Weekly Spotlight: Boruvian Empire

[Breca]

This week's spotlight is on the old decadent power, the Boruvian Empire...

The history of the Boruvian Empire is the History of Man: an inexorable rise to greatness, an age when entitlement replaces ambition, and the inevitable decline that follows. In its Golden Age, the Boruvian Empire covered the entire South, and stretched from the coasts of Calland to the great woodlands of Riesental. But today, the Empire is a shadow of its former glories. Four centuries of weak rule have decayed the Empire from within. Sensing inaction, separatist movements have relentlessly carved up the Old Empire, backing it into the corner it is in today. Now newer, hungrier realms like Hadrigel, Berany and Crivia view the Empire as the "soft underbelly" of the world.

Yet for all its woes, the Boruvian Empire still remains the largest of Realms. It is a place of great civilization and tradition, of old wealth, established families and trade. It is also the seat of the only Emperor on the continent, and the Great Hall of Light is still very much alive with the murmurs of far-flung ambassadors.

The sense of greatness in its twilight is very much a part of the Boruvian consciousness, an odd mix of fatalism in their Great Fall, and yet a thinly-concealed derision for the adolescent kingdoms around them. The Boruvian people will always consider themselves superior to their neighbors, a point all the more poignant to them, because they know how far they have fallen. Thus they see themselves as the keepers of civilization. If they fall, so too goes civilization, and so they must hold the line and guard hope for the coming of a great ruler who will once again restore their rightful place in the world.

[Breca]

[The Boruvian flag...

[Breca]

The Boruvian Empire's armed forces...

[Breca]

The Boruvian Empire's Spell Tree focuses on the grandeur of a bygone age:

Level 1
Teleport: Your Unit steps through a magic portal. Teleport to any province you own.

Level 2
Morning Glory: The sun shines in radiant glory. All Evil Units in your realm receive a -2 Morale.
Exotic Market: An exotic new market opens in your realm. Choose a Resource you own that is not currently being traded. It will transform into something new!
Provincial Coffers: Distant provinces generate Gold at full value.

Level 3
King's Call: Teleport any Stack you own to your Capitol. You must have room for your incoming Stack. That Stack gains +2 Morale for the remainder of your turn.
Alchemy: A mountain or wasteland province you own gains +2 Economy for 6 turns.

Level 4
Flight: A unit in your realm gains Flying permanently.

Level 5
Majesty: Your realm exudes majestic presence. Gain +5 Diplomacy with all realms for 25 Turns.
Fading Age: The Age of Magic is dying. The Age of Man is at hand. All Spells cast by any realm have a +1 Recharge Time. All Human Units have a -10% Purchase Cost and a -10% Upkeep.
Destiny's Reign Instantly annex all enemy provinces that you currently occupy.

[Breca]

Boruvia's Merchant Prince...

When a Merchant Prince serves with distinction, he may become a Legendary Hero. The player may choose one additional ability for him permanently:

Caravaneer: For the remainder of your turn, all Units you control may travel over Road at 1/2 movement cost. For every Road hex thus traveled, that unit heals 5 Life.
Shrewd Negotiator: Skip your next turn. Choose one Human Unit your enemy controls. That Unit retreats from this battle.

Only one card may be played per turn.

[Breca]

Boruvia's Mercenary Captain...

When a Mercenary Captain serves with distinction, she may become a Legendary Hero. The player may choose one additional ability for her permanently:

Sea Dog: Target one enemy Naval Unit. Gain control of that unit for the remainder of your turn.
Campaigner: All Units you control heal 10 Life for every Objective you currently control.

Only one card may be played per turn.

[Breca]

Boruvia's Admiral...

When an Admiral serves with distinction, he may become a Legendary Hero. The player may choose one additional ability for him permanently:

Concentrated Fire: All Naval Units you control reset their attack.
Superior Seamanship: All Naval Units you control reset their movement.

Only one card may be played per turn.

[Xerkis]

Another question about heroes (and spells). Can you use them each turn or is there a cool down between usages? Example: Mercenary Captain can use Sea Dog. Can it do this every turn or only one turn and then not again until so many turns later?
And same question with spells too.

[Breca]

Spells are always cast on the campaign level (not during battles). Spells have a cooldown time in turns, based on level. (More powerful high level spells have longer cooldown times.) This means that low level spells can be viable even late in the game. The player may end up with a maximum of 6 spells, so choose your path in the tree wisely.

Heroes activate their special abilities during tactical battles only. The cards you see above are single-use abilities per battle--once its played, it's gone for the rest of the battle. So in the example above, the player could play Mercenary Captain once per battle at a turn of his choosing. If the player's Mercenary Captain has become Legendary, then the player would get 2 cards to play per battle (Mercenary Captain and one more--either Sea Dog or Campaigner, of the player's choice.)

The Hero cards supplement the Panzer General style tactical game. The player will still move his units and attack with combined arms across a hex-based tactical map. The Hero cards are held in reserve to play at the right moment, to spur his forces on with an act of heroism.

Good Hunting!

Breca

[Breca]

The Boruvian Empire's Unit spotlight: Hussars

The Hussars are the pride of the Imperial army. Unlike many Boruvian troops suffering from corruption and declining morale, the Hussars remain as disciplined, elite cavalry. They are best used when rolling up enemy units already engaged in battle.

When Hussars receive their first combat Medal, they may gain one additional ability of your choice:

Fearsome: A Unit facing this Unit suffers a -1 Morale.
Brave: Unit's Morale cannot be reduced below its base value.

When Hussars receive their second combat Medal, they may gain a final ability of your choice:

Attack +1
Orcslayer: +2 Attack and +2 Morale and +1 Initiative vs. Orcs

[RedHawl]

I did not notice that unit cards could progress. This is a great feature.
Can they get more than these two ranks or medals?

[Breca]

Units are awarded medals for valor in battle. This is not an "experience point" system, but rather a system that rewards a unit's exceptional performance in a given battle. The medal system recognizes all units, great or small. A weak Goblin that successfully fends off a single Mastodon attack is just as eligible for a medal as a powerful dragon that lays waste to the enemy.

Units may gain up to two medals in their lifetimes. Each time, the player gets to choose one of two eligible abilities. So in the case of the Hussars above, the first time the Hussars win a medal, the player may choose to grant them either the Fearsome or Brave abilities. The second time they win a medal, the player may grant them either Attack +1 or Orcslayer.

Your choices will give you some ability to tailor your war-hardened troops.

Good Hunting!

Breca

[ichirou989]

I have to say that I am really looking forward to the release of this game, and a large part of that is due to these Weekly Spotlights you've been doing, Breca. Thanks much for taking the time to give us these insights into the world of Sovereignty.

[Xerkis]

I have to say that I am really looking forward to the release of this game, and a large part of that is due to these Weekly Spotlights you've been doing, Breca. Thanks much for taking the time to give us these insights into the world of Sovereignty.

Same here!