Greetings everyone, here are the update notes for the first part of Goblin Storm's free 2020 spring content update, version 1.0.5! A new dev blog will be coming out this weekend detailing Goblin Storm's development future as well.
Spring Content Update Part 1:
- Named leaders with unique stats, lore, and multiple hitpoints and high resilience added for Goblins and (undead leaders to follow next update).
- Increased starting gold by 20-30% on average.
- Forts now suffer partial encirclement penalty.
- Abbeys now have gold value.
- Fanatic combat trait added, which increases combat value in exchange for higher casualties.
- Unit/roster additions for goblin factions.
Faction Design Moving Forward:
Beyond general gameplay improvements, update 1.0.5 revolves around the introduction of named leaders. Over the succeeding updates, the troops assigned to each leader will be overhauled, expanded, and diversified to reflect the unique backgrounds, eccentricities, and pitfalls of the commanders who lead them.
As a designer and player, I believe the generic goblin clans of vanilla Goblin Storm felt overly similar. Update 1.0.5 begins tackling this challenge by making each leader and their troops feel more unique both in lore and gameplay. Future updates will continue to add new warrior types, war beasts, greater variation in ordinary companies, unique bodyguards, and in some cases, leaders who are remarkably dangerous in of themselves. For some early examples of this new design philosophy, see the forces of Kalzeki Knightbane and Broguma Goblinflayer in this update.
Rest assured, these additions will be expanded to humans and undead in future updates. But for now, here is a small sample of the new Goblin leaders:
General:
- Base Gold loot raised from 55 to 60%
- Max gold loot raised from 80 to 90%.
- Base slave loot raised from 50 to 60%.
- Max slave loot raised from 70 to 80%.
- Minimum slave take raised from 40 to 60%.
- Capital base economy value increased to 4-6.
- Capital base population increased from 5-7.
- Abbeys gained a gold value between 1-5.
- Town base economy increased from 2-4 to 3-5.
- Town base population increased from 3-5 to 4-6.
Forts/Combat Modifiers:
- All forts (castles, keeps, stockades, walled settlements) now halve the encirclement penalty, instead of negating it entirely.
- Increased keep attacker fire reduction from -10 to -20%
- Added 10% defender fire bonus to Stockades
- Added +15% defender fire bonus in mountains.
- Increased Stockade Linf defense bonus from +10% to +15%
- Increased Stockade Hinf defense bonus from +10% to +15%
- Decreased walled city Hinf/Linf defense bonus from +100% to +50%
- Decreased walled town Hinf/Linf defense bonus from +50% to +35%
- Decreased walled village Hinf/Linf defense bonus from +40% to +20%
- Added 10% Linf attack bonus in light forest.
- Added 15% Linf attack bonus in dense forest.
- Increased 10% Linf defense bonus in light forest from +10 to +20%.
- Increased 10% Linf defense bonus in dense forest from +20 to +30%
Game Mechanic Additions/Tweaks:
- Added fanatic trait at company level. Fanatic units gain a +50% combat bonus when executing Attack or Hold and Defend orders but take 30% higher casualties. Fanatic units are marked with a white stripe or two white stripes in the case of fanatic leader units (examples above).
- Tweaked skirmish resolution table to make below 1-1 skirmish combat more costly for the attacker.
- Increased duration of AI goblin feinting operations intended to misdirect human defenders.
Goblin Gameplay:
- Added fanatic trait to all Gothrang Bloodsworn bodyguard companies.
- Added fanatic trait to all Gothrang Butcher companies.
- Added fanatic trait to Ironfist, Heartrender, Fleshcarver, and Grimhelm hordes attached to Broguma Goblinflayer.
- All wolf-mounted units now ignore movement cost of broken terrain.
- Replaced all generic clan leaders with named leaders.
New Goblin Warriors:
- Added Skulkers, hybrid melee/ranged skirmish combat specialists with a forest movement bonus, used by the forces of warlord Kalzeki Knightbane.
- Added Skulker Marksmen, ranged skirmish combat specialists with a forest movement bonus, used by the forces of warlord Kalzeki Knightbane.
- Added Skulker Bloodsworn, ranged skirmish combat specialists with a forest movement bonus, used by the forces of warlord Kalzeki Knightbane.
- Added Hob. Enforcers, a lighter variant of the standard hobgoblin, found in small numbers inside lesser Gudhered goblin companies.
- Added Flayer Warriors, variant of the standard goblin warrior, used by the fanatical forces of Broguma Goblinflayer.
- Added Flayer Initiates, variant of the standard Gudhered Initiate, used by the fanatical forces of Broguma Goblinflayer.
