The Chronicle of Karguun · Chapter 2
The Peoples and the Personalities
Your people decide what your army is made of and what you do best; your personality sharpens it further. No choice is wrong, but each rewards a different way of ruling. Both are chosen when you found your province and cannot be changed until the next age.
What every people shares
- Soldiers fight with 1 point of attack and 1 of defence. Your draft turns peasants into soldiers, and soldiers are trained into everything else.
- Specialists cost 350 gold coins each: one kind attacks, the other defends.
- Elites are each people's finest troops, with their own strength and price.
- Thieves cost 600 gold coins each. Wizards are not trained but gather in your Guilds.
The peoples
| Race | Specialists and elites (attack/defence) | Traits |
|---|---|---|
| Human | Swordsmen 6/0, Archers 0/5, Knights 4/6 (1,000gc) | +25% Maximum Science; -20% Exploration Costs; +30% Military Wages; -1 Mana per Day; -1 Stealth per Day |
| Elf | Rangers 5/0, Archers 0/5, Elf Lords 6/2 (900gc) | +2 Mana per Day; -50% Military Wages; -5% Maximum Population; +35% Exploration Costs; Can cast every spell |
| Dwarf | Warriors 5/0, Axemen 0/5, Berserkers 5/5 (1,000gc) | +15% Building Efficiency; -50% Construction Time; +20% Income; -20% Magic Effectiveness; +25% Food Eaten |
| Orc | Goblins 5/0, Trolls 0/5, Ogres 7/3 (900gc) | +15% Gains on Attacks; -75% Draft Costs; +1 Prisoner Strength; +20% of Own Spells Fail; +15% of Own Thief Operations Fail |
| Faery | Magicians 5/0, Druids 0/5, Beastmasters 3/6 (1,200gc) | +50% Magic Effectiveness; +1 Stealth per Day; +15% of Enemy Spells Fail; -10% Thievery Effectiveness |
| Halfling | Spearmen 5/0, Archers 0/5, Half-Giants 5/4 (150gc) | -50% Thief Losses; +50% Thievery Effectiveness; -75% Construction Costs; -10% Gains on Attacks |
| Avian | Griffins 5/0, Harpies 0/6, Drakes 6/4 (800gc) | +75% Birth Rate; -25% Attack Time; +20% Military Losses in Combat; -10% Building Efficiency; Immune to Fog |
| Undead | Skeletons 5/0, Zombies 0/5, Ghouls 6/2 (1,200gc) | +15% Maximum Population; -50% Maximum Science; -40% Thievery Effectiveness; Needs no food; Spreads the Plague; Immune to the Plague |
A few words of counsel:
- Humans explore cheaply and learn deeply, but pay their soldiers more.
- Elves command every spell and pay their armies little, but find new land dear.
- Dwarves build twice as fast and earn more than anyone, and care little for magic.
- Orcs take more from every battle and draft cheaply, though some of their own spells and thieves fail them.
- Faeries are the masters of magic, and some hostile spells simply slide off their lands.
- Halflings are born thieves, build for a quarter of the price, and train their elites for almost nothing.
- Avians strike and return a quarter faster and breed quickly, but lose more troops in battle.
- The Undead need no food and carry the plague, but learn only half as much from science.
The personalities
Every personality also gives your elites a special ability.
| Personality | Traits | Elite ability |
|---|---|---|
| The Merchant | +15% Income; Immune to all income penalties | Every 20 elites at home fill one job |
| The Shepherd | -30% Training Time; -30% Construction Time; -30% Exploration Time; -30% Research Time; +4 Bushels from Every Acre | Every 3 elites at home grow one bushel a day |
| The Sage | -40% Science Costs; Immune to the Plague | Every 15 elites at home produce one science point a day |
| The Rogue | +1 Stealth per Day; Every thief operation, including three known only to rogues | Every 10 elites at home guard like one thief |
| The Mystic | +20% Rune Production; +100% Guild Effectiveness; may cast Meteor Showers | Every 10 elites at home make one rune a day |
| The War Hero | +50% Bonuses from Honour; +1 General | Every 25 elites in battle capture an extra prisoner |
| The Warrior | -50% Mercenary Costs; 1 Mercenary per 4 Loyal Troops | Armies with elites gain more; an all-elite army gains up to 15% more |
| The General | +50% Intelligence Effectiveness; Enhanced Conquest attacks at all times | Elites die at half the rate of other troops |
| The Freak | Great randomness in every attack | Every 5 elites take the room of only 4 peasants |
Choosing
- A first age? A Dwarf or Human Merchant or Shepherd forgives mistakes: a strong economy buys time to learn.
- A fighter? Orcs and Avians reward attacking often; Warriors, Generals and War Heroes reward it further.
- A schemer? Faeries and Elves with the Mystic personality, or Halflings and Rogues, work best in the shadows (see The Mystic Arts and Thieves and their Ways).
- Your kingdom matters more than any choice. A kingdom with a mix of attackers, defenders and mystics is hard to beat.