We understand that not everybody is keen to glance over vague charts, tables and lists to find out what

changes have been made. To accommodate them, heres a description of some of the elementary gameplay changes, for ease of use: The combat system The way combat works has seen some revision: archers have a little more range, but now also have a minimum range so will have to skirmish if enemies come too close; light cavalry is a little faster to deal with them; some civilisations have pikemen with one range, which simulates multiple ranks fighting; and finally, heavy infantry and cavalry have been altered. Now there is a cheaper, slightly faster line of medium heavies (the Trooper for the heavy cavalry, the Freeman, Town Militia, Footman and Halberdier for heavy infantry), which can be trained at the stable and levy quarters, respectively. The strongest troops (Knight and Royal Knight for mounted, Man-atArms and Foot Knight for the dismounted heavies) can be trained at the castle. They are, due to their heavier armour, a little slower, but they are stronger than previously; they also take up more than one population slot (cavalry two, infantry one and a half). These two unit lines are not exclusive and you can mix them as much as you like. Mercenaries In the 13th century you can research a technology at the Market, Mercenaries, which is necessary for enabling mercenary units. All civilisations have different mercenaries and some only have Privateers (15th century cannon galleons). Check the Age of Chivalry Civilisation Guide to see which country gets which mercenaries. Upgrades and technologies The logical order of things has been disturbed somewhat; apart from renaming all the ages to centuries, the buildings that can be constructed during them have also been altered. For example, you can already construct a castle and train knightly cavalry (and Troopers) in the 13th century, the old Feudal Age. The faster start was necessary simply because a 13th century without more advanced troops was nonsensical, and at the same time it stimulates early warfare. Another new change is to provide a number of late-game technologies accessible at the Princely Court/Guild Hall/Assembly Hall in the 15th century, which provide significant military boosts. However, you can research only one of these, so choose carefully! Another brand new innovation is the system we have dubbed Policy Decisions. In the 14th century many countries were at a crossroads in their development, and to illustrate this every civilisation has two (often unique) policy decisions to choose from, which alter their military and economic possibilities, providing both boosts and nerfs. Sometimes they even enable or disable technologies or provide access to new units. Civilisation changes Countries are now more unique than in the old AoK:TC. Apart from possessing more pronounced boosts and, of course, policy decisions, they also have significant nerfs. For example, the Burgundians have atrocious skirmishers and pikemen. Another distinguishing factor is the civilisation building. Broadly speaking, civilisations come in three types: urban, communal and princely. The first type draws its strength from the urban elite to the detriment of heavy cavalry. The second type is a rural, perhaps even tribal state where some basic democratic rights govern and light

troops are favoured. The third is centred on the strength of the prince, who has almost absolute control over his state and often specialises in heavy cavalry. These civilisation types each have a unique building: the Guild Hall, Assembly Hall and Princely Court, respectively. The first two are available in the 14th and 12th centuries, and can train units, often also the unique unit of a country. The third has no training facilities. In the 15th century every one of these buildings allows the research of powerful technologies, described in the Upgrades and Technologies section. Again, to find out how these changes affect individual civilisations, check the accompanying Age of Chivalry Civilisation Guide.