The Battle for Wesnoth; Possibly the greatest free game out there

So, a few weeks ago a friend of mine had turned me on to an open source game he found on the internet called "The Battle for Wesnoth".. I didn't look into it right away, but after my 360 died (again...) I decided to give it a try hoping it would help me burn some time, and now after spending some time with it and playing a few games online with my pals, I've come to the conclusion that it could possibly be the greatest free game on the internet. You see, this isn't like those other "free" games on the internet that say they're free but to really enjoy the full game you still have to shell out like 10 dollars a month, they're just trials, really. This game is 100% free and not only that, but it is constantly receiving updates from the developers AND the player community thanks to the editor! You can make custom maps, single-player scenarios and more with the editor, and no, the editor doesn't cost you any money to get! It's included in the download when you get the game, another plus for this already impressive game.

So, on to the actual game - Wesnoth is a turn based strategy game (from here on out referred to as TBS), based in a typical fantasy world. The world is populated by all the usual fantasy creatures, elves, orcs, goblins, dragons, and so on, all using swords, spears, magic, bows, etc. The game plays pretty much like other TBS games, and was apparently based on the old Sega Genesis games "Master of Monsters" and "Warsong/Langrisser". It is very straight-forward and has simple rules to follow, but remains challenging and enjoyable to even seasoned TBS veterans. It's also a great entry point for TBS novices considering how simple the rules are, so if you've been trying to get a pal into playing these games with you, then maybe tell them to give this one a chance.

So in this game each player takes turns managing their army, you'll probably start the game spawning all the units you feel are appropriate against your enemies. Each unit costs around 15 gold on average, and they all typically specialize in either melee or ranged combat, some are balanced between each type, however. Melee combat is the more common of the two, almost every unit sports some kind of melee combat, even if it's just a simple sidearm like a dagger or a mage's staff. So no matter what, if you're going to fight with melee you'll more than likely have to put up with a counter attack. Sadly, there is no true "ranged" combat (that is, attacking from two or three hexes away), for ranged attacks you'll need to be up and close too. They have the benefit, however, of not having to put up with the counter attacks as often since not all units have a ranged weapon to fire back with. All units have have their weaknesses, most are pretty straight-forward like how horses are weak to "pierce" attacks (spears, arrows), as are the drakes. Some are resistant to certain attack types, as well. Heavily armored units are often strong against "blade" attacks but take more damage from "impact" attacks (mace, hammer). You can easily check these by clicking on the unit and selecting "Unit Description" or simply press "d". The object of the game is to kill the enemy leader, which is selected at the beginning of each match and can be identified by a crown symbol above it's head. Aside from this game type, there is also a very fun "Survival" variant, in which you must survive ongoing hordes of enemies. It starts out rather slow, but as the game goes on the waves get bigger and stronger, and it gets very intense.

Another interesting feature of the game is the use of the clock cycle. I think it's very cool, and adds some great potential for attack plans and so on. At certain times of the day, certain units will become strengthened. This depends on their alignment, "chaotic" units, like orcs and ghouls, will become stronger at night, and as far as I know, their accuracy increases as well. "Loyal" units like the horsemen and white mages are stronger when day breaks, and "neutral" have balanced power during both times of day, they don't strengthen or weaken at any time.


So I'll leave the rest for you to find out on your own, this is merely to try to catch your interest. If you think it sounds like a game you would enjoy then check it out at "Wesnoth.org".

-- Pansy