When the project became larger and more elaborate, the developers created a fictional etymology for the name: the inhabitants of the land of Wesnoth came from the West and North, giving Westnorth, which eventually evolved to Wesnoth. The name Wesnoth was originally developed by the game's creator as a combination of syllables that he thought would sound good as a name for a fantasy land. Campaign stories span the history and geography of the world, but most focus on the eponymous human kingdom of Wesnoth, which suffers frequent invasions of orcish raiders and the undead. The Battle for Wesnoth takes place in a world populated by Tolkienesque races such as humans, elves, dwarves, orcs, and trolls, as well as Wesnoth-specific races such as dragon like Drakes, which are creatures distantly related to dragons, but are bipedal, have an organized, albeit warlike, culture, and are only about 10 feet tall. Developers have stated that the potential for a skirmish to go better or worse than expected adds excitement and strategic depth to the game. Another important facet of the game is randomness and its manipulation: it is never certain a unit's attack will fail or succeed, only likely or unlikely. Ī central design philosophy of the game is the KISS principle for a new idea to be accepted, it should not complicate gameplay. Throughout the campaigns, units can advance to higher level counterparts and become more powerful. Different types of attacks (melee and ranged), weapon types (pierce, blade, impact, arcane, cold, and fire), and a day-night cycle that alternately favors lawful and chaotic units, alter the amount of damage a unit deals and receives.
A unit's defense is based on the terrain it stands on elves, for example, are difficult to hit when fighting in a forest. Games of Wesnoth come both in the form of single-player campaigns and multiplayer matches.Įach unit in Wesnoth has its own strengths and weaknesses. Other concerns are capturing villages that produce gold for unit recruitment, and positioning units to restrict enemy movement.
The strategy of battle involves fighting on favorable terrain, at a favorable time of day, and with enemies weak against the player's units. Still, the game's rules will depend on what campaign you are playing.īesides more than fifteen available campaigns, the game also lets you play multiplayer matches on local networks and on LAN, making The Battle for Wesnoth a comprehensive strategy game in constant growth and development, which is now considered one of the icons of freeware games for PC.The Battle for Wesnoth is a turn-based wargame played on a hex map. These units cost money to maintain, so you'll have to manage your resources with care as you advance in each story. Depending on the campaign you are playing and what point in the story you are in, you can make them level up and recruit new units as you encounter or rescue them. Your army is formed by different types of characters, each one with special abilities. The gameplay consists of moving your troops through a set divided in a grid with different types of terrain and geographic elements that require some strategic thinking. The game was originally inspired by 16-bit games of the genre, such as Master of Monsters, Shining Force, or Warsong, although with time many game modes, units, and stories have been added, so it now has an incredible amount of content. It is a strategic turn-based game on a grid set in medieval times in the imaginary land of Wesnoth.
The Battle for Wesnoth is a completely free project created in 2003 by David White, in collaboration with more than 50 people throughout the years, which remains in constant development.