You play as Robin Hood; as you start the game, you'll be defending Sherwood Forest from the Sheriff of Nottingham. This first portion effectively serves as a tutorial before you take over the entire region of Nottingham and eventually go to war with the lords in the other areas of England. The reason the entire island is in turmoil is that King Richard has been abducted and is up for ransom in Austria. Richard's evil brother, Prince John, has declared Richard dead and seized the throne of England for himself. You are tasked with gathering up enough money to pay Richard's ransom, raising armies of your own to fight for control of each of England's counties, and eventually attacking Prince John and overthrowing him from his seat of power in southern England.