Norland | Steam

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The Empire is no more. It has been succeeded by a multitude of kingdoms. The lords and ladies of these small fiefdoms battle for control and influence: whether in secret or in broad daylight, conflicts are fought within and between families, while even greater threats loom on the horizon. Famines wreak havoc on the lives of peasants, war and disunity threaten social order, noble families sink into decadence and hedonism, while beyond the borders of the ancient Empire, great armies eager for plunder and destruction form under the banners of invading kings.

In these uncertain times, you must lead your small kingdom to greatness (and ensure the survival of the members of your noble family) in this simulation of a medieval colony that gives pride of place to stories of valour and infamous treachery.

The privilege of nobility

Your family rules from above, working together (or against each other) to take charge of your city, your kingdom and your political shenanigans. Family members each have their own strengths, weaknesses and ambitions that motivate them as they forge complex ties with each other or with foreign rulers. Observe budding friendships, drunken escapades and brutal assassinations as your nobles give orders to your peasants, lead armies into battle and study ancient texts brimming with knowledge.

• A plethora of skills determine which members of your family are best suited to certain tasks: who will be the best warrior, the best taskmaster, the best scribe, the best negotiator? Look for opportunities to enhance their skills, educate their children to ensure the future of your lineage while unlocking additional talents in future generations.
• As well as skills, each family member has traits that determine their personality and abilities, and different cultural backgrounds that influence how they are perceived and treated, as well as a wide range of needs and desires that need to be taken into account. Dissatisfaction leads to resentment, envy and disloyalty, and that's when conflict breaks out. Will you seek to calm tensions with gifts and camaraderie, or will you strike first to eliminate any threat to your favourite nobles?
• Sometimes it's the blood of your own that is spilled. Driven by ambition, greed and opportunism, the members of your family will fight each other if circumstances allow. From spurned lovers to power-seeking siblings and family members under the influence of foreign kings and queens, trust is a rare commodity.
• The capabilities of your kingdom are determined by the knowledge of your nobles: they will individually study ancient texts to learn new technologies, but if they perish, this knowledge will be lost with them (unless it has been written down or passed on to their pupils). Get books in different languages and read them to unlock new buildings, tools and opportunities for your kingdom. Make sure that other members of your family can learn their secrets by translating the texts into a language they are fluent in, to avoid a sudden loss of knowledge in the event of a lost arrow. Will you keep all this in your libraries? Or will you transcribe these writings and exchange them for immense wealth and resources? After all, knowledge is power...

The power of the peasants

The little people of Norland are the backbone of any kingdom, serving their noble lords on the battlefield and in the city with deference and loyalty... until their stomachs are empty or the ale runs dry. With their different origins, needs and opinions, peasants are difficult to please and very easy to manipulate into rebellion, criminality or controversy. Will you respond to their complaints as a benevolent lord or with the executioner's axe?

• Through your nobles, tell your peasants where to work, what to prioritise and when to fight. Although you don't have direct control over the lower classes of your society, they still have their own dreams, hopes and relationships. Their careful management is crucial to success, as it is they who keep your city's complex production chains running and who are responsible for building the structures, harvesting the resources and manufacturing the goods that will satisfy their needs.
• The average peasant will use his savings to lead a fulfilling life. Manage the wages given at the end of each day, as well as the cost of basic necessities like food and beer at the local market, to ensure that the people stay motivated. High wages and low costs are also an excellent way of encouraging migration, but be careful who you welcome onto your land.
• Peasants have different cultures, often incompatible with each other, and it can be difficult for them to coexist in your small city. You can sometimes use this friction to your advantage, but if the populace has a problem with your noble family's heritage, the key to your longevity may lie in recruiting extra guards.
• Some peasants are devout members of the Church of Saint Sophia, in which case they will attach great importance to a nobleman's piety, while loyalists simply need to have enough money to buy food and drink to stay satisfied. Other factions and sub-factions have different priorities: as you expand, expect these groups to form shifting alliances based on their commonalities. Even when they are formally on your side, their actions and methods may not be to your advantage, and you won't be able to escape the consequences of their designs.
• When tensions rise, don't hesitate to set up a night patrol or execute a few troublemakers. A clear message usually brings the peasants back into line, but don't think you're invincible, because even the best lord is never safe from a disgruntled mob and could well end up with his head on a spike.

A living world

Norland takes place in a rich world with a shimmering past. Its inhabitants are a veritable mosaic of different cultures with fraught relationships, and the power vacuum that has followed the end of the Empire is causing great uncertainty. In the distance, an unholy horde is gaining strength, looting and burning everything in its path, while the Church of Saint Sophia is using faith to hold vast resources in an iron grip.

• The Empire ruled over a vast expanse of land, and its fall left the way open for numerous kingdoms, each seeking to seize power. Resources vary from kingdom to kingdom, with each potential starting region bringing different advantages and disadvantages for the player to deal with.
• Send your nobles with the right skills to seek alliances through marriage, negotiate lucrative trade deals, plot assassinations and kidnappings, or incite rebellions. Will you try to recruit spies and accomplices in faraway kingdoms to destroy them from within, or will you opt for force of arms and the battlefield to settle your differences? And how will you react when, inevitably, your enemies infiltrate your ranks or lead their armies to your borders?
• Watch the story unfold as events and disasters throw you into difficult situations from time to time, further complicating the complex tale of betrayal and bravery woven by the countless nobles and peasants of Norland. From kidnapped relatives and pestiferous refugees to blackmail and natural disasters, your family will be severely tested over the years.
• And don't expect the rest of the world to stand idly by: travelling nobles will seek asylum or sow discord; if you can send your kin and other envoys to seek opportunities, so can the other kingdoms of Norland. Bandits will set up camp on the fringes of civilisation, while other kingdoms will seek alliances and wage their own wars. Will you join them in their violent endeavours, or choose isolation?

A time for war

When all else fails, swords come out and disputes are settled in blood. Raise your citizen militia, motivate prisoners to fight for their freedom and put your nobles in command to inspire the troops. But what lives will you sacrifice when the banners are raised?

• Protest and rebellion will incite the peasants to take up arms against you. If a small group of rioters can be crushed by a well-trained loyal militia, others plotting against you will have more means at their disposal. So a succession crisis or a power-hungry relative could well become your greatest threat. Maintain law and order and be on your guard against the enemies lurking in your midst.
• Your warriors are the same ones who cultivate your fields, brew your beer and cheer your executioners. So war is not to be taken lightly, with precious lives at risk in every battle. Will you avoid bloodshed at all costs, or are the lives of your people a sacrifice you are prepared to make?
• The equipment in the hands and on the backs of your warriors must be imported or manufactured locally, so your economy determines the nature of your armies. Plan before you declare war, or before it is declared against you.
• Defend your lands against foreign invaders, or march into battle at the head of the army you've assembled and equipped: morale, combat skills and tactical prowess can be decisive for victory, but no one is safe in the chaos of clashing weapons.

With a multitude of scenarios to choose from and a plethora of options for defining your nobles and the world around you, Norland lets you build a society and tell a story like no other: va-t-en-guerre leading prison legions fighting for their freedom, erudite religious zealots trying to spread their faith, wealthy multicultural idealists keeping tomes of knowledge to themselves, treacherous spies plotting assassination and intrigue... which story will you tell?