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Turn-Based Tactics Warbanners - turn-based tactics from the developers of Drums of War

Lampros

Literate
Joined
Jul 7, 2017
Messages
14
Okay, I got back to the game for the first time in 3 weeks or so, and I immediately got stuck in the first mission I tried: "The Search for Eternity." I am not sure if this is supposed to be a hard mission or whether my composition or play-style is not fit for this mission, but I need help. I re-played this mission 3-4 times and tried to resolve it on my own, but each time I incurred unacceptable losses - 3-4 guys - before I was even finished with the mission. So what's the secret for beating this mission?

Composition-wise, I had Roderick, Delia, 1 Swordsman, 1 Dancer, 1 Clan Warrior, 2 Priestesses, 1 Axe Thrower, 1 Archer, 1 Blacksmith, 1 Singing Sword, and 1 Mage. As you can see, I have tried to run one of every character to experiment - except the Priestesses, because I am so conservative and safety-conscious. Every character is between levels 5-7, except the newb mage - who is level 2. So is it the composition? I suspect I may have too many Priestesses? So far I used the tactic where I over-heal and thereby out-last the enemy, and it has worked marvelously. But it seems like the in-coming damage and debuffs are too much for me to continue to pursue this tactic. So I need a lot more DPS for this mission - especially ranged DPS? But I hate getting rid of mature characters for newbs, because that is all the time and effort wasted. (Now, if there is a reserve system like in Battle Brothers, then that would be a different story - and more on this below.) Or is my composition fine, and I should rather explore different tactics - such as consumable bombing on the first turn, so I debuff the enemies before they debuff me? Please suggestions!

Since I did not recruit any new units after the recent spate of changes, I cannot really make balance comments on the unit changes. And frankly, since I got stuck in this one mission, there is not much further balance comments either. So until I can get beyond this mission, my comments will be very limited. Be that as it may, here they are:

1. The unit clarity issue is a bit better now that you've instituted several changes.

There is, however, one outstanding, related issue that I may have forgotten to mention earlier: Some maps are too "dark." I am an older guy, and it seems like I run into this problem with every other game I play these days. Two really bad examples are night combat in Battle Brothers and the whole of Darkest Dungeon. But like Wilsama's colorblind issue, this may affect too few of your potential customer base for you to devote time to address it.

2. Several folks have wanted a kill counter of sorts implemented, and I see now that it shows up at the end of battles. But I think we wanted it accessible at all times - or at least at the army camp screen. I understand if it is too work-intensive to implement at this stage, but it would be nice to assess unit performance - as well as a sort of RP "competition" among characters.

3. As I mentioned in the discussion about the Search for Eternity mission, it would be extremely helpful if there is a "reserve" system of sorts where we can try different characters or compositions. Currently, we have an incentive not to do so until/unless extra roster slots open up. But again, I understand this may be too work-intensive at this stage.
 

Trash Player

Scholar
Joined
Jun 13, 2015
Messages
438
Okay, I got back to the game for the first time in 3 weeks or so, and I immediately got stuck in the first mission I tried: "The Search for Eternity." I am not sure if this is supposed to be a hard mission or whether my composition or play-style is not fit for this mission, but I need help. I re-played this mission 3-4 times and tried to resolve it on my own, but each time I incurred unacceptable losses - 3-4 guys - before I was even finished with the mission. So what's the secret for beating this mission?

Composition-wise, I had Roderick, Delia, 1 Swordsman, 1 Dancer, 1 Clan Warrior, 2 Priestesses, 1 Axe Thrower, 1 Archer, 1 Blacksmith, 1 Singing Sword, and 1 Mage. As you can see, I have tried to run one of every character to experiment - except the Priestesses, because I am so conservative and safety-conscious. Every character is between levels 5-7, except the newb mage - who is level 2. So is it the composition? I suspect I may have too many Priestesses? So far I used the tactic where I over-heal and thereby out-last the enemy, and it has worked marvelously. But it seems like the in-coming damage and debuffs are too much for me to continue to pursue this tactic. So I need a lot more DPS for this mission - especially ranged DPS? But I hate getting rid of mature characters for newbs, because that is all the time and effort wasted. (Now, if there is a reserve system like in Battle Brothers, then that would be a different story - and more on this below.) Or is my composition fine, and I should rather explore different tactics - such as consumable bombing on the first turn, so I debuff the enemies before they debuff me? Please suggestions!

