Starting Realms

Pick your rung and begin. Each start is a playable package: pops, holdings, treasury, an army, an open thread and a goal. Your sovereign begins at Renown level 1 with one Leader Path opened (see Your Sovereign).

Knight of the Ford (Knight)

• Village at the ford: 8 pop (6 yeomen, 2 laborers), local Stability 5, unrest 10, 8 Food stored.
• Holdings: Tower T1, Farm T1. Defense 1.
• Army: 1 levy company (militia), Power 0.5.
• Treasury 2,000 gp. Authority 3. Legitimacy 50. Realm Stability 5.
• Thread: the miller's disputed charter, at 2 (a Trial is ready to file).
• Goal: a second company by season 3.
• Projection: tax about 1,740 gp + farm 200 gp; upkeep about 325 gp → net about +1,600 per season, about 8,400 gp after four seasons, pop 8.3.

Baron of Millfield (Baron)

• Town of Millfield: 25 pop (2 burghers, 13 yeomen, 9 laborers, 1 clergy), local Stability 6. Two villages of 8 pop each.
• Holdings: Keep T1, Market T1, Mill T1 and Farm T1 in Millfield; a Farm T1 in each village. Defense 2.
• Army: 4 men-at-arms + 4 archers (regular), Power 20.
• Treasury 10,000 gp. Authority 5. Legitimacy 55. Officers: Ordinary Marshal and Ordinary Treasurer.
• Thread: the Coin Ledgers intrigue, stage 1 against you.
• Goal: grow Millfield toward city size and open a trade route by season 2.
• Projection: income about 11,000 gp, upkeep about 3,500 gp → net about +7,500 per season. Millfield runs a little short on food; the villages' surplus covers it.

Warden of the Coast (Viscount, naval)

• Port town: 40 pop, Port T1, Shipyard T1, Walls T1, Fishery T1. Defense 3.
• Fleet: 1 warship and 1 cog. Army: 6 men-at-arms + 2 crossbowmen.
• Treasury 20,000 gp. Authority 6. Officers: Ordinary Admiral, Ordinary Chancellor, Ordinary Marshal. A grain pact is already signed.
• Thread: pirates off the cape, at 2.
• Goal: break or buy the pirates by winter.

Dragon Heir (Count, needs the Dragons module)

• City: 60 pop, Castle T1, Roost T1 holding one young dragon. Defense 4.
• Army: 6 men-at-arms, 4 archers, 2 heavy horse.
• Treasury 35,000 gp. Authority 7. A bond with the young dragon is in progress (DC 10).
• Thread: a wild drake burns farms, at 2.
• Goal: bond the drake or drive it off before the year-tick.

Making your own start

Choose a rank, then give it the holdings that rank requires (The Dominion System), a treasury of about one season's typical income, one army sized at about 2 Power per pop of yeomen, and one open thread at 1–2.