So you like to think of yourself as a gamer who can beat any game... But you haven't beaten Silk. Maybe 1% of gamers are going to beat this game - maybe 1% of those are going to 100% it (and then complain that the game is 'too easy'!). That's because beating Silk doesn't just require quick reactions and stubborn persistence... it requires players who can think - smart, shrewd players able to rise to a mental challenge like no other.
The Traveller
Anyone can win the Traveller, the first of the four Destinies in the game, but that doesn't mean it's easy. You're going to need several skills just to have a hope of getting across the three million square miles of wilderness that makes this the biggest hand-crafted open world of all time.
- History: you're going to need either a little bit of historical geography or a willingness to learn it (the Manual and Almanac has your back here) if you're going to find your way.
- Geography: are you one of these smartphone cyborgs whose concept of navigating is to ask your robot to plot a route on Google maps? That's not going to help you here. You have to be able to navigate with a map and compass, and if you can't, you're going to have to learn.
- Diplomacy: if your idea of videogame victory is wading into battle and hoping for the best, you're going to get yourself into deep water in Silk. It's very easy to declare war but it's extremely hard to overthrow an empire and as the Traveller you shouldn't even try. Instead, you need to figure out how to *avoid* fighting... and that requires serious thinking.
The Other Destinies
And even after you've won your first game as the Traveller, you have only encountered the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the challenges that await you! You're going to need to discover trade routes, work out how to raise an army - and how to feed it once you have it. This is a game where you could have a thousand infantry under your command, and be able to sack any citadel you encounter - and still starve to death because you didn't plan your campaign wisely. To beat all four Destinies is going to require more skills you'll have to know or learn:
- Logistics: it matters how many horses you have vs how many riders, it matters how many days of provisions you're carrying. If you can't do basic math, you'll find yourself at a severe disadvantage, although if you're sharp you might be able to wing it
- Tactics: you won't get far in Silk if you can't make good choices. Every day you'll have to face a crucial decision about how to camp for the night, and throughout the game you'll encounter tactical challenges where it matters what you attempt to do next and how you do it. You want to make a killing shipping silk from Kashgar to Antioch, but how? Take horses and carry less goods faster? Take camels and carry more goods but at greater expense? Or take cheap oxen but spend four times as long travelling? Every decision matters, because certain death meets the unwary...
- Strategy: if you manage to make it to the final Destiny, the Rebel, you're going to need a grand strategy capable of bringing down an empire even the Romans couldn't defeat. Where do you strike first? Do you slowly recruit cavalry to your cause or quickly hire mercenary infantry and deal with the problems of marching? As you start to take citadels, how do you keep the people on your side? You could capture every settlement and still not win if you have a dozen rebellious enclaves turning against you. Victory is hard fought - and not just on the battlefield.
It's not just that Silk gets tough, it's that Silk is inspired by games from the 1980s which had little mercy and challenged even the most skilled players to step up their game. Maybe that's not for you. Maybe you're content to mess around with your toy guns in a game that's basically just tag with firearms. But for a few brave gamers, a tiny handful of the smartest, shrewdest players on the planet, victory awaits you on the Ancient Silk Road.
Like Alexander the Great you could command an empire that spans the world - and like Alexander, you might nearly die because you crossed the wrong desert rashly... that's Silk. It's not a game for the masses. It's a game for players who can think. All you have to decide is whether you're up to the challenge.