Wallguards of the East Empire

From BoardGameGeek:

Wallguards of the East Empire is set during a turbulent time for the Byzantines. The year is 821 AD, and Thomas the Slav has his heart set on seizing the throne from Emperor Michael II. With recent backing from the neighbouring Abbasids, Thomas' troops more than double those loyal to Michael. As citizens of Constantinople, we must rally our warriors, build up siege defences, deploy ships, and defend the city's walls at all costs. Despite what seemed like certain defeat, allies are coming to our aid, and even those who fired the first arrows have begun defecting to our side. The tides are turning, and hope continues to grow for our great city. The aim of Wallguards of the East Empire is to be the player with the most Victory Points (VP) at the game's end. Points are gained by training Warriors, gaining Siege and Technicians, improving the Barracks, and most importantly, defending the city's walls. Each turn players will be using Cards to take actions, with most actions causing 1 or more Cards to be placed into the 4 Battlefields above their Player Board. Once a Battlefield has 5 or more Cards a defence will be triggered, and that player's strength must be assessed. Victory will gain them a Defector, while defeat will bring a new Ally. The game ends after either the Defector or Ally Draw Pile runs out. -description from the publisher