Knights of Honor is a little known real-time strategy game created by a small Bulgarian company.
It has a very European feel to it. European friends of mine enjoyed the hilarity of revisiting ancient national rivalries,
like Norway and Sweden. For those with slower computers, it's a great alternative to similar war games like Rome:Total War.
I own both KOH and ROME, and I must tell you, I think KOH is a far better game. It's more complex, and more fun.
It's at 2D game, but it's beautifully done. If you've played Age of Empires hours on end, and enjoyed it's colourful sprites,
you'll enjoy the far more detailed and realistic 2D style of KOH even more.
YOUR KNIGHTS
(http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i286/JamesPhoenix/Fitness/KOH_Knights.png)
Central to the game is the management of a certain number of "knights."
You can hire knights and assign them roles such as govener, spy, merchant, marshal, etc;
however, each knight you hire could be a spy from another kingdom. If you unkowingly hire a marshal that happens to be a spy,
he may be able to turn an army he commands against you. If you hire a merchant that happens to be a spy, he might be able to rob you of your gold.
Hiring a spy that's a spy, or double agent, is VERY dangerous; as he may assasinate members of your royal family, causing civil warefare in your kingdom.
To prevent this, you can assign a spy to protect your court and weed them out. You can also send your own spies to other kingdoms,
in hopes they will be hired as knights in some role. Hiring knights directly from your royal family is won way to avoid spies;
another, is to hire knights early, before your kingdom is of much importance.
YOUR ROYAL DYNASTY
(http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i286/JamesPhoenix/Fitness/KOH_Political_Map.png)
Another aspect of diplomacy is royal marriage; it plays a very important role in this game.
Your royal dynasty will randomly produce children; however, this can only happen if they find suitable mates.
If you manage to build a powerful enough kingdom, you may be able to marry your sons to suitable daughters and inherit more provinces;
for this reason, sons are obviously more valuable; however, princesses you marry off make spying in those kingdoms easier.
DIPLOMACY AND RELIGION
(http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i286/JamesPhoenix/Fitness/KOH_Middle_East_Castle.jpg)
The game features the standard array of diplomatic options:
trade agreements can be made; mutual protection pacts; alliances formed; etc.
Vassalage is also a part of play. Different provinces can be united to form new kingdoms;
for example, unite Wessex, Essex, Northumbria, Sussex, and East Anglia, to form England.
The various factions are vying for key trade items that are necessary to achieve bonuses called "kingdom advantages."
Certain trade items can only be had if a special admiralty is built in specific provinces. Once you build and admiralty, these items can be imported.
Religion features prominently in the game. The Pope can expel kingdoms from the Church,
or choose one of your marshalls to lead a powerful crusader army in the holy land.
If you assign one of your knights the role of cleric, he may even be chosen as the next pope!
Similar to the papal crusade edict, muslim nations can issue holy war edicts against christian nations.
Also featured in the game is the Eastern Orthodox Patriarch, and the godless huns of the golden horde.
BUILDING AND BATTLING
(http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i286/JamesPhoenix/Fitness/KOH_Scaling_The_Walls.jpg)
Buildings can take a nearly realistic amount of time to finish construction (lol) It doesn't matter though;
you can slow or speed up the game at the push of a button. Some buildings may only be built in specific provinces.
Build more wall space for your archers, or place a pot of boiling oil at the top of your gate (NOTHING is more satisfying than pooring boiling oil on unsuspecting troops and watching them run around screaming in flames). When you fight, the game switches to a battle map;
unlike AOE, units do not have hit points. This makes management much easier, as you don't have to constantly heal units.
Instead of hit points, each unit has a percentage chance to kill each time it strikes depending on it's strength.
(http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i286/JamesPhoenix/Fitness/KOH_Huge_Provinces.jpg)
There are two different kinds of units: Local units and kingdom units. Kingdom units can be built in any province you own
(provided you have the necessary chain mail armorers and swordsmiths); local units are associated with specific provinces.
For example, you can only build longbowmen if you own Cambrian provinces. The only way to bypass this,
is to hire from mercenary camps that spontaneously appear. The map is huge, encompassing areas as diverse as Ireland and Mauratania,
so you will come across a varied sampling of fighters. There is a very epic feeling to the battles; units climb tower walls and rain down flaming arrows;
they scale walls with seige ladders and fire boulders from trebuchets. It's very easy to switch between formations in the game,
and they have a real effect on the battle. Enemy marshalls can be captured and ransomed for even more fun.
I would characterise this game as simple yet complex, and always fun.
The huge map and varied troops make for great replayability.
It's a real gem if you can find it.