Since I did not recruit any new units after the recent spate of changes, I cannot really make balance comments on the unit changes. And frankly, since I got stuck in this one mission, there is not much further balance comments either. So until I can get beyond this mission, my comments will be very limited. Be that as it may, here they are:

1. The unit clarity issue is a bit better now that you've instituted several changes.

There is, however, one outstanding, related issue that I may have forgotten to mention earlier: Some maps are too "dark." I am an older guy, and it seems like I run into this problem with every other game I play these days. Two really bad examples are night combat in Battle Brothers and the whole of Darkest Dungeon. But like Wilsama's colorblind issue, this may affect too few of your potential customer base for you to devote time to address it.

2. Several folks have wanted a kill counter of sorts implemented, and I see now that it shows up at the end of battles. But I think we wanted it accessible at all times - or at least at the army camp screen. I understand if it is too work-intensive to implement at this stage, but it would be nice to assess unit performance - as well as a sort of RP "competition" among characters.

3. As I mentioned in the discussion about the Search for Eternity mission, it would be extremely helpful if there is a "reserve" system of sorts where we can try different characters or compositions. Currently, we have an incentive not to do so until/unless extra roster slots open up. But again, I understand this may be too work-intensive at this stage.
Use potions. They are here for a reason.
 

zhuge

Novice
Joined
Jun 4, 2004
Messages
30
Lampros, regarding the "The Search for Eternity" mission:
Have a look at my comments on the battle. I won't repeat everything here but essentially the key aspects for this battle are:
1)getting the upper hand in Illumination to swing Accuracy/evasion modifiers in your favor.
- that includes placing priestesses and bearer of Night Sun medallion well, using the campfire effectively, using Fireballs/Ignite to provide further illumination, using Liquid Fire potions as a backup

2)focus fire one side, but do not rush ahead without good illumination support as above
- vampires are especially dangerous if they are allowed to get 2 strikes a turn in optimal darkness, so try to get rid of them fast. You have an archer, an axethrower, a mage, a runesmith and the dancer has throwing knife, good enough for whittling a few down before they get to do any harm. If you smash one side early, you have a chance at downing the Lich behind them, which will simplify the battle rather than trying to defend on 2 sides.

3)get buffs up early: Bless and Morale (via Heroic Cry)


Swordsmen really work best when there are at least a few of them as Formation is a strong passive. Clan Warrior can substitute in a pinch but may have trouble getting into position due to mobility. Here you are surrounded and choke points are meagre. Without a Knight to tank and multiple Swordsmen to hold the line, there is significant risk of being overrun (only 3 tanky units in your party: Roderick, swordsman, clan warrior). The Singing Sword can probably help do the job as well with some lucky evasion rolls but will need good Illumination support. Singing Sword is very strong on maps with trees and fairly average in maps without them.

1 Priestess is basically a necessity but you don't really need another as Delia supplies heals as well and even the Dancer can chip in with First Aid when needed. Priestesses are weak on damage/accuracy and on turns where they have nothing to heal/bless, are not a big asset to the party.
That being said, another priestess can probably work out here as any additional sources of Illumination are helpful.

As Trash Player mentioned above, using consumables will make things quite a bit easier. I don't think finances are tight on Nightmare and have even pushed for higher prices. Should take advantage of this and use them on tougher battles such as this one. Stun is great, both offensively and defensively. On turns where no target is available, Rage potion is a good option, provided the unit in question is well shielded from attacks. Some mana potions on your casters to prevent them from running dry and a few HP pots on frontliners is probably a prudent backup measure.
Finally consider assistants to help shore up the party, even the cheaper ones can prove useful. Any additional hexes of fire from Tisharu can potentially be really helpful (Illumination and helping to form a choke point). Not too sure if Set-Shamar is allowed to kill a Lich outright (I consider it cheese if so, but even getting rid of a vampire would be a very signficant advantage).

