drealmer7: How good is the story and writing?
I really liked the story - it was part of the game that was a strong draw for me. They do a great job of "bricklaying" - you start off hearing all these tidbits, a bit of lore / history and a few names of distant lords thrown around. It's actually somewhat confusing initially... but as the game goes on you learn these things aren't just stories to tell children, this isn't some abstract bit of myth or far off history. This stuff is eventually immediately personal to your character. It also "feels" a lot like being a feudal ruler. It does a nice job of sketching out your place in the world, politics and your role / position as a middling landed lord.
The end payoff is actually very good too. I found that I had become someone I didn't really like or set out to be... but that the culmination of my choices really DID demand that this is the character I had crafted. It was a startling realization for me personally and made the game that much better.
drealmer7: My main holdup on interest in it is that I see you have to "manage troops" and that becomes too much like an RTS to me
It's all turn-based. You can adjust settings to make the overland map travel realtime for your opponents (hint: some puzzles / quests demand you do this...) but you're always in control of those settings. Combat is wholly turnbased. Presuming they don't die, all your characters do get a turn, and you know the turn order. You actually command quite a few characters in combat once you get deep into a map - I don't remember exactly how many but certainly 8 - 10? And for the most part, you decide the bulk of your forces.
drealmer7: What about the game do you like so much/makes you say it is VERY good?
Superficially, the game is gorgeous and polished - and like I mentioned above the story is very solid - it's really the presentation of the story more than the story itself which I found to be a really refreshing take. On it's own, is the story THAT good? Maybe not - but the scope and delivery of it is what sets it above and beyond most.
I also was a huge fan of the combat and troop management. Some things people won't like: You have to move to the closest opponent, you can't disengage (generally) until that opponent is killed and you often lose your entire troop on map transitions.
These are things I actually REALLY enjoyed - it put a premium on things like initial formation and engagement. Your setup going into a combat can determine how that combat plays out. You have to decide if you want to rush "squishy" characters in back rows and kill them early, or if you want to lock down heavy front line characters. Eventually combat becomes easier as you get some devastating troops but the early / midgame is tense and with a lot of tactical choices.
I also really love fiddling with gear. Give me more gear and make it meaningful and I'm in love. Outfitting my troop was a ton of fun and HOW I did it really mattered. It kind of feels like Mount and Blade in that regard. That new suit of plate for your mounted unit might seem like an impossible expense (though in Eisenwald, as the game goes on you have far more gold and you're less cash strapped) but once you do get it, it's a map changer. I actually liked starting with fresh troops on the maps. Some will hate it, but it gave me an incentive to play with different groups. Early on, I was all about Monks. Later I switched it up and for me, I didn't look at it as losing my hard earned troop, I looked at it as getting a chance to try out a new one - and the game allows you to do this by providing ample opportunities on each map to max out your new crew EXP and gear-wise.
So yeah, long, long, LONG write up but I'm sure most can guess I'm a big fan ;) Hopefully that helps anyone on the fence or at least serves to let me gush a bit more!
