ENGLISH VERSION:

So we were visiting Cyanide's studios last week, checking on their offerings in the Game of Thrones universe. We covered the unnamed RPG, but also got the opportunity to check out on A Game of Thrones – Genesis, their real-time strategy game due to for release this summer. With the new book coming out in july, the HBO series in april and two games from Cyanide for the not too distant future, this year really is blessed for Song of Ice and Fire fans.

If there's still anyone out there that doesn't know this great saga, I urge them to pay a visit to their local library, or to check out on HBO's series starting next month. The stories take place on Westeros, a huge continent where the biggest families fight for power by using any means necessary : Alliances, strategic weddings, diplomacy, treachery and sometimes even war. That world is definitely medieval with a hint of fantasy. You won't find any scantily clad elves, nor impressive spells. The only creatures linked to magic you'll ever encounter are the Dragons, these huge creatures controlled by the Targaryen family.

A Game of Thrones : Genesis retells the key story points of the world, starting in -750 with Queen Nymeria's landing on the coasts of Westeros, year 1 and Aegon Targaryen's unification of the Seven Kingdoms up until 283 and Robert Baratheon crowning at the end of his rebellion against the Targaryen rule, a few years before the events told in the books. It's therefore not needed to have read the books in order to enjoy the game.

Before we start describing the game, I'd like to point out that, even if the term RTS is used throughout this article, AGoT Genesis is quite different from what you'd expect from a classical RTS. It's definitely no Starcraft, C&C or Supreme Commander. Indeed, military power is but one of the tools that will lead you to victory. In order to play the game of thrones and win, you'll have to be cunning, treacherous and ready to make and break alliances as you go along without having second thoughts. As a wise woman once said : in the Game of Thrones you either win or die, there is no middle ground.

In this aspect, a Genesis could be compared to a board game like Risk or Diplomacy. In addition to the strategic and military forces deployed on the game map or board, there's also the player's alliances and discussions around the board that create a great experience. You can promise anything to your fellow players but in the end, your turn comes, you still have to protect your personal interests (i.e. scoring better than the others), and alliances can be broken. Cyanide really tried to integrate these features into Genesis' gameplay. Missions are therefore played in two parts : during the first part, you prepare for war during a seemingly peaceful era and once war has been declared, you can't annex new villages anymore and have to wage the war with the resources you managed to secure during the first phase.

The duration of this first phase depends on the peaceful status of the different families on the map. An indicator on top of the screen shows the balance between peace and war, depending on the actions that took place on the map. You can send out small troops to carry out skirmishes, but every negative action pushes the balance towards the « war » status. You can delay this by performing positive actions (by freeing some prisoners without asking for a reward, by officially recognizing your bastards,...), but eventually war will start, and there's no turning back.

During the first phase, you will most probably start sending messengers to surrounding villages in order to secure your presence on the map, or marry of women from your court in order to secure blood alliances. You'll also need enough resources to feed your troops, they will need it in time of war.

When you secure a pact with a local landlord or village, a trade route is created automatically, and a local merchant starts bringing resources to your city. Nothing new under the sun here, we've already seen similar features in Settlers or Anno games. But to paraphrase Cersei Lannister : « When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die, there is no middle ground » and, in the game, you'll be on the lookout for anything because deceit is everywhere...

First of all, your merchants or messengers could be killed off by your opponents. Not a problem if you can see the assassin or an enemy troop running away, you could still retaliate. However, if the merchant died from poisoning because an assassin wounded him with a poisoned dagger some ten minutes ago, you won't have a clue as to who launched the attack.
Another family could also decide to strike a deal with one of your villages or local landlords. No problem, you'll see the change in allegiance on the map and can still recapture it. However if your opponent strikes a secret act with the village you won't see anything. The village will still display your colours, but the merchant will go to your opponent's city instead of yours ! And when the war starts, any village you thought loyal could suddenly display your opponent's colours, and there's no way of gaining him back.

You'll see the status of your resources at the top of the screen, so if you own ten villages but your your production rate is close to zero, it's time to check on your allegiances. A Game of Thrones : Genesis will force you to be paranoid and check everything, because if you're not careful you might be back to square one.

So, AGoT : Genesis is not your usual RTS. In order to win the game of thrones, you don't have to level the surrounding villages and towns to the ground. What the Westerosi families strive for, is power, prestige. If they have to use the military option for sitting on the iron throne, so be it, but it's by no means necessary. There's four ways to earn prestige points : diplomacy (by having the most loyal landlords), economy, warfare or obtaining support of the Septons. A Sept (sanctuary for the Seven gods of Westeros) can usually be found on the center of the map, controlling it gives a steady increase in prestige points. It's also possible to build up your prestige points by completing secondary missions at the start of the game. At the side of the screen, you can check the prestige status of all families. Once a family gets to the maximum prestige level, the game ends.

You play as one of the great families of Westeros. From their main castle, the liege lord controls the operations. That lord is the most important character of the game. If he dies without any offsprings, you lose, it's as simple as that. However, during the peace phase, it's possible to get married in order to get an heir. If you don't marry soon enough, you will start « producing » bastards. Illegal offprings have a negative impact on your popularity and reduce your prestige. Acknowledging these childs will help restore your popularity but costs money.

A Game of Thrones : Genesis seems like a complex game with deep mechanics. Multiplayer games can see up to eight families playing the game of thrones on the same map. Just like in the solo game, alliances can be made and broken at all times, and very discreetly. Each family strives to get the most prestige. No need to feel bad about leaving your precious allies behind, they might do the exact same thing to you.

For those who are afraid the game might be too complex, the solo campaign plays as a real tutorial, preparing you for the multiplayer games, where the real fun starts. If you are too honest, stay true to your word and respect your allies, it's all very well, but you won't survive a long time in Westeros. The game expects you to be deceitful and cunning, and Cyanide seems to have integrated core boardgame mechanics into a videogame. It's always difficult to adapt an existing universe into an RTS (in the end, it all comes down to units fighting in a Rock, Paper, Scissors scheme), but it's the first time that treachery mechanisms have been integrated as core gameplay mechanic, what really impressed us. Unless last-minute catastrophes, AgoT Genesis should be available on your PC in the summer of 2011.