Betrayal

[In Betrayal, you must make friends and form alliances to get ahead, and break them to win!]

The lords of the near lands were called by the demigods of Fad'Dohman, the All-World, to a meeting of unknown intent. Decades have passed, and their throwns sit cold and empty. Though most people are happy leading a quiet self-undulgent existence. Some, however, lust for the power waiting in empty halls strewn across the continent. You are among the power hungry, and rumors abound that several more like you are making claims to misplaced and forgotten titles. You must act now, or be among those many forgotten by history; lost among the unwritten pages of the time without heroes.

Move out from the safety of your quiet villages. Generations with absent lords left the land peaceful, and with that rest came complacency. Virtually any attack is won by those who strike early - before the children of this new age take down swords from the mantles and dust their rusty armor for battle.

[Attacks from village to village kill 80% of defenders. 20% of attackers can expect to die.]

Lay claim to a caisteal. From this fortified position, you can make allies and trade partners. You may also accept the sworn fealty of those who would fight in your name, but wish not to wear a crown. Choose who may pass in the shadow of your mighty walls. Take note, though, as a newly minted noble, you will no longer have time to attend to business in your villages, and they will suffer from attrition and neglect. Remember, though, that, regardless of the oath sworn, all trade partners and fealty are given access to your thrown room, and only one may claim the thrown of all the near-lands.

[Attacks from villages to the castle gates kill only 20%, and 80% of such attackers can expect to die. You may, however, abandon the gate in order to let villagers pass through on their way to other nearby towns. Your castle is vulnerable to attack from those in the gatehouse, but if they lose your trust, you can expel them with 100% success.

Each castle has 3 marketplace.

Markets

Your marketplaces can be accessed via attack borders from any of the other castles, and your castle can access any of the other markets. Attacks against units held in the markets will fail 100% of the time. Attacks from a castle to its own market will succeed 100% of the time. As such, you must then open the markets from the inside to allow the other lords in. You will not be able to stop any lord from moving into one of your markets once you leave it empty, but by carefully coordinating with your allies, you can time the removal of your piece in the reinforcment phase (by moving your army out of the market and back into the castle) with their "attack" orders.

Of course, if someone sneaks in and steals a trade you meant for another, you can always expel them on your next turn. Just make sure to put that order in early, lest the thief become an assasssin!

When you let another lord into your marketplace, they will receive a bonus of 3 armies. Of course, you didn't open a trade line without demanding one in return... right?!

Attacks from a marketplace to the castle succeed at a rate of 50%, and 50% of attackers can expect to die. Attacks from the castle to its own markets succeed at a rate of 100% and no attackers should expect to die.

While you shouldn't expect the limited number of units in a single market to be able to attack and claim your castle from you, the risk of losing your castle to a scummy trade partner increases if you share many markets with the same person or their allies.

Attrition and Neglect

If you claim a castle, all of your villages will receive a -1 factory bonus every turn. You may find it advantageous at this point to try and consolidate your villages or create a vast trade network in order to sustain the population. ]