| Term |
Definition |
| Ability |
Every character has three abilities: diplomacy, military and economic. These ratings, between 0 and 100, are used to modify the chance of success in Tasks in the relevant area. Experience will lead to gradual changes in these ratings. See also Perceived Ability. |
| Action |
The same as Command. |
| Actual Ability |
The same as Ability. |
| Affinity |
Affinity measures the relationship, in economic terms, between two Territories. Affinity is based on the amount of trade between the Territories, and is self-reinforcing, that is, the more trade there is between the Territories, the closer the Affinity becomes, and the more likely trade becomes. Affinity can also be influenced by Commands. Like Alignment, to which it is similar, Affinity is not commutative. |
| Alignment |
The diplomatic/dynastic relationship between two Houses, which influences how closely they will act together. The relationship is not commutative, that is to say, A-B is not the same as B-A. For example, minor house B wants to become closer to powerful house A, so has a better alignment to A than the latter has to the relatively insignificant B. |
| Appanage |
A Territory attached to a Title, often associated with a title given to the heir to a House or Throne. For example, the heir to the throne of the United Kingdom has the title Prince of Wales, which does not have an appanage, but is also the Duke of Cornwall, which brings with it large estates and independent revenues. |
| Army |
Medieval military theory and organisation was fairly basic. An Army is any military formation in the field, whether of 100 or 100,000 soldiers. If you split an army, you get two armies, not brigades, corps, divisions or whatever. |
| Castle |
A single fortified location. See also Seat and Fortification. |
| Character |
The individuals - members of a House, or random characters entering the game in lower roles - who can undertake Commands for you; this includes the Lord of the House - essentially yourself. |
| Claim |
A real or invented right to succeed to a Title or Throne. A claim can be active - where the Claimant has declared their Claim and is pursuing the title - or dormant, where the Claimant simply has a position in the Line of Succession. |
| Claimant |
A Character with a Claim. A pretender is a Claimant with an invented Claim |
| Command |
A Command - also referred to as an Action, Order or Task - is an action you can take in one of the three areas of the game, diplomatic, military or economic. |
| Commodity |
One of eighty items of economic value which are produced in Honours and Towns. The value varies from commodity to commodity, and the trade of these generates much of your income. |
| Domain |
The collective term for all the Territories held by a House. |
| Family |
The same as House. |
| Favour |
The same as Status. |
| Fief |
The same as Territory. |
| Fortification |
Each Honour and Town has a Fortification rating, which reflects the defences of that territory. This is an abstract rating, and is not the same as a Castle, but building or improving a Castle will add to the fortification rating of the territory where it is located. |
| Fyrd |
A medieval term for the footsoldiers, archers, etc., brought together by mustering the peasant populace for military service. |
| Goods |
The same as Commodity. |
| Honour |
The smallest piece of territory in the game. It consists of one or more estates, which may not be geographically connected, so these are not indicated on the map. For convenience of gameplay, in Blood Royal each honour is contained entirely within a single Province. |
| House |
A royal or noble dynasty or family. Each player controls one House, and is assumed to be embodied in the Lord of the House. All the Characters in the family - the relatives of the Lord - are under the player's control. A female, once married, becomes part of her husband's House. |
| Influence |
An abstract value reflecting the power and status of the House. This is calculated each Turn, and factors in wealth and income, Territories and Titles held, Commands successfully completed, and dynastic links through marriages and alliances to other Houses. Influence is 'spent' on the Commands you wish to issue, and - unlike money - the more you spend, the more you are likely to have. |
| Kingdom |
The same as a Realm. |
| Knight |
A member of the lower orders of the aristocracy, below the game level but still owing military service to their feudal overlord. In game terms, each Honour generates a number of Knights who are bound to join the Lord's army when called, and form the elite cavalry forces. |
| Line of Succession |
The order of priority in determining who will inherit a Title when the Lord dies or abdicates. The general rules are:
- males before females
- children of the lord first
- siblings (brothers and sisters) and their children next
- siblings of previous Lords in reverse order |
| Lord |
1. The leader of a House (also Lady).
2. The lowest rank of nobility, generally addressed as (name), Lord (territory)
3. A courtesy title given to members of a noble house who have no actual title of their own. |
| Market Town |
Smaller than a Town, and the centre of the local economy, through the market that gives it its name. These are treated abstractly in the game; each Honour is considered to contain one or more Market Towns, which can, under the right conditions of growth, peace and support, be turned into Towns which then will generate produce of their own. |
| Noble |
The same as Character. |
| NPC |
Non-Player Character - a House controlled by the computer program, rather than by a player. |
| Order |
The same as Command. |
| Perceived Ability |
People do not always view their own talents objectively. Mirroring the Abilities, each character has a set of three Perceived Abilities. These are based on the actual abilities, but will differ by a large or small amount. For players, you can only see the Perceived Ability ratings of your characters; for NPCs, they will tend to concentrate on acting in areas where they have high perceived abilities, i.e. where they think they are effective. |
| Person |
The same as Character. |
| Prestige |
The same as Influence. |
| Province |
A Territory, intermediate between a Realm and a Honour. Each Realm includes several Provinces, and each Province contains several Honours. |
| Realm |
The highest level of Territory in the game (other than the dormant Empire), ruled by a monarch - a King or Queen. |
| Seat |
A Castle which is the administrative or legal focus of a province or honour. |
| Status |
The relationship of each Character to the Lord of their House. Random events, the actions of the Character, and the decisions of the Lord can alter the Status. |
| Succession |
The same as Line of Succession. |
| Task |
The same as Command. |
| Territory |
A geographic entity which is - usually - held by a lord. An Honour, a Province, a Realm, a Town, Castle, are all Territories All the territories held by a House form the Domain. |
| Throne |
An alternative name given to the Title for a Realm. |
| Title |
The right to, and control of, a Territory. |
| Town |
An area of high population density, often walled, and with a lesser or greater degree of independence from the feudal system. Towns are centres of commerce, and produce and market goods as well. |
| Turn |
Each year in game time is one Turn; each Turn you can issue a number of Commands dependent on your Influence. |
ELOW IS A LIST of some of the terms used in the documentation and game. Some are medieval terms you may not be familiar with; others are words I have used for particular concepts or mechanics in the game. Hopefully these will aid your understanding of the game; if not, or if there are other terms you would like to see defined here, please let me know.
