Tiny developer here (just me!) – looking for feedback on this game, inspired by Reigns.
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One of the things that stood out to me that when clicking a married heir, even if they were already in their late 40s, the text in the screen that opens says they have no children. Then the reigning king dies, and then lo and behold, they suddenly have four. Not sure if that’s something that still needs to be implemented at this stage of game development or a bug.
I wish we could see more of the family tree, and by lack of an heir in the direct line could adopt/nominate a cousin instead. Historic dynasties were zig-zags of lineage more often than a straight line.
As an aside, the auto (AI?) generated story at the end of a playthrough contains a lot of false information. Wrong ages of characters, talk of remarriages and second husbands in a family line that lacked them, etc. The game is definitely amusing even in its current state, but it could be a lot better.
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Thank you for the feedback! The grandchildren are not actually generated until the heir takes the throne, so the “have no children” line is misleading, so I’ve removed it. I’ll consider whether to expand the family tree as you say, though it would mean generating a lot of family members that don’t play any real role, except filling out the tree.
I’ll look into the story-generation problems.
If there’s anything else you can think of to make it better, I’d love to hear more! Thank you again.
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Thank you. Fixed!
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If other members of the family that did not inherit had issue in previous generations, it should not end a line if the current ruler has no heir, even if it goes back to children of founding members and their issue. Even if the family members play no role other than names on the tree if there is a clear line of succession, it would still be nice to have them.
The unclear succession could also lead to a succession war event (you pick which one is the new PC and which one you fight), and/or a trait like “Unlikely”.
Also surprised that all marriages of your offspring cost money.
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Hi,
Thanks for this feedback. These changes have been made!
The game is really very appealing and interesting; it’s generally the type of game I look for to entertain myself and get completely involved in the stories. I would like to see more options when making decisions, considering that two options are very limited for governing the kingdom, although there are some decisions where you really only have two choices. I also think the timeline should be more extensive and that dynasties shouldn’t simply end because time runs out; this becomes a bit limiting and doesn’t allow the game to have a more developed story. I’m already looking forward to seeing what new features you could add to improve the game; the concept is good, it just lacks improvements that would make all the difference.
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Just completed my first play through. I think it is quite early to comment without further play through in such games. Still wanted to say I liked it. I have seen similar games in play store, but haven’t tried. This was quite new to me, but I enjoyed. Though I am not so good at resource management (I can’t disown my children 
)
I have few questions/suggestions
- Will start page or something akin to that will be implemented in future? I want to understand how traits work. I figured out few but rest not sure.
- Are there events which involves siblings trying to claim throne? I know this game is in early phase. But this seemed too good of idea to missout. So just wanted to point that out.
- When marrying I kinda expected coffers to increase in some case, like if bride/groom are rich. If it is already set I haven’t noticed.
- I feel coffer is heavily relied or others isn’t used that much. Maybe that’s just me being generous.
This is the story of my first run
The House of Underhill rose in the early years of the fourteenth century under Geoffrey the Elder, a man whose piety and learning were as evident as his beauty. He held his lands with a steady hand for six and thirty years, gathering about him a reputation for justice tempered by genuine devotion to the Church. His four sons—Geoffrey, John, Miles, and Simon—were raised in the same tradition of letters and faith, though it was the eldest who would inherit the burden of rule. When Geoffrey the Elder died in his fifty-eighth year, the succession passed without contest to his son, also named Geoffrey, a man of contradictions: robust and beautiful as his father had been, but possessed of a ruthless temperament that his bookish learning could not entirely conceal. The younger Geoffrey’s reign would prove the longest and most consequential in the family’s history, stretching across fifty-four years and leaving the dynasty at the height of its power.
