King Arthur the Roleplaying Wargame : Old Faith Complete

[Brother None]

That's a lot of death.

 

[RK47]

When units are engaged, it's very hard to tell them to disengage at once. I had to select them individually and select disengage.

The cheese Sage tactic works like that. You dive into a mass infantry mayhem. Cast Spell Immunity on yourself then unleash your deathliest AOE. Nothing can survive that sort of damage. Sidhe Roads works as well to escape your own deathtrap.

At least it cuts my army maintenance bills.

Tonight I'm gonna experiment with a small army. I had a feeling I broke the game long ago. So might as well just let Balin and Bors go crazy.

Also disappointed with no mods available.
I would've changed the following:
-Less direct damage spell.
Needs more effect-type spells such as slow, paralyze or support like blesses. Curse of Shadows should've been an accuracy debuff. Dragon's Breath should just lower HP by %, not outright kill. Seeing 30 men combust at once is cool at the start, but once you have 2 Dragon's Breath in the field, you start realizing how broken the game is. Low Cost, Low Cooldown Time at max level means 100-200 casualties in the first minute.

-Perhaps the Sidhe Roads needs slightly limited range of teleport.
Like 500m radius to prevent: "Archers? HAHA! IN YOUR FACE!" within 10 seconds of a battle. Sidhe Roads usage should only strictly to overcome the no-Sidhe Cavalry limitation, not to break the archer mechanics.

-Lessen hero damage.
1,500. Really? And Cleave hitting 5 people on the thighs and asses at once? Add lifeleech to that, and he's a god among men. Hero-stacking is ridiculously effective, reminds me of the flawed fun of Heroes IV.

-The light infantry needs a dash move option.
Triple stamina drain, Quadruple move speed. Double Ranged Defense or something to make them useful. Advantage in the woods are nullified by their piss-poor damage and armor. And for anti-archers, Cavalry does a better job. Right now, they're just cannon fodders.

Cavalry > Knights
Knights are sooooooooo slow. Tried activating the Storm of Avalon to keep archers shut down, the side effect of that Knights move slower. FUUUUUUU- I've had enough of this shit. They take too long to reach their max momentum and impact lessened by their slow speed. Rather take Saxon Riders anyday!

Saxon Campaign report:
I like it. It's much more difficult with hero army stacking limitations and somewhat cut throat AI mechanics but the magic is still overpowered. When I'm talking magic it's not just Curse of Shadows or Dragon's Breath, It's Cleave. Take away Sages, and Champions still dominate the game. A cleave is a guaranteed dead unit.

 

[RK47]

The threat of the Scourge is officially over. Although the ghostly armies continue to appear through the shadowy gates, King Arthur's Knights have proven themselves more than capable to the task.

The might of Sir Bors.

The brutality of Sir Balin.

The sorcery of Sir Gareth

Proved themselves capable of nullifying any ghost armies that arrive.

Even Sir Balin himself is capable of ruining whole armies single-handedly.

Murmurs of fear begin to spread throughout King Ryon of Wales' Kingdom. And their fears may prove to be true for another Knight of the Round Table is driven to exact terrible vengeance upon them.

Cedric, you don't have to do this.

Thank you everyone. I shall return, or die trying.

MAY THE FAITH PROTECT THEE, TWO OF ONE.

Ancient One, stop encouraging him, this is madness!

I was always hesitant to accept the truth. Of why my men looked at me in fear, and none spoke of my deeds in battle. I am afraid of it, always in denial. Until now. My bloodthirst is unquenchable.

Cedric!

Cedric turns around and left with a small company of troops with him to the final province of Wales. His journey was halted by another army. He prepares for battle, but stopped when he realized the army is carrying the same banner as he is.

Halt. Where are you going?

Wales.

With this much?

I can do it.

You've got balls, kid. Let's go.

Wait, who are you?

Where have you been all these years? I'm Sir Balin the Brutal. Slayer of thousands.

Yes...I think we can do it.

The army of Wales attacked them during autumn, expecting an easy kill.

They were about to meet their worst nightmare.

Lots of them.

You wanted this, didn't you?

Uh...I...

Having doubts now. are we? Too late for that kid, if you're lucky you might be imprisoned. Then tortured...or maybe Arthur will ransom your ass. Or maybe they'll kill you during torture. Trust me, I've done it.

