King Arthur the Roleplaying Wargame : Old Faith Complete

[Multiple Sarcasm]

I was referring to the Righteous/Tyrant difference.

Well, for example, elite rightful units are Golden Gryphons that you've seen in the last update. These bros have good both defence and attack, and are generally an all-around unit, but they can get some p. good offensive abilities, like armour piercing. Elite tyrant units, however, are Raven Guards, who are, quite possibly, the toughest unit in game. They might not have the best attack (still decent), but their defence rating can go to the stratosphere, not to mention some of the special abilities they can unlock, like sharing the damage a hero attached to the squad gets among the troopers. They make perfect bodyguards for both heroes and units like archers, or just stopping power against enemy units that would slaughter everything else in your army.

Thanks. Sounds alright. Not as different as I'd hoped, but it's something.

 

[Darth Roxor]

Sounds alright. Not as different as I'd hoped, but it's something. Thanks.

Well, those are examples of just two units.

When going tyrant, you also get brigands/marauders/wasteland warriors that Sir Balin delivered after the last fight. You also get Lionhearts, who are some of the best mid-game heavy infantry in game (they can't compete with stuff like Sidhe warriors or Golden Gryphons, but they are a pretty effective backbone). Righteous king, however, gets access to stuff like sentinels (light infantry, not bad and cheap as hell), royal guards (best spearmen in game with excellent defence), marksmen (crossbowmen on steroids. Difficult to use 'cause they tend to do more friendly fire than damage against the enemy, but fuck me if they aren't excellent at stopping just about everything that gets in their range, including heavy cavalry). And probably 1 or 2 other units I've forgotten about.

Most of the units are also not only relevant to the Tyrant/Righteous axis, though. They are available to the combination of both morality and religion, so while golden gryphons/raven guards are related only to morality, you will also need some points in Christianity to get access to everything else.

 

[RK47]

My knights, we have gathered here today to decide upon our next course of action. Brother, where is Sir Balin?

I know not, milord. I do not see why you trusted that snake. He and that cursed sword is nothing but trouble.

Hush, brother. In these times of turmoil, even fallen champions have their uses.

Your will be done.

I am glad you could join us, Sir Gareth. Please, do not hesitate to speak up if there is anything you would like to say.

I have none, my King. My life is yours.

Very well, my knights. The Codex has spoken. Next season, we will march towards London.

Are you sure of this, milord? Merlin would not be pleased. He is of the Old Ways...

Hush, brother. He is no longer with us. Ever since I've unleashed that magic...he has disappeared with nary a trace. We are on our own.

Very well, we will have to march eastwards, then. *unrolls a map parchment* Through Wessex territories.

If recent news could be believed, King Idres is at war against King Cynric. This gives us an opportunity to aid our ally and expand eastwards at the same time.

Yes, but I've heard rumors of a banished noble who is plotting something in Wessex. He has invited us to his wedding, I say we accept and listen to his offer.

I agree with Sir Kay. That prince might have hidden ambitions we could exploit.

It is agreed then, Sir Kay will be accompanied by Sir Gareth to the wedding...

The large wooden doors to the Round Table opened suddenly, a large figure, clad in black armor storms into the room.

I tire of waiting! What of this cursed sword?!

Show respect to the King, you cur!

It's alright, brother. If this cursed sword of yours is as powerful as you promised, then I see no loss in pursuing its power first. If this sword proved otherwise...then I shall have you executed.

I accept your challenge! Sir Kay, let us go at once!

....I hope you know what you're doing, Arthur.

You still have much to learn, brother.

 

[RK47]

Chapter 4: The Road to London

Make haste! I want to unleash the power of this sword!

Whatever, Sir Gareth, what are our options?

Sir Kay, I know a group of druids to the north might be able to help us. But it seems out of the way. If we want to save time while making progress towards London as well, we should head eastwards towards a monastery. The monks there might be able to help in cleansing the sword.

I care not, do what you will.

Eastward it is, then. We shall stop at the Logres' Prince wedding along the way.

Excellent, I could use some drinking and feasting!

No, you will stay with the army outside the castle. I'll go. Sir Gareth, keep him in line.

I shall try my best, Sir Kay.

If your master is a prisoner, how could he marry someone at all?

Tell me about Sir John.

We have nothing to hide from. Announce them that an envoy of King Arthur is here!

I should introduce myself to the lord, first. It's the right thing to do.

