The Glory of Kings
Encyclopedia
The Glory of Kings is an award-winning play-by-mail game recreation of the real world of the 18th century, run by Agema Publicationshttp://www.agema.org.uk/. Players take part as one of the leading figures of the time, who can range from King Louis XIV, the Sun King of France, down to the likes of the infamous pirate Blackbeard
terrorising the West Indies. Established in 1989 The Glory of Kings is notable for the length of its games, with some games now running for nearly twenty years and for its depth of historical atmosphere and accuracy.
The game is an example of counterfactual history, allowing players to play out historical questions such as for example, What if England had remained neutral in the War of the Spanish Succession
?
A forum has been established for players who wish to discuss the game in more detail and a community wiki has also been established to provide information for old and new players alike
Wars are fought on land and sea, and players command armies based initially on the armies of the period of the War of the Spanish Succession
. The armies and their tactics develop over time as players introduce new tactics and inventions such as Carronade
Frigates. Players can decide whether they want to focus on building up power by peaceful development and trade or military conquest.
to help them construct Vauban-style Star fort
or Sir Isaac Newton to help make technological advances.
Trade and Economic Health
Each state has an Economic Health (EH) score related to how successfully its economy is growing. Players can attempt to stimulate EH by making trade investments in historically productive areas (for example sugar refining in the West Indies).
Some player positions are expected to be played independently (for example the Kingdom of Spain) and others like the positions in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
or the Ottoman Empire
are expected to benefit from co-operation with other players who are directly linked by constitution or by a single sovereign (such as the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire). However whether or not players ultimately choose to co-operate is a matter for them.
Blackbeard
Edward Teach , better known as Blackbeard, was a notorious English pirate who operated around the West Indies and the eastern coast of the American colonies....
terrorising the West Indies. Established in 1989 The Glory of Kings is notable for the length of its games, with some games now running for nearly twenty years and for its depth of historical atmosphere and accuracy.
The game is an example of counterfactual history, allowing players to play out historical questions such as for example, What if England had remained neutral in the War of the Spanish Succession
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was fought among several European powers, including a divided Spain, over the possible unification of the Kingdoms of Spain and France under one Bourbon monarch. As France and Spain were among the most powerful states of Europe, such a unification would have...
?
A forum has been established for players who wish to discuss the game in more detail and a community wiki has also been established to provide information for old and new players alike
Gameplay
Each turn players supply written orders to the referee (known as Agema) including troop movements and dispositions, state expenditure and diplomatic activity. Players write letters to each other on behalf of their characters. These actions are bound only by historical reality, which means that the game is enormously rich in detail. In turn the referee provides players with an in-game newsletter which outlines the known activities of all players and provides a forum, as an in-game newspaper, by which players can make public statements.Wars are fought on land and sea, and players command armies based initially on the armies of the period of the War of the Spanish Succession
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was fought among several European powers, including a divided Spain, over the possible unification of the Kingdoms of Spain and France under one Bourbon monarch. As France and Spain were among the most powerful states of Europe, such a unification would have...
. The armies and their tactics develop over time as players introduce new tactics and inventions such as Carronade
Carronade
The carronade was a short smoothbore, cast iron cannon, developed for the Royal Navy by the Carron Company, an ironworks in Falkirk, Scotland, UK. It was used from the 1770s to the 1850s. Its main function was to serve as a powerful, short-range anti-ship and anti-crew weapon...
Frigates. Players can decide whether they want to focus on building up power by peaceful development and trade or military conquest.
Historical Accuracy
The game is rich in detail and historical accuracy and players are rewarded by playing "in character" and often play historical characters such as King Charles II of Spain. Players can employ VaubanVauban
Sébastien Le Prestre, Seigneur de Vauban and later Marquis de Vauban , commonly referred to as Vauban, was a Marshal of France and the foremost military engineer of his age, famed for his skill in both designing fortifications and breaking through them...
to help them construct Vauban-style Star fort
Star fort
A star fort, or trace italienne, is a fortification in the style that evolved during the age of gunpowder, when cannon came to dominate the battlefield, and was first seen in the mid-15th century in Italy....
or Sir Isaac Newton to help make technological advances.
Trade and Economic Health
Each state has an Economic Health (EH) score related to how successfully its economy is growing. Players can attempt to stimulate EH by making trade investments in historically productive areas (for example sugar refining in the West Indies).
