The upcoming Dungeons & Dragons / Magic: The Gathering crossover book Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos covers a lot of ground when it comes to designing an adventure around a mage school. However, after a recent look at some preview pages and a Q&A with its designers, it's clear that what happens between classes (and away from the table) is just as important to each player's story and skillset.

You can check out the excerpts for yourself below, as well as our interview with project leads and Senior D&D Designers Amanda Hamon and James Wyatt about what players and DMs can expect when joining a club or tackling the wizarding equivalent of the semi-annual horror show that is standardized testing. They also expand on what sorts of classes, clubs, tests, and extracurriculars are covered in the text.

IGN: What do exams look like in 'Strixhaven'? We assume wizards-in-training don't just sit at a desk filling out bubbles on fax paper.

Amanda Hamon: The Exam encounters that take place during the Strixhaven book’s adventures are pretty varied, but in general, all of the Exams that happen “on camera” [editor's note: this refers to scenes played out at the D&D table rather than being glossed over as exposition by the Dungeon Master] during each adventure are tied to a single class that plugs into other parts of the adventure in some way. For example, in the freshman-year adventure, the students take Magical Physiologies, and three separate times they are tested on the habits, abilities, and behavior of a special magical creature. Characters can study and recall this knowledge in ways that are described in the book, but once the Exams are resolved, (spoilers!) there’s a good chance that students who did well on the Exam will have an edge when they actually fight one or more of those creatures later on in the book.

IGN: Can you elaborate a bit on how the Studying/Testing phases work mechanically?

AH: Exams consist of a Studying phase and a Testing phase. During the Studying phase, students come up with techniques to help them recall the Exam’s subject details, perform well on the Exam, or whatever else is appropriate. This phase might grant a reroll to the ability checks in the Testing phase. The Testing phase consists of two ability checks related to the subject matter at hand. There’s a lot of roleplaying that can be involved, and the book provides lots of flavor to that extent, but that’s the core mechanic.

IGN: The excerpt refers to "notable and even shocking events" that happen; can you provide any insight on what DMs/players can expect in terms of story? Or is it more about providing DMs/players with new options for their original adventures?

James Wyatt: This book is a notable departure from our past Magic–D&D crossover books (Guildmaster’s Guide to Ravnica and Mythic Odysseys of Theros) in that this is primarily an adventure book rather than a setting book. So yes, the book includes an adventure that will take characters from lowly 1st-level first-years up as high as 10th level by the time they finish four years of study…and lots of excitement and adventure along the way! Of course, there’s plenty of information in the book that DMs can use to craft their own adventures at Strixhaven, but the goal was to provide an adventure set at this magical university which you can drop into any campaign setting.

IGN: Considering the new and expanded mechanics for activities like exams/studying/extracurricular bonuses/etc, does it ever feel like the concept of incorporating a world like this is pushing against the boundaries of what D&D5e offers as a game system?

JW: On the contrary, I think a book like this is an excellent way to demonstrate the breadth of what the D&D system is capable of handling. The game has come a long way from its roots in wargaming, and D&D fans enjoy a tremendous variety of experiences.

IGN: Can you provide any examples of the "minor rules benefits" that come with joining an extracurricular activity? Are they bonuses to the skills associated with each club, or something else?

AH: When a character participates in an Extracurricular activity, there’s a lot happening off-screen—if they’re a member of the Strixhaven Iron-Lifters Society, for example, they’re practicing their weightlifting techniques, learning how to build a strong body, and bonding with fellow lifting enthusiasts, all potentially away from the main action happening at the table. When a character participates in an Extracurricular, they get a Student Die every long rest that gives them a bump to one of two ability checks listed along with their chosen Extracurricular. Additionally, they gain a positive or negative Relationship point with one of their peers who’s also a member of the group to represent the bonding that takes place during these extracurriculars.

IGN: There's a LARP guild, which is an interesting choice given the fairly High Fantasy setting. Are these role-play groups (or maybe an in-world tabletop game) focused on fantasy games as we know them, or perhaps ones that are more mundane, like Houses & Humans or Offices & Bosses?

JW: I love this question, because it reminds me of the cartoon in the first edition Dungeon Master’s Guide that imagined D&D characters playing a “fantasy” RPG called Papers & Paychecks. The thing is, I think people in any world, no matter how magical, would play games revolving around adventure and wonder. In fact, there is an encounter in the adventure where members of the Live-Action Roleplaying Guild are preparing for a game they call “Beholders versus Behirs.”

