Kohan: Immortal Sovereigns

Did You Know?

• A Kohan mod tool was released on June 17, 2002.
• A compilation, Kohan Warchest, bundling Immortal Sovereigns, Ahriman's Gift, and Kings of War, was released by Impulse in January 2011 and Steam in August 2011.

Gameplay

The economy in Kohan uses five resources, with gold being the only one that can be stockpiled and the most important. The other four—stone, wood, iron, and mana—support the military; if their production is insufficient, gold income is reduced. Resources come from settlements or mines, the latter only placeable at predetermined spots. Settlements have slots for up to eight components, each producing a resource or providing another benefit, and also determine the support limit, which is the number of companies a player can maintain. The primary military unit is the company, led by a Captain, with four front line units and up to two support units. Available units depend on the settlement's components, and recruitment costs gold, while each unit requires secondary resources for support. Companies have experience, morale, and formation, and support units or Kohan can modify attack strength, move speed, and defense. In combat, each unit fights individually; if any unit survives, the company can resupply to full strength. Units fall into six categories: infantry, cavalry, archer, specialty, support, and Hero elements. The first four can be front line or support, while support units only occupy support slots. Kohan are the most powerful units and fill the Captain slot, providing modifiers and spells. They have separate experience that affects abilities; if a Kohan dies, resurrection is possible but costs all experience. Without a Kohan, a Captain with no special abilities leads. Kohan can be attached or detached from companies when in supply.

Setting

The story follows Darius Javidan, a Kohan fighting the rise of the Ceyah, Kohan corrupted by evil, to restore Kohan society in Khaldun. The narrative was influenced by Persian mythology and Zoroastrianism. The Kohan are immortals tasked by the Creator with protecting Khaldun; they can be killed but are revived through individual amulets. When the Creator planned a new world, he consulted two Saadya, Ahriman and Ormazd. Ormazd's plan was chosen, and the other eight Saadya built Khaldun. Ahriman, whose plan was rejected, plotted its downfall. Kohan culture flourished early but was destroyed in the Great Cataclysm when some Kohan sought freedom from the Creator. The Ceyah were defeated, and traitors were exiled. One Ceyah, Vashti—formerly Roxanna Javidan, Darius's wife—murdered her husband and led the Ceyah armies, aiming to become tyrant over Khaldun.

Reception

The game received generally favorable reviews on Metacritic. Critics praised its reduction of micromanagement common in real-time strategy games and its introduction of new concepts, as well as strong AI opponents and multiplayer support. Criticism focused on a somewhat lackluster world and an inability to establish a distinctive atmosphere. John Lee of NextGen noted innovation and simplicity as key attributes. The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Kohan for the PC Strategy award, which went to Civilization III. It won PC Gamer US's Best Real-Time Strategy Game and Computer Gaming World's Best Strategy Game awards, and was named 2001's top real-time strategy game by Computer Games Magazine and GamePen. The staff of those publications praised its strategic depth. It was also nominated for Best Artificial Intelligence, Most Innovative Game, Best Single-Player Strategy Game, and Best Multiplayer Strategy Game at GameSpot's Best and Worst of 2001 Awards, losing each category to other titles.

Expansion

Kohan: Ahriman's Gift, also known as Kohan: Battles of Ahriman in Europe, is a stand-alone expansion released in November 2001. It allows play from an evil perspective, leading armies of Undead and Shadowbeasts, and introduces an improved AI, new units, three new campaigns, and new multiplayer maps and modes. It was criticized for not offering enough new features to justify its cost. The main campaign is a prequel to the original, following the Ceyah champion Mistress Vashti. The Quest for Darius campaign follows Ilyana Aswan racing to recover Darius Javidan's amulet, while the Slaanri campaign features the reawakened champion Slyy's Stok uniting his people against an unknown enemy. The expansion received generally favorable reviews, though moderately less than the original.