King Arthur: the Druids Expansion; a Preview-AAR

unmerged(18239) · Jan 13, 2011

Me and King Arthur

The historian within me will quickly wave away the stories of King Arthur as fanciful myths and try to explain the real Arthur was a Briton chief fighting the Romans, delightful as the stories might be. But when, a few years ago, me and the wife visited the forest de Brocéliande in Brittany and its supposedly mythical places during one of our customary road-trip-hunts for places connected with myth and legend.
There, on a drizzly day, we saw Merlin's grave, the forest of Morgan le Fay, the château de Comper
with a nice exhibition next to the lake from which the Lady of the lake appeared and did something (I was confidently going to write what she did but honestly can't remember) and much more. Although the visit was interesting it didn't quite catch the imagination as it could have done.
For me the legends of Arthur came alive in the beautiful illustrations and paintings exhibited in the castle: Morril, Waterhouse, Newell Convers Wyeth, Dicksee and above all, Aubrey Beardsley who illustrated the famous book Mort d'Arthur.

Me and King Arthur, the game

These idyllic images are quite far from the ingame-images of King Arthur: the Role-playing Wargame. In the past I have played many fantasy-RTSs like Heroes of Might and Magic (I through IV), Warhammer Dark Omen, Warcraft etc., the screenshots reminded me of the good times I had playing Warhammer on one hand, and my dislike for Lord of the Rings and everything derived from it on the other. Because of these prejudices I had not touched this game until now.

Thus when I was asked to take a look at the upcoming King Arthur DLC: The Druids I at first hesitated, but not for long; Dragons, Angels with burning swords and monsters. Glad I didn't because I now want to jump in straight-away, play this game and write a Preview-AAR about it.

What is a Preview-AAR

For those who haven't read any of my previous Preview AARs (VickyII, HOI3 and more recently Cities in Motion) this is the best moment to explain this concept a little. First of all, AAR stands for After Action Report. I will thus write about my experiences while playing the game. I stumble across things like any regular player, make tactical mistakes and perhaps get beaten. We'll see. Now, where are the dragons?

For this AAR I have the following game-components installed

King Arthur: the Role-playing Wargame
Legendary Artifacts DLC which gives you new units
Knights and Vassals DLC with new sets of ancient artifacts
The Saxons Expansion with a new campaign, units, artifacts etc.
The Druids Expansion (to be released on

What to expect in the Druids Expansion?

A brand new campaigns set in the Welsh Kingdom
More sandbox gameplay
A revamped diplomacy and economics system
Adjustable options for the campaigns
Unique diplomatic and battle quests.
4 new, unique heroes
3 new special units and 3 new units
10 new hero skills and 2 new unit skills
20+ unique artifacts (including 10 sets)
20+ unique diplomacy and battle quests

unmerged(18239) · Jan 13, 2011

I - Three campaigns to choose from

Having installed both the Saxons and Druids expansiosn there are three campaigns to chose from: the original, story-based, King Arthur campaign with its set quests and victory conditions; and the sandbox-style Saxon and Druids campaign. Each of the three campaigns uses the same map but starts at a different corner of Britania. Playing as King Arthur you will start in Cornwall, the Saxon King Raedwald, guardian of Christianity will start in Norfolk and in the Druids campaign you rule over Wales as King Ryons and attempt to restore the power of the Old Faith in Britannia.

Northern Wales, King Ryons' realm

Before you begin either of the later two you can choose your campaign victory conditions, anything between conquering all provinces and hoarding a specific number of food and gold. Having started either the Saxon or the Druid campaign you will be quickly guided through the new screens for diplomacy, ladies, heroes and quests. As a 'King Arthur veteran' you should know the basics of the game already.

Setting the campaign's victory conditions

Well, I am not a 'King Arthur veteran', which might be very good on this occasion as it allows me to explain and explore the game and gameplay while I learn.

unmerged(18239) · Jan 14, 2011

II - Learning the game

I will first have to learn how to play King Arthur before I can start the Druids campaign and let the Welsh Dragon roar. In rapid fashion I will go over some of the more interesting game-aspects which are taught to you in the tutorial; at the same time the first chapter of the King Arthur campaign.