I think having reserves is not a bad idea and should be considered in the sequel. Would push for upkeep too to prevent reserves from becoming too convenient.
 

Vlad_Konung

Crasleen Games
Developer
Joined
Feb 2, 2017
Messages
129
Normal?

DGktHABXkAEtztD.jpg
 

Lampros

Literate
Joined
Jul 7, 2017
Messages
14
Use potions. They are here for a reason.

Yes, I've banged my head on the wall a few more tries, and that will be my next path. (I hope that works, and I don't have to re-start the game entirely with a different composition."

Lampros, regarding the "The Search for Eternity" mission:
Have a look at my comments on the battle. I

I will do so now.

1)getting the upper hand in Illumination to swing Accuracy/evasion modifiers in your favor.
- that includes placing priestesses and bearer of Night Sun medallion well, using the campfire effectively, using Fireballs/Ignite to provide further illumination, using Liquid Fire potions as a backup

The problem with casters in this fight is that they get debuffed to the point where they cannot literally do anything for several turns.

2)focus fire one side, but do not rush ahead without good illumination support as above
- vampires are especially dangerous if they are allowed to get 2 strikes a turn in optimal darkness, so try to get rid of them fast. You have an archer, an axethrower, a mage, a runesmith and the dancer has throwing knife, good enough for whittling a few down before they get to do any harm. If you smash one side early, you have a chance at downing the Lich behind them, which will simplify the battle rather than trying to defend on 2 sides.

Ok, I tried to oppose enemies everywhere, but I guess that's not smart here. I think Sun Tzu said something about not dissipating your forces by dividing them overmuch when you are outnumbered! ;)


Swordsmen really work best when there are at least a few of them as Formation is a strong passive. Clan Warrior can substitute in a pinch but may have trouble getting into position due to mobility. Here you are surrounded and choke points are meagre. Without a Knight to tank and multiple Swordsmen to hold the line, there is significant risk of being overrun (only 3 tanky units in your party: Roderick, swordsman, clan warrior). The Singing Sword can probably help do the job as well with some lucky evasion rolls but will need good Illumination support. Singing Sword is very strong on maps with trees and fairly average in maps without them.

For the first time, I am really feeling the lack of movement on my Clansman here. I may in future not use him at all.
 

zhuge

Novice
Joined
Jun 4, 2004
Messages
30
The problem with casters in this fight is that they get debuffed to the point where they cannot literally do anything for several turns.

Yea, Winter's Breath is very bad news if it hits a priestess or an archer, as these need 4AP to function. One way to deal with this is to push a few tanky units ahead, shielding the more vulnerable units and giving way slowly. A temporary replacement for a stunned frontliner would be nice if available. Any enemy unit with unused Winter's Breath and Stun potions should be prioritized. The other consumables are not so bad.
Finally consider having a backline unit(s) with Potion of Purification handy in case things get out of control.

Ok, I tried to oppose enemies everywhere, but I guess that's not smart here. I think Sun Tzu said something about not dissipating your forces by dividing them overmuch when you are outnumbered! ;)

Well he said a lot of things. Even "if slightly inferior in numbers, we can avoid the enemy". Good luck with that lol.
I prefer Napoleon: "The art of war consists in being always able, even with an inferior army, to have stronger forces than the enemy at the point of attack or the point which is attacked."
Also: "The art of war is to gain time when your strength is inferior"
In essence, I believe that's what many squad tactical games are about. In Mordheim, here and others.
A more modern/math based interpretation of these principles are reflected in Lanchester's laws.

For the first time, I am really feeling the lack of movement on my Clansman here. I may in future not use him at all.

