Mount & Blade Warband: Diary Post 01

If you have never heard of this game before and you like me love the medieval based RPG and/or action games then your going to wont to read on. Warband is all about fun game play with it's balanced mix of RPG elements such as character creation and levelling, with a simple yet flexible and rewarding combat system. It's rewarding because it's not just a simple "point & click" as you can maximise your attack by riding your warhorse into infantry, increasing your damage in melee by ensuring you get a full swing at your enemy or getting your timing right with archery to increase your accuracy.


My main character I play as is a Mongolian style warrior named Temudgin, focusing of course on mounted archery! My weapons of choice are Khergit bow and arrows with shield and scimitar. This gives me a perfect balance in ranged attack, combined with the more defensive melee option.


So my rampaging Mongolian style character is so far a fair way into the game at level 30 at this time of writing. I have joined The Khergit Khanate (a Mongolian themed faction) and have been fighting for them for some time now. Although I have made some friends among the nobility and married into a Khergit nobile family my king has thus far failed to reward me with new fiefs. (other then the little village I start with) I now know why other NPC Lords get discouraged and leave their faction for another. My long term goal is to start my own kingdom, all I need is a little more right to rule points, a slightly larger army total and at least one castle before I take a town as my capital. That's the way this game plays out you make your own objectives, you don't need to be a king to win the game but as Mel Brooks in Robin Hood once said "It's good to be the king!"


During my last play through the Khergit Khanate was at peace with all other factions, but in Warband this doesn't mean boring. There are always bandits to hunt down for money and experience. But peace time offers a good chance to take advantage of Warbands trade economy as all Towns will open their doors to you, giving you the freedom to sell goods at the highest price. And for my horse ridding Mongolian an opportunity to build a larger war chest, as war is never faraway.


I also jumped online for a bit of team death match fun. Warband online is a bit like counter strike but with swords and spears. If you find yourself on a server with no lag this game is a hell of a lot of fun online. I played as a real sneaky bugger taking out my enemy from behind cover with a crossbow, while other players favoured the melee style one player had a death wish by running around half naked wielding a two handed sword! (there's one in every game!)


Need a link? http://www.taleworlds.com/