"Ten great war-chariots lead the vanguard." — Shijing (Classic of Poetry)

Yuanrong: Princeps Militum is a 2D turn-based tactical RPG. Choose a cultural origin, lead a company across a generated continent, visit settlements, take contracts, recruit and organize troops, and deploy on hex-grid battlefields.

Mountains and rivers differ, recruitment stocks vary, battlefields hold unique conditions, and victories and defeats leave ripples. Your path, your soldiers, and your army are forged through every march and battle.

Landscapes shaped by seeds

Every new game generates a continent from a seed. Coastlines, mountains, lakes, passes, regions, and settlements appear anew, altering marching routes with the terrain.

Travel, scout, pursue enemies, and visit towns on the strategic map. Shortcuts may lead through dangerous terrain, while detours cost time and rations; survey the land before deciding your route.

Diverse cultures, distinct doctrines

Central Plains, Steppe, West, and Desert cultures feature unique troops, formation templates, and tactics. Central Plains favor mutually supporting lines; Steppe relies on horse archery and swift charges; West uses shield lines and heavy armor to break enemy lines; Desert combines protective formations, ranged pressure, and fire attacks.

Culture is not mere cosmetics. Recruits, available formations, enemy composition, and tactical tendencies all stem from their origin.

Settlements have their purposes

Settlements are places to rest during travels. Enter towns to visit taverns, markets, recruitment offices, and notice boards to buy supplies, hire personnel, and take local contracts.

Each settlement varies in culture, size, recruitment stock, market goods, and available contracts. As renown grows, you can accept lord commissions, access higher-tier market goods, and qualify to recruit talented staff.

Battlefields are never identical.

Upon engaging enemies on the strategic map, a hex-grid tactical map is generated based on location and seed. Plains, forests, swamps, hills, and wastes feature unique layouts, while elevation and obstacles vary per battlefield.

High ground favors ranged attacks; attacking uphill faces disadvantages. Narrow areas restrict deployment, and pathways can be contested. The same formation requires different positioning when fighting in new terrain.

Troops stem from their lands; recruitment is not infinite.

Each settlement produces different troops, recruitment costs, and stocks. Central Plains cities do not sell Steppe riders, and border villages may not always have elite recruits available.

New recruits can join existing formations or be held in reserve. Battle losses do not replenish automatically, and stocks can run out. You must decide which troops you lack, where to recruit them, and whether to detour.

Every battle brings both gains and losses.

Post-battle reports list prize gold, renown, fallen soldiers, wounded, and battlefield loot. Gains join your forces, and losses are not erased by victory; incomplete formations must still return to towns to replenish.

Renown is no empty name. It determines available contracts, recruitable staff, visible market goods, and formations. As renown increases, officer slots, NCO slots, and deployable units expand.

Troops have ranks, leaders have order.

The formation system integrates commanders, officers, NCOs, soldiers, and reserves. The commander rules above, officers coordinate multiple parts in the chain of command, NCOs handle specific posts, soldiers fill formation slots, and the rest are held in reserve.

Officers do not command a single formation directly, but coordinate multiple parts through the chain of command. Lacking commanders, officers, NCOs, or soldiers affects organizational readiness and usability; as renown advances, command tiers and deployable scale expand gradually.