Once again, quoting Napoleon because he was badass :P:salute:
"The strength of an army, like the power in mechanics, is estimated by multiplying the mass by the rapidity"
Dwarves certainly have the mass. The rapidity part on the other hand should also be obvious xD


Indeed! This is exactly what I wanted. Thanks! :)
 
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Lagi

Savant
Joined
Jul 19, 2015
Messages
726
Location
Desert
looks better
still too much colorful all over he map, maybe only the numbers?

i dont know, would need to test it in game, otherwise is hard to say.
what is others opinion? besides "i dont give a fuck, true man like me are color blind"
 

Vlad_Konung

Crasleen Games
Developer
Joined
Feb 2, 2017
Messages
129
looks better
still too much colorful all over he map, maybe only the numbers?

i dont know, would need to test it in game, otherwise is hard to say.
what is others opinion? besides "i dont give a fuck, true man like me are color blind"

Better?

OhzpdXd-o7I.jpg
 

Lagi

Savant
Joined
Jul 19, 2015
Messages
726
Location
Desert
unit facing [3xline frame], is more difficult to recognize.
the previous screen (center of hex colored) is better.

honestly I'm not sure.

edit:

just check last beat colored hex are good, and should be default setting over the grey one
 
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Vlad_Konung

Crasleen Games
Developer
Joined
Feb 2, 2017
Messages
129
We've finally decided on the release date! Warbanners will launch on October 18! In honor of this event, we've replaced all the old screenshots with new ones and have released a brand new trailer as well.

We've made a lot of improvements as we prepare for release – adding animation to trees, the option to play with a reduced amount of Health for all units (speeding up battles), new environment sprites, and we seriously reworked the look of all the maps. Those who participated in our previous tests will be pleasantly surprised. :)

Another good bit of news is that the volunteers are translating text into Spanish and German! If you're interested in helping with the translation – please write to me.

Thank you for your patience and kind wishes!

 

Infinitron

I post news
Staff Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2011
Messages
97,228
Codex Year of the Donut Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
From the Codex inbox:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NOTE TO EDITORS -- Assets: http://bit.ly/2fQ19Jm
Need a Steam code? Contact erik@theindiebros.com

TACTICAL ROLE-PLAYING FANTASY GAME WARBANNERS LAUNCHES OCTOBER 18TH
Steam Release Arrives Next Month for Windows PC and Linux Platforms

September 27th, 2017 – Crasleen Games, creators of enjoyable fantasy games with deep tactical combat including Drums of War, have announced Warbanners will release for Windows PC and Linux October 18th on Steam.

Warbanners is an indie, meticulously designed, turn-based, tactical strategy game with role-playing elements. Manage a squad of mercenaries, experience a campaign of 42 missions, and strategically fight towards becoming a legend equal to the ancient ones. Master a multi-faceted battle system, and learn how to exploit everything from the terrain to your special units in your road to victory.

Features:
Create a unique army: hire and equip soldiers, develop their fighting qualities, and learn new skills.
Hire assistants: although they do not participate in battles, assistants give different bonuses, including a formidable catapult, poisoning enemies, increasing morale, and much more.
Immerse yourself in a multi-faceted battle system that takes into account a variety of factors, including landscape and lighting, the direction of the unit's gaze, morale, and fatigue.
Use the environment for tactical purposes: freeze rivers, chop and burn trees, dig trenches, build bridges and barricades, and so on.
Choose the optimal level of difficulty: from easy for beginners, to nightmarish for sophisticated tacticians.
With every step marked by blood and iron, an invisible but deadly threat becomes more tangible. Darkness, brooding in the corners of the soul, becomes ever more palpable....

To find out more, visit: http://store.steampowered.com/app/650440/Warbanners/
Website: http://bit.ly/2xz5yte
Trailer: http://bit.ly/2hubnTl
Discord: https://discord.gg/Yrnas54
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Vlad_Konung

About Crasleen Games
Crasleen Games -- headed up by Vlad Konung -- is currently working on its second commercial release in Warbanners. Their first title, Drums of War, was published by Slitherine games in 2014.

