Stronghold

Stronghold is a Real-time Strategy released for the PC in 2001. It was developed by Firefly Studios, and published by Take 2 Interactive and God Games. The premise of the game is the construction and management of a viable strongholds and villages.

The game is set during the Middle Ages in England and Wales, and takes place at various intervals between the 11th (1000s) and the 15th (1400s) centuries.

It was followed by Stronghold: Crusader, and Stronghold 2.

Game modes[ | ]

Combat based games[ | ]

Military Campaign

The Military Campaign takes place over 21 missions.

Siege
Invasion
Multiplayer game

Economic based games[ | ]

Economics campaign
Economics mission
Free build

Popularity[ | ]

Taxation[ | ]

Other than getting gold by selling goods in the marketplace, funds can be raised to pay for various buildings and military units by taxing the population. The level of taxes can range from extremely high taxes, to no taxes, and inveresly; bribes can be given back to the population, all of this will have some effect your popularity.

Taxation structure

Generous bribe
Large bribe
Small bribe
No taxes
Low taxes
Average taxes
High taxes
Mean taxes
Extortionate taxes
Downright cruel taxes

Rations[ | ]

Rations can be set at the granary at various amounts from; no rations to a gift of double rations, changing this will have an effect on your popularity with your peasents, in either a positive or negative light. As well as setting how much rations are distributed, you can chose to restrict various types of food that is consumed, this is useful when playing missions that require you to attain a certain amount of particular types of food.

Rations structure

No Rations
Half Rations
Full Rations
Extra Rations
Double Rations

Buildings[ | ]

Castle Buildings[ | ]

Keep - The Keep is the primary building of the stronghold, it is the first building that needs to be constructed, in order to allow the automatic construction of a stockpile.
- Saxon Hall
- Wooden Keep
- Stone Keep
- Fortress
- Stronghold
Barracks - The Barracks allows the training of various military units, provided enough gold and peasents are available, and the weapons and armour needed are in the Armoury. The barracks come as either a wooden or stone building.
- Wood Barracks
- Stone Barracks
Armoury - The Armoury is where peasents who work in weapon buildings take their finished products, or where weapons purchased via the marketplace are put. When a military unit is created by using the barracks, the according weapons and/or armour is removed from the armoury.
Wooden Wall
Wooden Gatehouse
Stone Wall
Crenellated Wall
Wall Stairs
Stone Gatehouse
- Small Stone Gatehouse
- Large Stone Gatehouse
Drawbridge
Caged War Dogs
Moat
Engineer's Guild
Tunneler's Guild
Killing Pit
Pitch Ditch
Brazier
Oil Smelter
Stables
Towers
- Wooden Platform
- Perimeter Turret - Square stone perimeter turret tower, has 1,000 hit points.
- Defense Turret - Square stone defense turret tower, has 1,200 hit points.
- Square Tower - Square stone tower, has 1,600 hit points, able to house Ballistae and Mangonel.
- Round Tower - Square stone tower, has 1,600 hit points, able to house Ballistae and Mangonel.

Industry Buildings[ | ]

Stockpile
Woodcutter's Hut
Quarry
Ox Tether
Iron Mine
Pitch Rig
Marketplace

Farm Buildings[ | ]

Farm Buildings are buildings used in the acquisition of the various food stuffs needed to run your stronghold, some of the food created by these buildings can be taken straight to the granary for consumption, but others require the use of some of the food processing buildings. The various farm buildings, their operation, and products are:

