ChoiceRealms™

Ascend™

Kingdom Management ASCII RPG

From village elder to emperor. Every choice shapes your realm.

Coming Soon to Steam Early Access

The old king is dead. The realm is shattered. You begin as nothing — a village elder with a handful of peasants and a dream of something greater.

Build your kingdom from the ground up. Construct buildings, train armies, explore a procedurally generated world, delve into dungeons, and navigate the treacherous politics of 8 fantasy races. Your choices determine whether you rise to become emperor — or become a footnote in someone else's history.

Recent Updates

Balance & Polish Pass

Rebalanced early game economy, improved AI faction behavior, and added 12 new throne room events based on community feedback.

Early Access Launch

Ascend launches with 4 classes, 96 skills, procedural world generation, tactical army combat, and deep kingdom management.

What's in Early Access

👑

4 Distinct Classes

Warlord, Sorcerer-King, Merchant Prince, or Shadow Regent. Each class offers a completely different path to power with unique mechanics and playstyles.

🏰

Deep Kingdom Building

21 buildings across 5 categories with 3 upgrade tiers each. Manage population, resources, taxes, and public opinion. Your kingdom is a living system.

Tactical Army Combat

10 unit types across 4 tiers. Formations, morale, terrain, and weather all matter. Lead your armies to victory or watch them rout.

🗺

Procedural World

Every game generates a unique world with fog of war, 7 region types, and 40-80 explorable nodes. Discover dungeons, ruins, and rival kingdoms.

🤝

Faction Diplomacy

8 fantasy races with unique traits. AI factions that expand, form alliances, declare wars, and react to your actions. The world doesn't wait for you.

📜

Origin Stories

4 unique prologues with branching choices and skill checks. Your origin shapes your starting stats, alignment, and the world's perception of you.

Pure Terminal Aesthetic

  ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════
                    THE THRONE ROOM
  ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════

  Gold: 1,247  |  Food: 892  |  Iron: 156  |  Turn: 47

  A petitioner approaches the throne. The merchant guild
  representative bows low, his silk robes rustling.

  "Your Majesty, the trade routes to the east have been
  plagued by bandits. We request soldiers to escort our
  caravans, or we must raise prices significantly."

  ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
  1) Assign soldiers to protect the trade routes
  2) Demand the merchants pay for their own protection
  3) Offer to eliminate the bandits personally
  4) Ignore the request — merchants can handle themselves
  0) Dismiss the petitioner

  > _
        

Inspired by Warsim. No sprites. No pixel art. Just meaningful choices.

Early Access Roadmap

We're building Ascend alongside our community. Here's what's coming:

EA Launch — "The Foundation"

Available Now

Complete gameplay loop. 4 classes with 96 skills, 7 title ranks, 21 buildings, 10 unit types, 10 dungeon templates, 8 faction races, 53 throne room events, alignment system, and 30 achievements.

1

Update 1 — "The Living World"

Coming Soon

Branching dialogue with NPCs. Settlement characters (tavern keeper, merchant, elder). Four seasons with economic effects. Natural disasters. Multi-stage quest chains. 100+ throne room events.

2

Update 2 — "The Empire"

Q2 2026

Regional economy with per-settlement buildings. Governors and local management. Supply lines and infrastructure. Combat overhaul with unit abilities and siege warfare. Deeper advisor system.

3

Update 3 — "Blood & Faith"

Q3 2026

Class identity overhaul — each class feels like a different game. Religion system with temples and divine blessings. Marriage and dynasty. Personal combat duels. Ironman mode.

4

Update 4 — "Shadows & Seas"

Q4 2026

Espionage expansion with spy networks. Naval and coastal expansion. Trade route system. Dungeon overhaul with ecology and alternative approaches. Betrayal and intrigue events.

v1.0 — "The Crown"

2027

Full release with all systems polished and integrated. Complete audio. 100+ achievements. The definitive ASCII kingdom management experience.

Roadmap is subject to change based on community feedback. Join our Discord to help shape the game.

Frequently Asked Questions

What inspired this game?

Warsim: The Realm of Aslona is our primary inspiration — deep kingdom management with ASCII aesthetics. We add more interactive input, deeper RPG mechanics, and a graph-based world model.

How long is a playthrough?

A full campaign from village elder to emperor takes 4-8 hours depending on playstyle. The procedural world means every run is different.

How do the classes differ?

Warlord excels at combat, Sorcerer-King uses magic, Merchant Prince dominates through economy, and Shadow Regent manipulates from the shadows. Each has unique mechanics.

Is there permadeath?

Hero death ends the game by default. Future updates will add heir succession and Ironman mode for those who want the ultimate challenge.

Is there a free demo?

The full game is free to play in your browser at choicerealms.com/ascend/play/. Steam adds achievements, cloud saves, and supports development.

Ready to Ascend?