Incline Battle Brothers - now with Warriors of the North DLC - Blazing Deserts DLC on the way

Very interesting point that Jan makes: A main difference of BB with most current games is that you personally have to discover most of the game. There are very few instructions and this is something that creates a sense of wonder and mystery that newer games lack.
It's very true, I had that exact same feeling with JA2 for example and of course X-COM

 

Not really, since the main attack always starts as a pincer move from the fringes and moves to the middle. By the time i shiv a few of them the sheer amount of debilitating strikes and crits makes em lose morale and rout, and their shield wall collapses.

 

The "mechanics are somewhat hidden" aspect was explored heavily (and probably contributed to the success of) the binding of isaac.

I like the idea, but it works better in a game like BoI where-in each run lasts 20-50 minutes and does not allow you to "retry" options. You can sink many hours into a single company in BB, and so I can appreciate that some stuff is semi-mysterious (like, for example, if the witch being burned is actually a witch or not) but too much hidden stuff can be a detriment (especially when you can save-scum*).

*we all fall prey to it =(

 

I don't know, I like the fact that still , even after quite some hours of game time, there are small things that I will realize or read somewhere and think "oh fuck, that's a good idea".

 

I'm enjoying the game still, but there are some (seemingly) minor things that could be done to give it a much longer lasting life -- I'd broadly categorize them as "character traits influencing overworld map and scenario results more".

 

Are noble houses supposed to have a personality? I have yet to notice any difference, other than colors. I think the "good" nobles never asked me to raze their own settlements, but that's all.

 

Goblin citadel is downright retarded. Is there are surefire strategy against this thing? On mine its located on a swamp, meaning -25 ranged defense because spawn in water, plus another -25% thanks to root, plus another -50% with insect swarm. Annoying af.

 

I think the hidden mechanic aspect of the game, is a very negative aspect of it.

 

I'm pretty sure it's just fluff like characters' backgrounds.

 

The idea that Civlization is not about "winning" the game is insane, The whole point of civilization is about making the right decisions that lead you to win.

 

Don't know about 'very negative', but I fail to see how - for example - hiding the hit chance bonus of swords and spears until you equip them adds to the game. I ended up not using two pretty useful weapons for many hours, didn't add a thing.

 

295 hours into the game and I'm still learning new stuff. Eg: I was wrong about maces. They are very good in the "War" scenario.

Speaking of the noble War...

I did it yesterday and I have mixed feelings about it. On one hand you have these HUGE and challenging battles that are really really nice. I'll never forget the epic defense I did of a small forest village:


We defeated an entire company (24 men in plate) of House Grimmund. Eugen and Englebert died like heroes.

HOWEVER

A couple of days later the city switched sides anyway. WHAT THE FUCK?! The overall progress of the war seemed completely random and not very logical. Cities WAY behind enemy lines getting conquered and no clear winner of the entire thing. It was a three way free for all. We (the white house) lost two cities and gained one city from the red (Grimmund) and one from the Blue house. The red house got 2 cities from us and the blue house simply lost a city.

I like that the game reminds you that you don't really have a "side" and all that, but GODDAMIT I WANTED MY EMPLOYER TO FUCKING WIN!!! I did several raiding quests that seemed to have zero effect in the overall outcome of the war. So we behaved like assholes for nothing.

Maybe I should've done more "big battle" quests instead of raiding? Whatever, mang...

 

I've been always selecting War, just because the thought of fighting a million undead really does not appeal. Greenskins are alright, but I thought War would give you the best variety when it does come down to 40-combatant fights.

The present company is just entering into the War, and I guess I really should have worked on dagger and other ways to bypass armour, because oh god axes taking 2 turns to break shields is not good enough.

 

Can anyone confirm there is some sort of reactivity to the noble wars? Meaning you actually have some say on the ultimate outcome?

