This game is incredible

[Schram]

So I've got about 60+ hrs under my belt and wanted to post my thoughts.

First, I love fantasy wargames i.e. Dragon Pass, Greyhawk: Wars, Sword & Sorcery, Zanziar, Wizard Kings, War of the Ring, Warparty, Titan etc. This is the first computer game I've played that has really scratched that itch, some fantasy 4x games come close, but I hate micromanagement.

So here's my stream of consciousness type opinions on the game so far:

1) The fact that the entire world map is hex based is incredible and provides a lot of depth in deciding how best to attack a province

2) The tactical battles are simple without being simplistic

3) A lot of games (board and PC) suffer from ability overload and you quickly lose track over which unit can burrow under a hill at dusk but only when its raining and they're attacking goblins. I see this as a design flaw that tries to make units unique through complexity. Sovereignty provides thematic depth to your nations in a different but much more effective way. Unit selection, the constraints on which units you can have and which are elite gives each nation its own flavor without adding heaps of rules and exceptions and forces you to make alliances.

Example: Aevinwode can easily whittle away any army in a forest, but when faced with charging Berany cavalry I could occasionally eek out a win with the aid of my Inf and the units from Sonnenve

4) Limited number of generals, this is one of my favorite mechanics as it creates an entire "command and control" system that both adds theme and provides for strategic depth without annoying complications. More warlike nations have better command of their units and this is represented in such a brilliantly simple way. I love the decisions this forces me to make.

Example: Galeni might be weakend by its war with the Boruvian Empire, but can I, as Maledor, risk sending my two 'field armies' across the river to snatch up territory with Riesental and Ladvia breathing down my neck?

5) No sprawling upgrade trees. In fantasy 4x games these just usually give a nation a bowling ball unit that's unstoppable and makes any tactical planning a waste of time, or they just make every nation kinda the same.

I'm sure I'll think of more stuff, but I just wanna reiterate how amazed I am by the game design.

[Galangalad]

Dragon Pass? Are you referring to the Avalon Hill game? I own a copy and it is fantastic.

[BiteNibbleChomp]

Great to hear

- BNC

[mllange]

Dragon Pass? Are you referring to the Avalon Hill game? I own a copy and it is fantastic.

May also be referring to King of Dragon Pass, another fantastic game (PC and now Android, etc.)

[enpi]

no he refers to dragon pass, the boardgame from avalon hill. There was another dragon pass game from Chaosium and a widely forgotten sequel called White Bear and Red Moon. I didnt like the avalon hill version much, but the original from Chaosium (1st edition) was great.

[Doomboy]

Yeah, Dragon Pass was awesome (albeit a bit complicated, and with a weird magic system), and I have to admit I can, now that you mention it, see a few shadows of it in Sovereignty. That said, there is much missing, and Sovereignty has quite a way to go before it can be considered a complete game anything like what you could pull out of a box.

[Vargas78]

It does look good. It is on my 'to buy' list. BTW have you ever tried Dominions 3 or 4?