Crowns and vassals: who owes what to whom
A realm is a set of promises, and the tribute is real coin
Zoom the campaign map out and the colours you see are realms: groups of Houses under one crown.
A realm is a chain of obligations. A vassal holds his land from a king and pays tribute for it. That tribute is not a number that appears in a royal treasury. It leaves the vassal's coffer and lands in the king's, so a king with poor vassals is a poor king, and a vassal squeezed too hard has less to spend on his own walls.
It also changes what a war is. A quarrel between two Houses is a private war. When crowns are involved it becomes a war of realms, and lords who had nothing to do with the insult are called to march.
A House that is born royal starts with a crown and vassals of its own. When a king dies with a young heir, somebody rules as regent. You begin with a cart, well below all of this. How far up the chain you climb, and whose banner you ride under on the way, is the campaign.
Age of Medieval is developed by UnderStudio in UnderStudio 2D and published by Brasa Interactive. It releases on 17 May 2027.
Official site: https://ageofmedieval.com/
