Expeditions: Viking - Expeditions: Viking Preview

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RPGWatch's Forgottenlor returns from scouting out Expeditions: Viking and delivers an early report of what can be expected when it reaches our shores.

Anyone who has played Expeditions: Conquistador will feel at home with Expeditions: Viking. The combat isn't easy; you move across hex-based grids, can use various obstacles to take cover or block enemies, and have to use your combat skills to your advantage while avoiding being flanked. Fallen comrades can also gain wounds, which hinder their performance until they have healed.

The game advertised early on that losing a battle is not the end, but can open up new opportunities. I lost the game's third battle on my first try, which pushed me back to camp, wounded. When I returned to the location of the battle, I got to try again to win the same battle with a significantly weaker group. I had no chance with them, so I just reloaded.

However, if you want to play sort of an iron man mode, see if you can't rest up and try again. The number of different weapon styles in the game feel different enough to make combat really interesting and give the player a lot of different tactical options. For example, you can jab with a spear one hex away, and the spear has a specific skill which lets you retreat a hex without drawing an opportunity attack. This can let you squeeze in a tough shield fighter or a deadly two-handed fighter to protect your spear fighter, if need be. That makes combat challenging and fun.

Most of the battles are against human opponents who have the same skills as your characters, but occasionally you get to fight animals. I even ran into two fights which end in your group wondering whether they've just experienced a paranormal event. In the end, your main character is left to interpret whether this event was a meeting with supernatural creatures or whether there is a more logical explanation.​