IGN: The section also mentions “Job Rules.” What sort of after-school jobs do mages get? It's sort of hard to picture a "Boy-Who-Lived" type flipping burgers or pumping gas…

AH: The jobs offered on campus are as diverse as Strixhaven itself, and the book provides a list that’s certainly not exhaustive, but does give lots of options. They include working at the Biblioplex, Bow’s End Tavern, or the Firejolt Cafe, plus general places like on the campus grounds or in the campus magical labs. Actual duties are wide and varied at each location. For example, if you work in the magic labs, you might be a specimen preparer, a cleanup crew member, or a volunteer lab partner.

Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos will release on December 7, 2021 and is available for pre-order on Amazon or at your friendly neighborhood games store. For more D&D geekery, check out what we thought of the latest sourcebook, Fizban's Treasury of Dragons, or our thoughts on the 2021 lineup of WizKids' prepainted D&D minis.

JR is a Senior Producer at IGN, you can follow him on Twitter for more video games and tabletop RPG shenanigans.

With Phase 4 of the MCU currently in full swing, many Marvel fans are wondering what the future holds for the Avengers. More and more, it's beginning to look as though the OG Avengers are being phased out in favor of the Young Avengers. With Marvel's Hawkeye introducing Hailee Steinfeld's Kate Bishop, we're now one step closer to a full Young Avengers lineup in the MCU. Does that mean a Young Avengers movie or series is in the works?

It's clear a new generation of Marvel heroes are rising up to fill the void left by Captain America and Iron Man. But who are the Young Avengers, and what connection do they have to Earth's Mightiest Heroes? Here's everything you need to know about these underage heroes in training. These are the topics we cover:

• Young Avengers Explained: The Basics
• The Young Avengers Team Lineup
• Young Avengers: Origin and Background
• Where Are the Young Avengers in the MCU?

Young Avengers Explained: The Basics

The Marvel Universe is in constant need of protection, but the Avengers aren't always around to save the day. There was a dark period in the Marvel Universe where Earth's Mightiest Heroes officially disbanded. That's what brought the Young Avengers together for the first time. Just like their older namesake, this team assembled to confront a threat too great for any one hero to overcome. And they did so by paying tribute to heroes like Captain America, Hulk and Iron Man.

Even though the adult Avengers have since regrouped, the Young Avengers have still carved a place for themselves in the comics. Recent conflicts have only highlighted the gulf between one generation of heroes and the next, leaving the Young Avengers to fight for humanity on their own terms.

The Young Avengers Team Lineup

While the various members of the Young Avengers have taken up costumed identities that pay tribute to the Avengers, in many cases they don't have any direct ties to those heroes. Here's a breakdown of the major team members:

Iron Lad – This time-travelling teen is responsible for spearheading the original Young Avengers team. He wears an advanced suit of "neurokinetic" armor that superficially resembles Iron Man's. Iron Lad reveals himself to be a younger, more benevolent version of the villain Kang the Conqueror. Though he eventually returns to his time, he leaves behind his armor, which evolves into a new version of the android hero Vision.

Hulkling – Despite his name, Hulkling is actually a shape-shifter and the son of Kree hero Mar-Vell and Skrull princess Annelle. His very existence threatens to restart war between the two empires.

Wiccan and Speed – These twin brothers are the magically created sons of Scarlet Witch. Wiccan is a powerful (though largely untrained) spellcaster like his mother, while Speed takes after his uncle Quicksilver.

Patriot – Eli Bradley is the grandson of Isaiah Bradley, one of the African American soldiers who were used as test subjects to create a new Captain America. Eli leads his teammates to believe he inherited his grandfather's powers, when in truth he resorts to using a dangerous drug called mutant growth hormone.

Hawkeye – Wealthy socialite and gifted archer Kate Bishop takes up the mantle of Hawkeye after Clint Barton's death. After Clint returns, the two Hawkeyes maintain an uneasy coexistence. Learn more about the Kate Bishop Hawkeye here.

Stature – The daughter of Scott Lang, Cassie Lang has inherited his abilities to shrink and grow in size and also command armies of insects. Given her young age, though, her powers are often affected by her emotions.

Other more recent additions to the Young Avengers lineup include interdimensional refugee Miss America Chavez, Kree defector Marvel Boy, mutant super-genius Prodigy and even Loki (who was trapped in the body of a teenager at the time).

