A lord’s estate in a land at war
Lord of Lanternmere is an idle game set in the Heartlands of Vael, while six powers fight for its crown. You start with one lantern and a ledger. Collect taxes, build fields, mills and taverns, and let the gold roll in by itself. Then choose which banner to fly over your gate, and when the time is right, pass the house to an heir who starts richer than you did.
How to play
- Collect taxes. Tap the lantern. Every tap gives gold, and a little more the richer your estate is.
- Build. Twelve buildings, from a humble Field to a Lantern Spire. Each one earns gold on its own and doubles its output at 10, 25, 50, 100, 150 and 200 of its kind.
- Improve. At 5, 25 and 50 of a building, an improvement appears above the list. Each one doubles that building’s income.
- Swear fealty. At 10K gold the heralds arrive. Choose one of Vael’s six powers for the rest of the reign.
- Abdicate. At 40M gold you can hand the house to your heir. You start over, but with Renown: +5% income and taxes for each of the first 100 points, then +2% per point, for ever.
The six powers at your gate
| Power | General | Passive | Spell and its price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Dominion | Marshal Oren | All income ×1.5 | Levy: lend your treasury to the crown and get it back with interest ten minutes later. Your gold is locked meanwhile. |
| Ember Legion | Warlord Kragg | All income ×1.3 | Raid: take three minutes of income at once. A tenth of your Fields burn. |
| Verdant Pact | Warden Sylva | +0.2% income per building | Green Growth: every building costs half for a minute. Costs a tenth of your gold. |
| The Azure Crown | Commander Aelric | All income ×1.2, taxes give 5% of income | Royal Decree: taxes ×10 for twenty seconds. Income is halved for a minute afterwards. |
| Shadow Covenant | The Pale Duke | All income ×1.15, lucky taxes, omens turned to your favour | Whispers: choose the next omen. Costs a quarter of your gold. |
| Frost Clans | Jarl Hroth | All income ×1.2, full income for 24 hours while away | Long Winter: take six minutes of income from the winter stores. Income −30% for five minutes. |
Every power also offers two favours to buy with gold, such as the Royal Mint, Scorched Earth or the Whispering Gallery.
The six skies
- Harvest Moon: Fields and Mills earn seven times as much for a minute.
- Storm Tides: Markets and Guild Waystations earn three times as much.
- Red Plague: the taverns close, but the Wayshrines earn five times as much.
- Winter Storm: income is halved, but every tax is worth five times as much.
- Blood Moon: taxes are worth five times as much.
- The Dragon Wakes: click the dragon ten times within fifteen seconds and it flees, leaving a fortune behind. Miss, and it burns your finest building.
End the saga
At 1,000 Renown the saga of your house can be told to its end. Everything starts over, Renown too, but you gain Saga Pages: +25% income and taxes each, for ever. With enough pages your house gets a head start of fields, mills and taverns, the Scriptorium and the Lantern Spire, a second banner beside the first, and heralds who wait at the gate from the first day.
Along the way the Chronicle of Lanternmere fills with fourteen short sagas of your house: the steward’s ledger, a letter from a Wayfinder, the heir’s first day, the night of the dragon, and a saga from each of the six generals.
Visitors at the gate
Every few minutes someone knocks. Hire Ashgrave’s company of sellswords, give a Wayfinder a bed, let a plague doctor in, pay an omen reader to make the sky say something else, borrow from the lenders of Crossways (they will be back), buy a song from a skald, put deserters to work, or stand Tobbe the scarecrow up again. Every visitor brings a choice, and none of them waits for ever.
Allies and rivals
With two banners over the gate it matters which two. Allied powers lift all income by a fifth. Rival powers cost you a tenth of your income, but outbid each other, so their favours cost half.
The steward’s errands
Every day the steward hands you three small errands: collect taxes, drive off the dragon, live through a few omens, swear fealty to a certain power, build up a certain building. Everyone gets the same kinds of errands on the same day. Each one pays fifteen minutes of income, and all three earn the Full Ledger: twice the income for half an hour.
While you are away
Your steward keeps the estate running at half income for up to eight hours. Sworn to the Frost Clans, the steward earns full income for a whole day. When you come back you may choose to watch a short ad to double what the steward earned. And once your house has two Saga Pages, the Steward’s Hand buys buildings and improvements by itself.
