Keep a town alive
Expand your camp and meet your citizens’ needs. Their happiness helps the settlement grow.
Pre-alpha · Solo development
Build like Stronghold.
Battle like Total War.
Claws & Iron brings together the rich city-building of Stronghold and Anno with large, tactical battles inspired by Total War – from your first camp to armies of thousands, all on the same map.
The core idea
Your citizens make your army possible.
Your town is more than a backdrop for war. Its growth determines who can work, which buildings you can raise and how many soldiers you can recruit.
Turn growth into strength
A larger population brings workers, recruits and progress, unlocking new buildings and stronger troops.
Fight on the same map
Formation, flanking, morale, weather and terrain decide who gains the upper hand.
Secure your supply lines
Food, ammunition and rest keep your army ready. During a siege, supply routes become targets – including your enemy’s.
Honestly shown: These twelve pictures come from one playtest run – real, unedited screenshots with the full game interface – this is exactly how Claws & Iron looks right now, after about three weeks of solo development. I keep updating the pictures here. As of October 25, 2026
30 MIN PLAYTEST
30 minutes, uncut
See for yourself
How it plays today.
An uncut playtest from the pre-alpha: raise a town, recruit regiments, march into the field. German commentary. New clips, progress and bugs land regularly on YouTube and X.
The story of the world
An empire falls.
Everyone wants its place.
Two hundred years ago, Aureth fell. An empire that had held peoples, kingdoms and cultures together through treaties, trade and mutual dependence was gone. All that remained were broken roads, forgotten ruins and a world without a shared order.
Today, human noble houses fight over land and power. Dwarves defend their mountains and forges. Elves claim lands older than memory. Orc tribes demand the return of their lost pastures. Beastfolk, demons and the undead pursue their own interests. Old treaties are broken; new alliances are made. No one is innocent. No one is willing to yield.
War has no heroes. Only interests.
While knights fight for their lords and mages guard their knowledge, peasants, craftspeople and entire provinces bear the cost of a conflict with no end in sight. Wealth gathers in the hands of a few. Trade routes become lifelines, resources become weapons, and supply can decide victory or defeat.
But the world is changing. New technologies, growing cities and powerful industries are shaking the old order. Magic remains a feared and disputed force, while knowledge, money and control increasingly decide who shapes the future. The order once determined by birth and land is beginning to crumble.
You lead one of the peoples of this fractured world. Whether a human noble house, a dwarven realm or an orcish tribe: build your power, overcome internal conflicts and defeat your rivals. But military victories alone cannot create a lasting realm.
The vision
A world that feels alive.
I want to reimagine the strategy games of my childhood: an economy that responds to citizens’ needs, and more depth in both city-building and combat.
Everyday life you can follow
Each citizen should have a daily routine: going to work, spending time at the tavern, then heading home. When danger approaches, they seek shelter; when a house is burning, neighbours help put it out.
Small stories in every battle
Weather, terrain, formation, morale and supplies shape each fight. Soldiers rest while they wait; exhausted troops set up camp. The wounded are carried away, and some make their own way home.
Economy and progress go hand in hand
Happy citizens help a town grow. More people mean workers, recruits and progress – unlocking new buildings and better troops. Supply and logistics matter in the field, too.
Many peoples and new worlds
In the long run, I imagine seven or eight playable peoples: elves, dwarves, orcs, undead, demons, beastfolk and dragons. Unusual, but grounded in the world.
These are long-term ambitions, not a description of the current pre-alpha.
Current development status
The pre-alpha.
A playable demo is in the works but not ready to download yet. Once a build is ready, you’ll find it here with version, system requirements and install notes – announced first on YouTube and X.
Pre-alphaBuild a town.
Welcome citizens.
Secure supplies.
Fight your way forward.
What’s in the demo
Build a town. Lead its army into battle.
Town and economy
Lumberjacks, quarries and mines provide raw materials. Wool becomes cloth; iron becomes swords and armour; wood becomes spears and halberds. Your citizens visibly live, work and celebrate in town. When danger approaches, they flee into their homes.
Armies and battles
Raise regiments of spearmen, halberdiers and military engineers – and, once you build a knight’s hall, knights. Formation, terrain, weather and above all morale shape each battle. An army that breaks will flee. Besiege cities and use a battering ram to punch a breach through their walls.
Powers from beyond
Before long, trolls arrive at your gates with demands. The Red Circle also sends an envoy. Its blood mages hurl devastating fireballs, but every spell costs human lives. Their power is tempting, yet your people hate the Circle for it.
A living world
Rain soaks roads and meadows, fields are cultivated, and animals live on the farms. The seasons change the world: you’ll need to prepare for winter, gather supplies and rethink your routes and campaigns. Every building is full of life.
About the developer
One game, many systems – built by one person.
Hello there! I’m Luca, a Lead Designer at a virtual reality company in Berlin. Claws & Iron started as a hobby project, inspired by the RTS games of my childhood.
I’m having so much fun with it that I keep expanding the game and sharing it openly: progress, bugs and small wins. I work in cycles of idea, prototype, testing and refinement. AI tools support me with programming and parts of the 3D work.