The Great Houses DLC expands the unique feudal economy simulation of Lords and Villeins allowing you to leave your mark on the world at large with a host of new, intricate gameplay mechanics. You can now truly live out the fantasy of building up a great noble house by growing your influence, purchasing land titles and sending peasant families to exploit the new territories to achieve unprecedented levels of wealth and prosperity. You are not alone in this world however - engage in diplomacy and trade with other, AI-controlled, Noble Houses, including the Royal family and their royal city itself; or choose to reach your goals by military means and subdue your competition. It is up to you to decide what the legacy of your House will be.
Start by designing a sigil and a house motto for your family in a new noble house creator. Once your settlement grows and you are ready to expand, spend resources to acquire more territories, assign families to develop them and send military regiments to protect your new lands. Build trade routes to connect with other settlements on the map, complete quests to strengthen your relationships with other Noble Houses and strike lucrative trade deals with them to bring a new type of caravans to your settlement. On the other hand, if you like the taste of battle and believe in the strength of your armies, you can send them out to raid the territories of other houses and reap the rewards of their labor, or invade them outright, to take control of their lands by force - all thanks to a new turn-based combat system.