Our Inspiration for Estate: Raise the Realm

Exhibiting at Origins 2024! 

Four years ago, we set out to create Estate: Raise the Realm. We’ve faced plenty of challenges, but our mission has remained the same: to craft a game with a captivating story.

The gaming world is full of complex, mechanic-heavy games. We enjoy those too, but they often need the right group of players with the right amount of time to play the game. Our goal was to balance complexity with universality, and that’s what inspired Estate: Raise The Realm. Here are three key factors that guided us:

Building A Deep Narrative Story

Estate: Raise The Realm is the beginning of a story-driven trilogy. It introduces players to the world of Estate, where each leader has a unique backstory related to ending the Great War. Players get to shape their estate’s future by deciding what to build and which track to pursue — whether it’s a powerful court, a rally of common folk, or rich resources. As players dive deeper into the trilogy, the story and gameplay evolves.

Creating a Gateway Euro Game 

We’ve worked hard to make a game that’s both simple and rich in strategy. You start with four basic actions, making it easy to pick up. The challenge lies in deciding how to make the most out of each action and balance various victory conditions. This mix of simplicity and depth is what makes the game engaging for players of all levels. 

Endless Replayability

Replayability was crucial for us. The unique player mats are a big part of this. When you choose a leader, you’re not just picking a character—you’re picking a unique estate to rebuild. Each leader comes with special abilities, starting cards, and a different strategy to explore, offering a fresh experience each time you play.

These elements are designed to keep the game interesting and replayable, blending simplicity with complexity in a way that invites discovery. 

This game is our love letter to the industry, and we hope you enjoy playing it as much as we enjoyed creating it. <3