Manor Lords: What are Policies? Manor Lords Guide
Policies are one of the less obvious mechanics of Manor Lords. On this page we have described what they are and in what situations to use them.
Last update: 24 April 2024
Policies are one of the mechanics appearing in Manor Lords. These are passive gameplay modifiers affecting your settlement that you can activate to support your current playstyle. On this page of our guide, we list all Policies appearing the game, describe their effects, and show in what situations you should use them.
How do Policies work?
You can announce Policies in the Development tab of the village. Like Development Points, Policies affect only the chosen village and one region at a time.
These are passive modifiers that change the way how things are done in the village. Each of them has both advantages and disadvantages. You can implement only a limited number of Policies at a time, but you can freely switch between them and cancel those that you don't need anymore. Additionally, Policies have tiers that are unlocked over time. The higher tier of a Policy, the later you unlock it and the more powerful its effect.
In the version of the game on which the guide was based (0.7.002), only a few Policies were available and fully functioning. The page will be updated as new Policies are added to the game.
Hunting grounds
- Level: I
- Effect: Wild Animal nodes replenish twice as fast, but farming brings twice as little harvest.
- Comment: This is a situational Policy that will only achieve the desired effect if you have access to rich deposits of Wild Animals and your farming fields are of low fertility.It will help with feeding the settlers, but because of the low yield of agriculture fields, it will be harder to meet their requirements and thus develop the settlement - without Barley, there is no Ale or Clothes. Only use this Policy if the region is of low fertility from the start, and try to claim a region bountiful with lands as soon as possible.
Strict fasting
- Level: I
- Effect: Villagers skip every fifth meal, reducing food consumption and negatively affecting approval.
- Comment: This Policy is an emergency option if there are problems with maintaining a supply of food for your village. If you're running out of food, implement this Policy to buy time and immediately focus on solving the food crisis (build new buildings, import food, etc.). Once the situation stabilizes, cancel the Policy so as not to lose further approval.