Battlemaster

Some memorable quotes made by players of BattleMaster, mostly on the discussion list:

"I am amazed at this game. It is really a beauty of a design. It's fairly simple and straitforward yet generates a lot of depth. The name for that is art."

-- Mark Gerdes

"I come home every day from a stressful work environment, physically exhausted and mentally drained. Logging on to BM and checking what is going on in the realms I'm in and plotting the demise of the realms opposing us helps me to focus, relax, and unwind."

-- drlundy

"I have seen me so ill that I have not wanted to get out of bed. Then doing so merely for the fact I wanted to know how my characters were fairing. This game is totaly addictive."

-- Mearhinas Traylon

"It's the most fun I've had playing a computer game, ever."

-- Aaron Bennett

"We all love BM as it's clearly the finest online game on the planet [...] never before have I played any game, every day - twice a day, for over a year. And it just gets better."

-- George Thompson

"Today marks one year of playing BM for me. BM surpassed my expectations by a wide margin."

-- PJ Passalacqua

"This is a unique game experience [...] It is more fun than any video card intensive, processor sucking, bandwith hogging MMORPG out there."

-- David Wierbiki

"I'm studying political sciences and the game was introduced to me as a 'tool', a 'political simulation' to understand in practice how society, international relationships, internal affairs and the total of the political attributes function! And of course how some silly persons can spoil an effort of a whole realm-government! I have to admit that the game not only met my expectations but surpassed them by far!"

-- Julie Alexia

"My bride is more jealous of this game then the cute next door neighbor!"

-- Phillipe Schumacker

http://battlemaster.org/basics.php

Battlemaster is a turn based browser strategy game.  It is of course multiplayer, and you start out as a noble or adventuring commoner (as more of a side game) who works to execute their own ambitions and schemes within a greater workings of the current government and status quo.  You can priest and spread your own religion, a heroic battle weathered commander who lives for the battlefield, a shady infiltrator who works behind the scenes to help topple empires from within, and many, many more options.  It only takes 5-15 minutes a day to play, and you don't have to play everyday to be involved, and it is a highly social game.  If you like roleplaying, there are plenty of chances to do just that.  This game is being updated quite a bit, mostly based on the suggestions of the players, and of course it is free to play.  So check them out, you'll be glad that you did.

"I've been playing this game on and off for a long time, but each time I come back I'm consistently amazed at how closely certain institutions, feuds, and general interactions among characters mimic their real world counterparts. I work in government and have had a lot of exposure to power hierarchies and the like. Seeing the same dramas and plots evolve in a game has made it easier to understand the motives and relationships of various actors/individuals in the real world. It also got me thinking about all the possible parallels that could be drawn between the game world and the real world."

-- Aaron Champion

"when your spouse hates the Cagilan Empire but has never played the game, you've got a problem"

-- Solari

"During my time playing Battlemaster I have been a Soldier, Husband, Father, Widower, husband and father again... This game is part of who I am now. If the game were to go to hell in a hand basket...I would be here playing. I do turn a little red in the face when my friends and Wife introduce me as Wilson, the King of Lukon...but I am used to it now."

-- Valast'

If you want to help spread the word about BattleMaster or just fancy chilling out with your fellow players elsewhere, why not check out other BattleMaster communities and hangouts across the internet?

• Might & Fealty
  
  • Tom's new project. Not unlike BattleMaster, but with even greater player agency and player driven world-building
• Might & Fealty Crowdfunding
  
  • Might & Fealty IndieGoGo page. Go and donate!
• Tom's YouTube Channel
  
  • Repository of videos for M&F, BattleMaster and various other side projects.
• Steam Community
  
  • Join us on Steam. Compares stats or see if you can get a group together
• BattleMaster on Reddit
• BattleMaster on Facebook
  
  • Don't forget to check out War Islands and Might & Fealty!
• BattleMaster on Last.fm
  
  • Discover how good/awful (delete as appropriate) the music tastes of our players are
• BattleMaster IRC
  
  • Chat with your fellow players in real time (or head here to learn about additional access methods)
• BattleMaster Wiki
• Help add to the rich knowledge and roleplay of BattleMaster or just browse what's already there!