That will not happen!

Fine. Let's go. Cavalry! Take over strategic positions south of the river! Leave everything to us both!

Not long after they marched nortwards, Sir Balin was doubled in pain.

Sir Balin!

It's alright. Just some sorcery.

I think you should stay back?

No. Our army is ready. I see them marching through the forest. Just let me kill a few and my sword shall regenerate my wounds.

Go!

You took a lot of my blood. Now, I'm gonna drink yours!

Dozens fell to Sir Balin's twin blades, and true to his word, his wounds closed as the enemy soldiers fell one by one.

Your strength is monstrous!

This is just the warm up. Let's finish them off!

Winter came, both Sir Balin's and Sir Cedric's army failed to return in time.

Any news of them?

Last I've heard, they wiped out three hundred strong army before winter fell.

You worry too much, Sir Cedric is in good hands.

Balin isn't exactly an ideal role model, but he'll keep them alive.

It was my fault, if he hadn't witnessed those deaths.

Do not blame yourself, perhaps in time of grief, he will discover his true strength, and we will all benefit from it. Now, for our current plans. Sir Kay?

I might sound overconfident, but I think our army strength has dwarved the whole of Britannia itself.

The whole Round Table unanimously nodded in agreement.

I propose an army reshuffle. We need to divide ourselves to cover more ground. We're strong enough to do it now. All of Britannia is ours...

Except for the Forest of Bedegrine.

Aye, the Deepwoods is full of the Sidhe...

Underestimate them at your own peril, foolish knight.

The Seelie and Unseelie will never bow before another human.

It is possible to form an alliance with them, no?

I wonder about that.

We have proven ourselves as fervent worshipers of Old Faith. I see no reason why it cannot happen. Sir Kay, you should attempt an alliance next year.

Yes, milord.

Should we succeed, then the whole of Britannia will be reunited under the Old Faith.

Mmmm, peace at last. I figure only Balin will hate it.

Hah, he can always travel outside of Britannia if he wants more battles.

I like this idea very much. Gentlemen, please make it happen.

To finish our campaign strongly, we'll start researching Deepwood Archers.

Meanwhile, Sir Bors Knights of Guinevere unlocks a potent final ability.

The end is nigh for Wales.

Spring arrived.

There it is. The final stronghold of Wales. We are here. Alone. Outnumbered...

But we will prevail!

Rule Britannia!

CHARGE!

I SENSE YOUR FEAR!

DESPAIR!

HOW DOES IT FEEL?

MOAR!

LEAVING ALREADY?

 

[anus_pounder]

Holy shit. Sir Cedric

 

[MasterSmithFandango]

Jesus... I never thought of trying that before.

 

[Serious_Business]

HOW DOES IT FEEL?

 

[Brother None]

:shockandawe:

Holy shit sir Cedric.

 

[lightbane]

Perception: So now battles have been downgraded into pressing a button and watch something awesome happen observe Cedric killing everything?

 

[RK47]

Unfortunately, yes.

I blame Sidhe Roads for this.

 

[kazgar]

what is the unit he's attached to?

 

[RK47]

They're Winterborns, Unseelie Heavy Infantry.
Magic Resist & Bonuses from fighting in the woods, they gain bonuses when fighting in the Night / Fog. Regular heavy infantry takes a penalty when fighting in the woods. Also, 50% discount when using Sidhe Roads.

 

[RK47]

With the defeat of King Ryons of Wales, Arthur's Camelot is the only faction left ruling over Britannia. All provinces except for Bedegraine Forest is ruled under one banner. But before that, a rebel army rose in Gloucester.

It is laughable that these nobles even dare to challenge our dominance at this point. Brother, terminate them with extreme prejudice.

This will give me the perfect opportunity to test my new stratagem.

Oh? What is it?

Thousand Arrows.

Deliver them unto Oblivion.

It shall be done.

I feel a slight hesitance, yet excitement at the same time.

The music of the bowstrings will accompany their final requiem.

May the Decline descends upon them.

With the 2 Saxon Riders, we have enough speed to cap the 2 VPs without worry. The enemy army consists of high speed cavalry mixed with infantry. This should be a good test of our ranged firepower. A mish-mash of troops were hurriedly recruited for this exercise.