Young Avengers: Origin and Background

The Young Avengers were created by Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung, with the original series debuting in April 2005. That series was set after the events of Avengers Disassembled, a story which saw the Avengers torn apart by an attack from an out-of-control Scarlet Witch. Following the Avengers' collapse, Captain America, Iron Man, Jessica Jones and Daily Bugle reporter Kat Farrell uncover the existence of a new team of teen heroes operating in New York. And while these newly minted Young Avengers help stop an attack by Kang the Conqueror, Cap and his friends make it clear they won't tolerate a team of underage, untrained heroes operating under their noses.

Not that this stops the Young Avengers from continuing their mission. The original series lasted for 13 issues, culminating in a major Kree/Skrull conflict as Hulkling learned his true origin as a child of both races.

It would be several years before Marvel published a second volume of Young Avengers, in part because Heinberg's Hollywood commitments made writing a monthly comic difficult. Instead, the Young Avengers appeared in a series of smaller-scale projects, often tied to major Marvel crossovers like Civil War and Secret Invasion. The team also frequently crossed paths with fellow teen superhero group The Runaways during this period. The miniseries Young Avengers Presents helped to flesh out the pasts of several team members.

Heinberg and Cheung finally reunited in 2010 for Avengers: The Children's Crusade. In this story, Wiccan and Speed meet their grandfather, Magneto, and embark on a quest to track down Scarlet Witch and uncover the truth about their origins. Wanda is ultimately redeemed as it's revealed Doctor Doom was responsible for driving her insane and destroying the Avengers in Disassembled.

A second volume of Young Avengers debuted in 2013, this time featuring the talents of Phonogram/The Wicked + The Divine creators Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie. That series added several new members to the team and dealt with conflicts like Loki's inner turmoil and Wiccan confronting his eventual transformation into a villain called Demiurge.

Unfortunately, following the conclusion of that series in 2014, the Young Avengers team has pretty much been on hiatus. However, Kate Bishop has taken on new life as the star of multiple incarnations of Marvel's Hawkeye comic, while Hulking was at the center of 2020's Empyre crossover.

Where Are the Young Avengers in the MCU?

As a full team, the Young Avengers have yet to appear outside of Marvel's comics. But individually, these characters have trickled out into other media. Several members are available as playable characters in games like Marvel Future Fight, Marvel Puzzle Quest, LEGO Marvel's Avengers and LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 and appeared in the animated series Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes.

The MCU doesn't yet have its own version of the Young Avengers, but at this point nearly every one of the founding members have appeared in one form or another. Here's a quick breakdown of what we've seen so far.

Stature – Abby Ryder Fortson played Cassie Lang in both 2015's Ant-Man and 2018's Ant-Man and the Wasp, with Emma Fuhrmann playing an older version of Cassie in 2019's Avengers: Endgame. Cassie will return in 2023's Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, this time played by Kathryn Newton. It's believed she'll have a more significant role in the plot this time, possibly even gaining her Stature powers.

Hawkeye – The Disney+ series Marvel's Hawkeye has introduced Hailee Steinfeld's Kate Bishop, revealing she was inspired to follow Clint Barton's example after he rescued her during the Battle of New York. Kate is the first Young Avenger to actually take a superhero name and suit up in the MCU.

Patriot – The Falcon and the Winter Soldier: Season 1 introduces Elijah Richardson's Eli Bradley and his grandfather, Isaiah (played by Carl Lumbly). Eli hasn't yet taken up the Patriot mantle, but that's a distinct possibility in either a second season or the upcoming Sam Wilson-focused Captain America 4.

Wiccan and Speed – Both of Scarlet Witch's sons debuted in WandaVision, magically growing from infants to teenagers in the span of a few days. Though both characters are seemingly wiped out of existence along with the rest of Wanda's faux-sitcom reality, the series ends with Wanda stealing the Darkhold and searching for a spell that can restore her children to life. That loose end will be followed up in 2022's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Iron Lad – Though initially Jonathan Majors was rumored to make his debut as Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Kang made a surprise early appearance in the final episode of Loki: Season 1 (though he's only referred to as "He Who Remains"). The series teases a long-term conflict involving multiple warring versions of Kang, so it's entirely possible his teenage self will put in an appearance in a future MCU project.

Miss America Chavez – Xochitl Gomez's America Chavez will debut in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, where her dimension-hopping powers will no doubt play a key role in the conflict.

