We’re back with another dev diary for The Guild - Europa 1410! This time, we’re tackling a serious topic: laws, how to break them, and the consequences you might face.

In your medieval city, the lay of the land is dictated by laws and politics. As you progress in society, you’ll notice that influence through politics is the way to elevate your own business and your dynasty’s livelihood. With a bit of coin and power struggles, you, too, may bend the city’s rules to your will. But take caution on your way up: Not every favor you make or action you take is legal, and your rivals are only waiting for you to fall afoul of the law.

With this dev diary, we’re focusing on how crimes and punishment will work. We’ll look into how laws can be enacted and determine crimes, as well as how trials shape the consequences of your actions. Evading the law - or dragging your rivals before a judge - has always been a core part of The Guild, and our game won’t be any different.

Just like in the real Middle Ages, laws in The Guild make life “unnecessarily complicated”. Of course, you’ll have to pay taxes, and the Church will demand its tithe, but you might also find yourself accused of a crime for greasing palms with a “donation” or settling a dispute “the old way” with a duel. To figure out which actions are frowned upon by the law, it would be best to consult the Lawbook.

The Lawbook serves as your go-to for understanding which actions are considered to be crimes, as well as the severity of the various laws which govern your city. If caught breaking the law, the law’s severity reflects the severity of your crime, which in turn dictates the kind of punishment you receive. From trivial crimes, which lead to small fines, to extreme crimes, which can lead to execution, you will need to be careful and weigh your options according to the Lawbook.

Laws are created, changed, and enforced by the people in Office. Various officeholders are in charge of specific laws, though the nature of these laws can vary based on the Office Chamber. For example, officeholders within the Church Authority are more likely to enact laws that reflect upon the townspeople’s morality, such as blackmail, threats, lampoons, and more. On the other hand, officeholders within the Town Council are more concerned with the financial aspects of your city, such as the level of rent prices, the prices of construction within the city, bribery, and more.

While the city's Treasurer is charged with legislation on Inheritance Tax and the Rent Price Level, the Inquisitor's concerns lie with Blackmailing and Kidnapping.

As you aim for your business’s success and your dynasty’s elevation within society, you might need to slip some coin into an officeholder’s pocket to sway their vote and bend the rules in your favor. You may also like to live on the edge and play as the Thief, breaking into your rivals' houses and looking for valuable goods, or kidnap people to extort money from their families. The question is, are you covert enough for your actions to go unseen by the eyes of justice… or your rivals?

As you commit crimes, your rivals are constantly watching, ready to catch any misstep. You can also choose to spy on your rivals, though the cost will depend on how thorough you want your surveillance to be - the more thorough you are, the longer it will take to spy on your rivals, and the more money you will have to spend. If you want to keep your coin, you can also choose to spy on your rival personally, in exchange for spending Energy.

Choose who you would like to spy on from the list of Townspeople.

Decide how thorough you want your spying and investigation to be.

Upon finding incriminating evidence, you can choose to press charges against your rival. Evidence has other uses too: you can blackmail an official for extra privileges, or sell your findings for a hefty sum.

Pressing charges against someone will lead to a trial.

The opportunity to sell evidence may arise!

Should you choose to sell evidence, you will receive money in return.

Eventually, the long arm of the law might catch up with you - wrongly, of course. All accusations against you are either circumstantial evidence or outright fabrications. Before you get the opportunity in court to dismantle these lies, prepare carefully: your eloquence and appearance matter just as much as the facts.

Dress in penitent robes, and the judge might show mercy.

You’ll have plenty of other ways to sway the trial in your favour - from forged documents to mysterious scents that tarnish your rivals’ reputations, or good old-fashioned bribery and blackmail. Just be careful not to dig yourself an even deeper hole!

If convicted, the consequences can be severe. Minor offenses usually mean fines, but serious crimes carry harsher punishments: the pillory, imprisonment, or even execution in the worst cases. 

That’s all for today’s dev diary - thanks for reading! For our next dev diary, we’ll cover the topic of family and founding your dynasty. What aspects of finding your spouse and your future successors are you curious about?