Now I should talk to the Prince.

Very well, I shall enjoy myself for a while, then.

I've wasted enough time. Where is that messenger?

I am the guest of the Prince. Let me enter.

Tell me of your plans in Wessex.

I do not like this arrangement. It gets us no closer to London and it forces us to capitalize on the chaos in Wessex, throwing us into an unnecessary war. What about the province of Logres? London lies there.

This is much better. With the forces guarding London weakened, we can take them by surprise and seize London.

I could sneak out...but why not try getting Sir John to take our side in the conflict?

I promise King Arthur will turn Wessex into a Christian province under his rule.

Excellent. It's time to march towards London while Logres is in turmoil.

The quest rewards us with our first Christian point. It's time to explain how the morality system works.

The bright mark is where our current morality lies. We've inched slightly towards Christianity while we've dipped into Tyrant further. More Christianity will push the mark further towards the right. Tyrannical actions will push it lower. Once sufficient points are reached to reach a requirement, the spell will be unlocked.

As you can see here, if you lean towards Old Faith, you will gain all the spells on the mid line while having access to the upper left area only if you are Righteous. Tyrannical Old Faith will gain the bottom left.

Christian spells does not require much morality to unlock and focuses more on support, defensive casting and close range destruction. Sample spells are Sanctuary to improve defense and remove fatigue, Bonds of Magic to prevent casting of spells, Mana Burn to drain and deal damage to heroes and Radiant Blast to smite enemies at close range.

The Old Faith leans towards ranged offensives. Poison is deadly effective at slowing down an enemy while dealing damage over time. The Sidhe Roads will enable teleportation in battlefield, trivializing the capture of VPs.

Now we move on towards the General effect, which affects how your kingdom is governed.

The first Tyrant general bonus is not yet activated. Corpse Robbing increases rewarded loot from victories and could be substantial since we'll be fighting a lot. Go deeper and you can do enforced recruitment to instantly complete the recruiting process within a season. Tyrant Christians gains quicker building time as well.

The Righteous King enjoys the fruits of prosperity only near the top of his benign rule, at 10% kingdom-wide income boost is significant, but requires maximum Righteousness. Forces of the Old Faith can count on better agricultural yields in their lands, and increased bonuses to their heroes' gained experience.

We move on to the unit aspect of Morality.

We've not unlocked anything, but as I've mentioned before, Tyrant units are more offensive oriented. Brigands packs more punch than regular bowmen. Tyrant Christians also gains access to Wasteland Warriors and Marauders. Christian army have to wait much longer before they get their pay-off. Sangreal Knights, the heaviest knight unit in the game becomes available at maximum Christianity.

Before that, Tyrant Kings can gain the services of Lionhearts while Righteous Kings enjoy Sentinels and Royal Guards.

The Old Faith army is more finesse than power. They are divided into two: the Seelie is the Rightful Old Faith army. While the Unseelie makes up the Tyrant of Old Faith. The Unseelie units gains bonuses when fighting in the night, and possess greater archer attack capability than their Righteous brethren. What's more ridiculous is that their archers gets no penalty from fighting in the terrible weathers!

So you've returned, how did it go?

Our journey will be made easier.

That's good news...let us go then!

Wait, a messenger just arrived bearing a letter. It's from King Idres!

We cannot miss this opportunity. To Dorset!

 

[RK47]

Chapter 4.5: Treason

Tell me everything, King Idres.

Let's speak with Sir Temensis.

It cannot be helped, I should convince the other two to support Arthur if I want to get anywhere.

Idres sent me to convince you to support Arthur, as the future king of Dorset.

I should not threaten him, but a lump sum might not be enough to convince him....what if I were to promise you half of the province's annual trade income?

Excellent, now I just have to convince Sir Edevo.

Gold will only offend, what if I promise his daughter marriage into our court?

Arthur would be pleased.

The King is dead! Long Live King Arthur!

Lady Ygerne joins our court. We can marry her to one of our knights. She has no negative traits and is quite a beautiful lady. She is worth three loyalty points to the knight she marries. Her Just nature increases the loyalty of her husband's provinces by 3 and her stern rule brings 25% more gold from taxed income.

Arthur, are you sure about this?

Yes.

It shall be done, milord.

And so with the blessings of the King, Sir Balin weds Lady Ygerne. The provinces under his rule were relieved to hear she is a Just lady, and welcome the news. Sir Balin is granted additional lands to celebrate this occasion.

