Gentleman's Wars Series by Andrew Karevik

All Richard Blake ever aspired to do was to study alchemy and invent recipes to craft powerful golems. But when his family members die in the strangest of circumstances, leaving him sole in charge of the estate, the young man has to accept the harsh reality: someone is after them, and he’s next on the chopping block.Richard has no choice. The only way for him to protect his life and that of his younger sister is to enter the Great Game, that of the Gentleman’s Wars... moreAll Richard Blake ever aspired to do was to study alchemy and invent recipes to craft powerful golems. But when his family members die in the strangest of circumstances, leaving him sole in charge of the estate, the young man has to accept the harsh reality: someone is after them, and he’s next on the chopping block.Richard has no choice. The only way for him to protect his life and that of his younger sister is to enter the Great Game, that of the Gentleman’s Wars. But in doing so, he’s putting all his territories, his title as well as his very name in jeopardy.In a world where war has been abolished, gentries, duchies and baronies face each other on the battlefield not with armies made of wizards and warriors, but with gigantic proxies of metal and stone. Mighty automatons called Golems, which duke it out for sport but also for conquest.If that bold move might temporarily safeguard Richard against the mysterious assassin, it also throws him at the mercy of any would-be invader. The rules of the game are simple, yet ruthless: under the watchful eye of a Judge, the attacker must reach your Mana Sphere and destroy it to get his hands on your lands. Your job, as the defender, is to put up enough hurdles in the enemy’s way to slay his golems and prevent them from achieving their mission.The only problem is that Richard only has enough resources to buy a few units and erect the most basic of towers. He will need to use his strategic mind to make up for his lack of funds and repel anyone willing to come knocking on his door. As he’ll quickly learn, this is not a game for the faint of heart, and many a Gentleman might take interest in the territories of a weak new player like himself… less

Now that he managed to repel his enemies and secure the estate, Richard can finally start searching for answers. Who’s behind the murder of his family? Who has been after his territories, and why?One promising lead comes from Lady Efera, the very same who had taken a liking to his lands and whom he defeated in an all-out battle. But that information won’t come free. If Richard wants that piece of the puzzle, he will need to help Efera take back the lands she lost to a fierce Baron... moreNow that he managed to repel his enemies and secure the estate, Richard can finally start searching for answers. Who’s behind the murder of his family? Who has been after his territories, and why?One promising lead comes from Lady Efera, the very same who had taken a liking to his lands and whom he defeated in an all-out battle. But that information won’t come free. If Richard wants that piece of the puzzle, he will need to help Efera take back the lands she lost to a fierce Baron. Easier said than done, especially when said Baron and his coalition show up at Richard’s door with an ultimatum. He has two weeks to hand over the woman’s Starmetal Signet, or he’ll be the one to suffer the consequences. But Juliet is not a stranger to Richard anymore; now that she’s married to the Frankinsons, she has become his blood too. His responsibility.Once again, it’s a race for survival. Facing imminent invasion by a force far superior to his own, Richard will need to scramble like never before. He will have to secure new alliances and find new ways to improve his defenses. There’s no other way around it, he needs to quickly move up the ranks so as to unlock new units and be able to hire the advisors who will help him master this complex game.The first step to this impossible plan is to reach out to the Kintelis, an elven clan living in isolation in the west. But Richard definitely can’t seem to catch a break; he has barely come in contact with the elves that his carriage is attacked by a group of bandits… less