Hard to be a King

Hard to be a King (Realm Guardian) is a voxel strategy game set in a fantasy world. You rule a realm, assign work to its people and manage resources while protecting them from starvation and the dead army. You can claim land with banners, build a stronghold and direct the work needed to keep the settlement running.

Shape and manage the land

The terrain is made of voxels, with each type of cube representing a resource. Miners dig cubes to collect those resources, while builders use resources to place new cubes. Banners claim land and expand your realm; most work, including mining and building, can only be done within its borders. Banners also support the population limit.

Direct your people

The king does little physical work. Instead, you rebalance resources and assign tasks by speaking to people, which interrupts their current work. A chamberlain can report to the king and automatically assign tasks to civilians. Builders follow blueprints you design, while miners dig areas you mark.

Peasants sleep when tired if a free bed is available, and lack of sleep reduces their work efficiency. At night, work is less effective. When peasants face danger, they run to a safe area you designate. You can assign people to these professions:

• Chamberlain: report to the king and automatically assign tasks to civilians.
• Builder: construct blueprints designed by the king.
• Chopper: cut down trees and carry logs to storage.
• Craftsman: craft items.
• Forager: gather food and small items such as cobblestone from the forest.
• Hunter: hunt animals and loot their bodies.
• Miner: dig areas marked by the king.
• Smith: forge metal items.
• Tailor: turn cotton into more complex items.
• Chef: produce processed food.
• Farmer: work the land and harvest crops.
• Archer: fight as a ranged soldier.
• Infantry: fight as a melee soldier.

Keep the realm fed

Foraging provides most food early in the game, while farming becomes more important in the middle stage. Chefs prepare food that provides more energy, but food rots over time, so producing dried food is another option.

A changing ecosystem

Plants grow slowly and form the base of the food chain. Hungry deer eat plants, and wolves also need food; either can starve if they cannot find enough. If people kill all the wolves and protect the deer, the deer can eat all the plants and eventually starve. Wolves from different packs may fight over a water source. The sun rises and sets each day, and deer are more active during daylight.