> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://thrones-reforged.gitbook.io/thrones-reforged-docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://thrones-reforged.gitbook.io/thrones-reforged-docs/the-burh-system.md).
# The Burh System
## What is a Burh?
Historically, the burh (plural: burhs) was Alfred the Great's answer to Viking raids: a kingdom-wide network of fortified towns, garrisoned and supplied, close enough together that no settlement was ever more than a day's march from safety. The idea was not simply to build one great fortress, but to maintain an **entire network** where every link in the chain was strong.
In Thrones Reforged, the Burh system works exactly the same way. Your kingdom has a single **Burh Integrity** score, a number from 0 to 100, that represents how well-maintained your defensive network is as a whole. It is not about any one settlement. It is about all of them, together.
This score unlocks one of five **Burh Tiers**, each granting progressively stronger kingdom-wide bonuses. Neglect the network and your tier will fall. Invest in it and it will rise, but never overnight.
## Which Factions Use This System?
The Burh system is active for the following English factions:
* **Westseaxe**
* **Mierce**
* **Norþanhymbre**
* **Cantwarena**
* **Defnisc**
* **Dorsæte**
* **Eastseaxe**
* **Hwicce**
* **Suþseaxe**
* **Westernas**
* **Westmoringas**
It does **not** apply to Viking, Welsh, Gaelic, or Scottish factions.
## The Five Burh Tiers
Your Burh Integrity score determines which tier your kingdom sits at. Tiers change your bonuses automatically, you do not need to do anything to trigger them.
| Tier | Integrity Required | Name |
| ---- | ------------------ | ----------------------- |
| 1 | 0 to 29 | Forfeited Burh-Bots |
| 2 | 30 to 54 | Fragmented Garrisons |
| 3 | 55 to 74 | Basic Hidage |
| 4 | 75 to 89 | Mobilized Shires |
| 5 | 90 to 100 | Bastions of the Kingdom |
Reaching **Mobilized Shires** or **Bastions of the Kingdom** is considered a healthy network. Falling to **Forfeited Burh-Bots** or **Fragmented Garrisons** means your kingdom is in serious trouble and your bonuses will reflect it.
## How Your Integrity Score Is Calculated
Your Burh Integrity is not a simple sum of buildings. It goes through several stages of calculation, each of which can raise or lower the final number.
### Building Scores
Every region you own is examined individually. Certain buildings contribute points toward that region's score. Not every building counts, and those that do are not all worth the same. Higher upgrades are always worth more than lower ones. Each region's score is then capped at 100 regardless of how many buildings you stack, and all region scores are averaged together across every territory you hold, major towns and minor settlements alike. This average is then scaled up to produce your **raw target integrity**.
> **Key point:** Minor settlements still count. A neglected hamlet drags your average down just as much as a neglected city.
The following buildings contribute to the score. Each tier of the same building chain is listed with the points it provides.
**Garrison**
| Building | Points |
| ---------- | ------ |
| Patrols | 22 |
| Guardhouse | 30 |
**Granary**
| Building | Points |
| ---------- | ------ |
| Grain Pits | 12 |
| Grain Silo | 18 |
**Archery**
| Building | Points |
| ------------- | ------ |
| Archery Range | 14 |
| Archery Camp | 20 |
**Tools**
| Building | Points |
| --------------------- | ------ |
| Iron Smith | 10 |
| Tool Workshop | 14 |
| Tool Foundry | 18 |
| Iron Artisan | 14 |
| Iron Working Industry | 18 |
**Forge**
| Building | Points |
| ----------- | ------ |
| Blacksmith | 10 |
| Forge | 14 |
| Great Forge | 18 |
**Stadfordscir Forge**
| Building | Points |
| ------------------------ | ------ |
| Stadfordscir Blacksmith | 18 |
| Stadfordscir Forge | 24 |
| Stadfordscir Great Forge | 30 |
**Training**
| Building | Points |
| --------------- | ------ |
| Throwing Range | 10 |
| Training Camp | 16 |
| Fist Fighters | 12 |
| Wrestling Arena | 18 |
| Sparring Arena | 24 |
**Warehouse**
| Building | Points |
| --------------- | ------ |
| Storehouse | 10 |
| Warehouse | 15 |
| Great Warehouse | 20 |
**Market**
| Building | Points |
| -------------- | ------ |
| Trading Post | 12 |
| Grain Exchange | 18 |
| Market | 24 |
| Market Hall | 30 |
| Great Market | 36 |
**Great Hall (and variants)**
| Building | Points |
| -------------------------- | ------ |
| Long Hall | 18 |
| Great Hall | 28 |
| Royal Hall | 38 |
| Royal Court | 48 |
| Royal Palace | 58 |
| Offa's Hall | 18 |
| Offa's Great Hall | 28 |
| Offa's Royal Hall | 38 |
| Offa's Court | 48 |
| Offa's Palace | 58 |
| Long Hall of the Mountain | 18 |
| Great Hall of the Mountain | 28 |
| Royal Hall of the Mountain | 38 |
| Court of the Mountain | 48 |
| Palace of the Mountain | 58 |
| Hall of Ailech | 18 |
| Great Hall of Ailech | 28 |
| Royal Hall of Ailech | 38 |
| Citadel of Ailech | 48 |
| Grianan of Ailech | 58 |
**Monastery**
| Building | Points |
| ------------------ | ------ |
| Monastic Community | 14 |
| Monastic House | 22 |
| Monastery | 30 |
| Large Monastery | 38 |
| Royal Monastery | 46 |
**Religious Sites**
| Building | Points |
| ------------------------ | ------ |
| Church of St Cainnech | 18 |
| Achadh Bó Priory | 38 |
| Achadh Bó Monastery | 48 |
| Great Abbey of Achadh Bó | 58 |
| Church of St Ciaran | 18 |
| Community of St Ciaran | 28 |
| Abbey of St Ciaran | 38 |
| Monastery of St Ciaran | 48 |
| Cathedral of St Ciaran | 58 |
| Church of St Columbe | 18 |
