How do the different paths in the two sides of the storyline work? I hear that siding with the lizardmen rather than helping the dwarves gets you kicked out of The Keepers. Is the game completely different from that mission on? Are there any other points in the game where a decision changes the story dramatically? Finally, is the only way to replay old scenarios and try out new routes by loading up the autosaves or do you get a mission select screen on completion?

The story does change based on which campaign path you choose. Siding with the lizardmen will get you kicked out of the Keepers, but that may not be a bad thing. In each campaign you will face two major campaign decisions, so you will have controlled three races by the end of it no matter what. The only way to play other scenarios is from a previous save.

*minor spoiler*


The canonnical story for AOW1 is Halfing-Dwarf-Elf in case you were wondering.

Thanks. It's a shame that you can replay any mission without using the post-mission autosaves. It would be nice to choose a custom hero or preset hero and then pick any mission, rather than reliving the exact same situation again. I also accidentally saved over one of them, but I'm pretty sure there wasn't a mission choice afterwards.

I hear there's one ending where you join forces with the undead in the final battle; do you need to pick the lizardmen earlier in the game to get that or is it based on a decision later in the game?

The paths are as follows:
Halfling-Dwarf-Elf
Halfling-Dwarf-Highmen
Halfling-Lizard-Highmen
Halfling-Lizard-Undead
Goblin-Orc-Dark Elf
Goblin-Orc-Undead
Goblin-Lizard-Highmen
Goblin-Lizard-Undead

OK, thanks for the info. Well fortunately that's pretty easy to make saves at the critical points for, just four saves for the first branch and four for the second one. Though one final question; are the missions and ending different if you end up with the Highmen via the Dwarves rather than by the Lizards? Same goes for ending up with the Undead via the Orcs rather than Lizardmen.

The ending depends on your beginning and ending race, the middle race is unimportant.

OK, thanks for all that info!