At this point, only Hulking remains out of that original Young Avengers lineup. Could he be debuting in a future Skrull-heavy project like The Marvels or Secret Invasion? And what other teen heroes are coming down the pipeline? Who knows? Maybe Harley Keener — the kid from Iron Man 3 who showed up at Tony Stark's memorial service in Endgame — could become a new version of Iron Lad. Only time will tell!

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Jesse is a mild-mannered writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.

Hellbound is now streaming on Netflix.

What would you do if you knew the exact moment you were destined to die? For a nameless man in the opening scene of Netflix's latest Korean drama, Hellbound, that question is all too real. He sits at a table in a busy cafe, staring at the phone on his clock, sweat dripping from his panicked face. As the clock hits 1:20 p.m., there is silence. A moment of relief flashes on the man's face. And then a rumble rips through the streets, and he meets his preordained fate. A trio of demon-like beasts barge through the city to grab him, beat him senseless, then burn him into a shell of ash and bones. It’s a shocking opening to a series that doesn’t let up the tension for six whole episodes, diving into a world where the threat of damnation turns us all into monsters of a different breed.

Yeon Sang-ho, the director of Train to Busan, adapts his own webtoon for a six-part series that has quickly become a social media talking point. It’s hard not to be immediately intrigued by the premise: people begin receiving prophecies from strange creatures that they will soon be dragged to hell for their sins, causing the world to fall into a state of panic and condemnation. That opening scene is a brutal wake-up call of the utmost seriousness of this conceit. There are no winks, nods, or sly jokes to break the tension, no meme-ready moments for Netflix to post on Twitter. Hellbound is 100% serious about its bleak new world. For Yeon, however, the focus is less on the creatures themselves, as foreboding as they may be, than the all-too-human reactions they elicit.

The first half of the series focuses on a disparate group of people tied together by the chaos of these creatures. Detective Jin Kyeong-hoon (Yang Ik-june) is called upon to investigate the deaths, a task that seems utterly pointless given that human justice seems utterly irrelevant to this case. Min Hye-jin (Kim Hyun-joo) is an attorney hired to represent a terrified woman who is doomed to damnation. And then there is Jeong Jin-soo, a quietly charismatic figure who heads the New Truth Society, a cult that sees the emergence of these creatures as a sign that humanity has strayed from God's path and must change before it's too late. As played by Yoo Ah-in, probably best known to Westerners for his startling performance in Lee Chang-dong's Burning, Jeong is unnervingly normal, bereft of the fire and brimstone preaching one might expect from a cult leader. Handsome, almost cute, and wholly in control of every moment, he makes it seem completely understandable as to why anyone would be taken by his call for a return to Old Testament-style justice. It's in those moments where his calm facade falls and we see the real toxicity of his gospel that we, the audience, feel his wrath.

The wrath of God is one thing, but the judgment of man is revealed to be far more insidious. It seemingly takes no time at all for Seoul society to fall into a trap of hysteria, scorn, and religious propaganda. There's no room for nuance in this new world. You're either a sinner or you're not, and regardless of the seriousness of your supposed crimes, you deserve to suffer. This is most tragically conveyed through the fate of one damned sinner, a terrified single mother named Park Jeong-ja, played by Kim Shin-rok in a heart-wrenching performance that’s a series standout.

Yeon spends three episodes achingly developing the roots of this new world, and then there’s a time jump for the second half of the show that reveals the consequences. It’s a nervy move by a series that has several twists that will make you slack-jawed. If Hellbound had ended after Episode 3, it still would have been one of the TV highlights of 2021. Episodes 4-6 show how humanity has changed thanks to the threat of damnation. The sense of despair is still palpable, particularly after we’re introduced to Bae Young-jae (Park Jeong-min), a detective facing the most horrific of news: his newborn baby is bound for hell.

Even with this fantastical setup, Hellbound retains a grounded approach in depicting humanity’s eerily familiar response to the unlikely. Even the loudest and most mouth-frothing of reactions feel rooted in our own all-too-human ways. It doesn’t seem all that outlandish to imagine that society’s wealthy elite would pay top dollar to watch a sobbing woman be murdered by monsters, or that lawyers would negotiate an appropriate price tag for what amounts to a human life. Hellbound doesn’t have a particularly hopeful view of people or our societal coping mechanisms. As you watch these “sinners” be pummelled to ashes while crowds watch on, smartphones in hand and not a single one of them willing to help, the series’ message on the agony of human complicity becomes all too clear. Do people truly fear hell, or do they just crave blood?

