Gamers can field six types of units and two heroes

Jul 2, 2014 01:15 GMT  ·  By

The team at the Paradox Development Studios working on Runemaster is delivering a new diary for the game which focuses on the human race, the inspiration used to design it and the capabilities it will bring to the battlefield.

The game takes place in a fantasy universe based on Norse mythology and that means that the race is largely built around stories of the Vikings and their historical appearance, although the company is not aiming to deliver a realistic portrayal of their society.

Their home world is Midgard and the humans were created by Odin, Vili and Ve, who carved a male from a driftwood piece of ash and a woman from a similar piece of elm.

Paradox states on the official forums that, “They were named Ask and Embla. Odin gifted them with breath, life and spirit. Vili gave them brains, feelings and sense. Ve gave them hearing, sight and blood. The humans were given Midgard as their domain to protect, use and thrive in.”

Humans are not the most physically powerful of the races in Runemaster, but they do trust their ability to quickly move around the battlefield, which means that they tend to wear chainmail and leather into combat, while wielding spears, axes and swords and sometimes also carry a shield for protection.

The developers say that the entire race has a close connection to the gods and that men and women are equal, both when producing goods and when going to battle.

In Runemaster, humans can field six units, with the most plentiful of them being the axemen, designed to absorb attacks, the skirmishers who can throw their weapons at a distance, and the raders, who use two handed swords and deal a lot of damage to enemies.

The faction can also use unique units: cavalry, trained to attack from horseback, the Gydja, a woman who leads her people when sacrifices are performed and can cast spells, and the shieldmaidens, worshippers of Freya with unique skills.

Paradox states, “The three unique units cost more to hire than the three standard units and might not be available to the player from the beginning of the game.”

Human heroes include a male berskerker, who is capable on the offensive, and a female skald, able to offer support to her troops.

Runemaster mixes role playing and tactical battles and should be launched before the end of the year on the PC, with a console version possible after that.