[NR] Showdown not enough Dwarves

[Nico1920]

I have enough money, but not a very good recall list: I can buy only one full keep of dwarf lords. The rest of my veterans are mostly fugitives and highwaymen.

With tallin's forces this thin, the AI sends a lot against the drakes and the elves, which are completely unable to resist.

I've tried sending healers to other battle fronts, but seems to be a waste of time: sending the loyal sidhe to the drakes takes 6 turns when she is wasted without providing heating to anybody.

Should I just give up and restart them campaign? The eastern flank was a torture even at 16x speed, and I would really like to but have to do it again.

Any suggestions?

[gnombat]

Should I just give up and restart them campaign?

Assuming you're playing on a recent version of Wesnoth, you can switch to an easier difficulty level just for this scenario (you don't have to restart the entire campaign).

[Nico1920]

Thank you. At last I did it!
In the end it was better to recruit more dwarven fighters instead of recalling non-dwarf veterans. I had to be very patient with the front line of dwarf lords the first 10ish turns, but in the end I could even level up some of my fresh recruits all the way to level 3.
Drakes did amazing once I realised it was better to recruit only clashers and do not attack melee units at all.
Dwarves managed OK, only stealclads.
Elves were the most difficult bit. They barely resisted and I ended up with 5-6 units that managed to join some helpers from Tallin's side around turn 12.
It took me almost 30 turns, but I did it. The only loyal unit I lost was the Elf Ranger.

In the end I think I did not like the campaign that much. I do see the effort to make something very complete and large. However, the amount of units in the Eastern Flank and this last scenario made it more of a chore rather than an entertainment.

[octalot]

In the end I think I did not like the campaign that much. I do see the effort to make something very complete and large. However, the amount of units in the Eastern Flank and this last scenario made it more of a chore rather than an entertainment.

If the campaign had an option to just see the story of the final scenarios without playing them, would you have used it?
I'm wondering about a #8410 narration-only ("visual novel") difficultly level.

[Nico1920]

I think I wouldn't. Everything boils down to what players want from Wesnoth. I'm not particularly interested in the story or lore, but I appreciate their importance for some players. NR is a fantastic campaign, well-designed and attractive to players who enjoy complexity and scale. For me, the fun lies in solving each scenario like a puzzle: What's the optimal route for my main force? Should I divide my forces at this point? Is this riverbank a good position? Unless I speed it up to x16, which would prevent me from focusing on the enemy's moves, I don't have the patience for it. Luckily, Wesnoth offers something for everyone – many players enjoy NR, while others prefer a 'visual novel' style or different campaigns.