Warlords

The games of the series are noted for the strong AI.

The games are set in the fantasy world of Etheria, and tend to be based around the traditional premise of good versus evil, with neutrality in between. Heroes on the side of good are the Sirian Knights, the mercantile Empires of Men, the elves and the dwarves. On the side of evil are the demonic horsemen: the Lord of Plague, the Lord of Famine, the Lord of War, and the ever present Lord Bane, Lord of Death.

The politics of the world, however, are more complicated than they first appear, particularly in the third installment of the series. For example, the Minotaurs, who were created as servants for Sartek, the Lord of War, are a neutral race rather than an evil one. Also, the third game opens with the human Empire pillaging and exploiting the newly discovered lands of the peaceful Srrathi snakemen, in an obvious nod to the historical European conquest of the Americas. Most importantly from a player’s point of view, a Hero’s race is not as important in determining their moral alignment as their choice of class. For example, while the Undead are evil as a rule, an Undead Paladin would be treated as good (though such a thing is only possible in the third game, wherein all previous restrictions on race and class combinations have been removed).

Titles:

Warlords (1989)
Warlords II (1993)
Warlords II Deluxe (1995)
Warlords III (1997)
Warlords III: Dark Lords Rising (1998)
Warlords IV: Heroes of Etheria (2003)

Remakes:

FreeLords (2000)
Warlords II for Windows Mobile (2003)
Warbarons (2009)
Warlords Classic (2010)
LordsAWar (2011)