Manor Lords

Manor Lords is a strategy game that will let you experience the life of a medieval lord. Turn your village into a thriving city, take charge of resources and production chains and conquer territory to expand your lands.

Manor Lords is inspired by the art and architecture of 14th century Franconia and maintains historical rigor as much as possible in both graphics and gameplay mechanics. Recurring medieval themes have been discarded in favour of historical accuracy for a more authentic, colourful and believable feel.

ORGANIC CITY BUILDING

Manor Lords is a city building game with no grid nor limits on placement and rotation. The building mechanics are based on the natural growth of real medieval towns and cities, where important trade routes and the landscape influenced the way these settlements emerged and developed.

• Build your industrial, commercial and residential districts starting from a central market and following the natural lay of the land. Pay attention to the fertility of the land when it comes to creating farms, determine your hunting ground according to the animal populations and make sure you have access to sufficient forest and resource deposits to provide you with the raw materials you need for growth.
• Delineate the residential areas and observe how the locals build their houses in the village following a historical system of territorial division by plots of land. Each area will be subdivided according to your roads and available space, and homes will be adjusted accordingly.
• Creates expansions in the backyards of larger homes to generate resources that would not otherwise be available. Homeowners don't just pay taxes, they also grow vegetables, raise chickens and goats, and supply themselves and neighbours with whatever your personal farms, pastures and industries cannot provide.
• Guide your settlements through the peculiarities and opportunities provided by the different seasons and enjoy the abundance brought by the spring rains, but do not forget to prepare for the inhospitable winter snows.

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

From boots to barley to hides and honeys, Manor Lords has a wide variety of goods typical of the era. Materials must be transported and transformed into final products by means of production lines. You will have to strike a balance between the basic needs of your people and the production of luxury goods to ensure happiness, as well as the production of trade goods for export or the forging of weapons and armour to aid you in your conquests.

• Resources scattered across the map will encourage you to expand and create multiple specialised settlements. Extract valuable minerals from your mining colonies and feed your growing population with the meat and grains you obtain from farming, ranching or hunting villages. How will you use the influence you have worked so hard to gain? Will you use it to get a good source of gold for your forges or will you prioritise regions with fertile soils to keep your larders stocked?
• Uncontrolled expansion will have a direct impact on the environment. Deer herds will move away from encroaching civilisation, soil will lose fertility if crop rotation is not practised, and excessive logging will lead to deforestation.
• Create trade routes so that street traders will be interested in buying your surplus. Manufacturing and exporting a variety of resources will help you to gain riches which you can use to improve the houses of your population, import resources that you can’t produce or even fill personal coffers with the taxes generated by the trade.

MEDIEVAL WAR

You have a small piece of land in a vast territory, but the clash between your ambitions and those of rival lords will lead to inevitable conflict. Lead your people into battle, not as expendable units that can be easily replaced, but as your loyal subjects. Each death matters.

• Train a host of skilled warriors to fight alongside the levies you recruit from the local militia. Sometimes, you will have to ask your men to deal with the bandits, while on other occasions you will lead them to conquer territory (or defend it). Mercenaries can be used to expand your ranks, although they don't come cheap. Will you call out the militia at the first sign of trouble, knowing that you cripple the economy when you order your peasants to take up arms, or will you use your personal income to hire mercenaries?
• Fight tactical battles in real time, conditioned by fatigue, weather conditions and equipment. Position your troops carefully: when organised well, a small force can defeat a clearly superior enemy.
• Feel the weight of death even in victory. Each soldier who falls means one less person in your city.

HANDMADE

This game is a personal project that started with a single developer. Don't hesitate to get in touch and share your comments, ideas and criticisms: your opinion matters.