Europa 1400
Encyclopedia
Europa 1400: The Guild is a simulation game set in Europe
from the year 1400 up to 1815. In it, the player tries to guide a family dynasty
to power and wealth, starting from one character of limited means. Players can choose from a variety of initial businesses (including iron smith, tavern, church and thieves' guild) and historic cities (including Berlin
and London
). As the family business and social standing grows, more options become available, even high political rank.
The game has one expansion pack, Die Gilde: Gaukler, Gruften & Geschütze, released in March 2003. The Guild (Gold Edition), consisting of the original game and the expansion, was released in November 2005;
A Nintendo DS
port of The Guild was released in 2009.
4HEAD Studios and JoWood Productions released a sequel, The Guild 2
, in 2006.
.
Each title allows the player to upgrade their house by one level, which starts as a hovel and culminates in a palace. Each successively higher title increases the player's influence, allowing such things as sabotage
, spying, blackmail
, or taking opponents to court.
One of the main features of the title is the good and bad duality present in the various aspects throughout the character's life. The player may bribe people to get them on their side, or they may genuinely like them. The player may kidnap members from rival dynasties or forge alliances with them. This gives the game added replayability, since the scenarios are never the same.
Another prominent quality of The Guild is the nonlinear gameplay, or, the ability to extend the same game for a very long time if the player is careful and dedicated enough. Every time the player's current character
dies, the heir takes his/her place as long as a certain age requirement is met.
path they choose. These range from Blacksmith
to Innkeeper, going through Thief and Money Lender
as well as a few others. As the character ages and gets richer, the option to acquire new professions will emerge. In this way, the fourth generation
of the player's dynasty
might have access to more than four professions, while the first one will have only one. Each profession within a family has its own business establishment.
To run a certain business, it's necessary to possess the respective title given by an "association" (a guild of sorts). Titles enable the player to have an establishment but it also determines what type it will be. Titles also come with levels and the higher the player goes on the ladder, the better the businesses available become. The player may only apply for the next level (or first, in case they're not specialized in that job) of the profession when a given criteria is met.
Managing the player's business can be approached in different ways. The player is able to micromanage their businesses, such as by purchasing raw goods, choosing what to manufacture, and setting prices of goods. However, it is not necessary to do this in order to become wealthy. Players are also given the option to hire a manager and have their business run for them by this manager. This usually results in lower profits in the long run. Lastly, the player may assign certain tasks to their manager while retaining other tasks for themself.
In an attempt to keep the realism in the game, cities have limited space to build structures, be they residential houses or businesses. However, should the player choose to, it is possible to buy a property
, tear the structure down, and erect a different type of structure. This feature greatly extends the possibilities of the game.
. Every time an office in the immediate upper level to the player's has an opening, the player is given the choice to run for it. When the character has no participation in the Town Council, they may submit their candidacy for the lowest level of office. The people occupying the offices above the one in question vote at the end of the year, and the candidate with the most votes gets elected.
Occupying a certain seat within the Town Council grants the player a set of privileges which are more beneficial as the office goes higher up in the hierarchy. For instance, while a Night Watchman might have the ability to arrest a citizen, a Judge is completely immune to any sort of lawsuit filed against them by their rivals.
Given the benefits that come with being in office, getting voted by their fellow citizens is often a hard feat to accomplish and there's always more than a few candidates to go up against. To get their way, players may opt for several different methods to secure their place, such as bribes, or by running for office where they know a member of their family is going to vote for them.
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
from the year 1400 up to 1815. In it, the player tries to guide a family dynasty
Dynasty
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers considered members of the same family. Historians traditionally consider many sovereign states' history within a framework of successive dynasties, e.g., China, Ancient Egypt and the Persian Empire...
to power and wealth, starting from one character of limited means. Players can choose from a variety of initial businesses (including iron smith, tavern, church and thieves' guild) and historic cities (including Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
). As the family business and social standing grows, more options become available, even high political rank.
The game has one expansion pack, Die Gilde: Gaukler, Gruften & Geschütze, released in March 2003. The Guild (Gold Edition), consisting of the original game and the expansion, was released in November 2005;
A Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
port of The Guild was released in 2009.
4HEAD Studios and JoWood Productions released a sequel, The Guild 2
The Guild 2
The Guild 2 is a historical multiplayer real-time strategy video game developed by 4HEAD Studios and published by JoWooD Entertainment. It is the second installment in the historical real-time strategy video game series, following Europa 1400. The Guild 2 was released September 29, 2006, for PCs...
