14 DAY TRIAL // Runemaster is an intriguing blend of classic strategy and role-playing game elements and the team at the Paradox Development Studio is now ready to talk about the way reputation for a character will affect his progress in the title and how units can be recruited.
Writing on the official forums, the studio explains that most recruitment will be taking place at a special barracks structure, which is present in each city.
They state, “There may be hidden barracks in more uncharted areas of the map, though, so keep your eyes open. There’s a limit to how many units of each type can be recruited from barracks. Some quests can unlock new unit types and increase the number of units of an existing type that you can recruit from a certain barracks.”
The faction relations in Runemaster are the ones that determine which units can be recruited at which locations, which encourages players to try and become as friendly as possible with as many groups as possible.
There are also non-playable characters in the game that will offer access to specific troops that are ready to fight for those who have the money to pay them.
Runemaster also includes special units who join after a specific quest that characters need to search for in the game world.
Reputation is designed to allow players to track the factions they are friendly with and allow them to plan how to approach the quest to bring about Ragnarok, while being loyal either to Loki or to Thor.
Paradox Development Studio adds, “Where you stand between Change and Stability can be considered a special faction, since that decides which side you’re helping during your journey towards Ragnarök. If you go too far towards Change, you're considered a collaborator of Loki and you'll have a hard time being allowed to help Thor at the end of the game. If you tend too much towards Stability, then you're considered an ally of Thor and it will be difficult to set Loki free when the time comes.”
For each of the factions included in the game, there are three smaller sub-groups, which represent different philosophies about their way of life and their traditions.
As the game progresses and gamers affect the world of Runemaster, the interactions between the various factions change and players need to navigate the complicated relationship in order to make sure that their own reputation stays up and they are able to recruit more troops.