Seven Kingdoms: Ancient Adversaries (7kaa) is an open source real-time strategy game based on the classic Windows game Seven Kingdoms. As always in such games, it's all about building your strong empire and defeating others, but as you'll see, it's not all about collecting raw materials, producing units and attacking enemy bases, as is the case with most RTSs.

Starting the game, we take command of one of the 10 nations, known from ancient and medieval times, to face up to six other computer-controlled empires. However, people will not be our only opponents, we are also threatened by a monster called the Frythanes, the defeat of which will bring us surprising, magical benefits. However, facing up to it does not mean fighting right away.

As in the real world, war is the last resort of politics, and before it happens, it is better to use economic instruments, diplomacy and espionage. Beginning with one human settlement, from which we obtain our troops and where we impose taxes, we try to take over the surrounding settlements and towns. It can be done by force, but who loves power imposed by fire and sword?

It is much better to offer the cities money, to influence the views of the inhabitants with the actions of spies and to ensure their safety by building a fort nearby with a military garrison - they will join the empire as loyal citizens, and the reputation of the ruler as a wise and just one will only increase. So in Seven Kingdoms - the first economy. By extracting basic raw materials from the mine, we can transform them into finished goods, the goods will be sold at the market.

Thanks to caravans we will earn more when our goods reach distant lands. Ships are even better, carrying goods to overseas ports. With enough money, we can devote ourselves to scientific research, finding a whole arsenal of medieval weapons, including artillery and combat vehicles.

Even if we pursue the most peaceful and friendly policy for other human nations, war cannot be avoided. With the Fryhtans we will not achieve anything with a good word. These inhuman monsters, very different in their form, are not only aggressive, but also love riches, their overcoming will not only enrich us, but will also give us access to magical scrolls, through which we will be able to accustom the Larger Beings - for the Chinese Dragon, for the Greeks Phoenix, and for the Vikings the god Thor himself.

Challenging them gives them a special opportunity in the game, unattainable in any other way. It should be emphasized that this is not a nationalist game, but an imperialist one. We need different nations, because each of them, with its own special units, gives our empire something special, and a well-balanced army of mutually supportive units will always be better than the monolithic power of samurai or Persian archers.

Empires that provide peace between their nations are the strongest in this game. Seven Kingdoms: Ancient Adversaries may not impress anyone today with graphics or sound effects, but in truth it is a game that looks like a game torn out of the 90s, but the unique combination of turn-based strategy ideas and real-time strategy (you can think of this game as a mixture of civilizations, Warlords and Warcraft) and ingenious models of economy, espionage, diplomacy and combat make it a recommended position.

If you get tired of fighting computer opponents, you can always play in the multiplayer mode offered by the game, which supports up to seven human players at the same time.