 

[lightbane]

This game sounds very interesting, I'll even consider buying it...

 

[RK47]

Sir Balin's marriage was held during autumn, the army rested during winter. We did not battle at all this year, only Sir Kay gained experience from the diplomatic coups he pulled.

I decided to invest a point into Victorious Army to grant 50% bonus to loot and morale gained after victories.

Prince Cedric's plot succeeded into drawing Logres at war with West Murcia and Wessex, severely weakening their own army.

With West Murcia being contested, our army can pass safely without repercussions, straight into London.

Hail, Sir Kay, Sir Gareth.

Why, this is a surprise.

Someone is in a good mood.

I just wanted to say I am itching for battle, it's been a year without one. It's just not the same.

Which part of you itches after that wedding night?

We'll be there soon. Just another season...You can raise your sword, then.

Hmm, another message from our King. Looks like something's happened in Deepwood.

It can wait a season or two. London is our goal.

Good, I'll go crazy if we go another year without shedding blood.

She wasn't a virgin, then?

Why you....

I think I'm starting to like you more, Sir Balin.

We finally arrived at the weakened garrison of London. There's not even a hero to lead the defenders!

There's only 3 VP. All grants Cloud of Arrows spell.

We won't try to win by VP. We'll crush them utterly. The cramped city quarters are dangerous to traverse in, thankfully there's a small patch of forest in there to ambush from.

The defenders of London rushes down from their King's stronghold.

The tight city quarters forces armies to traverse in closed formation. A deadly move when there's a Sage capable of casting Pool of Shadows.

Drown in Darkness!

BURN!

Sir Gareth unleashes another Pool of Shadows as they work around a city bend.

Sir Kay is ready to greet them after they emerge from the narrow streets.

On my mark, FIRE!

They could not mount a meaningful resistance except a token arrow volley exchange or two. London is ours!

Sir Kay, King Arthur has arrived.

Let us go to his side.

From a distance they watched as their King lay Excalibur on an altar of stone. And to their amazement, it rose on its own! A magnificent glow of light envelopes the whole of London.

Such magic!

Let's get closer. Quickly!

A dome of light formed, and begin to construct shapes from stones.

Then, a flash of light blinded the three knights as they approached their King. When they opened their eyes, they were shocked by what they see...

Gentlemen, Camelot!

I....I have no words.

All hail, King Arthur! The Once and Future King!

So the legends were true...

And the true battle begins now..

 

[Darth Roxor]

A shame the Seeds of War thing can't be shown that well in a single 'playthrough'.

If you try to sneak out with the prince and fail, you'll have to burn down the whole castle (and declare war on the province iirc) to make a diversion.

Getting a civil war in the province makes everyone inside fight among themselves, while you can use the chaos and safely get through to London without invoking a war.

If you tell the prince to go fuck himself and report him to the lord of the castle, you'll get +++rightful and an option to buy 2 cavalry units for a fair price.

Not being able to sway Sir John makes you lose a % of your forces in battle, iirc. You also burn down the castle.

 

[Black]

Damned morans who voted London (and thus christianity), like we need more dark ages

 

[Trash]

Fun game and so far a great LP. Fun to see that you're experiencing quite a different game than I had even at this early stage due to the choices you make.

 

[RK47]

Two DLC Knights joins us upon establishing Camelot.

Sir Lucan the Warlord, and Sir Alymere, the Champion. This tempts beginners into forming another army to handle multiple threats at once. As good that may sound, it will bankrupt you without warning. Sir Lucan comes loaded with support skills and passive picks to province tax increases and has a specialty skill - Dragon Strike. No Warlords can have this. His starting unit is a Shieldbreaker, an upgrade to heavy footmen.

Sir Alymere is a Champion, his skill pick could be better, but his specialty skill Hold is a decent use. If it wasn't for the long cool-down. But 2 minutes of paralyzing is a godsend when facing fast cavalry charges.

DLC Traits are pretty average.

Sir Lucan's rule will earn the province 1.5x of food growth. He also improves recruitment time with his Ferocious nature. His Proud Leader trait grants him +2 loyalty when leading an army, but -2 when he doesn't.

Sir Alymere is a straightforward warrior, incapable of wise governing. Shrewd gives him more EXP from quests, Braveheart grants 25% bonus from battle EXP. Reckless and corrupted will severely reduce ruled provinces' income. So never, ever let him lead a province.