Media Contact
Indie Bros. on behalf of Crasleen Games
Erik Johnson

 
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Pope Amole II

Nerd Commando Game Studios
Developer
Joined
Mar 1, 2012
Messages
2,052
Eh, I got the press key, but I won't be showcasing this one until they patch the kinks out - not worth my time. I can only play nightmate (gotta upkeep the street cred) and there, even the slightest issue is too much - tbh, it doesn't really feel as if the campaign was tested on nightmare. For example, in elves & ents mission it just so happens that ents don't degrade over time (as they should). Which cuts into your damage too much so you can't really do them in.

Or, for example, the siege mission. I went through it once, but only with losing people (which really isn't adviseable). Whereas in this vid catapult mostly misses, on nightmare it has, like, 100% precision. And it's way too much - you can't really play around 12 extra damage per turn (which is, like, 80% of your trooper's health on the speed battle mode).

The system overall is kinda bland & annoying. First, the start is too slow - whereas AI is constantly using all the tactical stuff, you're left with nothing but clicking them to death. Which is retarded. I mean, it's a niche indie tactics game - who do you think is gonna be playing it, 12 years old kiddies? Don't bother me with vanilla, I've already seen it all.

Second, it's boringly random. The combat is balanced around 50% average to-hit chance. Yay to the entire turns of your party doing nothing but missing. And don't give me any "it's like the tabletop" bullshit - in tabletop, you're throwing a shitload of dices (so the laws of the average work), not to mention that warhammer's elite armies are based on rolling 3+ with plenty rerolls. And that's a system where you mostly don't care about whether your units live or die as long as they fulfill the objectives. Couldn't the baseline be 75% at the very least? I'm not even talking about excluding this cancerous atavism at all because it's not fucking fun.

Third, there's too much shitty mechanics. Liquid fire, for example. Create 2 random fiery hexes out of chosen 7 hexes. So you can make the fiery barrier or you can do nothing. Mostly nothing, though. In which world that is tactical? Or giving all your enemies random potions (which they might or might not use) which makes the battles even more random because some potion combinations might be just too much for your squad, especially in the combats where you just have to fight in the close ranks. Or the lack of fucking reserve so you can actually adjust to the mission without kicking your veterans out.

Some stuff is there just for "no fun allowed". Like, there's the guy who can dig water pits, but of course he doesn't work in the siege missions. And in some other missions too. And it's not like they are broken or something - just -4 to defense, it wouldn't even do much good against those trolls as they are auto-hit anyways. But no, Lord save that the player may have some joy, that's just a cardinal sin!

Fourth, you're often forced to fight with the ai allies and yeah, the ai companion missions are as good as ever. That siege is absolutely defined by where your allied AI morons will decide to shoot. And of course they shoot like they have Alzheimer, no target priority at all, no sense, no nothing.

These are small things, but I'm kinda tired of this "we're indie-kids, here's our grade school efforts, praise us, plz!!!" Can't anyone do something that's polished, well-thought and is mostly devoid of cancerous mechanics? Must it always be the manchild crap?

Yeah, on a second notice, this game is shit.
 

Galdred

Studio Draconis
Patron
Developer
Joined
May 6, 2011
Messages
4,346
Location
Middle Empire
Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
strategygamer.com has a review up where they raise most of the same points, but still consider the game fun:
REVIEW: WARBANNERS
BY JOE ROBINSON 18 OCT 2017 0
REVIEW: WARBANNERS
Released 18 Oct 2017
Developer: Crasleen Games
Genre: Turn-Based Strategy
Available from:
Steam
Reviewed on: PC

Calling out a game for being ‘difficult’, while remarkably topical at the moment, is always a challenging call to make. A game’s difficulty is not always fundamental to the experience at large, and as Wargamer’s James Cobb recently posited, dropping down to ‘Easy’ can actually be quite therapeutic at times. Warbanners, by Crasleen Games, doesn’t really have a difficulty problem, but it does have problems it will need address sooner rather than later. Before we get to that though, let’s take a quick step back.

