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Of Cows & Kings

Of Cows & Kings: The Battle for Ireland

8th century Ireland
In a land of monks and bandit kings, he who rules the Hill of Tara rules all Ireland.

From the creator of the award-winning Tristan & Iseult, The Last Neanderthal, The Escape of Hernan Cortes, and Haiku of the Ronin.

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Gameplay
*Conquer Ireland through unique build & destroy gameplay in a beautiful Irish landscape
*Grazing cattle produce milk and leather (food and gold) to fuel your expansion
*Raid your rivals' pastures and seize their cattle
*Grasslands can become over-grazed. Herd your cattle to greener pastures and compete for choice grazing land

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Features

Pasture Mechanic
There are three pastures on the map. Owning cows grazing in the pastures will provide food and gold (10 food, 5 gold per cow every 30 seconds) based on the capacity of the pasture until the field becomes overgrazed. You will then have to wait to gather new resources. As a result, it is good practice to migrate your cattle to different pastures as they become overgrazed. On Easy, fields take 5 minutes to grow back; Medium: 7.5 minutes; Hard: 10 minutes.

*Ardan's Glade (old tree, near Mag Sered Hillfort): Named for Ardan's Tree, an old and weathered husk, and not for Ardan, the small glade provides grazing for up to five cows. (Overgrazed after 2000 food)

*Fergal's Field (stone cross, near River Boyne ford): The remnants of an ancient abbey rumored to have been built by St. Finnian. Only a solitary stone cross betrays the site's heritage. Capable of providing grazing for up to eight cows. (Overgrazed after 3000 food)

*Ráth Chairn Pasture (statue, near Ráth Chairn): Rich grazing land protected by the hillfort at Ráth Chairn, this pasture provides grazing for up to twenty cows. (Overgrazed after 5000 food)

Factions
You can select one of four factions to support Domnall at game start. Each faction provides different starting units, different technologies researched, and a stream of units every 5 minutes after establishing a town:

*Hill Raiders of the Sperrins: Woad Raiders, infantry armor, tracking
*Horsemen of the Chill Dara: Tarkans, cavalry armor, husbandry
*Bowmen of the Tír Eoghain: Longbowmen, archer armor/attack, ballistics
*Axemen of Killeglan: Throwing Axemen, infantry armor, economic techs
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Story Excerpt

As the chilled fingers of an Irish Sea breeze swept across his weathered face, Domnall Mac Murchada, king of Mide, stood upon the bloodied hill he conquered before a silent host of petty kings and retainers; men who were little more than bandits and raiders with prestigious titles of nobility earned through the blood and sweat of many wild and triumphant cattle raids. The wind carried the sound of trumpet blasts as an army of the warlike High King Áed Allán marched against this newly bloodied hillfort at Mag Sered. The High King's host had already seized the village of Ceannanas, mighty as it was, for in its ranks included the kings of the Airgíalla, a federation of tribes whose origins dated back centuries.

The perilous sisters of pride and righteous retribution had brought Domnall here to this patchy hillock. The treacherous High King's rule had rift the island into conflict and his strangulation of Conaing, king of Brega, had brought personal retribution to the mind of Domnall. A pious man who could list the litany of deeds and miracles of the Twelves Apostles of Ireland and who held Saint Columba as his personal patron, Domnall knew his cause was just and therefore ordained. He would slay Áed Allán and seize the Hill of Tara, seat of the High Kings of Ireland. There, he would stand before the Lia Fáil, the Stone of Destiny, and receive his divine reward: the crown of the High King.

Grasping his axe, Domnall whispered a prayer as the wind and trumpets bellowed the arrival of bloodshed.