- Added Flayer Shield Bearers, variant of the standard Gudhered Shield Bearer, used by the fanatical forces of Broguma Goblinflayer.
- Added Wolf Lords (Bows), ranged variant of the standard Wolf Lord, used exclusively by the bodyguard of Warlord Ulzelu the Fox of Karstenberg.
Gothrang Confederacy:
- Added full horde of fanatic Butchers, the Sons of Tarsumoz, attached to Tarsumoz Snaketongue.
- Added 3 hordes of Goblin Skulkers, Skulker Marksmen, and Skulker Bloodsworn, attached to Kalzeki Knightbane. Skulkers are skirmish combat specialists that ignore forest movement cost.
Gothrang Leaders:
- Belazi Herald of Nargu, High War Chief of the Gothrang Confederacy, religious fanatic, and head shaman of the cult of the serpent god Nargu.
- Herkovas Twice-Hanged, an extremely difficult to kill and possibly demonically possessed war chief.
- Hidegzi Ironmaw, a vicious usurper who murdered his way to power with nothing more than beer steins and fists.
- Tarsumoz Snaketongue, an aged Butcher blessed by Nargu but long past his prime.
- Gyorizek Bull of Keztovasz, a talented but stubborn warchief and veteran of many wars with man and goblin alike.
- Replaced Faenraed Clan with Darzeri Spiderslayer, great hunter, tracker, and slayer of eight-legged horrors.
- Added Kalzeki Knightbane, skirmish expert and forest warfare specialist.
Gudhered Dominate:
- Slightly reduced total number of wolf mounted companies.
- Converted some Wolf Marauder companies to Wolf Lancers.
- Former Cwellan Clan, now commanded by Broguma Goblinflayer reorganized as infantry-only fanatic shock units.
Gudhered Leaders:
- Warkizek the Ironmarshal, Supreme Overseer of the Gudhered Dominate intent on enforcing the dominion of hobgoblins over all other species.
- Belludar Serpentcaller, snake Obsessed overseer who surrounds himself with exotic reptiles and drinks hydra’s venom for longevity.
- Oszvati Starhelm, a magpie of a hobgoblin obsessed with prestige and wealth.
- Broguma Goblinflayer, sadistic hobgoblin overseer willing to waste the lives of any number of lesser goblins to achieve his objectives.
- Alizek Bonesinger, a jovial hobgoblin who fashions flutes from the bones of his foes.
- Ulizi Wolfgrin, Werchered mercenary in the service of the Gudhered Dominate.
- Vzerati Chainbringer, master wolf rider and chief slave raider of the Dominate.
Werchered Clans:
- Added Blackclaw Warmasters, a two company elite horde of Wolf Lords attached to Gzyorkan Gryphonstalker.
- Re-arranged the company composition of numerous hordes.
- Overhauled base training levels for most hordes.
Werchered Leaders:
- Ulzelu Fox of Karstenberg, a talented strategist who commands a huge following due to his victories over Helsatian armies. He values tactical flexibility so highly that even his heavily armored bodyguards serve as recon specialists and wield short bows.
- Gzyorkan Gryphonstalker, a powerful warlord determined to lead the Werchered tribes on the path of conquest once again. Gzyorkan eschews the skirmishing ways of his people and instead favors highly trained, heavily armored Wolf Lords and Marauders.
- Gorrzimor Snowstrider, a traditionalist nomad and veteran of many wars with the undead Knights of the Order.
- Olzumor Flameheart, a life-long, battle hardened raider who has roved across the Westerlands.
- Flakorzu the Betrayer, a cowardly schemer who murdered his way to power and now leads a clan that resembles common brigands more than a real army.
- Anoruun Headhunter, the living embodiment of the traditional Werchered way of life. Anoruun raids widely and often and has no interest in either settling or embracing new strategies or tactics.
- Kelvasi Hoofrender, a settled Werchered lord with a seething hatred for centaur-kind.
- Doruun Hearthkeeper, Werchered wolf-lord turned settled master of a grand bazaar, caravaneer, and master of a grand menagerie of exotic beasts.
Human Gameplay:
- Added 4 centaur regiments to Nordwacht.
- Removed Jager companies from Nordwacht.
- Replaced all generic commanders with named leaders. But lore biographies will not arrive until next update.
New Human Warriors:
- Added Centaur Stormhoofs, light cavalry and recon specialists available to Nordwacht.
- Added Centaur Harriers, centaur archers available to Nordwacht.
- Added Skulkers, hybrid melee/ranged skirmish combat specialists with a forest movement bonus, used by the forces of warlord Kalzeki Knightbane.