Warbanners is a turn-based tactical RPG set in generic fantasy world. You are Roderick, commander of a mercenary company that you must lead through a linear narrative campaign of up to 42 missions. The game will put you in control of different unit types, and features hex-based combat featuring potions & equipment, unique abilities… similar to Battle Brothers. Or a linear Lord of the Rings-style XCOM, if you prefer. There’s actually nothing else to the game other than its campaign, which is a bit of a shame but at the very least you can tell they’ve put a lot of thought into the turn-based battles.

ss-778d74895dae6fe2dd3886e8626736f67ec2e395.1920x1080.jpg


The RPG layer is a bit bare-bones and involves two main tasks – managing your company, and then navigating the story. The campaign takes place on a map that’s reminiscent of the old parchment-drawn aids of yester-year. As you complete a mission, another one unlocks that your counter will move over to, and there are usually text-based narrative elements before and after each battle. Once a level is complete, you can’t go back.

Sometimes, the text elements will throw choices at you that can affect your Karma (which can effect game-world interactions). Sometimes you can choose from several different mission options. Combined, the choices you make and the order you do missions in can have lasting effects that will be reflected in battles and story-elements you encounter later on. E.g., if you do a side mission before doing the next main mission, the nature of that mission will be different compared to if you’d just gone straight in. Saving often will allow you to feel out all of the short-term options with ease so you can re-load if you’re unhappy with how something turned out.

ss-6dd611be0c478548886135b1536c4916ebdc7417.1920x1080.jpg


In terms of managing your company, you have a limited number of slots with which to hire soldiers. This will go up over time, allowing you hire more and better classes of troops. The game starts off with basic archers and men-at-arms, but will progress to Knights, magic-users and other weird & wonderful unit types. Each unit can carry items and potions, and as units gain XP they level up and can improve their stats and/or gain new abilities. If a unit dies, you can pay money to resurrect it although it will take some stat decreases. It’s only really worth it for high-level units though. Beyond that, there are ‘assistants’ you can hire that will give you extra tools or buffs that can be useful in battle. These range from morale boosts, to allowing you to place a catapult on the map before a battle starts.

The tactical battles in Warbanners are where most of the action happens, and are easily the best bits about the game. Each unit has action points, as well separate stats for health, stamina, morale, strength & accuracy and all the usual suspects you’d expect to see in a game of this nature. Facing is important, as is making the best use of the environment around you and managing your troops with care. The missions vary, from ambushes, to straight up battle lines, to sieges with unique terrain and weapons. The tactical possibilities can be quite varied, and your troops will get tired if you don’t give them opportunities to rest. Attacking revolves around hit-percentages and the amount of damage one can deal in a single blow. Killing enemy units increases morale, while suffering loses will decrease morale and cause troops to flee in panic.

ss-f4a78bde8654aecc8c5789bb2bb911faa6e09dac.1920x1080.jpg


The enemies you face will depend on where the story is going at that time. Orcs are a pretty common enemy in the early game, but you’ll also face off against undead and even Elves & Ents if you choose a particular side-mission. Each faction has different capabilities and tactics that you need to be aware of.

Credit where credit’s due, the missions in Warbanners are really quite fun. I love the siege battles in particular, and big set pieces between large armies (where your small mercenary band will be teamed up with a larger allied force) are also a treat. But this is also a very RNG-heavy game, which makes it unpredictable and a tad harsh. This brings us back to the underlying problem that really lets Warbanners down: Being a linear experience, you’re forced to go through mission after mission with very little opportunity to do anything else. Sometimes, those side missions can come with penalties or make later missions harder so they’re mostly fake-choices anyway. If you get stuck on a battle, the game literally offers you nothing else to do. No multiplayer, no offline skirmish and you can’t even go back and re-do past missions unless you start again.

ss-4ee567e990e72c8c2afa38e00af05ce4c41ede4a.1920x1080-1507886887.jpg


This kind of design can be dangerous when coupled with resource management – money is limited, and a choice you made hours ago could come back to bite you hard so that you’re faced with an impossible situation. You’ll have no choice then but to restart, and that can be demoralising to a player who’s sunk many hours into the campaign.

