Enter the world of Dark Age England—a land of treachery, despair, and mighty legends. Fractured into warring kingdoms, each vying for power, the isles teeter on the edge of conquest or ruin.

Forge your legacy in this vast open-world sandbox, where history and legend intertwine. Create your character, shaping their appearance, traits, and skills, then step into a story of your own making. Will you be a cunning ruler, a fearless warrior, or a visionary builder?

A blending of RPG sim, base building and grand strategy; you'll build your kingdom while living out the life of your monarch in this age of chaos.

The project is still early in development, and I am actively working on improving it (with your feedback). The game will also be available on Steam , feel free to wishlist it to show support and help grow the games visibility. 

A Living World

Each NPC from the highest noble to the lowest peasant has their own personalities, skills and ambitions that drive their daily lives and build complex relationships amongst themselves. Watch the world change and come alive not only by the choices of your own character, but those of friendly and rival characters that share your world.

• Watch as the seasons change, trees & crops grow, cities rise and fall, and great armies march and burn their way to glory.
  
• Each character will go about their daily lives based on their jobs, personalities and relationships. Be sure to keep your peasants happy and their bellies full, seeing to their different needs can be challenging, but the reward is another day free of rebellion, or one less life of crime and banditry. Traveling nobles will seek an audience, merchants will trade in goods, and farmers will tend their fields all in real time.
  
• A complex economy of goods and prices affected by supply and demand, and world events.
  

Build & Manage

No kingdom can thrive without strong leadership. Whether managing your own lands or entrusting skilled nobles to govern in your stead, the weight of leadership rests on your shoulders. Every decision you make will shape the destiny of your realm, from constructing buildings and enacting laws to delivering justice, hosting feasts, and holding court.

At the outset, you'll find most lands unclaimed and sparsely populated, leaving you to determine their purpose. Will you establish bustling towns and villages to produce food and goods, or fortify your borders with strongholds that train your armies and disrupt enemy supply lines? Perhaps you’ll dedicate your lands to the church, building temples and monasteries to nurture the spiritual well-being of your people and safeguard their knowledge.

• Create buildings as you grow your young kingdom, from placing housing, smiths and taverns, to more complex structures as your knowledge grows.
  
• Manage all diplomacy, using your family to secure marriage alliances and build strong relations with a potential friend. Send personalized messages to rival nobles that may be received differently based on their own personalities.
  
• Craft custom laws and punishments for any criminals, or hold great feasts for your loyal subjects. Hold court to hear your subjects problems and decorate your halls to impress visiting dignitaries.  
  

The Life Of A King

Need to talk to a lord? Travel to their location or send out a messenger. Need food? Go to a town market, or hunt for your supper. Before Arthur is a strategy game set inside an RPG open world that your character needs to physically interact with to grow and survive.

• Keep your ruler in peak condition by managing their hunger, stamina, and happiness as they navigate the open world. Feast in grand halls, rest at inns, or find solace in quiet moments—but beware the consequences of neglect. Poor health or unhappiness can lead to negative personality traits, altering your ruler's behavior and decisions available. Yet, even flaws can be turned to your advantage, offering unexpected strategies to govern your kingdom and handle the challenges of leadership..
  
• A ruler's life is fraught with danger. When venturing beyond your kingdom, ensure you are well-armed and prepared. Don a hood or disguise when entering an enemy's land without your amies—lest you fancy Imprisonment in a distant tower. Even within the safety of your own walls, remain vigilant - assassins and rogue thieves may lurk in the shadows.
  
• Engage with a vibrant cast of characters through expansive, dynamic dialogue. Converse with peasants to uncover local secrets, negotiate with lords to secure alliances, and challenge rival rulers in tense diplomacy. Recruit a blend of historical nobles and legendary figures—each with their own ambitions, quirks, and agendas—will they prove to be invaluable allies or dangerous obstacles in your quest for power?
  

War & Peace

When diplomacy fails, raise your banners and arm your men. Decide between using cheap levies or expensive skilled warriors, yet either way remember that a peasant lost on the battlefield is one less tending your fields. Balance the needs of your army with food production, or face starvation come winter.

• Your troops equipment is limited to what your kingdom can produce or purchase so insure they are properly supplied before war is declared. Training your forces can be costly but often can make the difference between victory or defeat. While roaming mercenaries can help tip the scales, you will often rely on your local levies for the bulk of your army.
  
• Defend your home from foreign invaders or lead your men across the borders. Choose to fight a war of attrition, burning villages and farms, or a quick, but potentially costly drive into your rivals heartlands, cutting through their armies and sieging their towns and fortresses.
  
• Lead massive battles where every choice matters. Charge into the fray to inspire your troops—or command from safety, but risk whispers of cowardice. Your men’s loyalty & moral hinges on your courage, but death on the battlefield is permanent. So ensure your legacy survives with a worthy heir, or face the end of your reign.