Sir Lucan's first assignment is to fulfill King Cynric's excessive demand in exchange for his kingdom.

Are you sure this is wise, milord?

I think we could spare the gold for now. It can be recouped later within a few years. We're not at war with anyone at the moment, why not take the time to investigate that mysterious village of Eglades?

Very well, milord.

Why do we even bother?

Perhaps it may earn us an artifact of some sort.

If you just cleanse my Cursed Sword....

Your sword? Can't you just ask your wife to do it for you?

Hush, we've arrived.

You there, tell me what happened.

Faeries...I have no idea what that is.

Could it be ...no, it can't be.

Let's head to the inn.

Innkeeper, ale please!

Not now, Balin. Innkeeper, could you tell me what happened to this village?

So it's true.

What is?

Old Faith legends.

The Sidhe, are they of the Old Faith?

I'm not sure. I only heard tales and legends. They live far north in the forests. Nobody ever returned from there alive!

Let's go ask the druid about it, then.

Tir na Ong?

What of the Seelie?

I don't like this one bit, Sir Kay. They're not to be trifled with.

Did you not hear what the old man say? They are weak AGAINST STEEL! Look, *draws his sword* STEEL!

So are we. It's called 'pain and wounds'. Let's find this tower.

Massive...

I doubt they'd surrender. Balin, be ready.

I've got your steel right here!

I've got a bad feeling about this....

Our first encounter with the Sidhe, specifically the Unseelie will pit our forces against:

These guys are the Elite Heavy Infantry. Packs punch and comes only in 6-packs. They have night sight and magic resistance. Their melee capability pales in comparison to the next unit's kill rate...

The deadliest archers in game. They only come in pack of 12, but Unseelie Archers fires TWO arrows at once and is not affected by ANY weather effect. They also have magic resistances. Prepare for a rough fight.

Four VP. Top left is Crystal Tower for Shard spell. The middle is Dragon Bone, it's the most valuable VP in this map. It cuts mana consumption by half. The bottom right VP is dangerous, it nullifies all magic in the area. We will cap it and leave it the hell alone. A lone village is where the Unseelie army will spawn.

I send Sir Gareth's Cavalry to secure top left VP while the Knights march south to the Magic Immune shrine. The rest of the forces will hold at the Dragon Bones.

The Unseelie marches towards the center of the map.

Resist THIS!

Our archers get a taste of Shadows from the Unseelie Sage.

And the Sage invoked Fog of Avalon. Sir Gareth responded with Dragon's Eye as the enemy got in maximum archer range.

As he finished casting, his cavalry unit was struck by Crystal Shard spell. Spikes of cruel, cold ice pierced his men, killing both the horses and riders through extreme anal penetration. He is down to three riders from the starting 35.

Horrific.

Looks cold, let me warm a few of these bastards up!

Still coming? Fine, CHARGE!

Sir Gareth's Dragon's Eye falters yet the Fog persists. Thankfully, most of the Unseelie Archers had died, our archers are forced to emerge from the forests to get closer.

Looks like my luck has run out!

Sir Gareth gets caught by an Unseelie Warrior ambush in the forests and was down within moments!

Gareth!

Kay, don't stop firing at that oncoming warriors. I'll hold, these bastards will break soon. I can feel it.

Thankfully, their morale dropped to zero after we inflicted enough losses and captured more VP.

How's the weakling?

He'll live but he needs time to recover.

Huh...that's a pity.

Sir Kay smiled at Balin's turned figure. They've become good friends despite trading barbs. Years ago, Balin wouldn't even sit with them at the Round Table. Gareth will take 5 seasons to recover, the grievous wound inflicted by Unseelie Warrior nearly killed him.

Sir Kay stood up to receive a message from a soldier.

This is not good. Arthur, what will you do now?

Days later...

How is Sir Gareth?

Still recovering from his wounds, milord.

Gentlemen, we are attacked from the west. But winter approaches, we have some time to prepare. Our stronghold will be improved, and armies reinforced.

We'll train ourselves over the winter, o King.

Yes, I will improve my Masterful Tactics with Wedges of Steel to grant more offensive power to my troops.

I shall master Dragon's Breath so I can cast it more often in battle.

Several archers have been promoted to veteran status. They've been given masterwork weaponry to increase their offensive capability.

Good, keep them alive. Now let me show you my research plans...

Once you've unlocked stronghold, you can research upgrades.