Permafrost Day

It is a new day with the same predicament; the people must abandon the city of Itorunt through the north gate to warmer lands. The soldiers are recovering from the past battle but still they must continue to protect the civilian’s caravan, only a handful of them remains, many left wounded, and others leave to escort the caravan of people. Still the city will not be empty in about two days, time they don’t have.

Today’s weather is worse, besides being colder than previous days, and having a snowfall, there is a strong breeze making everyone unable to see even at mere ten meters. The south gate is being repaired, since is dangerous to seek trees outside they are dismantling houses and using the wood for the gate.
At this point the soldiers are not wearing any heavy or metal reinforced armor; they are wearing fur clothes to warm themselves, with the help of various campfires, especially near the south wall where the Snow Trolls have been attacking. The only noble unit remaining in the city is the Black Riders they vowed to defend the city until the last man.

Captain Eugen: Move those legs! We must keep the horses warm.
Soldier: excuse me captain, but we can’t repair the gates beyond this point, any further improvement will require the Duke assistance.
Captain Eugen: If civil work is not useful anymore, let’s do some training, we must warm up and be more agile, remember we are not wearing any armor so we can’t take hits.
Soldier: this…this must be a punishment from the Titans!
Captain Eugen: what are you talking about soldier? There is no such thing as a Titan. The GODs are the one behind all this.

Suddenly loud noises started to be heard from outside of the wall, like if it was hit by a battering ram, the snow storm is raging strong and the archer can’t see what is just outside. In that moment Tanya leaves her tent, and drawing her sword talk to the two men talking outside.

Tanya: it doesn't matter on what you believe, either Deities or Superstitions in the end that doesn’t really matter, the enemy is here and we must give these people hope to leave safely.

The gates have been overrun this time 48 Snow Trolls are inside the city crushing everything on their path with their big wooden logs, the soldiers can’t see far ahead, and when they see the trolls they are already too close to do something and the archers can’t aim well, all this due to the strong winds.

Captain Eugen: My lady we can’t even charge here we need more space for momentum and the militia is being overrun.
Tanya: Everybody move to the center of the city, we rally there. Carry the wounded on the Cavalry!
Captain Eugen: My Lady there is no time, we can’t save everyone, and the wounded has to be left behind…

Tanya thinks for a while that seems like an eternity, then she turn around with her horse and start to move.

Tanya: FINE! But we have to move now.

They manage to get to the center of the city, the same place where the people are gathering to emigrate to the north, the militia start to garrison the center square facing to the south road, meanwhile the city is in chaos, the Trolls are killing all men on their path while they take the women back to their plains.
The black guards are 100 meters north of the barricade to charge at the Snow Trolls when the time is due they can’t see but they hope to be lucky ; many people left the square ad forget the caravan to move to their houses, others improvised weapons to fight with the militia.

The enemy approaches hitting everything on the south road creating loud noises on their path, they can’t be seen yet but the archers open fire in their direction, they hardly hit the Trolls the snow storm is strong that looks like a frozen hell.

The archers abandon their bows and unsheathe their swords the noise is closer, the troll begun to throw rocks and logs from the building to hit the barricade and some soldiers behind at the same time they were rushing to it.

The barricade for the Trolls was like a sand castle for the sea waves, they would be been good to stop the movement of a couple of bandits or a small unit, but not those Ice Warriors, the battle rages fiercely the militia is being overpowered. Tanya looks to the captain of her unit and he makes a “no yet” signal to her, the peasant who formed armed groups begin to fight as well making the battlefield sound more louds.

Captain Eugen: Now is the time my lady! We charge past then and keep going and turn back then repeat.
Tanya. CHAAAAARGE!