Expeditions combat will feel familiar to any fan of turn-based combat -- but there are some unusual twists (bear in mind this may be different further into the game or in the final version). In each of the battles I played, my troops moved first - I'm unsure if this is always the case, or whether my superior Tactics score gave me an advantage. Unlike many turn-based systems that use a "stack" based on Initiative, I had the choice of using my followers in any order. Selecting a follower shows their movement range in green hexes and you can move, act and move again in any order, until that unit runs out of movement points.

For example, I wanted to use my doctor to heal one of the soldiers, but the area was narrow and a hunter was in the way. I was able to move the hunter, send the doctor over to heal the soldier - but then return to the hunter again to move into a good position behind partial cover to fire his musket. Once you have finished, pressing [space] finishes your turn and the other side gets to engage. Actions include skills (one of the early skills trades ranged accuracy for getting off two shots, for example) but I didn't get to level up enough to speak much of the options available. It's a simple but flexible system that shows great promise and I look forward to playing some more advanced scenarios when the game is released.

Beyond the basic gameplay what really impressed me was the quality of the presentation and the attention to detail. As an indie venture, the graphics aren't going to stretch your top-of-the-line video card but the Unity-powered visuals are crisp and attractive. More importantly, however, it's clear the developers include some talented artists and designers who have pulled everything together with a consistent and appealing theme. The GUI is attractive and well-designed and the music features acoustic guitar that nicely complements the setting.

From the limited time I've had with the game, Expeditions is impressive on many fronts. The visual and thematic consistency, the possibilities of the dialogue system and the turn-based combat all show as much potential as I've seen from an indie development - especially considering this is a an early build. If you love turn-based combat or if you like the idea of a roleplaying game that tries something different, this is well worth a look.​

Although it’s a fairly attractive turn-based tactical game already, the polish is all in the writing. I was genuinely surprised by how much I became invested in the characters and plotlines and it’s not just because the setting is impressively captured and less well-trodden than elven forests and dwarven mines. There’s a willingness to engage with the conflicts of the time and place, particularly the struggle between the strictures of faith and culture, and the freedom of being far from the watching eye of court and crown. This plays out in branching dialogues and missions that allow the player to define their own character as well as that of their followers.

An open-minded doctor might not be particularly happy if you gleefully massacre every native you meet, while a hunter with a belief in the superiority of his race and creed might be annoyed by your lead if you decide that all those who are different aren’t necessarily fit to be slaughtered. That said, the dialogue isn’t heavy-handed and moral choices don’t flash onto the screen. There’s no bar fluctuating between Cortes and ConquistaDora The Explorer. There are loads of well-written characters though and decisions made in conversation and elsewhere that have an impact on the flow of the campaign.​