Don’t come to Hellbound hoping for comforting answers to the questions it poses, or the ones you’ll have about its ideas. This is a show as merciless as its monsters. Even in its faint moments of hope, the series understands that there’s no guarantee that humans, who seem to default to their worst in such moments of crisis, will actually listen. This kind of ceaseless nihilism may prove too much for some viewers, especially as a viewing choice for dark winter nights in the midst of a pandemic, but Hellbound's gutsy focus is one well worth investing in. If Netflix chooses to commission a second season (which seems likely given the show’s popularity), then the possibilities for further darkness seem shockingly limitless.

A new synopsis for The Batman has been released and leans into the Year Two aspect of the story, plus new details about characters like James Gordon.

Matt Reeves previously revealed that The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne, will be a Year Two story. So while Pattinson’s Batman isn’t just starting out, he’s not quite the veteran yet, either.

This is seen in how James Gordon, played by Jeffrey Wright, is a lieutenant in The Batman rather than a Commissioner. This is is similar to Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy where Gordon (Gary Oldman) began as a lieutenant before moving up the ranks to the commissioner as the trilogy progressed.

Check the new synopsis below:

“Two years of stalking the streets as the Batman (Robert Pattinson), striking fear into the hearts of the criminals, has led Bruce Wayne deep into the shadows of Gotham City. With only a few trusted allies — Alfred Pennyworth (Andy Serkis), Lt. James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) — amongst the city’s corrupt network of officials and high-profile figures, the lone vigilante has established himself as the sole embodiment of vengeance amongst his fellow citizens.”

The expanded synopsis also offers new details on the criminal underworld Batman needs to face, including the high-profile victims of a new serial killer.

“When a killer targets Gotham’s elite with a series of sadistic machinations, a trail of cryptic clues sends the World’s Greatest Detective on an investigation into the underworld, where he encounters such characters as Selina Kyle/aka Catwoman (Zoë Kravtiz), Oswald Cobblepot/aka the Penguin (Colin Farrell), Carmine Falcone (John Turturro), and Edward Nashton/aka The Riddler (Paul Dano). As the evidence begins to lead closer to home and the scale of the perpetrator’s plans becomes clear, Batman must forge new relationships, unmask the culprit, and brings justice to the abuse of power and corruption that has long plagued Gotham City.”

The hallmarks of a Batman story are all here. Corrupt city bureaucracy, numerous criminal organizations and villains jockeying for power, and Batman. But we haven’t seen a Riddler on-screen since Jim Carrey’s take of the character in Batman Forever.

WB released a new synopsis fairly recently that focused on Batman, describing him as no better than a “serial killer.” But dealing with another serial killer, Batman will probably look like a saint to the people of Gotham.

Check out our full coverage of The Batman here ahead of its 2022 release.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

Myth of Empires, the new large-scale multiplayer sandbox game that allows players to command armies and participate in ancient era warfare, has officially entered Early Access and is offering players a chance to try out the game as development is finished. In celebration of that milestone, we sat down with Angela Game’s Leon Meng and Lionel Li to discuss what makes this game so special.

Meng is a producer on Myth of Empires and Li is the lead game designer and they both walked us through everything the game has to offer, where the initial idea came from, how it differs from other sandbox games, and much more.

As with most things, Myth of Empires started off as an idea. Originally, the team set out to make a game that “reflected warfare in Ancient China.” However, they also wanted to create something that stood tall against the competition.

“When we first discussed the project, the original idea was to make a game that reflected warfare in Ancient China,” Meng said. “However, we didn't want to do the same thing that other projects with similar themes were doing. We wanted to do it with a different type of gameplay and bring players a more immersive experience with a higher degree of freedom.

“I'm personally a fan of ancient war games, and I play a lot of games with this kind of theme. Some of the games currently on the market are purely competitive games with an emphasis on combat; some are strategy games that emphasize strategy and tactics.

“Our idea is to make a game that allows players to participate in the entire ancient warfare process, from gathering materials and building camps to fighting on the battlefield.”

From that idea, Myth of Empires was born – a survival sandbox game that features a 64 square kilometer map with a variety of different environments, animals, and six major human NPC factions that both can “compete and interact with players.”

