First off I've played stronghold games for 10 years, so I'm no noob. I'll make it quite simple, it's a piece of trash, you pay to win and nothing more. Let me put you in perspective for you, in order to train pikemen, build a wheat farm, make a fletcher guild, and build decent stone castle. You have to spend at least 16 full hours on research and resource collecting, not actual building time mind you. The game goes 24/7 so your castle will most likely be attacked while your asleep or on vacation. You can however buy "premium tokens" which will run your castle while your off line.
Here is the actual math: If you pay 8 dollars on crowns, that will keep your castle running without you for a month, and you can get two card packs. Now lets do the math, if you play this game for 6 months and you spend 8 dollars per month, you will have payed 48 dollars. And if you pay 8 dollars per month for a year of playing the game it will be 96 dollars.
That's just for a player who wants to do okay at the game. If you don't, most of your castles will have unrest and captured. I've just covered "premium tokens", bored yet? It gets better, if you want to get ahead of the lords around you, and you don't like waiting around, and you don't have skill, this is the game for you! You can buy bonuses that include free research points and an instant research. A.k.a "cards". The single thing that ruins the game. Basically you can spend 80 dollars worth of cards, and have the the same castle, rank and soldiers as the free player who has worked on the game for 8 months.
If you want to try this game here is the absolute truth: it's very addicting, has terrible graphics, is all about politics, you will waist HOURS of your life, and you pay to win the game. And btw you will never win, they'll always be someone who buys their way to the top and kills you, even if you play non stop for 4 months. There is absolutely no skill when it comes to this game. At all.
I played this game for 6 months, And each and every minute I spent on it was a waist of life.
If you have no social life, and like people constantly trolling you, and have plenty of money to spend, this is the game for you! :P