Majesty 2 Preview

Paradox Interactive's upcoming Majesty sequel is the subject of a fairly brief preview over at Hooked Gamers.
Once recruited, heroes are no longer under your direct control. They may stroll off to seek adventure or be enticed by local building owners to stay and defend their turf. Fortunately you have tools to do some of your own enticing. As ruler, you set reward flags to convey your wishes to the heroes in your empire. Flags can be set to attack, defend or stay clear of a particular area. By adding a reward to a flag, your heroes will start to respond, but only if they feel that the amount is worth their while. If you have no money, you can forget about attacking your enemies, but fortunately heroes will auto defend your settlement if it is under attack and they are near enough to respond. At first you may not feel all that in control, but once you are used to the idea of '˜free will' for your heroes, it is a very refreshing way to play a strategy game.

Heroes go up in level, gaining new tricks that are useful in combat. But even the strongest, most experienced adventurers are no match for some of the more fearsome foes that you will encounter. The local pub is a good place for them to meet up, gather some Dutch courage and go out raiding in big parties.