They're fast. But we should have enough time to set up.

Our cavalry is already on that hill. We're safe.

Not yet...They invoked weather magic.

Normally, I would've panicked. But Sir Gareth passed me the Horn of Dawn for this purpose.

Blow it, Bedivere and announce their defeat.

With pleasure.

Look at them running!

They may regroup for a simultaneous strike.

They have no hope of taking us on. Even if they cast a second fog, I have the Orb of Dawn as well.

Here they come!

Brigands, Fire Arrows! Longbowmen, Swift Attacks! Let their execution commence!

Death to traitors of Camelot!

The rebels attempted a valiant charge. But it was to no avail.

Even a small detachment of knights who managed to pierce the line could only manage to kill a dozen or so men before being overwhelmed by the swarm of arrows.

They're getting closer.

It's only infantry. They can't catch up. Move and fire!

The infantry suffered heavy casualties, and could not mount any effective threat to the orderly retreat.

The distance is too great. Their defeat is inevitable.

The Rebels of Gloucester were buried by a thousand arrows.

Decline be with you.

Sir Kay, a messenger from Merlin.

Hmm. Relay the message to the rest of the knights as well. We are needed elsewhere.

Where to?

Bedegraine Forest.

So what the King said is true. An alliance is possible, after all.

I will speak with each of their envoy first.

I wonder about that. Peace?

Let us hear the Unseelie envoy out as well.

Our King serves no one!

We've heard both sides...let us return to the Archdruid.

Shall I order the archers to take up position?

They're just monks. Let's go.

I've come for the Sidhe artifact. Hand it over, and none shall be harmed.

Truly?

The conflict between the Old Faith and your beliefs is about to reach its finish, I shall grant you a swifter passage to your God. Tell him this: He cannot have Britannia. *draw his sword*

*nods and draws his sword* Men, find the artifact and kill them all.

That's interesting. The Seelies don't despise those monks?

If you negotiate a price, the Unseelie will back off. Steal it without violence, both sides will offer their alliance, ultimately, you can only pick one side.

We will march there at once. Tell your ruler to expect us in two seasons' time.

 

[RK47]

Brother, I have something to tell you.

What is it, milord?

I will send Sir Balin there at once! There is another matter I must attend to.

The Unseelie Alliance?

None other.

It would seem we have our hands full.

Rest easy, milord. Your faithful Knights will not fail you. Our faith is strong and our rule is unyielding. It's almost three decades since you drew Excalibur. We will finish your quest.

Sir Kay, My King! Terrible news!

What is it?

The crusaders! They've taken Norfolk!

Send word to Sir Dagonet's army to handle this threat. I want Norfolk cleansed of these zealots in two years time.

At once, Commander!

Brother, I leave this in your hands.

Deep in Beregraine Forest...

This is the place, Cedric.

Shall I go?

Nay. Leave it to me.

Step aside, Sidhe.

Fight me.

The Grey Baron rules the Unseelie Court.

The tower must be where they are imprisoned.

Hm...I'd kill him, but I better play along for the moment.

Time to find them on this floor maybe?

Not here. Must be upstairs.

How does that detect magic spell go?

Let's hope Gareth's teachings don't fail me now...

To arms!

We have no time for this! *draws sword*

Likewise.

At the same time...

Commander.

What is it?

Messenger from Sir Balin's army. They've rescued both Knights...but Sir Lancelot refuses to join us.

A pity. Is that all?

Lancelot has raised an army in Cornwall. He threatens our weak core provinces.

Hm. Send a message to Sir Bors, tell him to bring Gareth along to deal with the problem.

At once, Commander.

And so the Decline commences...

Sir Mordred is a brutal Lvl 15 Champion

Well seasoned in combat and magical arts, he possess several unique skills.

Pool of darkness isn't really that great compared to Sir Balin's Dragon's Breath. But his starting armor makes an awesome addition.

Cleave 5, gain 500 HP. Also, he has unique access to Spellweaving, a skill generally restricted from Champions.

So, 100 HP and 1 Mana per kill for Sir Mordred right from the start. Truly a brutal Champ.

Meanwhile, Sir Bors dispatched another ghost army outside Viroconium.

That's another one down!

I wish we could close this shadow gates soon!

Me too, friend. Halt! Who goes there?