As the story of King Arthur unfolds through quests and campaigns I learn to wage war: how to lead my troops on and off the battlefield. How to upgrade my troops when they have gained experience and how to choose the new skills and abilities for my heroes.

When to grant my valiant Knights of the Round-table a fief of their own when they get restless and their loyalty to my cause plummets and how to keep them on a short leash when I need them most.

I learn about the importance of the seasons, when best to conduct a campaign and when to rest my forces.

Just as important are the morality choices you make during the game. Theses choices decide what type of units, which skills and which magic spells you can use and learn. Next to that, with your moral choices you decide the storyline in the original King Arthur campaign.

unmerged(18239) · Jan 15, 2011

III – Battles

And then it is time for battle. One of the great things about this aspect of the game is you decide which battlefield to fight on before the swords clash. Will an open plain suit your better or perhaps use the forests for ambushes, it is your choice. Another innovative improvement King Arthur uses is the use of victory locations on the battlefield. This allows you to either force your opponent to attack you or gives you the chance to attack him where you think he is weakest and make use of the terrain and weather to the fullest. Battles become a lot more interesting and diverse because of these features.

At the start of the campaign there are a handful of different units to choose from but quite soon this number grows. Even more interesting, the new units you are able to choose depend on your choices during the quests as that decide where you stand on the morality chart. As you can see from the following screenshots the number of different units in the early game is already huge. When you count in the DLCs and the Saxons and Druids expansions.......

Battles in King Arthur are fast-paced and brutal. Both sides fight on until the end and thus one of the armies will cease to exist. If you don't want to fight a particular battle you can skip it and let the AI handle it for you, even so I have the idea your own generalship is important if you want to lower the casualties suffered by your armies.
Each army is led by one or more heroes. These heroes specialize in leading troops, fighting or magic. The experience won when victorious can be invested in new and better skills during each year's winter season.

Having learned and showed the basics of the original game it is time to start a campaign with the Druids Expansion.

keeveek · Jan 15, 2011

Everything looks great, but how "choose your battlefield" is realistic? Are these opt. limited? For example if some area has a forest, you may choose between fighting on the meadow or in the forest but not on the desert, am i right?

unmerged(18239) · Jan 15, 2011

keeveek said:
Everything looks great, but how "choose your battlefield" is realistic? Are these opt. limited? For example if some area has a forest, you may choose between fighting on the meadow or in the forest but not on the desert, am i right?

It might not be realistic always as it discounts meeting engagement and the like which take place without any of the contestants choosing where to fight. But as you can see the terrain choices are all set in the forest and hilly terrain. Thus apparently, I know my enemy is in the neighborhood and I can decide to encounter them right where I am, wait till he is two miles or five miles down the road. That's at least how I think you can interpret this system if you ask yourself how realistic it is.

unmerged(18239) · Jan 15, 2011

IV – Druids: Re-organizing Norgales

Since I want to make this an interesting game for the AAR I decide on choosing three different victory conditions. As I consider myself still a noob for this game I do not dare to set the AI to anything above normal. Sure, losing can be interesting but I would like to have some success before it happens. These victory conditions you can choose from will make every game with the Saxons and Druids campaigns different. Sure adds to the re-playability.

As I start King Ryon's realm is just a small bit in the northern part of Wales. Being one of the three Welsh kings it is my mission to become the true champion of the old faith and spread its teaching throughout Britannia. Not an easy mission to achieve when you see the opposition before me. The province of Norgales, my only province, is not particular wealthy and mine can't be ranked amongst the most powerful kingdoms of the land. Neither is my kingdom very wealthy, but if you compare it with King Gruffad's realm (who rules Estregales and Sugales) to the South and King Nentres (ruling Bualt) to the South-East I have nothing to complain of.
My road to becoming the champion of the old faith is longer then theirs will however, as they are more true to the faith. My prospects to achieve it are a bit better perhaps, with a better economy I will be able to build a larger army, and army which is already on par with King Gruffad's force. For now however, I won't look to the South but to the East. There ly the realms of King Cadeyrn; the provinces of Poweys and Fengwern. Believers in the Old Faith, there is a cultural difference between them and us, they are Britons and thus the one to watch.