 

The reactivity has nothing to do with the contracts in my experience, I went around wiping out the forces of one side just because there is a lot of money to be had (made somewhere in the neighborhood of 200k one time) in their loot and knights frequently carry named swords. It's those wandering companies from towns on the over-world that do the conquering/defending and once they are minimized your friendly side should start taking cities like clockwork. Once you are satisfied do the contracts to bring the conflict to it's resolution quicker.

 

I accept a contract to defend a village from attacking raiding parties. Immediately after accepting two groups of Ancient Legionaries, Fallen Heroes, and a lot of Armored Wiedergangers bust through the forest line straight for me. I didn't think raiding parties could include Undead. I try to make a run for it, but I get caught. They total 33. No high ground in sight. Run! I escape, and see a small company moving North. I try to loop around and see if they'll help, but they continue on their way. As I peek around some trees, I see two large groups of Goblin raiders show up. Those must be the raiding parties then. They clash with the Undead, and I decide to join in to see what happens. The total count is 64 enemies. I start in the lower part of the map, and decide it best to stay there. Right from the start, I had to deal with a Fallen Hero and an Ancient Legionnaire. No problem. I wait a few rounds, and get attacked by ~7 Goblin Wolf Riders. I make quick work of them and continue waiting. The total number, after all is said and done is 24. The Undead won that battle, and the rest is ~12 Ancient Legionaries, a lot of the polearm variety unfortunately, 3 Fallen Heroes, and the rest Armored Wiedergangers. An improvement over 33!

One brother dies who was injured previously, but all told it turned out great. I've never seen so much loot in the after-battle menu.

 

These 3-way battles that happen because you pull enemies into other parties or they simply happen to be around, show how much more awesome the game would be with some more "simulation".
The basis is there already..

 

After seeing the Goblins, I assumed they were the raiding parties, and the Undead just happened to be there. I am in the middle of the Undead Scourge crisis too.

Speaking of intention, a few days ago I got an event (scripted?) in which I was stopped on the road by a strange man who told me a village had been destroyed by the Undead, and he orchestrated its destruction.

I agree, though I do think the game is fantastic in its current state as well. The last dozen or so pages of this thread appear to be overly negative in my opinion. I intentionally avoided playing the game during Early Access, and am only in my second campaign at 130 hours, and still have a lot to see and learn. That said, yes, a greater focus on the simulation would go a long ways.

 

the fat piece of shit that is apparently p big on twitch is playing BB

hopefully some of his stooges pick it up

https://www.twitch.tv/dansgaming

 

Do any of you have any special purpose builds that you've found very useful?

I recently found mace specialization, rotation, pathfinder, and adrenaline (and maybe recover) on a high melee defense and fatigue character to be fantastic. I can easily save brothers if they get into a rough situation, and it makes for great Necrosavant/Geist deterrent. Pretty good against Orcs as well to tire them out fast too.

 

Day 33



Delivery job on day 20 for 180 gold. Looks like some mercs wanted to rob me, but it was late and i was tired, so


No armor looted - i was too afraid, but they left 2 warbows, 2h sword and billhook. Lost only lvl 1 Tiax.
From this point it was easy ride.

 

Nice name on that merc

 

I have plenty of those and I intend to update my guide with a "builds" part. As for Necrosavants, I found that Taunt works wonders against them. Taunt + shieldwall = the savant won't teleport away and will attack the taunting character instead.

 

Does ranged defense work when the Brother is not the target of the attack? Is it less likely to get hit by a stray arrow / bolt?

My Archers still seem to be projectile magnets despite high ranged def + the anticipation perk... .

 

I'm not sure. I mostly keep by back-line's ranged defense somewhat high (+ anticipation on ranged units), and haven't had much problem with Marksmen anymore. I'll usually risk having ranged out in the open. I've only encountered one Master Archer so far though. Goblin Ambushers can be a little annoying.

Dogs are quite amazing by the way if you can get them for cheap. Most enemies will target them first, making for an unfortunate, but sometimes necessary scapegoat. If you're facing a lot of Geists, and they're the closest non-engaged enemy, Dogs will destroy them.