First Orders
The shore is bare, the coffers are thin, and the harbor stands empty. Every great domain in the archipelago started exactly here. What follows is the collected wisdom of those who built theirs into something worth remembering.
The Priority List
Only one structure can be built at a time, so order matters. Experienced Governors follow this sequence:
- Raise the mines — Gold Mine first, then Stone Quarry and Lumber Mill. Nothing happens without resources.
- Upgrade the Main House to Level 2 — Speeds up all construction and unlocks the Barracks, Housing, and Stone Wall.
- Build a Storehouse — Without one, surplus resources are wasted and stockpiles are easy plunder.
- Erect Housing — Every soldier needs a roof. No population, no garrison.
- Establish a Farm — A growing population needs provisions.
- Open the Barracks — Muster the first troops. Stone Throwers are cheap and reliable early defenders.
What Comes Next
- Keep the mines climbing — a Level 5 mine dwarfs a Level 2.
- Main House to Level 3 — unlocks the Laboratory and the Watch Tower.
- Main House to Level 4 — unlocks the School for settlement stability.
- Found a Laboratory — research is slow, but the gains are permanent. Start early.
- Raise Stone Walls — strengthens every defender on the island.
- Train better troops — once Spear research is done, Spearfighters replace Stone Throwers as the garrison backbone.
Sanctuary
Every newly appointed Governor arrives under the protection of the Council. For the first 72 hours after joining a world, a settlement cannot be attacked, raided, colonised, or spied upon — and no foreign Governor may send scouts to its shores.
Sanctuary is a shield, not a cage. Governors may still build, trade, form alliances, and explore freely while it holds. However, launching an attack or spy mission against another Governor forfeits the shield immediately — the Council considers aggression a waiver of protection.
Good to Know
Mines and farms produce even while the Governor is away — but once stores are full, production halts. Keep the Storehouse ahead of the mines.
The world chart shows every island in the archipelago — scout it for rich, unclaimed land when expansion calls. A Governor's score rewards grand structures and deep research over cheap soldiers — build wisely. The island prestige ledger is a quick measure of how far a settlement has truly advanced.