I start of with two able heroes, Sir Teague and Eamon the Druid. For now Eamon will be my advisor on everything diplomatic while Sir Teague will fulfill two roles at once. He will be the general of my main army which is very important in the future, but next to that his skills will be very profitable to my cause as he is skilled league-lord. Perhaps not the most kindhearted to the people with the characteristics of being relentless and dutiful, but what more can a king in need of money wish for?

And thus he receives the provinces of Norgales, my only province, as a fief. To rule the land of dense forests, deep crags and mountains just, fair and with an iron hand.

About time to set out on my fateful journey.

Zanza · Jan 16, 2011

Looks interesting.

unmerged(18239) · Jan 16, 2011

V – The Looming War

Having decided to focus on the Briton King Cadeyrn's realm to the East I am reaffirmed in this choice because my first objective is to conquer the city of Viroconium (or is it Viraconium?) and make it my chief stronghold. Cadeyrn is already at war with three of his five neighbours, being weak such a war will certainly prove fatal to his kingdom and thus I have to move quickly.

Since all diplomacy is a continuation of war and vice-versa, even in these medieval-fantasy times, the diplomatic screens well now be of prime importance.
First I need an ally to cover my flank and make sure I am not a weak prey for stronger kingdoms. I turn to King Nentres, who might not be ruling the powerhouse of the region, but together we will be strong enough to cope with anybody. His war with Cadeyrn will give me a pretext to invade as well. Although that is something I think of myself as you don't need a pretext to attack someone.
Furthermore my relations with Nentres are the best I have with any of my neighbours, the decision is thus soon made even though an alliance costs me a good deal in money and food.

Eamon and Sir Teague combine forces for a moment before the Druid leaves to the capital city in order to recruit more troops before the winter sets in and stop everything in its tracks. During the winter my force grows even stronger as several of my troops level up. Thus the army I have at a ready might prove to be strong enough to defeat the enemy.

Research for the coming turns will also focus on improving the army, a priority over improving logistics, but only just. In my capital city of Caernarfon I construct buildings which will aid the recruitment of troops. Soldiers, it is all about soldiers. And now let's head East!

King Cadeyrn foresees my imminent move and offers a non-aggression pact. “Sorry, colleague, that's not going to happen.”

unmerged(18239) · Jan 17, 2011

The fall of a Stronghold

Autumn turns into winter and all movement is halted. Some units are upgraded and buildings constructed in the capital but sir Teague's army is forced to camp in the Snowdonia mountains only to move on to the eastern border of my realm when the snow melts. By summer he is ready to strike for Viroconium but by then the political situation has changed. Cadeyrn's kingdom is no more, torn by war and attacked from three sides. The province of Fegwern is already taken and the city of Viroconium has fallen to his eastern neighbour: King Mor. King Cadeyrn is now without a realm.

As you can see however, Mor's army is weak from the war. Moreover, he is a tyrant little bastard with hardly any friends. I decide to push on and order Teague to attack the weak forces which have only captured the city of Viroconium last turn. With overpowering forces this won't be a hard battle. Still a castle's siege can lead to severe casualties if defended correctly. This time it won't because my missile troops outnumber the enemy's, Uathach, almost fifteen to one.

My strategy for this battle is quite straightforward. I move my bowmen into a position from which I can pepper King Mor's troops with arrows and bolts. Uathach will be forced to react and attack or be totally annihilated. The plan works flawlessly and eventually culminates in a short but sharp encounter when the enemy reacts and attacks. Sir Teague's magic fire-trap explodes when the enemy moves in and then my heavy infantry and the Springborn charge him to a standstill.

[video=youtube;ha2TTQctk9M]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ha2TTQctk9M[/video]

Within a few minutes the battle is over and the stronghold won. Casualties on my side are relatively light although my missile-troops suffered from a magic attack. Uathach's army is wiped out and with it the presence of King Mor in the province. Viroconium is mine and fairly won.