, in 2006.
Gameplay
Throughout the game, the player may indulge in intrigues, rise to a position in government, and obtain titlesHereditary Title
Hereditary titles, in a general sense, are titles, positions or styles that are hereditary and thus tend or are bound to remain in particular families....
.
Each title allows the player to upgrade their house by one level, which starts as a hovel and culminates in a palace. Each successively higher title increases the player's influence, allowing such things as sabotage
Sabotage
Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening another entity through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. In a workplace setting, sabotage is the conscious withdrawal of efficiency generally directed at causing some change in workplace conditions. One who engages in sabotage is...
, spying, blackmail
Blackmail
In common usage, blackmail is a crime involving threats to reveal substantially true or false information about a person to the public, a family member, or associates unless a demand is met. It may be defined as coercion involving threats of physical harm, threat of criminal prosecution, or threats...
, or taking opponents to court.
One of the main features of the title is the good and bad duality present in the various aspects throughout the character's life. The player may bribe people to get them on their side, or they may genuinely like them. The player may kidnap members from rival dynasties or forge alliances with them. This gives the game added replayability, since the scenarios are never the same.
Another prominent quality of The Guild is the nonlinear gameplay, or, the ability to extend the same game for a very long time if the player is careful and dedicated enough. Every time the player's current character
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
dies, the heir takes his/her place as long as a certain age requirement is met.
Businesses
In The Guild, the player may follow whichever careerCareer
Career is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as a person's "course or progress through life ". It is usually considered to pertain to remunerative work ....
path they choose. These range from Blacksmith
Blacksmith
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
to Innkeeper, going through Thief and Money Lender
Moneylender
A moneylender is a person or group who offers small personal loans at high rates of interest.-See also:* Microfinance - provision of financial services to low-income individuals....
as well as a few others. As the character ages and gets richer, the option to acquire new professions will emerge. In this way, the fourth generation
Generation
Generation , also known as procreation in biological sciences, is the act of producing offspring....
of the player's dynasty
Dynasty
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers considered members of the same family. Historians traditionally consider many sovereign states' history within a framework of successive dynasties, e.g., China, Ancient Egypt and the Persian Empire...
might have access to more than four professions, while the first one will have only one. Each profession within a family has its own business establishment.
To run a certain business, it's necessary to possess the respective title given by an "association" (a guild of sorts). Titles enable the player to have an establishment but it also determines what type it will be. Titles also come with levels and the higher the player goes on the ladder, the better the businesses available become. The player may only apply for the next level (or first, in case they're not specialized in that job) of the profession when a given criteria is met.
Managing the player's business can be approached in different ways. The player is able to micromanage their businesses, such as by purchasing raw goods, choosing what to manufacture, and setting prices of goods. However, it is not necessary to do this in order to become wealthy. Players are also given the option to hire a manager and have their business run for them by this manager. This usually results in lower profits in the long run. Lastly, the player may assign certain tasks to their manager while retaining other tasks for themself.
In an attempt to keep the realism in the game, cities have limited space to build structures, be they residential houses or businesses. However, should the player choose to, it is possible to buy a property
Property
Property is any physical or intangible entity that is owned by a person or jointly by a group of people or a legal entity like a corporation...
, tear the structure down, and erect a different type of structure. This feature greatly extends the possibilities of the game.
Politics
No matter what city the player chooses, the political structure is always the same. There's a Town Council that contains several different offices in different branches which are in a fixed hierarchyHierarchy
A hierarchy is an arrangement of items in which the items are represented as being "above," "below," or "at the same level as" one another...
. Every time an office in the immediate upper level to the player's has an opening, the player is given the choice to run for it. When the character has no participation in the Town Council, they may submit their candidacy for the lowest level of office. The people occupying the offices above the one in question vote at the end of the year, and the candidate with the most votes gets elected.
Occupying a certain seat within the Town Council grants the player a set of privileges which are more beneficial as the office goes higher up in the hierarchy. For instance, while a Night Watchman might have the ability to arrest a citizen, a Judge is completely immune to any sort of lawsuit filed against them by their rivals.
Given the benefits that come with being in office, getting voted by their fellow citizens is often a hard feat to accomplish and there's always more than a few candidates to go up against. To get their way, players may opt for several different methods to secure their place, such as bribes, or by running for office where they know a member of their family is going to vote for them.