Military

Economy

And the last one is Magic, if I'm not wrong. I missed the screenshot.

I propose we improve Roads in our empire to increase your army's mobility. All in agreement?

No objections, milord.

I know it's unfair to some merchants and our citizens, but I think we need to implement Monopoly and Forced Labor laws to increase both our trade and gold income from our provinces.

Do not be hesitant to do so, my King. You are protecting them, after all. These weapons and soldiers do not pay for itself!

The monopoly law will hurt our mining income (-30%), but will increase our trade taxes greatly (+30%). But I worry if we bleed the populace with forced labor, the army will need more gold(+20%) and time to attract more recruits, although the overall increase in taxed food and gold (20%) will make up for it.

It's a trade off.

What of Sir Lucan and Sir Alymere? Will they be joining us?

One of them might. I'm afraid I cannot assign more than four of you to an army. They are currently marching from Dunmodia as we speak. Oh also, Sir Lucan proved to be a very wise ruler. I am thinking of rewarding him with more land and marrying him to the beautiful Lady Lynett.

Gentle increases recruitment time.
Merchant increases trade income.
Beautiful increases knight's loyalty by +3
Shrewd increases knight's earned EXP by 25%

As long he does not take my share of land...

Then take mine instead.

Thank you, brother. There's still so much work to be done at Camelot. Excalibur's magic can only do so much.

Upgrading stronghold can only be initiated during winter. And these take seasons to finish. You can queue up to 4 buildings, but remember you are making up-front payment. So stick to 4 season building plan, I'm going for Anvil Lane to reduce cost and time of recruitment by 15%, then followed with a mint for 500 gold per turn then Artisan guild for a random chance to get artifact per year.

Sir Kay, I have news of Merlin.

Really?

An alliance with Wales...that would mean alliance with the Old Faith?

It would start a war with the Christian Kingdom of Saxon, their provinces neighbors our Stronghold in London. Is that wise, my King?

I know...I do have another option...

Rescuing him will enable us to ally with King Raedwald, but our relations with King Ryon to the west will sour...

Those Sidhe worshippers will turn on us from the west. I care not, point the direction you wish me to attack.

Arthur, what will you do?

That will be all for today. Oh, in some unrelated news...

That fool.

Heh, the Sidhe will flay him alive.

If he dies, the empire of Mercia will have a new heir.

We're getting ahead of ourselves here. We need to choose a side first!

We leave it...to the Codex. All of you may leave now.


It's not too late. I'll be posting a vote. I'm going to rest and see how it works out tomorrow. Fourteen hours from now, the fate of Camelot's beliefs is in your hands!

 

[Multiple Sarcasm]

Again, you're clearly playing a christian Arthur, so I say go all the way. No backsies.

 

[Darth Roxor]

Bro, since Kay is staying behind with the archers, you'd be VERY wise to pump up prot from magic for him. It's a really life-saving panic button when there's curse of shadows flying at you.

And research: screw roads and get all 4 disaster-preventions ASAP. I always take those first and then start the rest of the research, it's just too important to be delayed.

And the last one is Magic, if I'm not wrong. I missed the screenshot.

Kingdom.


And anyway, since we've got to London, I guess you should go face Caradoc. If you meet Merlin, you'll be double-fucked: by that retardedly hard battle against the Welsh first, and then by having your stronghold on the border of Saxon lands.

 

[Serious_Business]

This game is pretty fucking sweet, if I say so myself

 

[RK47]

Looks like this is place.

Hm, let's see what they have in store..

Merchants appear from time to time, selling artifacts or buying them. At times they may even have a Lady in waiting!

A barter system with gold and food to balance the scales is used. Here we traded two minor artifacts for an Enchanted Ring and a nice Lady.

Definitely a nice ring. Sir Balin will wear it.

All right, that is settled.

Arthur will probably match you with that Lady...heh, see you at your wedding.

Wait, where are you going?

This cursed sword...I want to unleash its power. The monastery is way south of here, I do not wish to delay you.

Very well, I shall meet await your return in Somerset. Remember, Balin, power is nothing without purpose.

I know that.

The two knights parted as Sir Gareth still lies wounded and had to be carted during the march.

New units:

Upgraded Tourney Knights.

I was wrong about this unit, it's the ELITE version of Breakshields, two tiers above heavy footmen. Impressive holding power.

So here I am...

Bah, nothing is ever simple, is it?

The Sidhe?

