Norland

The Empire has fallen, leaving in its place multiple successor kingdoms. The lords and ladies of these petty kingdoms squabble for control and influence – whether with cloak and dagger or sword and shield, families feud amongst themselves and against each other as greater threats cast a shadow across the land. Famines wreak havoc on the lives of the peasantry, warfare and disunity threaten the social order, noble families fall to decadence and hedonism, and beyond the borders of the old Empire, great armies of pillage and destruction form under the banners of invader-kings.

In these uncertain times, you must lead your small kingdom to greatness – and the members of your noble family to survival – in this medieval colony sim focussed on generating stories of great valor and vile treachery.

Your family rules from on high, working together – or against one another – to take charge of your city, your kingdom, and your political ploys. Each family member has their own strengths, weaknesses, and ambitions that drive them as they build complex relationships amongst themselves and with foreign rulers. Witness blooming friendships, drunken escapades, and brutal assassinations as your nobles dole out orders to your peasants, lead armies into battle, and study ancient texts brimming with knowledge.

• A plethora of skills determine which of your family members are best served performing various tasks – who among them are the greatest warriors, the greatest taskmasters, the greatest scribes, and the greatest negotiators? Seek opportunities to further train their strengths, educating children to secure the future of your line while unlocking additional talent in future generations.
• Beyond their skills, each family member has traits that determine their personality and capabilities, varied cultural backgrounds that influence how people perceive and treat them, and a wide range of needs and desires to keep an eye on. Dissatisfaction breeds resentment, envy, and disloyalty, and that’s when the daggers come out. Will you seek to calm tensions through gifts and camaraderie, or will you draw first blood to eliminate any threat to your preferred nobles?
• Sometimes the blood you draw belongs to your own kin – driven by ambition, greed, and opportunistic thinking, the members of your family will draw blades against each other given the right circumstances. From scorned lovers and power-hungry siblings to family members influenced by foreign kings and queens, trust is in short supply.