Castles II: Siege and Conquest

Did You Know?

• The CD-ROM version includes an orchestral soundtrack by composer Charles Deenen.
• The CD-ROM version contains video scenes taken from The Private Life of Henry VIII and Alexander Nevsky that play during certain game events.

Story

The game is set in a semi-fictionalized version of historical France, beginning in the year 1312 A.D., shortly before the Hundred Years' War. In this version of history, France's King Charles died on the throne in 1311 without leaving an heir, leaving the succession unclear. The Pope will declare a new king only after a local noble gains significant influence and favor with the Church. The player assumes the role of one of five nobles—Albion, Duke of Valois, Anjou, Aragon, or Burgundy—competing for the title of King of Bretagne. Early in the game, much territory is held by neutral lords and is easily taken, while three territories are controlled by the Pope. Players may cede additional territories to the Church to improve relations. The goal is to take over as much of France as possible and claim the throne; if other players remain, they will attack to damage the claim. The Pope ultimately decides whether to support the claimant, ending the game. The manual states that average in-game time passed is usually between three and ten years.

Gameplay

Gameplay involves scouting unknown territories, conquering them, building castles to prevent revolts and line defenses, raising an army, feeding and paying troops, and eventually making a claim for the title of King. The Pope decides whether to endorse the claim based on the strength of the human player and the four AI-controlled nobles; attacking a claimant can prevent them from gaining the title. Diplomacy allows the player to maintain high relationships with other nobles and the Pope, which can protect from attack. Alternatively, the player can conquer everyone, including the Pope, to win by default, at which point the anti-Pope will also endorse the claim. The player chooses one of five nobles, each starting in a different area of the map with one territory rich in one of four resources: gold, timber, iron, or food. Having more territories of a resource type increases the harvest per turn, but the player must control at least one of each type or rely on trades. Initially, the player can perform one task of each of three types simultaneously: administrative (gathering resources and building castles, green bar), military (recruiting an army, building weapons like catapults, policing, red bar), and political (sending scouts, diplomats, spies, blue bar). Performing more tasks of a type increases the points available for that type, up to a limit of 9 per type; at a rating of 5, two tasks can be performed at once. A notable feature is the ability to design and save different castles, with point values based on the number of walls and turrets that determine build time. Larger castles are harder to destroy or capture and help prevent revolts. Armies consist of infantry, archers, and knights, each costing different resources to recruit, and army size depends on the number of territories and castles the player possesses.

Reception

Castles II earned praise from Computer Gaming World in 1993 as a "first-rate strategy game" and "a joy to play," with the magazine highlighting its user interface, play options, and computer AI. That same year, a survey of pre-20th-century strategy games gave it three-plus stars out of five, calling it "much more of a wargame than the former" and worth a look for period enthusiasts. Dragon awarded it 4 out of 5 stars. In White Wolf #46 (August 1994), James V. Trunzo rated it "Excellent," noting the CD-ROM version was not a simple port but a seamless blend of the medium's features with the original game's strengths.