Wartales is a game that I've had on my wishlist for a while now. But it was in early access and I was waiting and waiting for it to become a fully released game.
Which it has! Hooray! Unfortunately there are still some optimisation issues they're working on.
Wartales — Steam Store link — is a turn-based strategy game with RPG elements set in an open world. There is permadeath, crafting, survival, exploration, everything that is good, and I am all set to dive into a new adventure with all of the gaming community by my side as my band of mercenaries find success!... or perhaps perishes in the harsh wilds.
I've set combat and survival to "Experienced" because I've never played this before and I don't feel like I should be playing on "Expert." Also, "Novice" seemed waaaaay too easy, so, nah. The middle ground it is.
I also set this game to Ironmen mode! There will be no "save scumming" and death is DEATH. Holy moly~!
I created a band of Women At Arms. It seemed like a fairly well-rounded group to start off with. A sword-and-board, a big-arse sword, an archer and a stabber. And a pony named Dingus Donkus. Because Dingus The Donkey wouldn't fit in the naming window. 😅
When creating your people you can either randomise their two positive and one negative traits or choose them for yourself. I chose for myself. Everyone here has traits suitable for their roles. Like, Crista the big-arse sword-wielder has more strength and carrying capacity, while Ayla the Stabby has more dexterity and more critical strike chance.
They're all also dumb as rocks (negative trait — less XP). They'd have to be, right? A band of mercenary women. Pssh. What is the world coming to?
We start off in the middle of nowhere in a region called Tiltren County. Waving the magic Hand of God across the map, the Women At Arms discover some resources lying around the place: some herbs and some iron ore.
There are also some bandits lying in wait just past the iron ore. 😱
The ladies jump into battle. Four women versus two men. The bandits have no chance!
The brave women work together as a team and annihilate the bandits.
With the bandits felled, the women rifled through their pockets. Ayla the Stabby found a new dagger which would allow her to poison her foes. There was some gold coins in their pockets, too. Nothing else, however, except their human carcasses.
They had only just started their adventure. They were happy and well-fed. They didn't need to turn to cannibalism... yet, anyway.
They left the corpses on the ground to rot and continued on their way.
After exploring their immediate location, they found some forest mushrooms and then wandered into a stables. There was nothing there that they wanted, but they sold a few of the herbs they had picked up so far and bought a horseshoe for Dingus Donkus. Just one.
It was time to find a spot to camp and rest for the evening. And consume plentiful foods. And enjoy some shut-eye.
When they awoke the next day, some random merchant raced up to them, breathless, panting, and asking for help.
Bandits had robbed him. He hadn't much left. He just wanted to get to the next village with his life intact. Could these lovely mercenary ladies help him?
Of course they could. For some gold, of course.
They escorted the merchant to the nearby village of Stromkapp and got a measly 15 golden coins for their efforts.
Despite the lack of reward, being in the village was a good thing. There was a tavern and in the tavern were a couple of people offering bounties worth hundreds of golden coins!
The women decided upon grabbing three bounties from the Guild — one to deal with some drunkards, another to take down a couple of bandits, and one more to clear out a mine of some men who had decided to make it their lair.
After grabbing the bounties, a man hiding in the shadows waved them over and offered them another "bounty". Apparently someone in an Abandoned Tower needed help, could the lovely ladies go and check on him?
Sounded suspicious, but why not? Gold is gold is gold!
All the objectives were reasonably in the same-ish location, south of the village and not toooooo far away. The drunkards harrassing some refugees were just down the road so they decided to deal with them first.
The women soon found the drunkards.
Whilst they were belligerent and very clearly drunk, they were also very well armoured. The mercenaries weren't quite sure they should attack the drunkards, but using their wits they came up with another plan... they would offer the drunks more booze to distract them! Thus saving the refugees from their ire.
The plan worked. The drunks drank the booze then passed out on the grass, allowing the refugees to flee.
Feeling confident after their successful mission, they continued onwards to where Geric the Cutthroat was known to wander. They had promised to deal with him, and they would deal with him.
A fight that started off well soon devolved into chaos as Geric the Cutthroat leapt towards the weakest of the women — Sophia the Archer. He near felled her with one hit and she had to stumble off into the bushes before he could hit her again and kill her.
Luckily he didn't go after her and focussed on the melee women around him.
It was a long and brutal fight, especially without their archer as she lay hidden treating her wounds. But they eventually won, and Nina the Sword-and-Board liberated a fine shield off of Geric's corpse.
Sophia also levelled up and found herself with more constitution. Hopefully she wouldn't nearly-die quite as easily going forward.
After that mad battle, the women decided to have a nice, long rest. Near the camp, they found a deer and harvested it of its delicious venison. It was delicious!
That would set them up ready for the road ahead on the morrow when they would go to the mine and clear it out of the men who had taken it over, and not get killed themselves, hopefully.
Until next time! ⚔️