Rajas and Tribes Interview

By Robert Houghton (University of Winchester), AGEod, and Slitherine

Field of Glory: Kingdoms is a marvelously deep and complex Grand Strategy Game set in the central Middle Ages and developed by AGEod and published by Slitherine (sponsors of this conference). There’s a lot of scope for reimagining the course of history in the Grand Campaign or any of the various smaller scenarios and the in-built connectivity with the battle simulator Field of Glory II: Medieval provides the opportunity to lead armies on the tactical scale. It’s not just about warfare though: the game provides a detailed and varied model of politics, society, and economics across its world. As a result, there’s significant scholarly potential to the game.

At release, Field of Glory: Kingdoms encompassed a large part Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, but the game’s first DLC – Raja’s of India – substantially expands this world, incorporating the steppes of Asia, India and large parts of Africa, providing detailed representations of these regions and their kingdoms, empires and other polities. It introduces new mechanics for nomads and the Silk Road, and provides new smaller but more focused campaigns around Alexander Nevsky in the Baltic and the Guelphs and Ghibellines in Italy. I spoke to the developers about the expansion and their design choices.

Can you tell us a bit about the motivation for this expansion? Why were you so keen to include India and East and West Africa in this DLC?

The expansion aims to do justice to many nations who were not playable in the base game. The nomads of the steppes, tribal peoples such as the Prussians and Samogitians of the Baltic, as well as numerous African and Indian kingdoms with diverse profiles (Ghana, Solomon, Chola, etc.). However, properly representing them required a significant amount of work due to their diversity, which couldn’t be fully achieved in the base game.

How will the new factions be different from those in the base game? Can we expect new art or audio for these regions? What sort of new units and buildings will be available? Are there any new mechanics unique to any of these cultures?

First, we sought to identify what would allow these factions to remain formidable competitors in the race for victory, even against powerful and sophisticated nations such as the Holy Roman Empire or the Byzantines. By combining historical facts with appropriate gameplay, we concluded that they could differentiate themselves by the presence of highly lucrative trade routes and the ability to launch significant conquest or raiding campaigns (particularly the Mongols).

There are indeed new audio elements, as we are introducing new terrain types and natural obstacles called Impediments, each with their own sounds. These function as roadblocks that slow regional development, including salt flats, sand dune deserts, animal migrations, etc. These nations also have numerous unique buildings, some enriching their trade mechanics, while others appropriately illustrate their tribal or nomadic nature—such as rituals marking the transition to adulthood or scarification practices. Additional distinctive features include idol circles, warrior festivals, the intriguing secret societies of certain African tribes where participants wore masks, and more. However, we had to subdivide further to properly reflect the diversity of these nations…you won’t find, for example, the famous rock-hewn churches in Ethiopian kingdoms outside their historical context.

Can you tell us some more about the Silk Road in the game? Does it play a part in any of the new mechanics?

It is indirectly integrated in several ways through Trade Road Sites, which are buildings that appear spontaneously under certain commercial conditions and form a chain via the Great Trades feature. Most of the new nations introduced in the expansion can earn Legacy points through powerful buildings that exploit and sell resources such as salt, spices, indigo, amber, etc.

I’m really interested in how you’ve modeled nomadic nations. Normally, strategy games are very focused on settled societies, so what drew you to include nomads? How are the nomads different from settled kingdoms? Can you give us any details about their mechanics?

Nomads represent only a fraction of the newly added nations, but they do have some unique mechanics and several regional sites (classified as buildings in the game, though they are not truly static!). These sites ignore land ownership rules and literally migrate from one region to another. In most cases, movement is restricted to the player’s own nation to prevent excessive frustration, but occasionally, nomads may cross into neighboring territories—much to their neighbors’ dismay! After all, the steppe belongs to no one! But don’t worry—your neighbors can also cause trouble for you in the same way…

The new scenarios sound incredible and introduce characters and factions we don’t often see in games (at least in Anglophone games). Can you tell us a bit about why you chose to focus on Alexander Nevsky? How will you represent the Teutonic Knights, the Rus, and other factions? Can we expect any additional mechanics around winter warfare in the frozen Baltic regions?

The scenario, as we designed it, is an interesting three-way struggle where no one is truly allied with another. The Teutonic Knights tolerate the Danes but do not cooperate with them; the Danes and Swedes dislike each other but still seek to expand at the expense of the Rus’ principalities; meanwhile, Novgorod and Polotsk resist all invaders as best they can—while the Mongols loom not far to the east.

Several Baltic tribes also mount fierce resistance from within their deep forests, keeping the game highly dynamic. The harsh weather conditions are indeed a challenge, and players will frequently encounter bad weather, even in autumn (we have introduced four turns per year). Additionally, there are over a dozen custom rules that ensure each nation remains distinct.

I’m particularly interested in the Guelphs vs. Ghibellines scenario. Why do you think Italy in this period gets so little coverage in strategy games? How will you represent the various Italian city-states in this period?

The Italian city-states in the scenario are almost all aligned with either the Guelph or Ghibelline factions, leading to complete chaos in every turn (though changes are always logical).

The scenario is quite complex because of its fluidity—alliances shift rapidly, and armed refugees may appear at any moment. The Papacy can use excommunication, causing loyalty issues among the Holy Roman Empire’s vassals. In short, it’s a mess…but an interesting one!

Are there any parts of the DLC that you’re particularly proud of or excited for players to see? Is there anything in particular that makes this DLC distinct?

War Campaigns are indeed a major feature of the DLC, allowing certain nations to climb to the top of the victory rankings through military exploits. But that’s not all—it fundamentally alters their behavior, making warfare a near-necessity without necessarily seeking to hold onto conquered territories. This leads to raids, pillaging, and neighbors you definitely wouldn’t want living next door.

Moreover, the Mongols—already formidable in the base game (they could, as in reality, reach Poland effortlessly, conquering everything in their path)—are even more dangerous with the War Campaigns, which grant them additional bonuses.

Additionally, the significantly larger map allows for better representation of nations that were somewhat diminished in the base game. The Seljuks, for example, are now far more powerful … much to Byzantium’s misfortune!

Rajas and Tribes is available now at the Slitherine Store and other outlets.

We will be joining the devs at the Middle Ages in the Modern World conference later this month for a showcase of Rajas and Tribes.