10 tips for starting your first city in Memoriapolis

Since the release of Banners & Wonders, we’ve welcomed many new builders to Memoriapolis.

If you already enjoy city builders, most things will feel familiar. But Memoriapolis works a little differently. Your city is alive, shaped by factions, political influence, migration, culture, and centuries of history.

So we thought it could be helpful to share a few things we wish every new builder knew before starting their first city 👇

1. Citizens choose where they want to live

2. Your Dynastic House grows with your city

3. Distance can shape your political rhythm

4. Satisfaction matters more than you think

5. Factions are people to govern

6. Research shapes your future

7. There are many ways to grow your workers

8. Service Building unlock new possibilities

9. Think in centuries: cultural evolution

10. Don’t underestimate Decrees… and Laws

Citizens choose where they want to live

One of the biggest differences in Memoriapolis is that you don’t place roads manually, and citizens don’t settle randomly either. People are naturally attracted to certain parts of your city depending on what surrounds them.

Attraction matters.

Cultural buildings, monuments, decorations and service buildings tend to attract more inhabitants, while production-heavy or isolated areas may grow differently.

For example, a district surrounded by monuments and services buildings may naturally become denser than one sitting next to quarries and cutting camps. But growth also comes with new challenges. Denser neighborhoods may become more vulnerable to incidents such as theft, fires, or even epidemics if the city around them is not prepared.

Your city grows organically but your choices shape where life happens.

Your Dynastic House grows with your city

Here is something many new players forget: don’t forget to upgrade your Dynastic House.

As your city expands, upgrading it unlocks new opportunities: new possibilities for factions, decorative buildings, visual changes, and more ways to shape the identity of your city.

A growing dynasty often means a growing city!

Distance can shape your political rhythm

It can be tempting to expand everywhere especially when resources are nearby. And honestly? Sometimes that works perfectly! But one thing worth keeping in mind is that distance can influence the politics of your city.

If you enjoy frequent negotiations and lively political interactions, a more compact city with mixed districts may suit you.

Prefer clearly separated cultural areas? That works too; the pace may simply feel different.

Satisfaction matters more than you think

Your citizens are not all looking for the same thing. In Memoriapolis, satisfaction represents the happiness of your population and is divided into five categories:

• Health

• Security

• Belonging

• Equity

• Scholarship

As your city grows, citizen expectations grow too. The interesting part? Cultures specialize differently.

For example, a city strongly focused on Security through military buildings may experience fewer incidents, making everyday life feel safer and more stable. Meanwhile, a city investing heavily in Scholarship may progress faster, unlocking research and new opportunities more quickly. Religion is more flexible and can support different types of satisfaction depending on your needs.

There’s no perfect balance to chase but keeping an eye on satisfaction can help your city feel more stable and prosperous over time.

Factions are people to govern

As your city grows, factions will arrive with their own culture, personality, and ambitions. And they won’t always agree with each other… neither with you :) .

Some leaders may want expansion, others stability. Some are easier to negotiate with, while others can be harder to satisfy.

For example, an Expansionist faction may try to grow quickly, while a Pacifist one will prefer calmer decisions.

Trust also matters: helping factions and responding to requests can improve relationships, making laws and decrees easier to pass later on.

And one final thing: factions remember. Ignoring them for too long may create grievances, which can impact future events… sometimes even in the next age.

Research shapes your future

Need access to a new resource? Want stronger production? Trying to unlock the technology required for a Wonder? Research makes it possible.

First, you need to unlock the proper production chain through research!

• queue research projects,

• pause them if priorities change,

• and speed some of them up using Education Cultural Characters.

Sometimes the best decision for your city is not the next building but the next research :)

There are many ways to grow your workers

If you ever feel short on workers, don’t panic, there are several ways to improve how your city handles workers over time.

Here are a few useful ones:

• Easy Mode provides more workers from the start.

• Cultural Characters can be assigned to buildings of their culture to reduce the number of workers needed there.

• In the Middle Ages, the Artisan Destiny (Level 2) reduces the number of workers required across all buildings.

• Migration can be increased through several systems:

• religious decrees available in each age,

• some Laws (introduced in the Middle Ages),

• and specific skills that improve migration over time.

You can also adapt your city depending on what you need most at any moment.

Producing too much wood? Pause production for a while.

Need to finish an important cultural building faster? Redirect workers temporarily.

Service Building unlock new possibilities

In Memoriapolis, Service Buildings unlock new ways to shape your city.

Most cultures focus on a specific area:

• Production can create warehouse districts to better store resources,

• Commerce unlocks trade with distant cities,

• Education improves research and know-how,

• Politics gives access to decrees and later laws,

• Military helps strengthen protected districts with ramparts,

• Religion works a little differently and focuses more on supporting your population.

These buildings also tend to provide strong satisfaction and attraction, meaning they can influence both the happiness of your citizens and the way districts grow around them.

For example, unlocking a Commerce service building early may help you establish trade routes sooner, while investing in Politics can give you more tools to shape your city through decrees and laws.

That said, you are not forced to build every cultural service building.

Most service categories also include a generic version, allowing you to access core systems even if you decide not to specialize in a specific culture.

For example, you may choose to rely on a generic trade route system instead of investing heavily into Commerce

Think in centuries: cultural evolution

As eras pass, cultural buildings can evolve, changing appearance, role, and sometimes even culture. An Antiquity Domus may eventually become a Middle Ages Manor, transforming both visually and functionally.

But evolution is not only aesthetic. Each new evolution also comes with its own exclusive bonus, sometimes linked to culture, sometimes not.

Some may help increase migration over time, others improve satisfaction, support city development, or strengthen different aspects of everyday life.

Some districts will preserve traces of the past. Others may be completely reinvented.

This is part of what makes every city feel unique.

Don’t underestimate Decrees… and Laws

Political choices can quietly shape the future of your city. In Antiquity, Decrees already offer powerful ways to influence development. Then, in the Middle Ages, Laws introduce even more possibilities.

Some choices may help increase migration. Others can support production, politics, or the overall rhythm of your city.

One builder may focus on growth and expansion. Another may prioritize stability, negotiation, or long-term planning. And that’s part of what makes every Memoriapolis city feel different.

Of course, every builder develops their own strategies over time and we’re always curious to see how people approach the game.

What’s one thing you wish you had known before starting Memoriapolis?

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The Memoriapolis Team