chadjenofsky: I'm in! Thanks for spotlighting this game! Looked it over and I'm interested. How are the DLCs?
As far as I know there's really only one gameplay DLC here (the other is just the soundtrack and maybe some items? I don't know, I don't have it). It's a truncated mini-campaign that offers more of the same, in a good way with a bit to fill in / compliment the story. The main game campaign has this wonderful "slow burn" build up and also incorporates one of my favorite conventions in RPGs (I won't mention it now) and this obviously isn't present in the smaller DLC campaign.
BrokenSaint: Also, how would you compare this game to King's Bounty and Heroes of Might and Magic?
I actually had a hard time comparing it to either. It's certainly much less Heroes of Might and Magic. To me, HoMM is more Civ / Empire building where as Eisenwald really is an RPG / story driven game. Also, capturing towns / resource management in Eisenwald is really only about gold to buy items and hire / pay troops. The focus is more on questing and advancing the story / living in the world. HoMM to me feels more like the goal is advancing your civilization, growing your tech / research and stomping the map.
King's Bounty is a little tougher for me because I haven't put much time into it. I actually REALLY disliked the combat in King's Bounty (I felt it was a total slog fest and didn't make it far at all) but I imagine the gameplay of KB is more akin to Eisenwald - but I personally just felt Eisenwald had a far better combat system. Just the right mix of lethality with enough time to alter your mistakes / strategy on the fly.
markrichardb: The equipment is great. Everything makes a noticeable difference. Most of the epic loot is tied to following up on rumours. A lot of the optional quests in Eisenwald aren’t highlighted as such, they’re just rumours and stories found in taverns
These are a couple of my favorite parts of the game as well. Equipment is HUGE and makes a tangible difference every time you manage to better outfit your troops.
And the rumours are fantastic as well. The first time I figured out what they
really were was a great moment. They become fun little puzzles in their own right. There's even a bit of meta going on that I don't want to spoil, as you learn just how much impact the greater myth structure of the game... nevermind.