It’s a difficult call, because as with any RNG-heavy game when things are going well for you the rigidity of the experience doesn’t really matter. Having to repeat the same mission upon failure also isn’t the end of the world because the tactical possibilities are actually quite deep. But when you’re facing a particularly nasty set-piece that you’ve tried to complete half a dozen or so times, it’s easy to lose hope. Warbanners isn’t really difficult per say, but it IS relentless. Even during the more creative set-pieces, the odds are always stacked against you and you will always have to pull out all the tricks at your disposal to win every match. Losses are inevitable, rewards are meagre, and you will feel constantly under pressure even in the early missions.


Recent similar games like Battle Brothers have also provided experiences that feature grim worlds, high mortality rates and an overall difficult and depressing universe. The big differential between that and this is that you usually have choices. Don’t feel like you’re ready? Go do something else! Pick on easier opponents, train up, earn some more money etc… you have options and things you can do outside of that one particularly hard fight you’re struggling with. Even a skirmish mode where you can practice or blow off steam outside of the main campaign would be good enough. It’s all about taking comfort in the ability to be able to choose to do something else.

Warbanners, for better or worse, offers you no such solace. You will either win, or you will die. Despite its incredibly engaging tactical layer this is not such a brilliant game that it can dissuade me from contemplating the secret third option, which is to not bother playing at all.

A fun, tactically-engaging game that’s let down by relentless RNG swings and limited options for play.

★★★☆☆
 

rado907

Savant
Joined
Apr 23, 2015
Messages
249
First impressions:
Bought Warbanners because the screenshots reminded me of "Battle of Wesnoth", "Steel Panthers" and "Korsun Pocket", all three of which are great favorites of mine that I rate 10/10. "Warbanners" is clearly inspired by at least the first two.

Beat the first 3 missions and the game looks like the real deal:
- Hardcore hex-based TBS action.
- Simple yet rich combat system with a few stats but tons of items, skills, and modifiers that make a huge difference.
- Party-based, can hire mercs, units gain xp.
- The graphics & music are perfectly serviceable.

Only problem I had is that I think at one point a bleeding modifier bugged out and wouldn't go away.

Overall I get a good vibe from this game. Will post a full review when I finish it or quit. Hoping for a tasty 8/10 but we'll see how it goes.
---
Protip: Spam consumables, potions are cheap and powerful. The mission bonuses one can buy before each mission, on the other hand, feel weak.
 
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thesheeep

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Mar 16, 2007
Messages
9,939
Location
Tampere, Finland
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Wishlisted :salute:
Sorry, there's just too much already bought still to play at the moment... but this one really does seem to scratch a very specific itch.
Plus, from the looks so far, waiting for a few patches won't hurt ;)

Where else except the Codex did you go to spread the word, anyway?
 

Trash Player

Scholar
Joined
Jun 13, 2015
Messages
438
First impressions:
Bought Warbanners because the screenshots reminded me of "Battle of Wesnoth", "Steel Panthers" and "Korsun Pocket", all three of which are great favorites of mine that I rate 10/10. "Warbanners" is clearly inspired by at least the first two.

Beat the first 3 missions and the game looks like the real deal:
- Hardcore hex-based TBS action.
- Simple yet rich combat system with a few stats but tons of items, skills, and modifiers that make a huge difference.
- Party-based, can hire mercs, units gain xp.
- The graphics & music are perfectly serviceable.

Only problem I had is that I think at one point a bleeding modifier bugged out and wouldn't go away.

Overall I get a good vibe from this game. Will post a full review when I finish it or quit. Hoping for a tasty 8/10 but we'll see how it goes.
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Protip: Spam consumables, potions are cheap and powerful. The mission bonuses one can buy before each mission, on the other hand, feel weak.
Most of the assistants are money sink. They are permanent though. Potions are bread and butter. You need them and they are kinda cheap.
 

rado907

Savant
Joined
Apr 23, 2015
Messages
249
Wow this game is really punishing. Got to a mission where I have a mob of 10, an ally has a mob of similar size plus two catapults, and the enemy has a mob of 25-30. The catapults do a nice ~10 dmg per turn across the map (with ~20-25 HP pools on goons), and so I thought I'd turtle it. The ally being a retard ran straight into the meatgrinder and began to lose goons. The game has a morale system where allied casualties drop morale. After a few turns my mob's morale went to 0 and my goons fled the map. GG. Now I have to RE.
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Edit: Turned out the enemy had a boss who could do two strong cleave attacks per turn, and would lower my entire mob's morale with each kill. So I threw the kitchen sink at the boss & that won the fight.
 
