Raids, Combats, and…
Now that we’ve covered the "Why" (leading the Orcs out of misery) and the "Who" (the Orcs), let’s tackle the "What" (looting everything that’s left standing) and some "Hows"!
"Before picking a destination, knowing what resources are available, what enemies you'll face, and what special events are occurring are all important aspects that will help you thrive. Thankfully, the more you explore regions, the more the map will reveal itself to you."
Time was only hinted at during the campaign, without much explanation. Now, after a year of development, we’re ready to present The Warchief Journal.
The Warchief Journal
Yes, it’s more than just a medium for Kickstarter updates: it’s also a useful in-game tool! I can’t reveal every detail just yet, but what matters for this Journal is that you’ll be able to plan your days with it.
Each day brings unique opportunities for the Orcs, and it will be up to you to decide which ones to pursue. They vary from recurring events you can plan around to unique quests that you’ll want to drop everything to pursue. You won’t be able to do everything, so choose wisely!
Unique Quests
As the days pass, unique quests will unfold. Some will be essential to your main mission, while others will be entirely optional. Your Warlord will often happily impose several on you, but you’ll also find that NPCs and even your Orcs will occasionally require your assistance.
Have you discovered the soul of a traveler, captured by the undying hag and sealed in a jar? Return the soul for a big reward or set it free for some Good Karma!
A friendly merchant has been spotted in the Moldmire Bog, about to be sacrificed by a group of zealots? You might want to save him to gain access to the merchant’s guild! Or you could always take out the zealots and loot whatever’s left.
The Warlord wants you to lead the Orcs out of misery? It might take your whole playthrough to succeed this one!
Situations and Interactions
Random interactions are not unique or recurring, but they can be predicted. As you grow familiar with your clan, you’ll learn what can trigger them and when they are likely to occur.
Has an Orc formed a bond with another? Take them into battle and see how their teamwork makes them shine.
Two of your favorite Orcs are fighting: you might need to pick a side.
One of your Orcs woke up angry? Might want to take them to the theater and cheer them up.
It’s boar mating season! There is a 50% higher chance of finding them in raids!
Did your Orcs Kill Them All in Fablewood Thickets? The forest needs some time to recover: you’ll find 20% fewer resources there for the next couple of days.
Calendar Events
An Orc year is divided into four seasons, each consisting of four weeks and five days. Events are pretty straightforward: they are visible on your calendar or will unlock as you progress through the story.
It’s Wednesday afternoon, you can be sure the Trader will be at camp.
It’s Burk’s birthday! What kind of gift would they like?
Friday raids are mandatory to end the week on a high note. Participating in a raid applies a Happy Mood to all selected Orcs.
Mondays mean tribute day! Be ready to hand over some of your loot to the Warlord, and let’s hope your raids were profitable.
Some events can be ignored if your goals aren’t aligned, while others can seriously mess up your plans. Prioritize and strategize around them to support your clan’s growth.
Now that we understand how time brings quests, interactions, and events, it’s time to explore one of the key playgrounds for tackling them: The Raids.
Raids
"In order to gather resources, you must embark on daring Raids! You need 12 spiderwebs to craft a sewing Station? Better head to the forest and hunt some spiders! It's important to be strategic in your selection of Orcs for this next adventure."
This is what was presented during the Kickstarter campaign, and apart from expanding the range of Camp activities, it’s exactly what we’re developing.
Environments
"In Raids, you are dropped in procedurally generated environments where you can freely explore with your party and stumble upon strange NPCs, lost treasures, secrets, and deadly foes."
This is still the case! After forming your raid crew, you’ll select your path on the war map. Each environment has its own special twist, rooted in its lore, revealed through gameplay.
Unique resources? Yes.
Unique enemies? Of course!
Unique events? You bet!
And more!
Your destination is chosen? Perfect! You’ve traveled and are now ready to begin the raid!
Since the concept of "Rage" was covered in Journal #2, we can now dive straight into how combat has evolved.
Combats
All the concepts presented under the "Mindful Turn-Based Combat" section on our Kickstarter page still stand, apart from the action-based energy system. If it’s not fresh in your memory, I encourage you to revisit that section!
"Actions are no longer tied to an energy cost. Instead, if it’s the first time an Orc uses an action, it is free. If that action doesn’t have a cooldown or a pre-determined number of uses, the Orc has the possibility of re-using it any number of times they want. The twist: each time an action is re-used, the KTA-o-meter goes up."
Let’s see how this statement made in Journal #2 applies to both existing and new combat systems.
Movements
Movement isn’t only for chasing or escaping enemies, it’s also crucial for positioning your Orcs so their actions or items apply their effect patterns effectively. What’s effective is for you to decide!
Actions
During your turn, Orcs can perform actions. Some are cooldown-based, while others affect Rage. The availability of which ones depends on their equipment, weapons, as well as their traits, moods, passions, and items. Here are a few important ones:
Basic attack: An Orc’s weapon determines the pattern and strength of the action they can perform.
Jump: When an Orc is blocked, they can perform a jump to get past obstacles.
Push: Want to reposition a living being? Use this action to push it forward.
Pull: Like Push, but in reverse. This action brings a living being toward an Orc.
Items
Items are equipped at camp based on your Orcs’ capacity (see Journal #2). They add actions to your Orcs with a specific number of uses, depending on how many of that item are in your loadout.
Want to drink three chamomile teas in a row? Hurray! Your Orc is now free of Rage (and definitely a bit bloated)!
Need to strike an unreachable enemy, then calm down? Eat a Spicy Pepper (+1 rage), gain +3 movement with the Coffee Beans, move to the enemy, attack, and drink a Chamomile Tea (-1 Rage).
Unlike movement, actions can’t be undone, so be careful with your choices!
Conflict resolution
In most cases, encounters will revolve solely around "neutralizing all hostiles". As waves of enemies emerge, you might need to concentrate on what’s best to apply.
This is important: While your Orcs have Rage, enemies have health!
Enemies reduced to 1 HP are considered defeated and will likely attempt to flee on their next turn. You can choose to kill, capture, or spare them, whatever your heart desires.
Exploration
It may come as a surprise, but raids aren’t just about gathering resources! Sometimes, NPCs will appear, secrets will unfold, and lost treasures will be found.
A broken tower lies before you? Use some of your gathered resources to restore it and uncover its function!
You found a fishing pond? Please: try our fishing mini-game!
Raid extraction
Got everything you came for? With your Orcs rage-filled and about to scream "KILL THEM ALL!", extraction might be the smartest move!
Raiding comes with risk, and the further you advance, the higher the stakes become. As you progress, you’ll unlock paths to more challenging sections of the map. While these zones offer greater rewards, they also harbor stronger enemies.
When you’re ready to extract, return to your caravan and confirm the extraction.
And bam! you’ve successfully extracted from your raid. Let’s wrap up here and get ready for the next journal, where we’ll dive into a much-anticipated topic: The Camp. Instead of next week, this journal will come out in two weeks. Crafting them takes time, and we want to ensure they aren’t rushed.
Remember: Don’t Kill Them All!