Main Player Positions
Hundreds of player positions are available and the main positions include:- The King of England
- The United Provinces (Dutch RepublicDutch RepublicThe Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
) - The King of France
- The King of Spain
- The Papal StatesPapal StatesThe Papal State, State of the Church, or Pontifical States were among the major historical states of Italy from roughly the 6th century until the Italian peninsula was unified in 1861 by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia .The Papal States comprised territories under...
- The Tsar of Russia
- The Holy Roman EmperorHoly Roman EmperorThe Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
(in 1700 starts as Hapsburg Austria) - The Principality of Brandenburg-PrussiaBrandenburg-PrussiaBrandenburg-Prussia is the historiographic denomination for the Early Modern realm of the Brandenburgian Hohenzollerns between 1618 and 1701. Based in the Electorate of Brandenburg, the main branch of the Hohenzollern intermarried with the branch ruling the Duchy of Prussia, and secured succession...
- Swedish EmpireSwedish EmpireThe Swedish Empire refers to the Kingdom of Sweden between 1561 and 1721 . During this time, Sweden was one of the great European powers. In Swedish, the period is called Stormaktstiden, literally meaning "the Great Power Era"...
- Kingdom of DenmarkDenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
- Kingdom of PortugalPortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
- Republic of GenoaRepublic of GenoaThe Most Serene Republic of Genoa |Ligurian]]: Repúbrica de Zêna) was an independent state from 1005 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast, as well as Corsica from 1347 to 1768, and numerous other territories throughout the Mediterranean....
& St. George - Republic of VeniceRepublic of VeniceThe Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
& St. Mark - The Grand Duchy of Tuscany
- The Swiss Cantons
- The Electorate of Hanover (Brunswick-LuneburgBrunswick-LüneburgThe Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg , or more properly Duchy of Brunswick and Lüneburg, was an historical ducal state from the late Middle Ages until the late Early Modern era within the North-Western domains of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, in what is now northern Germany...
)
- The Duke of Brunswick (Most closely related to the Principality of Brunswick-WolfenbüttelPrincipality of Brunswick-WolfenbüttelThe Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was a subdivision of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg, whose history was characterised by numerous divisions and reunifications. Various dynastic lines of the House of Welf ruled Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel until the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806...
but misnamed in the game as Brunswick-Luneburg) - The Electorate of BavariaElectorate of BavariaThe Electorate of Bavaria was an independent hereditary electorate of the Holy Roman Empire from 1623 to 1806, when it was succeeded by the Kingdom of Bavaria....
- The Electorate of SaxonyElectorate of SaxonyThe Electorate of Saxony , sometimes referred to as Upper Saxony, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire. It was established when Emperor Charles IV raised the Ascanian duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg to the status of an Electorate by the Golden Bull of 1356...
- The Landgraviate of Hesse-KasselHesse-KasselThe Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel or Hesse-Cassel was a state in the Holy Roman Empire under Imperial immediacy that came into existence when the Landgraviate of Hesse was divided in 1567 upon the death of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse. His eldest son William IV inherited the northern half and the...
- The Landgraviate of Hesse-DarmstadtLandgraviate of Hesse-DarmstadtThe Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt was a member state of the Holy Roman Empire. It was formed in 1567 following the division of the Landgraviate of Hesse between the four sons of Philip I, the last Landgrave of Hesse....
- The Duchy of Wurtemburg
- Lorraine (duchy)
- Crown of the Kingdom of Poland (Polish-Lithuanian CommonwealthPolish-Lithuanian CommonwealthThe Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
) - Grand Duchy of LithuaniaGrand Duchy of LithuaniaThe Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state from the 12th /13th century until 1569 and then as a constituent part of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth until 1791 when Constitution of May 3, 1791 abolished it in favor of unitary state. It was founded by the Lithuanians, one of the polytheistic...
(Polish-Lithuanian CommonwealthPolish-Lithuanian CommonwealthThe Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
) - Polish Ukraine (Polish-Lithuanian CommonwealthPolish-Lithuanian CommonwealthThe Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
) - Duchy of Courland (Polish-Lithuanian CommonwealthPolish-Lithuanian CommonwealthThe Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
) - Khanate of the Crimean Tartars
- Shahdom of Persia (Safavid dynastySafavid dynastyThe Safavid dynasty was one of the most significant ruling dynasties of Iran. They ruled one of the greatest Persian empires since the Muslim conquest of Persia and established the Twelver school of Shi'a Islam as the official religion of their empire, marking one of the most important turning...