As you can see from the “You won!”-screen I did not have to kill every single soldier of the enemy to be victorious. Once the odds are overwhelming enough the victory is won. In this battle I had only captured one victory point so far and thus this mechanism makes sure I don't have to march all over the city to capture those other two VP's and kill that last soldier. Neat.

Scorpi · Jan 17, 2011

Awsome, definatly following..

unmerged(18239) · Jan 17, 2011

Scorpi said:
Awsome, definatly following..

Thanks a lot! More comming tonight.

Miyokari · Jan 17, 2011

Great work, waiting still for new post here !

And i got a question at all : The druids will be released when this AAR will end? Just a question.

unmerged(18239) · Jan 18, 2011

A new Province

My urge to capture Viroconium left me in a state of war with not one, but two neighboring countries. If this had been a smart move would be for future events to decide. I however, had reached my current goals. Now all left to do was to pacify the entire province of Powys and make it a part of my emerging realm. King Mor's realm of Cameliard only has one weak ally so that might not prove to be too much of a problem. Still I recruit some new units, to be on the safe side.

In my capital Caernarfon the construction of several buildings is ready and I start construction on an academy (giving me more research points) and a Sacred Meadow which will bring my country closer to the Old Faith. I would like to do the same in Viroconium but have not captured all buildings in the province so it is not mine yet and will only be mine ones Sir Teague has moved south with his army to capture that location.

During the winter Teague's troops are able to level up due to the experiences gotten during while storming the stronghold. I am able to give two units of bowmen 'Flaming Arrows' which allows them to do more damage. Other units get points in strength and defence.

Sir Sloan, a new hero who came to join me after I fulfilled my quest, leads the second army. Some of his troops are weaker and thus I spend my experience points on defence as well as upkeep which will make his force, mostly used for garrison-duty, cheaper to maintain.

An event and a quest brighten up the winter-season. First King Mor wants to ransom the weakling who held the Viroconium, fine by me. Second a group of recruits is somewhat reluctant. Sir Sloan solves the issue with a handful of coins and a feast to great them; I can always use some Welsh archers and infantry.

Next summer, when I move out to pacify the entire province the army of King Mork approaches my lands from the South. In one turn I make Powys my second province, with Teague as its league-lord, and attack.

unmerged(18239) · Jan 18, 2011

The battle for Deepwood

With a lightning-swift strike Sir Teague attacks the lord King Mor sends to counter my conquests. Although I outnumber Bodhmall this will not be an easy battle. In King Arthur missile troops are very powerful, according to some seriously overpowered. Bodhmall's seven archer units might thus give me a serious headache if I make some mistakes. And o yes, I do.

Before every offensive battle (not a siege) you can choose the terrain on which you want to fight. As I am close to a river I get the option to fight in the plains near a river. Well, I don't want to cross a river while being peppered with a million arrows. The second battlefield is a hilly forest. Thanks but no, if my enemy finds himself a good position atop some hills he will shoot me into the ground no problem. Thus the last choice it will be, forests and a plain.

At the start of every battle the camera makes a tour of the battlefield and the victory-locations (two to five). As you can see the enemy has a somewhat more favorable position as I will have to cross a plain if they chose to wait for me in the forest beyond. The nearest VL on the left will fall to me quickly. I will send my cavalry to the one on the right and capture it if no strong infantry units appear over there. Then the bulk of my forces will move forward in the center.
The archers will deploy on the hill to the left. The heavy infantry on the plain in front of it (they are less effective in the scurbland and forest). My light infantry, the spring- and summer-bron will advance in the center, through the woods, and together with the heavy infantry capture the small village in the center location. In the video below you can see the initial phase of the battle.

The first minutes of the battle go well. I move my cavalry to the VL on the right and capture it as the enemy moves their mounted troops to the hill. These however, are quickly repelled by bowmen; fire-arrows rain down on them and they flee.

