South Guard 1. Born to the Banner
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mal_shubertal
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Re: South Guard 1. Born to the Banner
(1) What difficulty levels and game versions have you played the scenario on?
1.16.2 Soldier/normal/ the hardest one (by the way, I think the terminology for difficulty levels is so confusing! Each campaign uses 2 different terms for each of its difficulty levels, and then the next campaign uses 2 NEW words for each of its difficult levels! "easy-medium-hard" would just make it so much more clear!)
(2) How difficult did you find the scenario? (1-10)
3. The first wave of enemies can be tough, but after that it's a cakewalk.
(3) How clear did you find the scenario objectives?
very clear
(4) How clear and interesting did you find the dialog and storyline of the scenario?
It's not super gripping, but it's clear and it introduces you to the Urza family.
(5) What were your major challenges in meeting the objectives of the scenario?
The time limit. You want to hang back and defend the river, but you can't afford to dilly-dally. I actually like that, it adds some challenge to an otherwise very simple scenario.
(6) How fun do you think the scenario is? (1-10)
5. A simple, straightforward first scenario, which gives you the chance to level up your leader.
(7) What, if any, are changes you would have made to the scenario to make it more fun?
I would like the swamps to extend across the southern edge of the map to the leader's keep. After this campaign had a big redesign in I think 1.14(?), most of the leaders' keeps are accessible by water, which increases the importance of merfolk. It seems like this map was not updated the same way, so your two loyal merfolk are pretty useless after you get past the river.
1.16.2 Soldier/normal/ the hardest one (by the way, I think the terminology for difficulty levels is so confusing! Each campaign uses 2 different terms for each of its difficulty levels, and then the next campaign uses 2 NEW words for each of its difficult levels! "easy-medium-hard" would just make it so much more clear!)
(2) How difficult did you find the scenario? (1-10)
3. The first wave of enemies can be tough, but after that it's a cakewalk.
(3) How clear did you find the scenario objectives?
very clear
(4) How clear and interesting did you find the dialog and storyline of the scenario?
It's not super gripping, but it's clear and it introduces you to the Urza family.
(5) What were your major challenges in meeting the objectives of the scenario?
The time limit. You want to hang back and defend the river, but you can't afford to dilly-dally. I actually like that, it adds some challenge to an otherwise very simple scenario.
(6) How fun do you think the scenario is? (1-10)
5. A simple, straightforward first scenario, which gives you the chance to level up your leader.
(7) What, if any, are changes you would have made to the scenario to make it more fun?
I would like the swamps to extend across the southern edge of the map to the leader's keep. After this campaign had a big redesign in I think 1.14(?), most of the leaders' keeps are accessible by water, which increases the importance of merfolk. It seems like this map was not updated the same way, so your two loyal merfolk are pretty useless after you get past the river.
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Re: South Guard 1. Born to the Banner
v. 1.16.10What difficulty levels and game versions have you played the scenario on?
Soldier / Normal
2 – Due to the help of Sir Gerrick and the mermen this one is fairly easy, as long as you understand to hold the line at the river. If the player doesn't know about the mermen in advance that would probably make it slightly harder.How difficult did you find the scenario? (1-10)
Very clear.How clear did you find the scenario objectives?
The dialogue and storyline are very well done.How clear and interesting did you find the dialog and storyline of the scenario?
Nothing really; the only semi-challenge was that the lvl. 2 leader can easily kill one of your important units if you're not careful.What were your major challenges in meeting the objectives of the scenario?
7 – This is a fairly straightforward map, but it is well-designed and the interesting events around defending the river fort etc. make it fun to play.How fun do you think the scenario is? (1-10)
There's not much I would change about this one. Perhaps some dialogue pointing to the mermen so that reaching them would be more apparent as an objective.What, if any, are changes you would have made to the scenario to make it more fun?
About the Overall Campaign:
In general this campaign is really well done. The story and writing quality are notable here; it draws me in right from the start, gives Deoran some background and character, and creates a sense of urgency and mystery about what is going on in the countryside. You can really see the hero developing across the scenarios as new realizations emerge and as the challenges he faces continue to become more significant.
Most of the maps are excellent as well, very thoughtfully designed, and the battles feel engaging and meaningful. The early scenarios are mostly simple and easy but then they become solidly difficult around #5 and #6. Nearly all of them have some kind of interesting happenings or combat complexities. Really just enjoyable to play.
The only thing that brings this down for me is the final two scenarios. (I'm reviewing the elf branch – never played the bandit branch since they are clearly scum and siding with them seems like it would be out of character for Deoran.) In the elf branch, the last two scenarios feel like a total afterthought and waste of time; you could wrap this up with an epilogue after scenario 6 and be better for it. The story aspects continue to be good in those final scenarios, but the actual gameplay is a massive letdown from the previous maps.
For me the campaign is 4 out of 5 stars; the only reason it doesn't get full marks is the boringness of the final two scenarios.