These fights can be auto-resolved, but I'm a hands-on boss. It's dawn, with the sun slowly coming up behind my army and the huge, imposing silhouette of the fortress ahead of us. I've got direct control of my character, who can ride around, stabbing and slashing with his sword and spear, but I can also command my units. I keep some of them back, so they don't get filled with arrows, and push up the siege towers and battering ram.
The gate is quickly smashed, my troops swarm in, and by the time I've hopped over the remains of the battering ram, the enemy surrenders the castle. We outnumbered them a little bit. OK, a lot. The castle is now part of the empire and, after a vote, it's given to me.
Exploring my new home, I get to know some nobles, spend far too long playing an extremely boring minigame and finally sit on my throne. Conversations give me new things to look up in Bannerlord's encyclopedia, so I can learn about all the movers and shakers and their relationships, letting me prepare for my life as a politically savvy lord.
[...]
