It is the year 1201, the onset of Kamakura period. The player starts as a ruler of a small village on the coast of Japan, which supports itself by slave labor and spoils of war raids. Each year you must make decisions, whether to train troops, hire samurai and mercenaries, build merchant ships, adjust the workforce in the fields, import/export food to feed your population/raise your treasury, attack pirates or raid your neighbours. You may be challenged to battle not only by opposing warlords (you may choose to pay tribute to avoid combat), but also your own samurai if you display weak leadership. The game ends with either subjugation of the opponents, after 30 years of reign - or with your untimely death. Three difficulty settings available. The ZX81 version of Warlord doesn't display the map nor animations.