Braveward

Prospectus

You're the king, but your heroes do whatever they want. Build guilds, put bounties on monsters and bribe the brave (and the greedy) into doing the job. Then hold out through a night of horde attacks until dawn. A voxel kingdom strategy with heroes who have minds of their own.

How it plays

Rule from the throne, not the battlefield! You never command your heroes directly. You give them reasons to act, and they decide whether the gold is worth the danger. How to win: Build guilds next to your castle and hire warriors, rangers, rogues, healers and mages. Tap a monster or a den and post a bounty: attack it, scout the area or guard a spot. Heroes who like the reward will go for it. Build a Market and a Tavern so the gold your heroes spend comes back to you as taxes. Each day has five phases, from dawn to night. Explore the ruins for loot, and when the messenger warns you about a siege, raise watchtowers on that side. At night every den wakes up and the Troll Warlord marches on your castle. Keep the castle standing until sunrise to win the day. Then a new, harder day begins. If the castle falls, the game is over. Cast spells when things get tough: Heal, Royal Shield and Rally from the castle, plus Lightning and Gold Rain once you build a Mage Tower. Desktop Controls: Left Click: Select a hero, building or monster; place a building; cast a spell. Click and Drag on empty ground: Move the camera. W A S D / Arrow Keys: Scroll the map. Mouse Wheel: Zoom in and out. Right Click / Esc: Cancel building or spell targeting. Esc: Open the pause menu. Spacebar: Pause the game. M: Mute sound. Minimap: Click or drag to jump to any part of the realm. Mobile Controls: Tap: Select a hero, building or monster; place a building; cast a spell. Drag on empty ground: Move the camera. Pinch: Zoom in and out. Cancel Button: Cancel building or spell targeting. Minimap: Tap or drag to jump to any part of the realm.

Opening an account with this game takes one press: Open the holding, above, and it loads on this page itself — nothing downloads and no form stands between you and the first decision. It is drawn for a flexible screen and takes its instructions from mouse, keyboard or touch, as the game prefers. It adjusts itself to upright and wide screens alike, so phone, tablet and desktop all present it properly. If a fullscreen control is offered, take it — a growing enterprise deserves the whole desk.

Analyst's notes for simulation holdings

• Learn the loop before optimising it. Every simulation is a circle — earn, spend, expand, earn more — and the players who last are the ones who found the circle's slow point early.
• Watch one full cycle without touching anything. A simulation confesses its priorities when left alone: whatever runs out first is what the designer wants you managing.
• Small inefficiencies compound faster than big ones. A route that wastes ten seconds every cycle costs more than a disaster that happens once, so audit the routine before the dramatic.

Braveward — questions from the readership

What does it cost to open Braveward?

Nothing, at any point. The holding is free from the first click to the last upgrade — no account to open, no download to wait for, no paywall filed anywhere in its pages. The advertising around this page is what pays the bookkeeping.

What kind of game is Braveward, exactly?

We file it on the Simulation shelf of the ledger. It is a browser game through and through — the prospectus above is the publisher's own summary of what the game asks of you and what it gives back.

Can I play Braveward on a phone or tablet?

Yes — it runs in the browser on phones and tablets just as it does on a computer. It adjusts itself to upright and wide screens alike, so phone, tablet and desktop all present it properly.

Is there anything to download or install first?

Nothing at all. Braveward is an HTML5 game: press the open button and it loads on this very page, and closing the tab leaves nothing behind on your device.

Closing entry

Finished the audit, or still mid-season? The full Simulation shelf is one click away — The ledger's main hall: 302 simulations of everything from bus routes to burger counters to entire small lives. If it can be run, staffed, watered or worried over, somebody has simulated it and filed it here.