Chris Crawford on Game Design

Overall Course of Play

The player would always start the game with too weak an army to engage in any kind of offensive operations. By setting the tax rate low, Arthur could encourage the growth of population in the kingdom, which would ultimately provide a larger tax base. But too much emphasis on long-term growth left the army too small to defend the kingdom. After building the army to a large enough size, Arthur could hazard an attack on one of his weaker enemies; success here opened the door to more victories. All the while, Arthur had to closely monitor the sentiments of his knights, attempting to placate malcontents.

Arthur's toughest job, though, was to figure out the diplomacy of England. Each of the kings had his own diplomatic attitudes; ...