[video=youtube;PgBxoWHzqOA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgBxoWHzqOA[/video]

The second phase of the battle proves to be a lot more difficult. I will have to move across the plain to capture the village and then grapple with the enemy in the trees of Deepwood beyond. They won't come out so I'll have to. My cavalry make a faint but apart from refusing their flank the enemy does not react and I don't charge home amidst the trees.

Thus now, all I can do to win this battle is order my infantry forwards into the forest. And that is just what I do. Soon the field is littered with soldiers shot down during their advance. And then, at the treeline Bodhmall throws her infantry against mine and stalls its advance for a long time. My archers move in for some 'counter-battery fire'. The battle ensues into a bloody battle of attrition lasting for a long time. Bodhmall does not sell her hide cheap.

As making a video of a fight amidst the trees is of no use there is no second part to the video. But as you can see from the number of casualties it was a tough battle. Teague's army is wrecked.

Archonsod · Jan 19, 2011

Reminds me of a battle I had when it was down to the remaining seven Winterborn I had left in my army (my heroes had all been felled) versus three longbowmen regiments. Not a hope of getting close, so I capped the victory points and then hid in the woods till their morale collapsed. Not entirely heroic, but I figure the unseelie are definitely more the skulking in the woods type. Needless to say, the army leader got Storm of Avalon at the next level up. Although funnily enough the other Winterborn unit I had in the army managed to slaughter one regiment of longbowmen despite only having three surviving members by the time they charged.

unmerged(18239) · Jan 19, 2011

Hunters/Gatherers and the food-shortage

After the battle of Deepwood it takes a considerable time to recover. I combine the forces of Sirs Teague and Sloan and send Teague with the strongest forces into the realm of Mor. Sloan will return to the city of Viroconium to recruit new forces and rest and retrain his soldiers. That will have to wait for one more turn though as it takes four turns for a city to be consolidated and usable for recruitment.

Before long, the whole of King Mor's kingdom is ran over and made into another province, the third. Sir Teague, still the best liege-lord I have as well as the best battlefield leader, is granted another fief. His third, out of three maximum.
As you might have noticed my foodstock has plumetted dramatically over the last turns, this is mainly due to recruiting new troops and having my forces move through enemy territory and unconcolidated lands. By now the food-shortage becomes problematic and my soldiers gret uncontent about it. Luckily the newly captured province of Cameliard is very rich in food, but lacking in gold. Which is fine at the moment.

At the same time I am planning to raise both my Rightfulness and Old Faith on the morality chart so I will soon be able to use the powerful Seelie troops. The best way of doing this is by building the appropriate buildings in your capital. But only after having build all the ones which raise the food-production of course.

Jus then I get a new quest which can net me quite a lot of food and thus replennish the serious shortage. To get to this quest I will have to cross my neighbour King's land. After some diplomatic moves however, me and my neighbour are good friends and he does not mind if I occaionally cross his lands, as long as I keep my troops from plundering. Good, onwards men!

Unfortunately I have not been the only one ordering my troops forward. The drawback of having a large frontier borthering the wild now becomes apparent when the Sidhe make their first encursion into my realm. I send sir Sloan and his reserve army to counter the threat but his army does not outnumber the enemy as considerably as I would have liked him to.

The battle is fought in the bogs against an emeny with some strong troops but just two units of Unseelie archers, how much did I underestimate them?

[video=youtube;9EK1OUiji4A]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EK1OUiji4A[/video]

First they all but wipe out my archers (and I have more then them but their range is better), then their infantry bogs me down so I can't reach their archers. Locking me into combat indefinately I fight and fight but don't break through while my troops, representing a bigger target then the enemy's are shot down by clouds of arrows. My cavalry makes a charge but to no avail, half of them are shot from their horses as they approach the other ones easily dealt with. Finally, after a long, long combat I break through and finish the enemy, winning more because I captured two out of three victory locations then anything else.

The battle was a tough one and losses painful, that enemy was very powerful. Sir Sloan is wounded and the army all but erased from the map.

unmerged(18239) · Jan 21, 2011

Wales United at last

Having only solved the food problems partially I see more and more rebellions in my realm. For now I choose to pay them off and thus make sure I increase the loyalty of my subjects at the same time. Something seriously has to be done however and thus I make all upgrades towards increasing food-production in my two strongholds.