“The game gives players the opportunity to participate in every part of the warfare process, from collecting resources, to transportation, to crafting war materials, to building fortresses that can help them protect these materials,” Meng said. “In the later stages of the game, players will be able to implement and enact strategic and political policies, as well.”

Angela Game wanted Myth of Empires to be as accurate to its real-life inspiration as possible, so the team heavily researched a ton of historical documents from the era that will make it an authentic and rewarding experience for fans familiar with Ancient China or not.

It also features a PVE and PVP cross-server mechanic that looks to “reduce the frustration of traditional sandbox games, allowing players with different tastes to choose how they want to play the game.” A guild system will also be in play alongside “a world map with strategic elements, which establishes some long-term sandbox gameplay.”

In Myth of Empire, players will have to fight for survival by withstanding attacks by animals and bandits, all while gathering enough resources to start building their base and empire. You can also recruit or capture NPCs to have them help you in that mission alongside taming, raising, and breeding horses; farming livestock and crops; and more.

Speaking of NPCs, all belong to their own factions. If you attack certain factions repeatedly, they will end up being much more hostile towards you and may even retaliate. If you don’t feel like being a blood-thirsty warlord, you can also cooperate with the other factions and profit by transporting goods between them.

There is a lot to do in Myth of Empires, and Li shared some tips for players looking to get started in its world.

“My suggestion is that novice players gradually familiarize themselves with the game mechanics on the PVE servers and not immediately jump into PVP,” Li explained. “Novices can also complete quests to learn about the game mechanics. If you run into stuff that you don't understand, you can refer to our wiki, which is in progress.

“Finally, we recommend that players find a few friends to play with, which will make the game easier and more fun. Of course, if you want to play by yourself casually, you can get your own private server and adjust game parameters and permissions to reduce the difficulty of the game and strike a balance that suits you personally.”

Once players become familiar with Myth of Empires, they can begin experimenting with the 25 different skill trees and over 100 perks. This will let you specialize your playstyle and expand your gameplay options. Your skills can also be improved by actions in game. For example, if you get attacked, your HP and armor skills will improve. If you fire arrows, your bow skill will improve. Myth of Empires looks to reward players for what they wish to do, and that facet is seen constantly throughout the game.

While upgrading your armies, you will also be exploring the massive world in Myth of Empires. The game world is composed of a ton of counties that each have 16 cities in them. Even though everything is connected, all players will start on the PVE server. Once players reach a certain level, they can transfer to PVP servers, which “offer higher collection efficiency and greater probability of obtaining rare resources.” Players can also switch back and forth between servers if they want a different play style.

To expand your empire, you will need to engage in large-scale warfare. There are many options when it comes to combat, but Meng has a few tips to get you started.

“Battles are similar to what they were like in ancient times,” Meng said. “Before two sides clash, catapults and ballistas play a major role at long distances. In the open plains, cavalry are powerful, but on complex terrain and within city walls, infantry and archers play the largest role. To win a battle, there must be a clear division of responsibilities and a unified and effective guild command.”

Warfare is much more than simply winning through combat on the battlefield, as alliances are just important to gaining power. This is no different in Myth of Empires, and alliances and guilds play a big role in determining the difference between victory and defeat. They also shed a bit of light on the game’s backstory, which Meng explains below.

“The game takes place in a special historical period,” Meng said. “The emperor has lost his authority, and he’s largely a figurehead. The people under his command operate largely on their own, but still need his authorization for major actions. In order to restore the political background of the time, there is a more feudal relationship between different alliances.

“A guild can only form an alliance with another guild through subordination. In this respect, it's similar to a medieval European system. The duke joins the kingdom and the kingdom joins the empire, but this kind of alliance is fragile.”

Alliances are so important as “the county head of each server controls tax revenue within the server.” Additionally, the 16 county heads will also need to determine the leader of the prefecture, who “will determine who will protect passes to maintain control of the entire region.”

This makes alliances all the more valuable, as the more friends you have, the better your chances for victory are. However, not everyone can be trusted.

“More allies means that you can fight more wars at the same time and you can control a larger territory, but if these allies defect, then the empire falls apart. It takes a lot to manage an entire empire, and there is a lot of diplomacy involved,” Meng said.

Myth of Empires’ Early Access period contains roughly 70% of what will be contained in the full game. As the Early Access period continues, Angela Game will add such new features as “tree-based structures, NPC appearance customization, modding tools, new ways to use animals on the battlefield, musical instruments, new architecture and furniture, new armors and weapon skins, and more.”