Part of the world of Vael
Lanternmere lies in the Heartlands, the same land that the realms of Crowns of Vael fight over, and the generals who send their heralds to your gate are the ones who lead those armies. You do not need to have played anything else to enjoy it.
FAQ
Is Lord of Lanternmere free?
Yes. It is completely free to play in your browser. A short ad may appear when you abdicate now and then.
Does it keep running when I leave?
Your steward keeps the estate running at half income for up to 8 hours while you are away. Sworn to the Frost Clans, the steward earns full income for up to 24 hours.
What does swearing fealty do?
At 10K gold this reign you choose one of Vael's six powers. Each one changes how you play, offers two favours to buy and has a spell with a price. The Golden Dominion is steady, the Ember Legion raids, the Verdant Pact grows with every building, the Azure Crown rewards fast tapping, the Shadow Covenant plays the omens and the Frost Clans win while you are away.
What are improvements?
When you own 5, 25 and 50 of a building, an improvement appears above the list. Each one doubles that building's income for the rest of the reign.
What is abdication?
At 40M gold this reign you can pass the house to your heir. Gold, buildings, improvements and banner are lost, but you gain Renown: +5% income and taxes per point for the first 100, then +2% per point, for ever. Waiting longer gives more Renown.
What are omens?
Every few minutes the sky over Vael turns: Harvest Moon, Storm Tides, Red Plague, Winter Storm, Blood Moon and The Dragon Wakes. When the dragon wakes you have fifteen seconds to click it ten times, or it burns your finest building.
Do buildings get better?
Every building doubles its output at 10, 25, 50, 100, 150 and 200 of its kind, and each has three improvements.
Is my house saved?
Yes, automatically in your browser.
Is this the same world as Crowns of Vael?
Yes. Lanternmere lies in the Heartlands of Vael, and the generals at your gate are the same ones who fight for the crown in Crowns of Vael.
What does ending the saga do?
At 1,000 Renown you can end the saga of your house. Everything starts over, Renown too, but you gain Saga Pages: +25% income and taxes each, for ever. Pages also unlock a head start of 10 Fields, Mills and Taverns, two new buildings (the Scriptorium and the Lantern Spire), a second banner and heralds who wait from the first day. Each new saga needs three times the Renown.
Can I fly two banners?
Yes, once your house has five Saga Pages. At 1M gold in a reign you can swear fealty to a second power. It gives its passive and its favours, but not its spell.
What is the Chronicle?
The book button opens the Chronicle of Lanternmere: fourteen short sagas about your house, written as things happen. A first banner, the first heir, the dragon, all six omens, and a saga from each general once you have finished a reign under their banner.
What are the steward's errands?
Every day (from midnight UTC) the steward gives you three small errands, such as collecting taxes 300 times, driving off the dragon or swearing fealty to a certain power. Everyone gets the same kinds of errands on the same day. Each one pays 15 minutes of income, and finishing all three gives the Full Ledger: income ×2 for 30 minutes.
What is the Steward's Hand?
Once your house has two Saga Pages, the steward buys buildings and improvements by himself, always the best buy for the gold, and keeps a tenth of your gold in the chest. The favours of the powers are still yours to choose. You can switch it off above the building list.
Can I get more for my time away?
When you come back after a while you may be offered a short ad. Watch it to the end and the steward's earnings are doubled. It is always your choice.
Who comes to the gate?
Every six to ten minutes someone knocks: Ashgrave's company of sellswords, a Wayfinder looking for a bed, a plague doctor, an omen reader, the money-lenders of Crossways, a skald, deserters, a herb-woman from the dark woods, or the news that Tobbe the scarecrow has fallen over. Each one offers a choice, and they do not wait for ever.
Do the two banners get along?
Some do. The Golden Dominion and the Azure Crown, the Verdant Pact and the Frost Clans, and the Ember Legion and the Shadow Covenant are alliances: all income ×1.2. The Ember Legion and the Verdant Pact, the Golden Dominion and the Shadow Covenant, and the Azure Crown and the Frost Clans are rivals: all income ×0.9, but favours cost half.