I do not engage my enemies blindly, tell me more of this secret group.

I should help. This is probably Arthur would have wanted.

No time to hesitate, CHARGE!

Any captives, I wonder...

Torture should loosen their tongues.

Are these men enchanted? I should bring them back to the abbey. Maybe I could use them as hostages against Sir Ywain.

There's nothing left to do here, let's return to the abbey.

I'm getting impatient, but if I abandon them to the Old Faith, who knows what might happen?

Let's get this over with, then.

You, get some boats, and let's move out.

Ywain, I have your two sons, surrender and I shall spare your life.

Time to settle this matter.

Let's capture some nobles. Troops, attack!

He wishes to die by my hands? So be it....

Remember, Balin. Power is nothing without purpose.

Abbot, his life is mine to spare. Sir Ywain, do you pledge yourself to the Once and Future King, Arthur of Pendragon?

If that is how you wish it, so shall it be, Master Balin.

Excellent. Come, Ywain. To Somerset!

Sir Ywain is a follower of the Old Faith. He is a Sage of considerable power, despite having only Lightning Bolt spell as his pick, his passive skills enhances the damage output. Moreover, his unique artifact enables any wearer to regenerate mana!

Meanwhile...

Gareth, are you alright?

I'm...still weak. But fine, Sir Kay.

Alright, I'll leave you with the men, keep them away from the city.

Are you going to fight?

No, I'm here to purge a city.

Random negative events may occur if a province attribute is not properly taken care of. Health, Public Safety, Loyalty are some of the attributes that needs to be monitored.

A varying degree of actions can be taken, yet the more effective it is, the more it'll cost. Tyrannical actions like the Purging will have negative consequences in the long term but cost nothing in the short term.

Kill all who is sick and burn the bodies. We're upholding a curfew until the epidemic is clear.

Once the threat is clear, the army makes its way towards Somerset, where Sir Lucan awaits.

Milord, the King ordered me to lead the drafting efforts. I can save you a small sum of gold if I do so.

Do so. Where is Sir Alymere?

As King Arhur ordered, he is assisting several scholar monks in research at a nearby Monastery. Also there are news from Mercia.

It is just as King Arthur predicted. Very well, begin the recruitment immediately.

Setting Sir Lucan as the Leader of an army grants 5% off recruitment fees. Also Sir Alymere doesn't really fit well with my battle plans at the moment, special locations in campaign map gives bonuses when occupied, the Monastery grants 5 research points towards our Stronghold. So he'll be staying there for a long, long time.

Elsewhere...

Just another season, and we'll meet up with Sir Kay and the rest of the Knights.

Master Balin, enemies!

What?

The army of King Cadeyrn marches from the north and caught Sir Balin's small army on the roads!

We cannot fight, retreat is our only option! We lost a few men, but at least none of our knights were captured.

We'll pay them back, thrice-fold!

 

[RK47]

Looks like the vote swings towards Old Faith. LMAO.

Butt rape incoming? To be honest, I think I know why. The Druid being expert in Old Faith - Sidhe Marketing is to blame for this. Not having any lore interesting lore quest for Christianity to explain how their factions work etc does not make them attractive.

The Seelie / Unseeling Lore give away was available on limited only, Into the Deepwood is totally optional but served as an introduction to the Sidhe.

 

[ironyuri]

Don't rely too much on voting. If you're playing Christian go with the path you feel is best.

I'm enjoying this LP. Might get the game. Keep up the good LPing as you always do, Rk47!

 

[Brother None]

I'd have expected the "charge immediately" option to be the worst one, surprised it went so easy.

 

[ironyuri]

I'd have expected the "charge immediately" option to be the worst one, surprised it went so easy.

Sometimes a straight attack is the best way. If the enemy isn't expecting it, a head-on charge can completely disorient them. Besides, Balin is a badass.

 

[RK47]

I'd have expected the "charge immediately" option to be the worst one, surprised it went so easy.

If you read the description and followed the quest text - it should be quite obvious you're meant to rush and rescue the occupants of the abbey. So with the enemies turning their back at you, I don't see why we have to be so cautious. That's my first run of the quest anyway. It went well.

And yes, Balin's the best we have at the moment. His Maxed Rank 4 Dragon's Breath cost only 55 Mana to cast. I was debating whether to keep Mana regen artifact on Balin or Gareth, but since Gareth is completely useless without mana, I'd rather throw it to him.