) - Sultanate of Oman
- The Kingdom of ScotlandKingdom of ScotlandThe Kingdom of Scotland was a Sovereign state in North-West Europe that existed from 843 until 1707. It occupied the northern third of the island of Great Britain and shared a land border to the south with the Kingdom of England...
- The Prince-Bishopric of Münster often combined as a player position with the Duchy of Bremen-VerdenBremen-VerdenBremen-Verden, formally the Duchies of Bremen and Verden , were two territories and immediate fiefs of the Holy Roman Empire, which emerged and gained Imperial immediacy in 1180...
- The Prince-Bishopric of Liège combined with the Electorate of Cologne
- Sharif of Hejaz
- Moghul India
- The Ottoman EmpireOttoman EmpireThe Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
(split into 4 different positions, Sultanate, Syria, Ottoman Egypt and RumeliaRumeliaRumelia was an historical region comprising the territories of the Ottoman Empire in Europe...
) - The MaharatasMaharajaMahārāja is a Sanskrit title for a "great king" or "high king". The female equivalent title Maharani denotes either the wife of a Maharaja or, in states where that was customary, a woman ruling in her own right. The widow of a Maharaja is known as a Rajamata...
- The Rajputs
- Gujerat
- AfghansAfghanistanAfghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
- The Asante Union
- Kingdom of the RozwiRozwi EmpireThe Rozwi Empire or Lozwi Empire was established on the Zimbabwean Plateau by Changamire Dombo.-History:In 1693, Portuguese militia tried to take control of the gold trade in the interior of sub-saharan Africa by invading the Rozwi empire...
- Empire of the Abyssinians (Solomonic dynastySolomonic dynastyThe Solomonic dynasty is the Imperial House of Abyssinia. Its members claim lineal descent from King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, the latter of whom tradition asserts gave birth to the first King Menelik I after her Biblically described visit to Solomon in Jerusalem .-Overview:The dynasty, a...
) - Kingdom of Burma
- Kingdom of SiamAyutthaya kingdomAyutthaya was a Siamese kingdom that existed from 1350 to 1767. Ayutthaya was friendly towards foreign traders, including the Chinese, Vietnamese , Indians, Japanese and Persians, and later the Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch and French, permitting them to set up villages outside the walls of the...
- Shansi province (ChinaQing DynastyThe Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
) - Kwantung province (ChinaQing DynastyThe Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
) - Shantung province (ChinaQing DynastyThe Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
) - The Archbishopric of MainzArchbishopric of MainzThe Archbishopric of Mainz or Electorate of Mainz was an influential ecclesiastic and secular prince-bishopric in the Holy Roman Empire between 780–82 and 1802. In the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy, the Archbishop of Mainz was the primas Germaniae, the substitute of the Pope north of the Alps...
and the Electorate of Trier
- Kingdom of KoreaJoseon DynastyJoseon , was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul...
(ChinaQing DynastyThe Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
) - Manchuria province (ChinaQing DynastyThe Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
) - Shogunate of Imperial JapanEdo periodThe , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
- WakoWokouWokou , which literally translates as "Japanese pirates" in English, were pirates of varying origins who raided the coastlines of China and Korea from the 13th century onwards...
Japanese pirates - Madagascan pirates
- BlackbeardBlackbeardEdward Teach , better known as Blackbeard, was a notorious English pirate who operated around the West Indies and the eastern coast of the American colonies....
(West Indies pirate) - William KiddWilliam KiddWilliam "Captain" Kidd was a Scottish sailor remembered for his trial and execution for piracy after returning from a voyage to the Indian Ocean. Some modern historians deem his piratical reputation unjust, as there is evidence that Kidd acted only as a privateer...
(West Indies pirate) - The JacobitesJacobitismJacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
(in exile) - The Camisards (Huguenots rebels)
Some player positions are expected to be played independently (for example the Kingdom of Spain) and others like the positions in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
or the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
are expected to benefit from co-operation with other players who are directly linked by constitution or by a single sovereign (such as the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire). However whether or not players ultimately choose to co-operate is a matter for them.