Manor Lords is a strategy game that allows players to experience the life of a medieval lord. Develop your starting village into a bustling city, manage resources and production chains, and expand your territory.

Inspired by Franconian art and architecture from the late 14th century, Manor Lords strives for historical accuracy in both gameplay mechanics and visuals. The game moves away from clichéd medieval imagery, aiming for a realistic, vibrant, and believable world.

You have complete freedom in city-building—rotate buildings as you wish and place them anywhere. The construction mechanics are based on how real medieval towns and villages were developed, heavily influenced by the landscape and key trade routes.

Begin with a central market and gradually expand, constructing residential, commercial, and industrial areas in harmony with the natural terrain. Build granaries on fertile soil, select hunting grounds near wildlife habitats, and ensure access to wood and other resources necessary for construction and growth.

Designate residential zones and watch as villagers build their homesteads according to the historical system of feudal land tenancy. Each zone will be subdivided based on road placements and available space, with homes arranged accordingly.

Add extensions to larger houses to create resource sources that cannot be obtained otherwise. Homeowners not only pay taxes; they grow vegetables, raise chickens and goats, and provide for themselves and their neighbors alongside the production from your granaries, pastures, and workshops.

Each season brings new opportunities and challenges: your subjects must harvest crops after spring rains and prepare for harsh winter cold. From boots to barley, furs to honey, Manor Lords features a wide variety of period-appropriate products and goods. Materials need to be transported and processed, requiring well-established production chains. Be ready to prioritize between meeting your subjects' basic needs and creating luxury items, producing goods for export, or crafting weapons and armor for military campaigns.

Resources are scattered across the map, and to access them, you'll need to expand your holdings and establish specialized settlements. Mining colonies will provide valuable ores, while villages focused on agriculture, livestock, and hunting will supply grain and meat. You will need to decide where to invest resources—quickly acquire iron for blacksmiths or first address food issues by controlling fertile regions.

However, uncontrolled expansion can have negative environmental consequences. As civilization encroaches, deer populations will dwindle, poor crop rotation will reduce soil fertility, and excessive deforestation will leave your lands barren.

Trade surplus goods with wandering merchants and establish your own trade routes. Producing and exporting quality goods will generate income, allowing you to improve urban households and import what you cannot produce. Additionally, trade taxes can become a significant part of your personal budget.

Your holdings are just a small patch of land in a vast territory, and rivalry with other lords will inevitably lead to armed conflict. When you lead your people into battle, remember that they are not expendable; each loss on the battlefield represents a beloved subject and carries significant weight.

Train seasoned warriors to fight alongside militia recruits. Soldiers will be needed to combat bandits and to capture and defend territories. You can even hire mercenaries if necessary, although it won't come cheap. If you rally the militia in response to a threat, your peasants will drop their pitchforks and hammers—leaving no one to work, which can stall the economy, while mercenary costs will come out of your pocket.

Engage in real-time tactical battles, considering your soldiers' fatigue, weather conditions, and equipment status. Position your troops wisely: with clever leadership, even a small force can defeat a larger enemy.

Experience the cost of war: even a victory can lead to significant losses among your troops—and thus your city’s residents.

This game is a dream project that began with just one person. I welcome your feedback, ideas, and critiques. I would love to hear what you think!