Naked_Lunch
Erudite
INTRO OR: HOW TO NOT GET RAPED BY WEASELS
Teudogar and the Alliance with Rome, as you may know, is the historical RPG written by Wolf Mittag, who happens to have a wicked bad-ass name. You may also know that said game is also a very good game. But what you sure as hell don't know what I personally think about the game, unless you are really me and that would be scary. Or at the least, strangely erotic.
THE ACTUAL REVIEW, WHICH CAN ALSO BE USED AS EVIDENCE FOR INCEST
I've always been interested with the Roman setting, even as kid I spent most of my time reading about Augustus or Constantine while other kids were outside having sex and doing drugs or possibly murdering their parents, who knows. When I started getting into RPGs, I immediately knew that a setting during the age of the Romans would be awesome. The setting is rich for all sorts of roleplaying, along with the contrasts of Roman life vs. the Barbarians. Teudogar is almost like that dream game, except Teudogar does not have vampire sex.
Looking at Teudogar, one can not help but notice it's resemblance to Origin's brilliant Ultima 7, which (as it is my favorite game OF ALL TIME), is a very, very positive thing. Though the graphics technically are quite aged, artistically they are quite adequate. As it takes place in the wilds of Germania, with it's plentiful forests, swamps and rivers, there is a lot of earthy colors in the graphics. Expect lots of browns, greens , et cetera, et cetera. This is not a bad thing, but in fact it lends itself to an immersive feel, dragging you into this wild and savage Barbarian world.
TATAWR (Pronounced TAT-O-ROAR, I think) begins with the conflict of whether the PC should go along with his Chief's plan for a war against the Romans, or if he should take the advice of a the priest Teudogar and ally themselves with said wops. Both are played out great, though the Alliance plot is WAY, WAY, WAY TOO SHORT, I think I must've beat it in about, oh say, 20-30 minutes. Yes, it's that short. If I have one big complaint about TATAWR, it's the "Teudogar and the Alliance with Rome" part. The war against the romans plot, however, is much more involved and thankfully, much longer.
The War with Rome plot is filled with betrayings, twists and turns, all sort of that epic stuff. It's great, I ate it up and asked for seconds.There are very little sub-quests, but because the main quest is so continously involving and interesting, it's not really a bother. I really felt like I was changing the fate of a whole world, yet because of the game's free-form structure, I could've just as well simply been a merchant sitting on the sidelines. A neat little "End game" feature allows you to end the game (duh) whenever you feel it's time, giving you a nice little synospis of the rest of your life and your achievements and such. Very cool touch that I wish more games could include (Morrowind, for one).
Almost every item in the game can be manipulated, pliers and hammers can repair armor, you can weave cloth, even catch fish! It really makes the game feel so much more alive, so much more immersive.
Combat in the game is done in a rouge-like fashion, i.e. you have one action per turn (move, attack, use item etc) and then the enemy gets his one turn and such. People have said that the combat needed more options, but I believe it's adequate, as you can use blessings and curses and special techniques (Beserk, Protect, and what not). If the combat needs anything, it's more missle weapons. As for now, there are only spears, but what about throwing axes or bows, crossbows?
When it comes to the abundance and priority of combat, TATAWR plays it Ultima VII stlye: combat somewhat takes a backseat for world interaction, dialouges and general roleplaying. Not to say combat isn't an option or that it's so bad or hard you don't want to do it, it's that the other features are more prominment. Dialouges are generally very well done, and even though I don't think stat checks were used (Correct me if I'm wrong), there is still ample room for roleplaying. There's lots of situations that involve revenge within the game, and many ways to get said revenge, whether it be challenging the person to a fair duel, poisoning his drink so he dies "mysteriously" or just whipping out that sword and kicking ass. That is, if you're skills are good enough...
Skills and stats, stats and skills, the very backbone of an RPG. TATAWR does not use the conventional leveling system used since the ancient times when Gary Gygax was once a pretty cool dude, but instead raises your skills and stats by doing them. If you practice with your sword on a dummy, your sword skill will get better. Make a lot of sacrifices to Woden or bless other people your faith and charisma will rise. Stats and Skills are also modified by your general health, if you are overburdened, a penalty to dexterity. If you haven't eaten in a while, strength will drop. So, as in real life, thieves will want to carry less items as not to tire the vital dexterity they need for pickpocketing and warriors will want to carry a lot of heavy armor to increase their strength. Some people may not like it, but I enjoy the fact I won't have to stare at a character sheet all the time and pretend it's OMG ROLLERPLAYGIN!
FINAL THOUGHT OR: THE REST OF THIS REVIEW IS USELESS NOW THAT I HAVE SIMPLY SUMMED UP EVERYTHING
Most people judge indie games relative to other indie games, as they are not good enough for the "big leagues". Screw that, Teudogar and the Alliance with Rome isn't just better than most indie games, it's quite the simply one of the best games I've played in years. It has roleplaying (Something sadly lacking in most other ROLEPLAYING games), excellent atmosphere, and great interaction both with the unique setting and with NPCS. As Ceasar once said, "When in Rome, get this goddamn game."
