01 / Find your starting point
On your first visit, the start screen lets you choose a mode, era, scenario, and other settings. Select a faction as a ruler or a home city as a merchant. On a return visit, the game restores your autosave in the same browser.
Not sure where to begin? Try 196 CE, “Welcoming Emperor Xian.” As a ruler, begin by setting city policies and assigning officials to get a feel for government.
Explore all 34 scenarios02 / Pause and get to know your cities
Select a city to inspect its garrison, public loyalty, training, walls, and policy. Use the map’s region controls and zoom to locate your own cities and the powers around them.
When you are ready, advance time. Pause again whenever you want to plan. “Advance 10 days” works while paused and is useful for observing development and deliveries. On mobile, expand the map controls to find the additional options.
03 / Grow a realm as a ruler
Agriculture supports provisions; commerce brings gold; recruitment and training build military strength. Give cities different roles as you watch your income and food balance.
People have different aptitudes. Assign offices in “Court & appointments” to support government and the military. Before marching, check training, commanders, supplies, and your route as well as troop numbers. Consider diplomacy when choosing your next objective.
04 / Make your first trade
Choose an origin, a good, and a destination. Compare purchase costs, freight, tolls, and expected profit. Costs are paid at departure, while the sale price is set on arrival, so the estimated return is not guaranteed.
You can run up to three caravans at once. Open a branch for 2,000 gold in a city you have delivered to. Your goal is to hold five locations, including your home, and 50,000 cash at the same time within 3,600 days. Small trades offer a way to rebuild funds: 400 gold every 30 days.
05 / When the road closes
A war can close a border or road and halt your caravan. Check its status in the trade panel. Wait for the route to reopen or, when the caravan is in a city, consider a passable detour. Rerouting may add costs.
Returning recovers the purchase price, but not the freight. In merchant mode, kingdoms govern and fight automatically. Even if your home kingdom falls, your game continues.
06 / Save your progress and take it with you
Autosaves live in this browser’s storage. Before clearing browser data or changing devices, export a save file or make a manual cloud save from “Saves & settings.”
Keep the cloud recovery key so you can enter it on another device and resume from that saved point. Store the key safely and do not share it publicly. Language settings are separate from saves, so you can switch between all four languages during play.