The Guild 2 is a historical multiplayer real-time strategy video game developed by 4HEAD Studios and published by JoWooD Entertainment. It is the second installment in the historical real-time strategy video game series, following Europa 1400. The Guild 2 was released September 29, 2006, for PCs. The game uses the gamebryo engine.
In Guild 2's main story, the player creates a character who runs a business in a medieval world, eventually gets married and starts a dynasty; and attempts to outplay or eliminate the other computer-controlled dynasties in the single player mode, or against other players online in the multiplayer mode.

Gameplay

The Guild 2 is a combination life simulator and economic strategy game that is set in Europe, beginning in the year 1400. The player creates a character who becomes the founding member of a "dynasty," and, based on their chosen profession (also referred to as character class), may purchase, build, and take over various businesses. The game incorporates the following modes:
Extinction: Challenges the player to be the last one standing.
Dynasty : A mode that has no official ending and continues for as long as the player's dynasty exists. It ends when the last member of the dynasty dies.
Mission : A certain objective to be reached may be set by the player. Accomplishing the mission ends the game.
Time limit: This game ends after a certain number of rounds, which is determined by the player.
All game modes can be played in varying difficulties ranging from easy to hard, chosen by a slider on the game creation screen.

Professions
There are four main professions that the player may choose for the first member of the dynasty:
Patron: The Patron is considered to be one-half of the backbone of society. They can construct buildings such as farms, public houses (which may be upgraded into taverns and inns), and bakeries; and provide many raw materials that can be turned into foodstuffs and other basic necessities. Patrons are largely self-sufficient in terms of their resource production and manufacturing, in that the wheat that is produced in a Patron's farm may be sent to the same Patron's bakery to be made into bread, thus leaving all profits in the hands of the character.
Crafts(wo)man: Crafts(wo)men are considered to be one-half of the backbone of society. They can construct buildings such as mines, woodcutter's huts, and various workshops such as foundries, carpenter's shops, and weaving mills. Crafts(wo)men are largely self-sufficient in terms of their resource production and manufacturing for many of their businesses. For example, the Mine produces iron, gold, silver, and/or precious gemstones which can be transported to the foundry where it can be turned into useful items such as tools, weapons, and jewelry.
Scholar: The goods that Scholars produce are often very specialized. A Scholar can build a church, a tinctury, and the pesthouse (which may be upgraded to an infirmary, then to a hospital). Most of the goods that these buildings ultimately produce are items that can be used by a character or their henchmen to improve certain attributes that will make them temporarily more effective.
Rogue: The Rogue is the only class that does not produce anything by itself. Instead, Rogues can build robber's nests, smuggling holes, and pirate havens. The main form of income from these productions might be waylaying travelers or resource carts, pickpocketing, or viciously assaulting competitors' businesses. Rogues and their employees can also hold members of competing dynasties for ransom,or Employing mercenaries and offer building protection.

Titles
The player's character(s) may go to the town hall of the town that they start in and purchase new titles, which confer different benefits. The title progression is linear, beginning with "Commoner" and proceeding through "Citizen," "Patrician," and then to titles of royalty such as "Baron."
With the titles come privileges that may allow the character to perform political acts like applying for public office and owning more businesses. A higher title also allows characters to improve and upgrade their homes.

Dynasty
The player begins with one dynasty member, and may court a member of the opposite sex. This can lead to marriage, which will allow the married couple to produce children who will carry on the dynasty after the original character's death. Only three members of the dynasty can be under the player's direct control at any given time. Dynasty members that are not under the player's control wander around the game world.
Children of the dynasty can be sent to school at age 8, to an apprenticeship at age 12, and can finally become fully controllable by the player at age 16, provided they are added to the player's group. At this point, they may be assigned as owners of their own home in the city of the player's choosing.
A dynasty is ended by its last member's death.

Real-time economics
The economic simulation of the game is based on the laws of supply and demand. In the city markets, a dearth of a given good will cause the value of that particular good to rise. Selling a great deal of a single good at the market will conversely decrease the value of the good.
Since the manufacturing businesses require raw materials to function, some players may find themselves relying on the city's open market for raw materials. In order to avoid this kind of situation, the player may choose to marry their character to a spouse that has a complementary profession. For example, a Crafts(wo)man with a Weaving Mill may decide to marry a Patron that has a sheep farm. Since the dynasty now contains both a Crafts(wo)man and a Patron, the player may build their own farms to raise sheep, whose wool may then be sent to the Weaving Mill to be turned into cloth.

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