Also, I'm exploiting a bit. Later update will have Gareth running around with a 1 fast unit Cavalry. I don't want to reinforce it. Rank 5 units are too expensive to reinforce and he never engages in battle anyway. We saw what happened when he did. Although the unit will autowipe should it fall below 1 soldier count and the hero leading it falls.

 

[RK47]

Winter arrives, I decided to go for Merchant's Court construction at Camelot. Additional improvements should improve our tax yield. The Epidemic is worrying, we invest our research into prevention of future outbreaks.

Are they here yet?

Waiting for us?

Welcome back, Sir Balin. And I take it this is Sir Ywain?

At your service, milord.

Excellent, Sir Kay, I trust you are ready to lead the attack force?

Yes milord, Sir Balin survived an encounter with Lady Fenella's forces. According to his estimates they are backed with Welsh bowmen, a few longbows, spears light cavalry and several heavy infantry.

What are we waiting for? Let's burn them!

Then take me as well. I cannot wait to fight again.

Yes, Sir Gareth. I've decided on who should come with me. Sir Balin, Gareth, and Ywain will accompany me to battle. We march out of Somerset in a moment's notice.

Try to remain standing after the battle is over this time.

At least I did not run.

Good luck, my Knights! For Camelot!

Fairy Foot shall be their graves. To battle!

Alright, we're quite familiar with this map. Sidhe Tower in the middle provides Crystal Shard spell. Top left tower won't contribute much except morale pressure. Bottom VP will play the same role, all the fights will take place in the center. The enemy's starting location will probably allow them to grab both villages and the lone mill. We will draw them to a central battle and make use of our two Knight units to flank the VPs mid-battle.

Archers, stay to the forest! They are close.

Now?

Yes.

Do it, Gareth!

Sir Ywain, strike!

Perish!

Archers, FIRE!

Signal the two knights to flank the victory points now! The northern knights should capture the mill. The southern one will march towards the village!

They're getting closer. Abandon your positions and fall back! Let them have the tower!

Looks like the Knights have arrived at the Mill...perfect.

Archers, withdraw from the tower and prepare to fire at the enemy emerging from the forests.

Finish them off!

Kay, when do we get to fight?

You've done your part.

Such brilliance...

Wait, I don't believe it! Do the headcount again!

Give it a rest, Balin, we did not lose any men.

 

[RK47]

War will always have negative consequences, a fledgling kingdom will have difficulty in pleasing all of their subjects. Poor harvests, Epidemics, Rebellions and Brigands plague the unprepared provinces, drove their people into despair and harms the Kingdom's economy as a whole.

We'll deal with internal problems first, before heading out north.

I agree, we can't let the rats wreak havoc when we leave our home undefended.

Master, we have captured two knights from the previous battle. What shall we do with them?

I'll take care of it.

What did they say?

I have everything I need!

It appears Sir Dinas is leading a large force just north of our borders. He is within striking distance of Somerset.

We'll be ready for them. Their forces at Viroconium is weak, if we can smash Sir Dinas, the way is clear.

Let's not forget these brigands. Let's deal with them first.

Sir Kay, a gift from the Artisan's Guild has arrived from Camelot.

Hmmm, a new artifact from Camelot. Impressive. Sir Balin, you should have it.

Thank you.

News from the south is worrying, the province of Dorset, King Idres' former realm is revolting. A few nobles are assembling an army.

The King said not to worry about it. He has sent Sir Lucan to deal with the problem.

But how? He has no army.

Oh, we have our ways....

We could either battle, bribe or trick them. All with different alignment shifts and effects. This action has shifted us further into Tyrant and unlocked the Brigand unit.

We'll deal with the brigands now.

I hope you're not considering paying their price.

I'm not, consider it as 'live training'.

Good.

The starting terrain is very disadvantageous to our side.

The lands are covered with shallow waters and swamps, making movement slow. What's worse, there's barely a forest to ambush from. We'll just have to slug it out. The bottom VP grants Lightning Bolt. The top VP grants Pool of Shadows. The right VP gives Storm of Avalon. The Left VP is a village.

We move slowly towards the nearest VP. Sir Gareth moved ahead to unleash several spells.

The enemy's Brigand archers are as deadly as ours, Sir Gareth will employ multiple casts of Pool of Darkness to wipe them out. It is deadly effective, now at Rank 3. The enemy hero counters with magic resistance dome.

No problem, we waited till their magic wears off and unleash a Lightning Bolt from Sir Ywain.

