Kingdom Come

Introduction

Congratulations, you have defeated the evil overlord of all the known land. The people have declared you king.

Now what?

You are the most powerful warrior alive, but can you also run a kingdom? Smaller territories and cities want to rise up and govern themselves, and won't hesitate to assassinate you for that. Dissenters want to eliminate you to gain the favor of the next overlords. Foreign lands see the overlord's death as a power gap and want to take over, either through might or deception. Your shattered kingdom doesn't even know how to function.

Your war has shifted from winning battles to leading a kingdom. Can you survive like this? Will you lead your kingdom to a land of prosperity? Or will you be forced to rule with a cruel hand and cold heart, just like your predecessor?

Graphics

This idea originally started out from Dragon Warrior (a game on the original NES). We could use the same general graphics which that game has

Beginning of game

The game will start out showing or having your first battle, just like in Dragon Warrior. It will quickly start jumping forward in time, like flipping through a photobook, to just after defeating the overlord.

Gameplay

The majority of this game will probably involve listening to lords or ambassadors of the various territories of your kingdom, and chosing what to do with them. Each territory will have certain resources they can produce, while other resources they are lacking in. The territories never had any control over their own resources until now, and would rather use them for their own gains. Leaders will be unwilling to invest in things that don't benefit their own territories.

With the evil overlord dead, all the remaining enemies (creatures and humans alike) quickly become aware of this, and hide or flee as fast as they can. Some leaders want to hunt down the remaining enemies and finish them off. Most of the leaders quickly recognize you as the one who killed the overlord, and agree to do whatever you wish. Some, however, are skeptical that it was really you, though.

As outer kingdoms discover the death of the overlord, they will begin amassing armies to invade your territories. You will have to gather your own armies and fend off invading forces or reclaim territories they have taken (or at least try to).

Not everyone will be pleasible by your actions, no matter how much you try to smooth things over. Those with great resentment toward you (that still have followers) may choose to ignore your demands, assassinate or even overthrow you. Removing leaders (either by murder or prison) will only mean that person will be replaced; the next guy may have greater resentment toward you. At various parts of the game, some leaders will have to be removed from power, in order to succeed.

Every territory will have problems specific to them, that the player must solve. Some of these may only be the task of getting the right resources to the right places. Other will involve assigning skilled people to certain areas, and ensuring their knowledge is put to work (including advising certain leaders, even when they don't want to listen). Some leaders (and whole territories) will refuse to work with each other, because of long-standing rivalries.

Things can & will go wrong with the orders you make, and with the plans you make - that will be an aspect of the game. Some leaders will keep secrets, or even flat-out lie to you, which you will have to reason out. Secrets which you keep from other leaders will eventually be found out, no matter how hard you try. It is best to not keep any secrets at all - but that just won't be possible.

The way to win the game is to get things to happen without putting too much burden on any specific territory. You can only bring the lands to prosperity by getting certain things done, but everyone will have to make some amount of sacrifice. To do nothing is to leave the lands in dispair, and nobody will be satified with your position.

Design Planning

• Territories and their leaders will have multiple hidden attributes that affect how they react to your orders.
  • How much the territory trusts what you're ordering will benefit them in the long run
  • How much the territory agrees with your actions. This is easier when it benefits them
  • How much the territory trusts giving you information. For example, if they let it slip that they have lots of lumber, and you immediately start using that lumber without return rewards, they will be less willing to share additional information
  • Safety of the territory from attacks from outside armies (players will need to position armies on the perimeter of their kingdom)
  • Supply levels (especially food) available to the territories. Having supplies on hand is best, even if they don't need all of it. Expected harvests don't count until they're received. Having supplies in route leaves them nervous. Pulling supplies away from them is a negative, doubly so when they'll be low on it after the pull.
  • Likeliness to be attacked by neighboring territories. This is especially possible in territories on the outer edge of your reign.
  • Likeliness for citizens to overthrow leadership within their own territory

Ideas on game format

1. A multi-part system where the user will have a full map, and can order operations from there. They can also request to meet people, or travel to places to meet others on their territory.
   • Travelling to each territory will give players the clearest picture of conditions there.
   • Meetings with territory leaders will be dialog-based, with lots of text and lots of options to respond. Leaders may discuss several topics during the same meeting. Players may ask questions multiple times, and get different responses depending on the leaders' mood & other factors. The game should allow the player or leader to lead conversations, and allow differnt levels of hostility to be managed, as well. For example, if the player shows anger at certain actions of a leader, that leader may show anger in return, or become shielded / submissive.
   • Players will be able to order specific goods moved from one territory to another, from the map screen. The map screen will also allow players to take notes for each territory, as well as alter information about resources in each territory