Greetings!
Messengers, bearing the latest news on Anvil Saga, have been sent out. To start things off, today, we're talking about Factions.
In Anvil Saga, there are two major forces for you to balance between: England and France. The game is set during the Hundred Years’ War, when the two sides were competing for territory. Ordinary citizens had no choice but to adapt to the conflict in order to survive.
As the player, you take on the role of a blacksmith – a profitable business during wartime! Still, don’t expect money to just flow like a river; favoring one side of the war will inevitably upset the other.
To give you a specific example, one of the unfortunate aspects of war is an event called the "Influx of Refugees". An abundance of destitute individuals can be difficult for any settlement, let alone a small village where you’ve set up shop. You can appeal to either England or France to assist you with the new people, but each option will come with its own consequences.
One side will agree to recruit the majority of the vagrant men as soldiers, which will increase the number of military contracts available to you. As for the other side, well… you'll just have to play the game to find out ;)
Apart from the two warring nations, there are also three smaller factions sharing the same territory: Bandits, Clerics, and Witches. Each group wields a bit of power and has its own interests that may clash with the others'. For example, Bandits don't like authority, while Witches and Clerics both struggle to exert influence over the minds and souls of the local populace.
That being said, your overall strategy is to walk a fine line between the various factions, while giving preference to none. Or you can risk it all by allying with at least one of them to gain unique perks.
Do you want three extra workers? Ally with the English. How about casting lightning bolts on tax collectors? The Witches are your friends. If you're short on coin and want to extort an extra 10%, you can't go wrong with the Bandits.
That's all for today. Look out for another messenger next week!
Respectfully,
Anvil Saga Team