Hunter's Post - The Hunter's Post provides a peasent with a hunting dog and a bow and arrows and allows them to go out to hunt the deer roaming the nearby area. The killed deer are returned to the post, strung up, and prepped by the hunter, before being taken to the granary for consumption.
Dairy Farm - The Dairy Farm provides are area for three cows to graze, the dairy farmer will milk the cows in order to produce cheese, which is then taken to the granary for consumption. The Tanner who works to produce leather armour will take cows from dairy farms and kill them, in order to aqquire the rawhide needed for the leather armour. Cows can occasionally be struck down by a strange malody, which makes them produce no milk.
Wheat Farm - The Wheat Farm enables the growth of wheat needed for the baking process, the farmer grows the wheat, harvests it and takes it to the stockpile; from there a Mill and a Bakery are needed to produce bread for consumption. Wheat farms can be damaged by large numbers of rabbits.
Hops Farm - The Hops Farm enabales the growth of hops needed for the distilling process, the farmer grows the hops, gathers them and takes them to the stockpile; from there a Brewery is needed to produce barrels of ale, and a Inn is needed to distribute the ale to the community. Hopweevil can sometimes occur which ruins the production of the hops.
Orchard - The Orchard is an apple orchard, the farmer grows the apples, gathers them and takes them to the granary for consumption.

Town Buildings[ | ]

Hovel
Chapel
Church
Cathedral
Apothecary
Well

Bad Things[ | ]

Gallows
Cesspit
Stocks
Heads on Spike
Burning Stake
Dungeon
Stretching Rack
Gibbet
Chopping Block
Dunking Stool

Good Things[ | ]

Maypole
Dancing Bear
Communal Garden
Town Garden
Statue
Shrine
Small Pond
Large Pond
Flag

Food Processing Buildings[ | ]

Granary - The Granary is where all food products either produced or bought via the marketplace are put. How many rations are distributed to the people can be set by using this building. Occasionally thieves will steal food from the granary. No other buildings can be built until the granary is in place. Each granary can hold 250 units of food, additional granaries can be built adjacent to the original granary.
Bakery - The Bakery takes the flour that has been produced from the ground wheat at the Mill, from the stockpile.
Mill - The Mill is a windmill which grinds the wheat that has been grown on the Wheat Farm into flour, which is placed on the stockpile ready to be used by the Bakery.
Brewery - The Brewery takes the gathered hops from the Hops Farm and converts it into barrels of ale which are taken to stockpile, ready to be used by the Inn.
Inn - The Inn distributes the ale that is produced by the Brewery. Due to the ale a local drunkard will appear in the village who staggers around the stronghold.

Weapon Buildings[ | ]

Weapon Buildings are buildings that construct various weaponry and armour, to allow you to either sell via the market, or to equip your own armed forces, the peasents who work in these buildings will first go to the stockpile to collect their needed raw materials, return to their building, produce the item, and take it to the armoury; for sale or use. The various weapon buildings and their products are:

Fletcher's Workshop - (Produces bows, and crossbows, requires wood)
Poleturner's Workshop - (Produces spears, and pikes, requires wood)
Blacksmith's Workshop - (Produces maces, and swords, requires iron)
Tanner's Workshop - (Produces leather armour, requires dairy farm)
Armourer's Workshop - (Produces metal armour, requires iron)

Military Units[ | ]

Archers - (Requires bow)
Spearmen (Requires spear)
Macemen - (Requires mace, leather armour)
Crossbowmen - (Requires crossbow, leather armour)
Pikemen - (Requires pike, metal armour)
Swordsmen - (Requires sword, metal armour)
Knight - (Requires sword, metal armour, horse)
Engineers - Engineers produce and man various siege units, and can man Oil smelter to allow pouring of boiling oil for defence. They speak with a Scottish accent, and cost 30 gold to train.
Tunnelers - Tunnelers dig tunnels to destroy the walls of enemies strongholds. They speak with a Welsh accent, and cost 30 gold to train.
Laddermen - Laddermen are used to allow other military units to scale enemies walls. They speak with an English accent, and cost 4 gold to train.
Black Monks

Siege Units[ | ]

Catapult - Costs 150 gold, requires two engineers to man
Portable Shield - Costs 5 gold, requires one engineers to man
Ballistae - Costs 50 gold, requires two engineers to man*
Battering Ram - Costs 150 gold, requires four engineers to man
Siege Tower - Costs 150 gold, requires four engineers to man
Mangonel - Costs 50 gold, requires two engineers to man*
Trebuchet - Costs 150 gold, requires three engineers to man

(*) - Cannot be built by engineers must be built in stronghold menu for use on Square and Round towers.