Looks like a messenger from the Commander in Chief. A rebel knight, Lancelot has assembled an army in Cornwall.

Understood. Let's go.

Arthur's Kingdom faced multiple threats at once. All would be lost if not for his famed Knights of the Round Table's might and resourcefulness.

The twelve of them are assembled and ready to defend their beloved King.

Sir Kay, the Commander in Chief

Sir Gareth, the First Sage

Sir Balin, the Brutal Champion

Sir Lucan, the Dragon Champion

Sir Ywain, Sage of the Old Faith

Sir Bedivere, Veteran Warlord of the Old Faith

Sir Bors, the Champion of Old Faith

The Green Knight, the Ancient Demi-God of Old Faith

Lady Fiona, the Witch of Norfolk

Sir Cedric, the Mad Knight

And finally, Sir Mordred, the Dread Champion

Deep in Beregraine Forest...

What's the plan now, Sir Balin?

Our orders are to return to our borders and strike from there.

Be silent. We are not alone.

Seelie. We went too close to their territory. Let's teach them a lesson.

Plans?

You take the cavalry and control the battlefield, I and Cedric will destroy them.

Fine.

It's not polite to stalk us you Seelie scums!

LEAVE!

OR PERISH!

On one side, the Seelie army lives were drained one by one, on the other, it was set ablaze.

Lancelot...you will regret the day you rejected the Round Table's offer. Heheh...hahha...HHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHA!

Norfolk

Everyone ready?

Ready as we all ever be.

Time is awaiting, my home province must not suffer these zealots much longer!

Patience, witch. We shall be victorious.

Upon my life, I swear Norfolk will be ours tonight.

Trying too hard, Sir Ywain. I don't think she's listening.

Whatever are you talking ab-

ENOUGH WITH THE DELAYS!

Ahem, charge.

You three teleport ahead. We'll hold the city points!

Strike at them!

Soil not these lands, zealots! Feel the burn of my Dragon Strike!

I shall eradicate your presence, FOR ETERNITY!

Milady, let's strike at them together!

Hold your ground men! FOR ARTHUR! FOR CAMELOT!

CHARGE!

Protective magics...they're sapping the Sidhe infantry's stamina.

Just a little more!

YAHHHHHH!

FREEZE!

Looks like I've arrived just in time! *snaps his thumb*

Time to make our entrance!

Behold, Christians! The might of the Old Faith!

 

[Darth Roxor]

Mordred has to be one of the worst heroes in the game. He has like three character traits, all of them negative and all sap his loyalty, which means you either sacrifice him 3 provinces to butcher or you say bye bye to him 'cause he leaves.

 

[kazgar]

Blood for the blood god old faith!

 

[RK47]

As you can see now, late game events occurs simultaneously and they force the army to split up. For Old Faith kingdoms, this is a non issue. If you built a strong Champion line-ups, they can deal with most threats easily.

List of Events:
1. Sidhe Alliance - Trigger Seelie / Unseelie attack
2. Lancelot - Mordred - Trigger Knight's uprising. He forms his own kingdom and may recruit more Heroes and armies.
3. Crusaders - Triggered in any of the three Monastery provinces and takes over. Can hire Heroes and build more armies.
4. Samhain, endless spawn till the quest to end it appears. They have the effect of reducing 5% population of the province per turn, thereby lowering taxes collected.

As well as any random kingdom problems like low loyalty, nobles revolt etc. Good thing we went Old Faith.

 

[kazgar]

I assume the crusaders would be replaced if you went christian? and possibly the sidhe alliance?

 

[RK47]

Yep. That's the effects of Faction choice. Instead of the Crusader, you'd have to deal with the Sidhe. And alliance with Christians would force you to declare war with the denizens of Bedegraine Forests.

I did not play Christians path yet...so maybe..2nd run? Who knows, really?

 

[Drakron]

I did not play Christians path yet...so maybe..2nd run? Who knows, really?

Well if you do, go Rightful as well so we can see the differences.

 

[RK47]

I'm still looking for that ultimate guide to King Arthur or something. There really isn't any resources out there which I can reference for quest / unit guides and such.

It seems like a niche game, despite all the good efforts. I feel like the game isn't getting enough love.