Last edited:

Taka-Haradin puolipeikko

Filthy Kalinite
Patron
Joined
Apr 24, 2015
Messages
19,109
Codex 2016 - The Age of Grimoire Make the Codex Great Again! Grab the Codex by the pussy Bubbles In Memoria
I just realised that I prefer morale system of Drums of War to this new stuff where you gradually lose morale.

There was something hilarious about morale rolls when taking damage and random gobbos running around in terror.
 

rado907

Savant
Joined
Apr 23, 2015
Messages
249
Beat it on normal. Wonderful TBS, enjoyed every second of it.

Highlights:
- Simple but pleasant isometric art design.
- You get swordsmen, knights, paladins, dwarves, elves, mages, priestesses, magic swords, fireballs, undead, orcs, kings - all the tasty cheese a proper fantasy game requires.
- Fine combat system with passive and active skills, stats, illumination bonuses, hit chance, armor, etc.
- Plenty of content and replayability. My run lasted 26 hrs and I tend to be quick. Did a "good" playthrough but one can also do an "evil" playthrough. Went for a turtling approach but I think it's also possible to play aggressively by spamming cavalry units which I never even tried out. And unless one beats the game on highest difficulty outright, one always has the option of trying to beat the next difficulty level. I played 36 out of the 42 available missions.
- Good attitude by the devs - they pay attention to people's reactions and quickly fix problems.
- Some have complained about the difficulty, about the difficulty but I found the game straightforward on normal. (Beat the early orc catapult siege with no problem before the devs removed the catapult. Maybe lost a unit but on normal that's no big deal.) Would recommend hard difficulty to the hardcore.

Negatives:
- Disliked only one thing about the games - the catapults. Those do something like 10 dmg per turn (depending on hits and misses and unit congestion) with no regard to range, evasion, or armor. Given that units tend to have 20-25 HP and heavily rely on healing, catapults make it possible for the enemy to instagib units at random. And generally an instagib means a restart. The only way to destroy catapults short of destroying the enemy army and crossing the map is by sniping enemy catapults with your own catapult. Which, given that catapults suffer from no range restrictions, can be done on turn 1. So I save-scummed on a couple of late missions in order to snipe the enemy catapult on turn 1 and turn a brutal mission into an easy mission. This is just bad design IMO.

Protips:
- Spam potions. I found the stun potion and the dispel potion particularly useful. The idea is to stun the enemy top honchos, and dispel the mass stuns the enemy throws at you.
- Units refuse to walk on fire, which means that one can create/block chokes by spamming liquid fire pots.
- I didn't replace any of my original swordsmen and they felt weak toward the end. If I were to replay the game I'd consider replacing the swordsmen with dwarves.
- Only hired one healer early on; but I suspect having a second one would be worthwhile. Healers do solid work in this game.
- Was not impressed with the elf unit. The lack of shield makes it vulnerable to archers. And one can't control the ent.
- Except on a few timed missions, the game favors turtling, because typically the player has healing but the enemy doesn't. I beat most missions by immediately falling into formation and then just waiting for the enemy to break upon my barricades.

Rating: 9/10, recommended to TBS fans. Pleasantly surprised by this game, big kudos & thanks to the devs.
 

Vlad_Konung

Crasleen Games
Developer
Joined
Feb 2, 2017
Messages
129
rado907, many thanks!
I hope you left feedback on the Steam :)?
What would you do with the catapult? Just removed? Any idea?

I still want to add a ballista, but I did not invent an interesting mechanics.

Now I'm very busy, so I can not respond promptly and in detail...
 

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