My realm still consists of three provinces in the Northern parts of Britannia and before I will consolidate the old lands of Wales I will have to gather the “Fathers of the Spirits” the leaders of the Old Faith. Over the next couple of years I thus cross my realm and that of my neighbours to gather and enlist the druids of old.

Having gathered those of the Old Faith, and being on my way to solving the food shortage, it is time to make plans for the future. In order to bring all of Wales together I will have to conquer the three provinces to the South ruled by Kings Gruffad and Nentres. The later of the two is an ally of mine and thus won't be a target for my warmongering for quite some time. King Gruffad, reigning over Estregales and Sugales is of another stock. He is so Rightful you will be disgusted, furthermore he has preyed on my lands every since I became king. Only deterred from waging war by the strength of my forces. Too bad for him he can't hope to be victorious in a long war, that will now be his ultimate downfall.

Before I can strike however, the Sidhe decide on another incursion. This one aimed straight at my stronghold of Viroconium. By chance it is defended by Sir Teague and his army being re-outfitted for the coming war. Teague's army is not at it strongest but we outnumber the enemy two to one. Holding higher ground and stronger positions the battle will be over before it started. During my second siege battle with King Arthur I get the idea these battles are somewhat strange. What is the use of building strong walls and defences when the enemy is able to walk into your stronghold without a problem and all you can do to defend against him is holding the strongholds with a mighty army? Let's hope the siege battles in King Arthur 2 will be more like what they should be, a siege.

[video=youtube;p8Dy0tp9m2s]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8Dy0tp9m2s[/video]

For now I can show how I positioned my troops, ready to cover two of the three Victory Locations. A unit of cavalry is heading for the third forcing the enemy to split his forces. Soon the Sidhe are wiped out by concentrated clouds of arrows, a battle in which we lose but a handful of men and they an entire army.

At the end of that year I get my first Dragon, a Dire Wyrm, isn't he cute? Think I am going to sport it on my banner.

By spring of the next year I have gathered three mighty armies in the lands of my ally King Nentres. My troops are led by my most able of heroes who, within the span of three seasons, overrun the two provinces of King Gruffard. His four armies are wiped from the face of the earth and his lands incorporated into my realm; fiefs granted to two of my three powerful druids.

Wales is united and thus it is time to set my eyes on a mission which is really interesting!

Achab · Jan 21, 2011

Inspiring AAR, Singleton Mosby.

Waiting for the Druids expansion to appear on the Steam (can take a while). In the meantime, would you mind to aswer some questions related to stuff which kinda bothered me in the Saxons before?

a) What is the "Defeat King Arthur" quest reward? In the Saxons it was some mediocre stat armour I had got twice from trade and a common battle before.
b) Is there also an early and cheap to get "win any battle blindfolded" unit similar to the Saxon Archers?
c) Are there any real quests which actually utilize the Adventuring ability of your heroes?
d) Is it possible to get extra heroes from the misc factions through diplomacy and what are their stats like?

UK_John · Jan 24, 2011

"King Cadeyrn foresees my imminent move and offers a non-aggression pact. “Sorry, colleague, that's not going to happen.”

"And then, at the treeline Bodhmall throws her infantry against mine and stalls its advance for a long time"

Seems like the AI is pretty darn good!

And Druids is not out folks!

King Arthur: the Druids Expansion; a Preview-AAR

Lt.-Colonel of Guerillas

Lt.-Colonel of Guerillas

Lt.-Colonel of Guerillas

Lt.-Colonel of Guerillas

Second Lieutenant

Lt.-Colonel of Guerillas

Lt.-Colonel of Guerillas

Field Marshal

Lt.-Colonel of Guerillas

Lt.-Colonel of Guerillas

Lt. General

Lt.-Colonel of Guerillas

Captain

Lt.-Colonel of Guerillas

Lt.-Colonel of Guerillas

First Lieutenant

Lt.-Colonel of Guerillas

Lt.-Colonel of Guerillas

Celtic Champion

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