We have successfully slipped a single Knight unit to assault a rebel unit guarding the left-most VP.

The swamp makes progress extremely slow and the archers could not get to cover in time before starting counterfire.

Luckily their morale is rapidly diminishing from the rapid kiils through spells. Sir Balin burned a dozen more.

We can't perform hit and run effectively in this environment. We're forced to fight in melee with our Heavy Infantry.

Followed by another Lightning Bolt.

Then Balin charge in with Sir Ywain to finish the job.

The terrain is a bitch to traverse in. I would not suffer that much casualty had I make it to the forest. But at least the Brigands are no longer a threat in the province for now.

Gonna have a bit of rest before continuing.

 

[RK47]

Neutralizing troublesome province disasters earlier prevents huge losses in the long run, but often, it's not ideal to march an army straightaway, not to mention the game cheats by giving rebels or brigands level 4 armies instantly! It's best to prioritize accordingly and realize some diplomacy is required instead of battling the whole time.

Looks like that's it for the Brigand and Rebel problems in our own provinces. We'll be ready to march northwards next season.

I think the rest just got canceled, they're attacking us!

The AI gets very aggressive when it perceives it has slight advantage in the force rating. We'll teach them a lesson. Saves us movement points anyway! Their force composition is terrible, lots of light infantry, some archers, three cavalry, and their two heroes are leading the slow infantry units. Target practice time.

We have the advantage as defenders. I arranged my starting positions to grab the three VP as soon as possible. We start with one VP already within our forces vicinity. The two central VPs are dotted with forests and will be our main battleground. Sir Balin will rush northwards to capture the top-left VP. The village on the bottom-right will be secured by a spare knights unit. The rest will gather at the central VP to fight off the enemy.

Lovely starting point. Let's go!

Minimap does not show the enemy units, because they're concealed by the thick forests.

A manual scan over the battlefield can still spot them, though. It looks like they might be sending their three cavalry to capture the top left VP. Good thing Sir Balin and his Marauders are already on their way.

They started their climb towards the central-upper VP.

Perfect time for Sir Ywain to greet them with a Lightning Bolt.

Slow movement through forests is easily punished by a Pool of Shadows. The fragile archers are easily wiped out this way.

Our own archers are ready to ambush within the forests.

My lone Knight unit attempts to intercept the enemy Cavalry in the forests, but cannot match their speed at all.

But it didn't really matter, because we've secured all four VPs to their one.

Now all we gotta do is grind down their morale with attrition.

Their Cavalry movements to the west worried me slightly as my knights lost track of them in the forests, so I had my archers moved eastwards, where there are open field for me to spot them before they get too close. It was the correct decision to make.

They shortly reappeared later at the edge of the forest we just left behind. Our infantry are ready to greet them. I also activated the VP Sanctuary spell for the hell of it. Two volleys later, the cavalry dropped dead.

The two enemy heavy infantry division attached with their hero cannot really accomplish much. They're much too slow. We're ignoring them completely, preferring to just focus our efforts in wrecking their softer ranged units.

A second cavalry unit emerges from the western forest and was meters away from our archers column before falling.

By the time their heavy infantry got close enough, nothing's left to attack. We already moved back, satisfied with the knowledge that their archers are dead, and started shooting from another position. We even gave them a free VP in the open field to set them up for target practice.

And with that, the road to Viroconium is clear.

Sweet,sweet EXP and two artifacts constitutes our spoils of war. Notice how much less EXP Sir Kay is getting? That's because the game rewards direct kills by heroes. Hence those with magic casters gets the giant's share of the EXP from damaging spells like Dragon's Breath and Lightning Bolt.

50% magic resistance for archer unit is a godsend. I'm letting Sir Kay wear this.

+5 Movement is noticeable. Movement artifacts only take effect if the leader of the army is wearing it. So we give it to Sir Kay.

Viroconium beckons...

 

[Black]

Damn, this game is complex. I think I'd better stick to some games by simpletons for simpletons, like tes v.


Oh hey, LOOK WHAT I FOUND, regarding this game!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAtxIC6fdgU

 

[RK47]

That guy, I've seen him review other games before. He's really un-funny to me for some reason. I'll watch it later. I rather watch clogged ear canal removal procedures than that to be honest.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJsfVJeYNyk&NR=1

His final verdict was pretty spot-on though.

"Surpasses Total War : Empires"