Geoffrey the Younger ruled from 1346 until his death in 1400, an epoch of stability that allowed the Underhill lands to prosper and their coffers to fill. He fathered six children—Lettice, Theobald, Joan, Beatrice, Agnes, and a third Geoffrey—and it was his daughter Lettice who would inherit the throne upon his death, a woman of considerable gifts: beautiful, charismatic, and brave enough to hold authority in her own right. She had married Lord Louis in 1361 and borne him four children, among them Mabel, who would herself become ruler. Lettice’s reign was brief, lasting only nine years before her death in 1409, but she had secured the succession with care. Her daughter Mabel, born in 1364, took up the rule and proved herself a capable steward of the family’s fortunes. Mabel had married Lord Godfrey in 1403 and brought to her reign the same qualities that had marked her mother—beauty and charisma, but tempered with a merciful disposition that made her beloved among her people. She bore two children, Baldwin and Alice, and under her governance the Underhill name remained secure and respected.
Yet the dynasty’s decline began almost imperceptibly. Mabel died in 1433 at the age of sixty-nine, and the throne passed to her son Baldwin, a young man of seven and twenty. Here the chronicles grow sparse and uncertain. Baldwin was beautiful and pious, it is recorded, but also sickly—a condition that would prove ominous. He had married Lady Charlotte in 1424 and fathered three daughters: Juliana, Catherine, and Jane. But Baldwin’s reign lasted only three years, from 1433 to 1436, and the records of his death are obscure. Whether he succumbed to the infirmities that had plagued him, or whether some other misfortune claimed him, the chroniclers do not say with certainty. What is clear is that upon his death, the House of Underhill came to its end. His daughters survived him, but the male line was exhausted, and no arrangement had been made for their succession. The lands and titles passed to other hands, and the Underhill name, which had endured for more than a century, faded from the rolls of power. The dynasty that had produced two long-reigning Geoffreys and two capable women rulers had burned itself out in a single sickly heir, leaving behind a legacy of modest prosperity but no dynasty to carry it forward.
I forgot to point out that I like this epilogue thing very much. I still haven’t explored a lot. So will comment after few more play throughs. Also looking forward for future updates. Good luck.
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Thank you for all of this feedback, it’s so valuable! I will keep improving.
I like the idea of doing more with siblings too. Currently if a ruler dies without an heir, then there’s a contested succession with the living siblings of the ruler, but this doesn’t happen very often. More could be done here for sure.
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Thank you!
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Will you add in agnatic and cognatic primogeniture?
Also dead spouses in the death screen popup are listed as dead children.
Yes, I’m working my way toward that!
This was pretty fun, my biggest issue was not being able to instigate anything in the way of marriage. As a regent trying to propagate your family line, this should really be a top priority but you are relegated to waiting around for whoever proposes, usually a plain and sickly potential spouse. It would be nice if the player could instigate a “search for spouse” for either themselves or their children, and be given options. This would make the game immensely more engaging for me. For example, on one play I inherited the throne at age 40, got no proposals so just had to sit there and rule for forty year till I die knowing it was going to be a game over. Not enjoyable, would be nice to look for spouse.
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If an heir to the throne dies but they have issue already, the heir’s children should inherit from the player (and become the new PC) before the heir’s siblings. Basically the throne would pass to PC’s grandchildren by the heir (grandsons and possibly granddaughters once ag-cog and cognatic inheritance is fully implemented).
If the dead heir’s siblings are Ruthless, that would lead to a feud down the line.
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Played the game and I liked it!
I think more storylines need to be added to it give it two maybe three days and you’ve done everything that can be done
Hi,
Thanks for writing in, and we agree! Variety and depth in the stories and choices is our next big focus. Thanks for playing!
I’m playing again to check out the new features and I really liked the idea of suitors being offered to my heirs and me having to choose whether to allow them to marry for love or for the benefit of the crown. That’s really cool and reflects the dynasties well. To diversify things a bit, you could add other scenarios for us, as rulers, to choose from. The current scenarios are good, but they get repetitive after a while. Well, I know you have many good ideas and I’m already looking forward to the next updates.
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Feel free to ignore I will say I think until the game is complete the other dynasties should be free but keep the can only play for an or two or pay thing
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