What exactly is a “Role-Playing Wargame”?

Well, I’ve been checking out the Prologue for King Arthur II by Paradox Interactive & Neocore Games, so now I think I have some idea.

In short, the game is very much a Total War style of game, with lots of storytelling and decision-making elements thrown in for good measure. I must admit, I’m not the most ardent fan of the Total War series, but I can see their appeal and much of the design ethos is present here in the King Arthur II prologue.

As for the “role-playing” side of things, the game kicks off with a narrative device, much like an old school “choose your own adventure” experience, complete with potentially weighty decisions to make from the outset. Although the dialogue is dripping with over-acting, it works somewhat, and reinforces the idea that this is more than just a slow-paced wargame.

The rest of the setting, historical fiction mixed with fantasy elements, really works for me and gives a strong foundation for what would otherwise be a run-of-the-mill high fantasy setting with dragons, trolls and other fantasy tropes. I particularly like the game’s take on the Roman occupation of Britain being the source for the Arthurian legend. It may be wishful thinking on my part, but I get a small sense of a Game of Thrones vibe, with Hadrian’s wall being envisaged as an enormous magical wall hundreds of feet high, and the Picts beyond the wall possessing of something a good deal more sinister perhaps than their real world counterparts.

Although the battles are the characteristically plodding, sluggish tactical affairs, I am intrigued by the mash up of role-playing elements which frame the battles. There are senatorial debates, shifting allegiances, provinces in decline and new powers rising. Indeed, there seems to be a lot happening in the epic world of King Arthur II: The Role-playing Wargame.

King Arthur II is out now on PC.

Screenshots