Betrayal

Betrayal is a strategy and simulation game developed by Floppy Electronic Services and published by Rainbird. Set in the West Marches, it places four rival knights in a struggle to control the courts of the King and Bishop.

Gameplay

Players manage estates, collect taxes, grow armies, declare war, spy on rivals, and travel between villages. Villages can provide taxes, wheat, pottery, and militias, but they must be kept self-sufficient or funded from the player's own resources. Popularity must also be maintained, since falling below the required level can trigger rebellion.

Political influence is central to victory. Courtiers can be gained through taxation, assassination, accusations of treason, and other schemes. A knight needs at least 13 courtiers to overthrow the King or Bishop, and controlling both courts results in victory.

Travel and Combat

While traveling on horseback between villages, a knight may discover money or encounter muggers. Combat is presented as a side-on arcade beat-'em-up, although its simplistic design makes battles heavily dependent on chance.

Betrayal was released in Europe in 1991 for Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64/128/MAX, DOS, and PC (Microsoft Windows).