Phillip Lewis’s Wrath of the Autarch Kickstarter aims to deliver a unique kingdom building experience that pits a player-run stronghold against an evil empire.
RPGs are full of kingdoms that, putting it kindly, are run by morons. Between lax lords and incompetent kings, there’s no lack for rulers who seem like they just can’t do anything right. It’s enough to make a frustrated role-player think about maybe investing their hard-earned gold in an army so they can take over and do things properly.
It’s a feeling that game designer Phillip Lewis knows very well. Rather than just conquering the Sword Coast with a horde of hirelings however, Lewis decided to do something a bit more substantial. Over the course of the past several years, he’s created Wrath of the Autarch, a cooperative kingdom building game where players trade in their adventurer’s gear to manage their own stronghold in a long-term campaign where they’ll have to trade, conduct diplomacy and raise armies. Competing against them is an evil empire controlled by another player and hell-bent on their destruction.
Each session in the campaign, in turn, represents an entire season “focusing on one important mission” that the Stronghold players wish to pursue. “In one season, the Stronghold players might smooth over a diplomatic dispute with an ally. In another, spies might infiltrate an Imperial military outpost, stealing sensitive plans.” It’s Lewis’s hope that the game’s “troupe style” Stronghold’s management will also make it easier for players to press forward if people sometimes can’t make it to a game. Players intent on playing Wrath of the Autarch will also need around 25 d6 dice and a Deck of Fate.
While Lewis has finished the bulk of the game’s actual development, he still needs funds to commission art and turn the game into an actual purchasable book. Toward that end,he recently launched a Kickstarter aimed at raising a base line $5,000 for the game’s publication. It’s a goal that, after only three days, he’s already almost reached. And honestly, it’s not hard for us to see why. After all, who hasn’t wanted to play king for a day? Check out the Kickstarter and let us know what you think.
Disclosure: The author of this news story has contributed funds to the Wrath of the Autarch Kickstarter campaign.
Source: Kickstarter