Teudogar and the Alliance with Rome, as you may know, is the historical RPG written by Wolf Mittag, who happens to have a wicked bad-ass name. You may also know that said game is also a very good game. But what you sure as hell don't know what I personally think about the game, unless you are really me and that would be scary. Or at the least, strangely erotic.
THE ACTUAL REVIEW, WHICH CAN ALSO BE USED AS EVIDENCE FOR INCEST
I've always been interested with the Roman setting, even as kid I spent most of my time reading about Augustus or Constantine while other kids were outside having sex and doing drugs or possibly murdering their parents, who knows. When I started getting into RPGs, I immediately knew that a setting during the age of the Romans would be awesome. The setting is rich for all sorts of roleplaying, along with the contrasts of Roman life vs. the Barbarians. Teudogar is almost like that dream game, except Teudogar does not have vampire sex.
Looking at Teudogar, one can not help but notice it's resemblance to Origin's brilliant Ultima 7, which (as it is my favorite game OF ALL TIME), is a very, very positive thing. Though the graphics technically are quite aged, artistically they are quite adequate. As it takes place in the wilds of Germania, with it's plentiful forests, swamps and rivers, there is a lot of earthy colors in the graphics. Expect lots of browns, greens , et cetera, et cetera. This is not a bad thing, but in fact it lends itself to an immersive feel, dragging you into this wild and savage Barbarian world.
TATAWR (Pronounced TAT-O-ROAR, I think) begins with the conflict of whether the PC should go along with his Chief's plan for a war against the Romans, or if he should take the advice of a the priest Teudogar and ally themselves with said wops. Both are played out great, though the Alliance plot is WAY, WAY, WAY TOO SHORT, I think I must've beat it in about, oh say, 20-30 minutes. Yes, it's that short. If I have one big complaint about TATAWR, it's the "Teudogar and the Alliance with Rome" part. The war against the romans plot, however, is much more involved and thankfully, much longer.
The War with Rome plot is filled with betrayings, twists and turns, all sort of that epic stuff. It's great, I ate it up and asked for seconds.There are very little sub-quests, but because the main quest is so continously involving and interesting, it's not really a bother. I really felt like I was changing the fate of a whole world, yet because of the game's free-form structure, I could've just as well simply been a merchant sitting on the sidelines. A neat little "End game" feature allows you to end the game (duh) whenever you feel it's time, giving you a nice little synospis of the rest of your life and your achievements and such. Very cool touch that I wish more games could include (Morrowind, for one).
Almost every item in the game can be manipulated, pliers and hammers can repair armor, you can weave cloth, even catch fish! It really makes the game feel so much more alive, so much more immersive.
Combat in the game is done in a rouge-like fashion, i.e. you have one action per turn (move, attack, use item etc) and then the enemy gets his one turn and such. People have said that the combat needed more options, but I believe it's adequate, as you can use blessings and curses and special techniques (Beserk, Protect, and what not). If the combat needs anything, it's more missle weapons. As for now, there are only spears, but what about throwing axes or bows, crossbows?
When it comes to the abundance and priority of combat, TATAWR plays it Ultima VII stlye: combat somewhat takes a backseat for world interaction, dialouges and general roleplaying. Not to say combat isn't an option or that it's so bad or hard you don't want to do it, it's that the other features are more prominment. Dialouges are generally very well done, and even though I don't think stat checks were used (Correct me if I'm wrong), there is still ample room for roleplaying. There's lots of situations that involve revenge within the game, and many ways to get said revenge, whether it be challenging the person to a fair duel, poisoning his drink so he dies "mysteriously" or just whipping out that sword and kicking ass. That is, if you're skills are good enough...
Skills and stats, stats and skills, the very backbone of an RPG. TATAWR does not use the conventional leveling system used since the ancient times when Gary Gygax was once a pretty cool dude, but instead raises your skills and stats by doing them. If you practice with your sword on a dummy, your sword skill will get better. Make a lot of sacrifices to Woden or bless other people your faith and charisma will rise. Stats and Skills are also modified by your general health, if you are overburdened, a penalty to dexterity. If you haven't eaten in a while, strength will drop. So, as in real life, thieves will want to carry less items as not to tire the vital dexterity they need for pickpocketing and warriors will want to carry a lot of heavy armor to increase their strength. Some people may not like it, but I enjoy the fact I won't have to stare at a character sheet all the time and pretend it's OMG ROLLERPLAYGIN!
FINAL THOUGHT OR: THE REST OF THIS REVIEW IS USELESS NOW THAT I HAVE SIMPLY SUMMED UP EVERYTHING
Most people judge indie games relative to other indie games, as they are not good enough for the "big leagues". Screw that, Teudogar and the Alliance with Rome isn't just better than most indie games, it's quite the simply one of the best games I've played in years. It has roleplaying (Something sadly lacking in most other ROLEPLAYING games), excellent atmosphere, and great interaction both with the unique setting and with NPCS. As Ceasar once said, "When in Rome, get this goddamn game."
