History VideoGame / Anno1404

* TheObiWan: Lord Northburgh, who becomes the player's mentor and caretaker. There is even a moment where it appears he has suffered the MentorOccupationalHazard, though he is revealed to be just fine.

* MagicRealism: The games are usually more or less realistic, at least until you defeat a native culture in war, upon which that culture will curse you with a strangely supernatural [[TakingYouWithMe parting gift]], like sudden droughts, locust epidemics, pestilence or tempests. It's never touched upon how it's possible, just that it happens invariably.
** One mission in ''1701'' involves you helping McCrane to retrieve an ArtifactOfDoom from a volcanic island, despite protests from the natives. But as soon as you remove the treasure, the island erupts in flames and earthquakes, and for the rest of the mission, you must help the native tribal leader prepare an appropriate sacrifice to AppeaseTheVolcanoGod.

* MagicRealism: The games are usually more or less realistic, at least until you defeat a native culture in war, upon that culture will curse you with a strangely supernatural [[TakingYouWithMe parting gift]], like sudden droughts, locust epidemics, pestilence or tempests. It's never touched upon how it's possible, just that it is.

''Anno 1404'' (also known as ''Dawn of Discovery'' in North America) is a PC city builder game by German developer Related Designs. It focuses primarily on the colonisation and development of a series of islands.

* SmugSnake: Guy Forcas. He does have some bite, though. (He's ranked as amdeium difficulty AI)

* BeliefMakesYouStupid: Shown with [[KnightTemplar Marie D'Artois]]' initially innocent and then increasingly delusional fervor of, but also done with great care so as to not paint religion as a whole this way: all of the other main characters are devoutly religious, and show themselves to be very good and wise people through their religion rather than in spite of it. This also gives a bit of contrast between the villains' CorruptChurch and the heroes' SaintlyChurch.

''Dawn of Discovery'' has also been used in naming two spin-off games for the Nintendo DS and Wii.

* LightIsNotGood: The "Crusade" in the campaign, which is a decidedly sinister power grab under a veneer of holiness. The storyline ultimately results in the player defeating the wicked Cardinal Lucius' CorruptChurch with an institution that proves LightIsGood after all.

It has a 'Continuous Mode' wherein you can play as long as you want, competing with A.I. players (or other humans over multiplayer) for territory and resources, and a number of scenarios, often-times with several arranged to form a storyline. Players begin with a ship (or in some scenarios, a warehouse on an island) and a negative income (due to maintenance costs). You have to build houses to collect taxes, but then your peasants want fish, and then they want something to occupy them, and so on. In this mode, Lord Northburgh and Grand Vizier Al Zahir act as the player's advisors. You can also earn money by selling goods/resources to other players.

It has a 'Continuous Mode' wherein you can play as long as you want, competing with A.I. players (or other humans over multiplayer) for territory and resources, and a number of scenarios, often-times with several arranged to form a storyline. Players begin with a ship (or in some scenarios, a warehouse on an island) and a negative income (due to maintenance costs). You have to build houses to collect taxes, but then your peasants want fish, and then they want something to occupy them, and so on. In this mode, Lord Northburgh and Grand Vizier Al Zahir act as the player's advisors.

The campaign acts as a tutorial for the game. The story starts with the player's appointment as the head of a village working alongside the Emperor's advisor and cousin, Lord Richard Northburgh. Northburgh wishes to build a grand cathedral to pray for the Emperor's health. Along the way, a Crusade for the Orient is declared. Soon, Northburgh discovers something sinister about Cardinal Lucius and the true intentions of the Crusade...

* UpperClassTwit: The patricians and noblemen, especially once you have a lot of them (triggering all their "extra" needs)

* ApatheticCitizens: For a glorious aversion, just try withholding your population's needs from them for an extended period of time.
* BeliefMakesYouStupid: Shown with [[KnightTemplar Marie D'Artois]]' initially innocent and then increasingly delusional fervor of in ''1404,'' but also done with great care so as to not paint religion as a whole this way: all of the other main characters are devoutly religious, and show themselves to be very good and wise people through their religion rather than in spite of it. This also gives a bit of contrast between the villains' CorruptChurch and the heroes' SaintlyChurch.

* ChurchMilitant: Marie D'Artois is ''very'' enthusiastic about leading the armies of the crusade in ''1404,'' and she's damn good at it. This somewhat ironically makes her somewhat easier to manipulate, as she will do almost ''anything'' if adequately convinced it is what God wishes her to do: including destroy the homes of innocent people she's been lead to think are heathens.

* LightIsNotGood: The "Crusade" in 1404, which is a decidedly sinister power grab under a veneer of holiness. The storyline ultimately results in the player defeating the wicked Cardinal Lucius' CorruptChurch with an institution that proves LightIsGood after all.

* UnwittingPawn: Marie D'Artois in ''1404,'' ''very'' much so. She believes she is following orders to spread the will of God to the world. She's actually leading the armies that support a nefarious plot to [[TakeOverTheWorld take over the known world]] and scapegoat the Saracens. She becomes ''[[MyGodWhatHaveIDone very]]'' [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone distraught]] when she learns the evil actions she's helped cause.

It has a 'Continuous Mode' wherein you can play as long as you want, competing with A.I. players (or other humans over multiplayer) for territory and resources, and a number of scenarios, often-times with several arranged to form a storyline. Players begin with a ship (or in some scenarios, a warehouse on an island) and a negative income (due to maintenance costs). You have to build houses to collect taxes, but then your peasants want fish, and then they want something to occupy them, and so on.....

An expansion (subtitled ''Venice'') was later released. New scenarios were added, along with espionage and the option to play the scenarios (though not the campaign) in the original game with the new additions.

''Anno 1404'' (also known as ''Dawn of Discovery'' in North America) is a city builder game by German developer Related Designs. It focuses primarily on the colonisation and development of a series of islands.

** AbsentMindedProfessor: Izmir

An expansion (subtitled ''Venice'') was later released.

* LightIsNotGood: The "Crusade" in 1404, which is a decidedly sinister power grab under a veneer of holiness. The storyline ultimately results in the player defeating the wicked Cardinal Lucius' CorruptChurch with an institution that proves LightIsGood after all.

It has a 'Continuous Mode' wherein you can play as long as you want, competing with A.I. players (or other humans over multiplayer) for territory and resources, and a number of scenarios, often-times with several arranged to form a storyline. Players begin with a ship (or in some scenarios, a warehouse on an island) and a negative income (due to maintenance costs). You have to build houses to collect taxes, but then your peasants want fish, and then they want something to occupy them, and so on...

* KickTheDog: In ''1404'', it can happen that a SmugSnake like Guy Forcas can declare war on you simply because you are currently ''less'' powerful than him, and he therefore (rightfully) identified as easy prey. Not only will he either not give you the chance to make peace at all (or only against an outrageous sum of money), but also will your trade partners (and ''allies''; even the mild and affectionate ones like van der Mark and Jorgensen) not help you to fight against him if they are allied to him as well. Instead, they will rather ''[[JerkAss hate and denounce you for letting yourselves receive a declaration of war]]'' [[PlotMandatedFriendshipFailure and even pull out of the defence contract entirely]]. [[SarcasmMode Gee, thanks for the help, guys!]]
* KnightTemplar: This is Marie D'Artois' schtick in ''1404'' - she will destroy anyone who go against what she believes is right and holy, civilian or not. During the story mode, she even leads an army that could effectively be seen as an analogue to the real life organization.

* CherubicChoir: A part of the normal soundtrack.