A Game Of Thrones: Genesis Will Fight Dirty

Cyanide Studios, the French developers behind Blood Bowl and Pro Cycling Manager (I imagine them sat at their desks, stained with blood and sweat in equal measure) have just fired a salvo of intriguing new details on A Game of Thrones: Genesis, their real-time strategy game set in the world of George R. R. Martin's wily, waspish fantasy novels. Looks like an ordinary RTS, right? Well, it turns out we can look forward to everything from bribery and ransoming to marraiges and assassinations, there'll be a focus on backstabbery and even a need to hide your bastard sons. More after the jump.

You can find all the details here, but I'll copy and here are the best parts:

In this strategy game, victory does not necessarily result from brute force. You can of course choose to use a military approach and besiege your opponents, but you may also strangle them in an economical war, or use all the dirty tricks possible and subtle diplomacy to politically crush them. Treachery, deception and backstabbing are everywhere… so watch your back, always!

Accessing the Iron Throne is achieved by building up Prestige for your House. Different ways are at your disposal: amassing wealth, building many alliances, controlling the Sept temples, slaughtering the opponent… However, some actions may also lead to Prestige loss: laying siege to an enemy castle or town during peace time, being victim of a secret alliance, having your bastard sons discovered, and others. Build up enough Prestige to access the Iron Throne, or crush your opponent’s own prestige to lead them to their dismissal! All the tools are at your disposal for this: assassinate the opponent’s Great Lord, cut his trade routes, bribe and turn his key units against him, capture his officers and ask for ransoms… do everything you can to win the Game of Thrones!

The notion of peace and war is very important in A Game of Thrones and, in part, fixes your strategy and how you will gain control of territories.

At the start of each game, harmony usually reigns. However, every action taken by the players has an effect, be it positive or negative, on the apparent peace. Every killing, assassination, imprisonment and other treachery actions will lead toward War. To the contrary, sending messages of peace to enemy castles (if the envoy manages to reach his destination alive!), freeing captured enemy units, and other actions, will maintain peace. Depending on your strategy and plans, you may want to maintain peace, or to precipitate war.

I do believe this game just went scrambling up a few dozen rungs on my most-wanted ladder. Good work, Cyanide.