen different treaties: Alliance, Cooperation, Vassalage, Royal Marriage, Right of Passage, transactions, gifts, insults, knowing that there are of course wars to declare and peace to sign, and transactions are actually a box where you can add different additional entries. For example, offering mercenaries, requesting territorial concessions, offering metal, etc.

The royal marriage is a novelty in Kingdoms, and will be an ideal opportunity to strengthen ties between two nations. Of course, you will need a daughter of marriageable age for this (i.e., 14 years old), and you must be astute, as a royal marriage can backfire on you. Upon the death of one of the sovereigns, it can lead to a division of the kingdom or even its absorption. Be careful to have the highest Authority, or you will suffer the consequences.

Having vassals also provide decisions to play with, with several outcomes

Right of Passage is also a novelty and is relatively easy to conclude compared to an alliance. It allows not only to transit through the territories of the other nation but also to resupply there, including the resupplying of ships. Generally, becoming allied with another country requires a gradual approach, initially made of simple cooperation, maybe a gift or two, and often the abandonment of all claims against that nation. Usually, all of this happens organically and naturally, because only nations in dispute will seek to claim the regions of the other. Know finally that different religions are a rather major obstacle to establishing good relations, but it remains entirely possible, with the right means.

Kingdom of Heaven, except they are now vassals of the Fatimids, as is Oultre-Jourdain. Only Antioch remains fiercely independent

But the main addition of Kingdoms in diplomacy is undoubtedly the vassalage relation, which is much richer in its possible aspects than the client state relations of Empires, the game preceding Kingdoms. A vassal is generally a plus for a suzerain, as it facilitates the progression of your kingdom towards a more accomplished and powerful Realm, and it can lend you troops. These will still bear the coat of arms of your vassal and will be returned to them in case of peace, but as long as the war lasts, you will have full control! Vassals also provide the opportunity to manage decisions with multiple choices with many different outcomes depending on the loyalty of the vassal and the abilities of the suzerain. Finally, a vassal will often show signs of independence and will not hesitate to let you know if you possess a land that they believe belongs to them.

Stay tuned for our next diary, which will deal with the special perks and game rules that major nations and culture groups have. It really makes for a different gaming experience depending on the country you play, and we can't wait to provide you with some juicy details on the perks we designed!

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One of the major new features of Kingdoms, which aligns with the significant events of the medieval era often initiated by great men rather than established states, is the addition of dynasties to the game, and more generally, a much more advanced management of characters (compared to Empires, the predecessor of Kingdoms).

Each game faction (whether a duchy, an emirate, an empire, or even a knightly order) is indeed led by a ruler with several important characteristics. Just like any other character, the ruler has an administration value, very important for providing economic bonuses to his realm, but also a military value, which allows for the recruitment of higher quality units, and finally, since we are in the Middle Ages and religion was of paramount importance, a piety value, very useful for helping to convert the population, being well seen by the Pope if you are Christian, and generally useful for making heresies rare. These 3 values are supplemented by one or two possible skills that have very diverse effects, ranging from tolerance towards other cultures, to dubious life practices (reducing life expectancy), to the propensity to attack one's neighbor sneakily without a formal declaration of war.



This ruler is often accompanied by his spouse and often courtesans. The Middle Ages not being very progressive, it will not be possible to see one of these ladies leading an army; however, daughters of marriageable age hold particular interest, as they allow for the conclusion of royal marriages. These are, however, double-edged swords, as if your sovereign dies without an heir, it is possible that your nation will suffer, with the faction where your daughter resides taking over part of your territory.

The picture would not be complete without the mention of possible brothers, sisters, uncles in addition to your descendants, all of whom have a role to play, as they can be Peers of the Realm, sort of governors of certain portions of your territory, allowing for better administration than if there were only a modest noble. Your characters can also, just like the sovereign, lead armies, with their own statistics, in attack as well as defense, and various tactical abilities (far more numerous than in Empires, and veterans of our first installment will be pleased to learn that there are 6 times more in Kingdoms than in our first game).



All these additional possibilities come at a cost, however, but this is also what makes Kingdoms intriguing. Each character also has a loyalty, which is not necessarily known initially (but rest assured, there are ways to find out through decision options). Thus, a disloyal character presents a dilemma, as if they are good, you will want to use their services, but then there is a risk of betrayal.

These betrayals come in several forms: a coup d'état, which immediately replaces your leader with the traitor (which, let's be cynical, can be a blessing in disguise if the traitor is competent while your leader was not), or an armed revolt. If the character was a general, they might even keep their troops and immediately recruit others using their personal funds (and characters accumulate funds more or less quickly, depending on their position and integrity... but it is possible to prosecute those embezzling funds).



Rest assured, however, in Kingdoms, characters serve at the heart of its gameplay, consisting of a rich economic management of your nation's regions and a sophisticated and nuanced military simulation.

Our game is primarily a historical strategy game, which has adopted a dynasty system to complete the picture, and we neither pretend nor aim to make it a dynastic role-playing game. We hope this direction is what you wish to see in our game, and we look forward to sharing more in a future developer diary.

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Just as historically it has had a major influence on many nations, so too will it be a major point of contention among the powers of the time in Kingdoms. But not only that, because with most populations being very fervent, daily life in your regions will also be under the major influence of priests and imams.

The game defines a national religion (which can be difficult to change, and will not be without causing widespread disturbances) that usually alters relations over time either with your co-religionists or with countries of different religions (this is particularly true for Christians and Muslims). Unless you have solid treaties, expect these relationships to deteriorate, which will not be without causing lines of fracture and therefore wars.



On a more local level, each population has a religion, which alters its loyalty and productivity (this can vary depending on whether your leader is tolerant or not), and you will then take care to gradually convert (and with more or less difficulty, pagans being easier to convert than the so-called "Religion of the Book" populations (i.e. Christians, Muslims and Jews). To do this, you will want to build religious buildings and promote populations into the clergy. If you sin too much on your production of Piety points, then expect heresies, which are in some ways powerful rebels, who can spread their false belief in other regions. You will then have no choice but to convert them by force and blood, with an army or particularly intransigent clergy members.

But that's not all, because there is the possibility that Crusades or a Jihad will be triggered! Indeed, the game defines 5 holy cities, 3 for Christianity (Rome, Byzantium, and Jerusalem) and 3 for Islam (Mecca, Medina, and... Jerusalem). So you have a nice point of contention there, and it's a safe bet that at some point, a crusade or a Jihad will be launched! You will then see (literally and figuratively) Crusaders landing, for example, with fleets lent by the Italian maritime republics.



As if that weren't enough, there are also the Knightly Orders in the game. These will gradually establish themselves in YOUR regions, with Chapters, and will be like a double-edged sword. On one hand, you will be happy with the increased piety in the region, as well as the detachment of knights protecting it, on the other hand, they are a bit burdensome as neighbors, monetarily speaking, because what goes into their coffers does not go into yours. It's up to you to decide whether you support them or want to limit their influence. On the other hand, from an international point of view, seeing a heavy detachment of Templars land in the Holy Land always makes an impression. But do not think that Islam is left out, because if the first Sunni feels threatened, the Jihad is not far away!



Thus, as we can see, religions are a major element of Kingdoms both from the point of view of the daily life of your populations and from the point of view of international relations and the behavior of nations towards each other. You cannot ignore it, and ignoring the piety of your population would be a major mistake. And then, building cathedrals and great mosques, what prestige that is! Not to mention that the clergy participates in the education of your population, which grants you more Legacy points, the game's victory point unit.

Stay tuned for the next developer diary on Dynasties and Characters!

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