 

[anus_pounder]

Yep. That's the effects of Faction choice. Instead of the Crusader, you'd have to deal with the Sidhe. And alliance with Christians would force you to declare war with the denizens of Bedegraine Forests.

I did not play Christians path yet...so maybe..2nd run? Who knows, really?

I came.

EDIT : For a rightful run, its still possible to take Balin. Just upgrade your cities with the +2 rightful upgrades and let him do all quests that give rightful points. Voila, a Rightful Balin. Admittedly, its difficult to know what quests will actually give you right/tough points, so he has to do them all. Pretty boring actually.
As long as you don't get them too late, you can use old faith doods as well. Ywain comes to mind.

 

[RK47]

Oh yeah. I actually forgot that you can simply torture captives to death to gain Tyrant knight loyalties. Since Mordred is such a late game hero, there really is very little downside to his negative trait.

Give him Cornwall for +2 loyalty.
A nice wife +3 loyalty
Then just torture captives over and over.

Admittedly, the only hero that is Rightful in my roster is Sir Bors at 4 Rightful.

I totally forgot that it is possible to change hero alignment by telling him to do take the moral choice in quest. Unless you're talking about +10 Rightful Knights like Lancelot, it's possible to brainwash them and make them love being a jerk.

 

[anus_pounder]

Doesn't Balin start off at -10 or something like that? At most, you could take him up to +2 or 3. Not worth having him do all the quests, unless you want to LARP in your head or something.

 

[RK47]

Just tossing ideas. I sure as hell won't take him in on my Rightful LP...but it's too early to speak of the Rise of Jesus in Britannia...for now it is...

The Crusaders of Norfolk were crushed. Sir Dagonet's army was tasked to defend Norfolk from any further incursions.

And Sir Balin deals with another Army of Samhain.

Tis' easy.

I do not put much thoughts on such small threats...Lancelot, however.. is another matter.

Sir Bors and Garreth will deal with them easily.

HAH! You are mistaken, fool!

You don't know Sir Bors. And Garreth has survived many battles.

Lancelot is never alone. His charisma and leadership will draw men to his side. Men with talents...and zeal. Heheh. I await the bad news.

Hmph. Enough.

Elsewhere in the province of Dunmodia...

Impossible.

Lancelot has SEVEN other knights serving under him?!

Looks like this is it, my friend...

Wait. Let me send a messenger to Sir Balin before we begin this battle.

Very well.

Sir Bors sat on the ground and meditated. His mind is focused. Victory is not a possibility at this point, but the objective remains. In his minds, the battle replayed over and over. Always ending in his defeat, but he looks for one with the most losses to his opponents. Swords clashes repeatedly. The sound of bodies falling to the grass. He drew a deep breath and finally opened his eyes.

I'm ready.

Let's go. For Camelot!

I invoke the Spell of Immunity!

Dozens of knights surrounded him, tearing his men apart, but Gareth threw his spell.

CURSE OF SHADOWS!

Now...Dragon's...What! My spells...it's not working?

Soul Mirror!

Gareth!

Too late. Sir Bors watched at the Sage fell to the Knights charge from all corners. His army numbered only half a dozen. He stabbed another passing Knight who made their charge.

Curse you...

Surrender and we shall spare your lives!

NEVER!

So be it. Die with honor! CHARGE!

Sir Bors scanned his surroundings...three Knights charged at his position. He would not survive this one...perhaps...he could cast Sidhe Roads....extend the fight by ambushing them in the woods...perhaps....

COME YOU BASTARDS!

A season later in Dunmodia...

As expected.

Are they dead?

Nay. Lancelot is an honorable fool. No doubt they've been captured alive.

Heh. I'm fine with anything. Looks like Gareth did fine work. They've lost half of their forces. Prepare yourselves.

Lancelot is mine.

Hail, Old Friend! I've new tricks up my sleeve!

Wha- YOU!

Mordred teleported behind Lancelot's knights and begin his attack.

Let the bodies hit the floor!

GAH! Treacherous bas--

AT LAST! LANCELOT DIES BY MY HANDS! HAHAHAHA.

This is for Sir Bors and Gareth!

Lancelot's battle has come to an end.

 

[Darth Roxor]

Oh yeah, this is another reason why taking Lancelot is a better deal. The battle against Mordred is like 10 times easier.