| Community of St Columbe | 28 |
| Abbey of St Columbe | 38 |
| Monastery of St Columbe | 48 |
| Cathedral of St Columbe | 58 |
| Church of St Patraic | 18 |
| Community of St Patraic | 28 |
| Abbey of St Patraic | 38 |
| Monastery of St Patraic | 48 |
| Cathedral of St Patraic | 58 |
**Longphort**
| Building | Points |
| --------------- | ------ |
| Ship Camp | 18 |
| Ship Fort | 28 |
| Shore Fortress | 38 |
| Longphort | 48 |
| Great Longphort | 58 |
**Rock of Caisil**
| Building | Points |
| ---------------- | ------ |
| Rock of Caisil | 18 |
| Hall of Caisil | 28 |
| Court of Caisil | 38 |
| Palace of Caisil | 48 |
| Caisil of Kings | 58 |
**Danelaw Borough**
| Building | Points |
| ----------------------- | ------ |
| Danelaw Trading Village | 18 |
| Danelaw Settlement | 28 |
| Danelaw Town | 38 |
| Danelaw City | 48 |
| Danelaw Fortress | 58 |
### Governor Penalties and Bonuses
For every **major town** you own, the game checks whether a governor has been assigned there. If a major town has **no governor**, that region's building score is reduced to 60% of its value an ungoverned town is an undefended one. If a governor is present, their **rank** applies a multiplier to that region's score:
| Governor Rank | Score Multiplier |
| ------------- | ---------------- |
| Rank 1 | x0.65 |
| Rank 2 | x0.70 |
| Rank 3 | x0.80 |
| Rank 4 | x0.90 |
| Rank 5 | x0.95 |
| Rank 6 | x1.00 |
On top of rank, **loyalty** matters. A governor with loyalty below 5 applies a further penalty, reducing the regional score by an additional 25%. A governor with loyalty of 5 or above instead provides a small bonus, their score is multiplied by an extra 1.08. Minor settlements are not affected by any of this, since they cannot have governors.
> **Practical example:** A rank 2 governor with loyalty 3 gives a combined reduction down to roughly 47% of the region's score. A rank 6 governor with loyalty 6 gives an 8% boost. The difference is enormous.
### The Gap Penalty
Every major town you own is checked against a minimum score threshold. Any major town that falls below it is counted as a **gap in the network**, a weak link. The more gaps you have relative to the total number of major towns you control, the heavier the penalty applied to your overall integrity target. At worst, this can halve your final score entirely. Minor settlements do not count toward gaps, so you cannot mask a neglected city by surrounding it with well-built hamlets.
> **What this means in practice:** Every major town needs at minimum a modest level of investment, a garrison, some basic infrastructure, or it becomes a liability for the whole kingdom.
### Territory Penalty
The game tracks the largest number of regions you have ever controlled at once, your **territory baseline**. If you currently hold fewer regions than that peak, your integrity target is reduced proportionally. The more ground you have lost compared to your best point, the worse the penalty, up to a maximum reduction of 30%. The baseline does recover slowly over time, so a period of losses will not lock you permanently to an impossible standard.
> **Why this exists:** A kingdom that has been shrinking is a kingdom under pressure. The burh network suffers when settlements are lost, garrisons are dissolved, supply lines are cut, and defences decay.
### Food Stores Modifier
Your kingdom's food reserves directly affect Burh Integrity. If your food stores are less than half full, a penalty is applied, and the lower your stores, the worse it gets, down to a maximum reduction of 30%. If your food stores are more than half full, you gain a bonus instead. A completely full granary system can push your integrity target up by 15%.
> **The message:** Starving kingdoms do not maintain their fortifications. Keeping your food stores healthy is not just an economic concern, it directly protects your Burh Integrity.
### How the Score Changes Over Time
Your Burh Integrity does **not** jump instantly to its calculated target. It drifts toward the target gradually, turn by turn. When recovering, it moves at a maximum of **5 points per turn**. When declining, it falls at a maximum of **10 points per turn**. Decline is faster than recovery, so sustained investment matters far more than a last-minute building spree.
> **Think of it like physical fitness:** it takes months to get fit, and only weeks to lose that fitness. Plan your burh investment as a long campaign, not a short-term fix.
## Summary
To maintain a strong Burh Integrity, focus on the following:
1. **Build in every region, not just your capital.** Your score is an average. One magnificent city surrounded by empty villages is a weak network.
2. **Assign governors to all provinces.** An ungoverned city is a massive liability. Even a low-ranked governor is better than none, and keep their loyalty above 5 at all costs.
3. **Do not let major towns go underdeveloped.** Every major settlement needs at least some military or economic infrastructure to avoid being flagged as a gap in the network.
4. **Protect your territory.** Every region you lose raises the bar for maintaining your integrity. Avoid unnecessary losses, and reclaim lost ground where possible.
5. **Keep your food stores healthy.** Above half capacity is the safe zone. Above that, your food stores actively help your Burh Integrity. Below it, they hurt it.
6. **Be patient.** Burh Integrity rises slowly. Start investing early, and do not expect to climb from **Forfeited Burh-Bots** to **Bastions of the Kingdom** in a handful of turns.
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