The Warsong Chronicles: A First Look - Part I

Many readers have probably heard about our current project, "The Warsong Chronicles" for quite some time now. But aside from the occasional sneak-peeks at the game art, there have been little published details about the game's background and mechanics. This series aims to fill in some of those gaps at a high level so we can lay down the foundations for further in-depth discussions in the near future.


Introduction

The Warsong Chronicle is a fantasy sword and sorcery role-playing game (RPG) set in what we might consider the "dark ages" in European history. It attempts to combine the best elements in classical RPG titles such as The Bard's Tale, text-based Multi-User Dungeons (MUD), and Massive Multiplayer Online  games (MMO) into an exciting new synthesis on Social network. It is browser based, and utilizes javascripts/jQuery and HTML5 to provide stronger user interactivity. However, it is not an Adobe Flash-enabled game.


Setting

The current overall condition for the fabled land of Warsong may be called, "grim", after the departure of the Gray Elves. It is a fantastical and dangerous place where vile creatures roamed freely, and powerful magic worked miracles. It is a place where the last remaining sentient races, forced into isolated pockets throughout the realm, now face constant struggle for survival.

But it is not the marauding hobgoblins or the thieving gremlins that threaten to tear the fabrics of all known civilizations. For, a far more sinister force has quietly set its machination into motion that corrupts from within. Nobody, from the common street urchins to the well-fed lords, knew. Except -- for a handful of adventurers who may well be the realm's last hope.

The Warsong Chronicles, then, details the adventures, misadventures, heart-breaks, and triumphs of these few brave -- albeit totally insane, I should add -- individuals who might just manage to save the world with your help.

Draft World Map (subject to change)  © Feytouched Studios

 

Einherjars and Heroes

The Warsong Chronicles starts with Odin sending his elite contingent of Einherjars (pronounciation), or soul of fallen heroes, back into the mortal world. Their only instruction was simply to guide and assist, in any way possible, would-be heroes in their endeavors. No one knew his motives. No one dared to ask.

The players pick up the story from where the prologue left-off at a small fishing village called, "Aerlinn", located on a large island southwest of Warsong. From then on, players assume the role of Einherjars in developing and guiding the actions of their chosen heroes.

There are a total of twelve (12) hero classes, ranging from Archmage to Warlord, available. Incidentally, these classes represent all the possible gamer personalities that Social Gamer Tendency Test provides. The player may start with only one character initially. However, more characters can be unlocked through the Rune system further expounded upon later in this series.

Each class has its own unique abilities and characteristics that suit different playstyles. Is it your tendency to hack and slash your foes into pieces? Perhaps a Ravager is right up your alley. Or, maybe you like to cripple and disrupt your enemies before finishing them off at your leisure? Then consider a Trickster as protégé. Better yet, complete the Social Gamer Tendency Test by Feytouched Studios to get a good idea what classes might be right for you from the get-go! Not to mention the extra attribute points as reward to those players who took the test before playing Warsong Chronicles.

So what is the relationship between the Einherjar and their would-be heroes?

Very good question! The Warsong Chronicles offers a unique dual character development design that is uncommon among its peers.

First, Einherjars have their own set of attributes taken directly from the four personality dimensions of the Social Gamer Tendency Test:

1. Achiever
2. Explorer
3. Killer
4. Socializer

Hero characters also have their own set of attributes:

1. Strength
2. Dexterity
3. Intellect
4. Morale

Second, Einherjar attributes flow-down or heavily influence the character attributes. For instance, a high Einherjar Explorer score might lead to high Dexterity bonus for your hero. But a high Achiever score might increase the Intellect score on your characters. Since this influence can affect multiple character attributes, and different classes require different character attributes for best performance, it can be expected that interesting Einherjar to character combination choices could be made throughout the game.

One such decision is at the start of the game when the players are asked to allocate their limited pool of Einherjar attribute points. This is an important decision that can impact the initial performance of your chosen character. But it is by no means irreversible through proper utilization of equipment and skills, or perhaps even quaffing a rare re-specialize potion.

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We have briefly touched upon the setting, background story, and the dual character development system for Warsong Chronicles in this article. Stayed tuned as we discuss the Emblems, Skills, and Runes systems in Part II of this series.