An idle-friendly history strategy game
If you like strategy games you can leave running and dip into for the big decisions, Crown & Plough, a free history life-sim browser game, plays well as a semi-idle game. Time flows at up to 8×, and with the default setting the game stops only for major events — wars, revolts, Crossroads of Fate — at 2× and above, deciding everything else according to your character’s disposition.
Once you hold land, a regent can rule under an expansion, consolidation or peace policy, and the Simple view hides management panels and lets them run themselves. It is not a clicker where you never touch anything, though: the choices are the point.
Play free — no download Start the scenario: Winter on the Danube
Features that make it idle-friendly
| Feature | What it does | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 1×–8× speed | A year takes about 2.6 s at 1× and about 0.3 s at 8× | Speed buttons top right; keys 1–4 |
| Match speed (default) | At 1× stops for every event; at 2×+ only for major ones | ⚙ Settings |
| Handle automatically | Minor recurring events are decided for you from then on | Checkbox at the bottom of an event |
| Regent | Rules your realm under an expansion, consolidation or peace policy | Realm tab |
| Fast-forward | Skip to the next big event and see a summary card | ▸▸ button or F key |
| Simple view | Hides regent, council, trade and coffers panels and runs them | ⚙ Settings › View |
| Automatic backups | Every eight years and at each succession (latest six kept) | ⚙ Settings › Save backup |
How often does it stop?
With Match speed at 2× and above, the game always stops for wars and revolts involving your realm, succession crises, noble factions, scenario story events, imperial trials, unions and partitions, invitations from the currents of history, great historical events and choosing a career. Other major events stop it again only after 2 years at 2×, 3 at 4× and 5 at 8× since the last stop; in between they are decided by your disposition and reported on a news card.
After an event the game waits 3.5 seconds before running on, so you can pause or change speed. Space (pause) and 1–4 (speed) work even with an event window open.
How it differs from a clicker idle game
| Crown & Plough | Typical clicker / incremental | |
|---|---|---|
| Loop | Time flows; you choose at events | Numbers climb; you buy upgrades |
| While closed | Nothing happens — it runs only while open | Offline earnings are common |
| Long-term hook | Heirs carry the house on; bloodline points buy perks for the next life | Prestige multipliers |
| Goals | Kingdom, empire, seven imperial goals, a dream for each life | Bigger numbers |
| Daily | Daily fate: everyone gets the same start that day | Daily rewards |
Daily fate gives everyone the same start, era and birth for the day, so you and a friend can be born into the same fate and compare how far you got.
A good start for idle play
Starting as someone who already rules — say Marcus Aurelius in Winter on the Danube — lets you set a regent policy at once and let years roll at 4–8×. In a random birth, push childhood through at 2–4×.
Start playing
Play free — no download Start the scenario: Winter on the Danube
- Scenarios Winter on the Danube
- People Marcus Aurelius
- More guides A history strategy game for your phone — no app needed · A BitLife alternative set in history · Free strategy games with no download
- Reference How to play · FAQ
FAQ
Does it progress while the tab is closed?
No. It only runs while it is open in your browser, but 8× speed and fast-forward to the next big event let many years pass quickly.
It keeps stopping for events — how do I stop that?
Check ⚙ Settings is on the default Match speed and run at 2× or faster. For recurring minor events, tick “Handle this kind of thing automatically from now on” at the bottom of the event window.
How does the regent work?
Once you hold land, pick the regent’s policy (expansion, consolidation or peace) in the Realm tab. In Simple view, if you never choose one, the regent rules with a default policy.
Can I leave it running on my phone?
Yes, in the phone’s browser, with speed and next-year controls in the bottom bar. See history strategy games on mobile.
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