Five lords met wordlessly atop a high plain one winter’s day. A bitter wind whipped and pressed cloaks tightly around plate armor, as each man eyed the others. The five men had arrived from far-flung continents. Each were unlucky enough to now own a portion of this valley plain. Who would rule these empty fields?
The new lords all secretly agreed that men must be governed, but by whom and under what law? Not one of the five would ever swear an oath of fealty to the other. Not one would ever declare servitude to another man. So all five slowly turned and walked to their new lands. A few built high towers. Some built massive stone walls. One could afford only wooden shields to protect his people. But, all sought protection in some manner from each other. For they knew, deep down in their heart of hearts, that Death rode on the bitter wind that day. They knew that blood would be spilt on these plains. And they knew it would take GUTS to see the end.
You are one of these lords (player 1). Your mission is to conquer resources and to be the last man standing. The other lords have quickly taken possession of the plain’s resources and now block all others from mining the iron and stone. Build a small castle and make it safe. Use your lands to grow crops and build your army. As soon as you feel you have a strong enough army, you should attempt to take over a resource. This will bring in more money.
Playability: 4.5
This map is great fun to play. The invasion triggers kept the player weary, while not being too stressful. Great job! I loved the idea of the map, but in my view rescources were a bit plentiful (in terms of farming land). I took 1/2 point off here because the abundant farming land makes it easy to set up a thriving economy. However it is good that the units you can build are limited a bit to stop an easy victory. Fun to play, good job!
Balance: 4.5
This map has a good balance in terms of the starting units, restrictions, and enemy forces. Half a point was taken off again however, because their is too much farming land available, thus removing some of the dificulty. Begginners and intermediates may still find this a good challenge! :)
Creativity: 4.5
This map is well put together, and the author deserves credit for his brilliant idea, I enjoyed the map thoroughly. However, I subtracted half a point here because I still think that the author couldve added more to the landscape. Good job though!
Map Design: 4.5
The map is well designed, and the enemy castles are well set out. I deducted 1/2 point however because I thought that maybe the castles couldve been a bit more detailed (I know from the storyline that they were supposed to be quickly erected, however I think a bit more detail couldnt hurt). Nice map design though!
Story/Instructions: 4
This brief story was enough to get by. However, I wouldve liked to see a bit more. As I said though, its plenty enough to get by.
Additional Comments:
Another great map from lollard! Ive played most of his maps and I recommend downloading them all :) Keep making maps Lollard and keep up the helpful reviews, your work is inspirational. Good job!
Ps. could you please rate one of my tellahran's crossing maps? I really appreciate the helpful responses you give.