Crossers, Crowns & Cabals is a new MMO developed by the German indie studio Magni Games. The game revolves around economy, building, and politics. Inspirations for the game included titles like Frostpunk and The Guild. In June, the first “Family & Friends” test will start, followed by the Alpha phase. You can now win keys for that.
What kind of game is it? In Crossers, Crowns & Cabals, it’s all about economy, politics, and intrigue. You start as a small trader in a settlement, where other NPCs and families with their own backstories are located. Over time, you work your way up to the position of governor. From there, you can also visually remodel your settlement, ultimately expanding it into an economic empire.
A special feature are the counts in the game:
- These are NPCs who control parts of the game world. There will be 15 settlements per county.
- They provide you with various quests, which could also be unpleasant. Sometimes, you may be required to sabotage other players, but this is purely optional.
- Anyone who completes the task can expect a rich reward. However, those who refrain may see their reputation with their count diminish. This reputation is supposed to represent an important currency in the game.
Besides the counts, there are also other players with whom you can interact and trade. Each settlement also has various resources that are particularly abundant to promote trading. Players can also form guilds to tackle larger quests, which come not from the minor counts but from the great king himself.
Since Crossers, Crowns & Cabals is a strategic MMO, you shouldn’t expect action-packed battles. The missions consist of covert operations such as espionage or sabotage. For this, you mainly navigate through various menus. According to the director Christian Brümmer, these are supposed to be structured much better and offer fewer granular elements than the competition.
This teaser video gives you an initial insight:
When and where will the game be released? The MMO will be released in its own client on Steam, Android, and iOS, allowing cross-platform play. A console version is also not ruled out.
The release is scheduled for 2024, but there is no specific date yet. Prior to that, there will be alpha and beta tests.
How is the game financed? The MMO is set to be released as a Free2Play title and will be financed through cosmetics in a shop. For example, players can purchase different designs for buildings or their own coats of arms. Pay2Win will be avoided.
Alpha is likely starting this summer, but you need to feed the game with ideas
What do we know about the Alpha? On June 1, 2023, the “Family & Friends” Alpha will begin. Only a small circle of selected players will be allowed to participate. The test results should be evaluated by at least mid-July before it officially enters the first Alpha phase.
There is no exact date for the first Alpha yet, but the developers are clearly aiming for this summer.
However, you now have the opportunity to win Alpha keys. For that, you should send the developers designs for various game contents:
- There are three projects you can comment on. All of them deal with the “poor buildings” – namely blacksmith, dive bar, tavern, and residential buildings. The only requirements are that they should take into account the style and possibilities of the 15th century.
- For the first contest, you should write a text on how the basic architecture of the buildings should look.
- In the second contest, you should make design suggestions on how certain details could look, such as the furnishings.
- The third contest wants proposals for the “Living Environment”, that is, what exactly happens in the buildings.
However, you do not have to become graphically active yourself, but should write a text. The developers have also provided an example:
Design proposal for church: The church in Crossers, Crowns & Cabals in its poor basic design should resemble a small chapel in my opinion. The entrance area should be a round arch. The architectural style of the Renaissance came into play at that time, which is why I see a round arch on the small tower of the chapel, on which a cross is visible at the top. It has open, large, semi-circular windows that reveal the bell. On the sides of the chapel, there are also windows, each 2-3 per side, which are semi-circular on top and square on the bottom. Since the chapel is very poor, it should be made of wood or clay; solid bricks would be too much. The roof should therefore be made of either straw or also of clay.
Every player can participate in all three actions but can only win one key. You can find more details on the Discord server of the game.
Germans love building and economic games, even in multiplayer
What makes the MMORPG interesting for German players? Germans are passionate about building and economic games. Browser games like The Tribes and Grepolis by InnoGames enjoy great popularity and other titles like Anno or The Settlers are also played very intensively.
Our colleagues at GameStar even describe strategy games as a “German genre” (via GameStar). Crossers, Crowns & Cabals is therefore a perfect fit for us.
Are you interested in the idea of the MMO? Or can you not relate to the topic of strategy games at all? Feel free to write it in the comments.
