Knights of Honor 2004

Is it still worth playing?

You rule one of more than 100 kingdoms across medieval Europe and aim to become its emperor, in this 2004 real-time strategy game from Bulgaria's Black Sea Studios. It is set in three historical periods on a map divided into provinces, each governed by a city with room for only a few buildings. Your family matters: you start with a king, a queen, a prince and a princess, and heirs can be sent out as merchants, commanders or spies. Knights can take those roles instead, but one may turn out to be an enemy spy. Diplomacy covers trade, pacts and alliances, religion shapes relations, and money, piety and books each buy different things. Battles can be fought yourself with formations and charges, or settled automatically. The game looks turn based but runs in real time, and you can pause at any moment to give orders. Marriage, spies and faith make a kingdom feel like a family business.