At first, the rivers in Dawn of Discovery are just a nuisance. Picturesque, sure. But they break up the islands you need to settle. Along with mountains, they mess up your building plans by getting in the way where you want to drop buildings. The even get in the way of roads. You can build a bridge over a straight length of river, but trying to get a thoroughfare over a zigzagging stream is impossible.

But later on in the game, rivers are an invaluable resource. In the orient, rivers are important as a source of fertile terrain where you can build farms without having to first set up water pumps. On your main islands, there are shallows along a river that serve as valuable sites for certain buildings. For instance, the furrier's workshop, the tannery, and the paper mill pictured above.

Click the thumbnail below for the lovely full-sized view, complete with a view of the monastic herb gardens to the left. For the beer, don'tcha know?

Up next: the havest of the haves