Battles and conquest will be how rival lords, Dukes and monarchs handle disputes and vie for power. On a local level, players will participate to gain favor, skill, renown and loot. Region territory, known as duchies and lordships, have persistent ownership. This means that if a faction conquers a region territory, it remains the faction’s territory until it is taken from them.​
A military convoy is a way for one Duchy to conquer another Duchy. We will use the French Duchy of as-Samu and the English Duchy of Beersheba as our example below.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
(1): France collects supplies and starts a Military Convoy in their garrison, as-Samu outpost.
(2): France declares war and incurs into enemy English territory, the Duchy of Beersheba.
(3): Side camps are established at key locations across the duchy and France begins assaulting lordships and capturing them.
(4): Once 60% of the lordships in Beersheba are captured, France can advance into the garrison territory, the heart and center of power in the duchy.
(5): France establishes their main encampment and begins to siege the garrison. If they break through the walls and capture the fortress, the entire duchy will become French territory.
Attackers and defenders will rely on supplies in their garrison and convoy to extend their attack and defense. Resources will be needed to make active repairs or siege weapons, and food will be needed in granaries in order for soldiers to respawn on the battlefield. As the battle rages on, supplies will dwindle, requiring a restocking of provisions via supply lines. When supplies run out, battles and sieges will likely come to a rapid conclusion as reinforcements are discontinued.
Skirmishes are small battles between two duchies located within the Holy Land. Players can either use a matchmaking like menu to fight at anytime for maximum accessibility, or physically stumble upon and participate in these skirmishes in the open world. When an opponent is found, players will choose a desired map environment such as a duchy garrison.
Players can then choose a desired game mode between an economic skirmish or a wartime skirmish. Economic Skirmishes can be done between rival duchies and retinues in the same kingdom or between two kingdoms. Wartime skirmishes can be inflicted on other kingdoms only during wartime; they cause negative effects for the loser, and can potentially provide economic gains and rewards for the winner.
There are 7 gameplay modes currently planned:
Resource Raid
Steal or defend the stockpile, granary or treasury's resources.
Caravan Escort
A caravan is transporting goods to a duchy. Defend it, or stop it from reaching its destination.
Sabotage
Damage the duchy's defenses and weaken them for the next siege.
Capture the Flag
Find the opponent's flag and return it to your camp while defending your own from capture.
Control Points
Control various points in the environment to win the match.
Regicide
Find the duke or monarch or defend your duke/monarch from being killed.
Bloodfeud
Team death match with bonus points for revenge and reciprocal kills.
Caravans are necessary for transporting goods, materials and wealth across the Holy Land. Items and gold have weight, making transport wagons and steeds necessary for carrying large quantities across the open world. Resources would need to be transferred in order to meet a kingdom’s wider needs. To facilitate this, wagons must be crafted and stocked in order to start a “caravan” from one area to another.
Caravans, through skirmishes, will be able to be raided or escorted for resource or favor gain.
Tournaments are a way for knights to continue to progress in their kingdom by earning favor, gaining renown and fame for their skills, and collecting gold for their own personal wealth. Tournaments are hosted by specific kingdoms and can be either global or local to a specific kingdom. By representing your kingdom in a foreign tournament rather than local, you earn extra favor. Global tournaments also are harder to enlist in as only the most qualified and skilled knights will be eligible.
