Tell me about Mount & Blade

I've been searching for an RPG I haven't tried yet and I stumbled across Mount & Blade. I Haven't read much of it prior to today and what I have read about it was from a critics point of view so I would like to know what you guys thought of the game (And it's expansion if you have played it.)

From what I have read, and correct me if I am wrong here, there is no central plot to the game. It sounds like you are just free to roam in a sandbox. Any truth to this?

Correct. It's a sandbox game without any story whatsoever, besides your own story. You start off in an area of your choice, and start building up your army from there. At one point you have to join a faction, become a lord, and work your way up to become more important, get a bigger and better equipped army and gain control of large villages, cities or fortresses. From what I've read (though I haven't played that long yet) you can also become a King. You are constantly in war with one or several other factions, and the game evolves around you; Kingdoms steal villages and fortresses from other Kingsdoms, becoming larger and stronger. It is up to you to help, and make your Kingdom the best from all 7.

The game is fun, yes, but also very repetitive. A lot of the fights are the same, and even though terrain switches at times, there isn't all that much eye-candy. I loved the game at the start, but once I had a huge army with the best upgrades (and found the best possible strategy to win every battle), I found it to become rather dull and boring.

Biggest pro from this game is the first-person fighting system, which is very well thought out, and you can make it as easy or as hard as you want; for example, you can put "block" on automatic or manual. In case of manual, you have to hold a direction + block in order to block or parry a strike from that particular side. Wheras if you put it on automatic, you only have to press block.

Go for this game if you wanna have to fun, but don't expect a new world wonder.

Actually a good fighting system is what I am looking for. It sounds like it warrents a $y purchase.

Its got one of the best FP real time melee combat systems (imho of course) and THE best mounted combat in a video game, its worth playing it for that alone. There is also a ton of mods for the game. Some bring in some more roleplaying opportunities, but the main draw is the combat. Neo is right, it becomes a bit repetitive after a while, but the first time you charge into a battle with a full army of mounted knights at your side... its a classic gaming moment!

Mount & Blade is a great sandbox experience that is unlike any other game in terms of being very unique. It has by far the best mounted combat out of any game that I've ever played. The infantry combat does get a little bland, but the mounted combat is truly the star of the gameplay. M&B is also extremely addicting if you enjoy sandbox strategy games that allow you to go and do anything that you want; just don't expect that to mean a lot of quests, seeing as how this is a sandbox game that focuses on realism and warfare. What that means is there are no "mighty dragon-beasts" to kill or "powerful ancient artifacts" that must be used to destroy a great evil or any other trappings of fantasy games. The realism and focus on military/empire building is actually extremely refreshing and the mix of building armies, becoming a vassal or even a king, and realistic medieval combat make this game an extremely unique and engrossing experience. There's also tons of great mods for the original M&B and several mods being developed for the expansion (M&B: Warband) that greatly enhance the game and add an enormous amount of replayability if the vanilla game gets stale.

M&B might take a bit of time getting used to, but it's highly worth playing and I fully recommend it if an innovative strategy/rpg hybrid sandbox game with fairly large and realistic battles interests you. Definitely one of my favorite games of the past few years, in spite of the rough edges, thanks to its depth and overall fun factor.

If we are talking about original m&b mounted experience is the best ever in a game, warband added a lot of stuff but nerfed mounted combat , now horses suck and so does cavalry .
The game has no central story , you start as a poor weakling dropped into the middle of a war zone and you have to use your skills to climb the food chain ladder, how to do it is up to you.
Warning: this game will seriously ruin your feeling of RPG playing , after m&b killing rats or controlling Morrigans in battle will be unbearably boring.

Go get some mods or mod compilations after you understand the basics of the game , there are many out and there are also editors for you to add troops trees and stuff.

I am stuck with m&b for over a year now

All it needs is an overarching and well-told story (playable at will) - and it would be fantastic.

Think of it as a modern day (proper) Pirates - only with horses instead of ships.

I've been looking at this one as well, and am wondering, which one is the better: the original M&B or M&B:Warband?
What's the difference between the two, other than the aforementioned balance changes (nerfed cavalry, etc.)?

One word for this game: INCREDIBLE mods

Yes, those are two words, wiseguys ....

wiretripped said:

I've been looking at this one as well, and am wondering, which one is the better: the original M&B or M&B:Warband?
What's the difference between the two, other than the aforementioned balance changes (nerfed cavalry, etc.)?

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Warband has better quests , more varied and you don't have to edit the files yourself (like in moving cattle) , also you can get married, become king , asign fifes , also many more combat orders options , gfx is far better , on foot combat far more realistic , multiplayer which is fun .

There are like 10 good stand alone mods , i am playing "Innovative" compilation

Original has far better mounted combat , better balanced troops ( more skilful) and many amazing amazing mods , also it is archery friendly , runs faster when many troops are on screen .

There are many 1.011 compatible mods , i am playing Prophecy of Pendor full conversion , although i have tested many others .

Overall warband is a big improvement in all aspects unless you love cavalry , horse archery and lancing NPCs . I prefer the original because of PoP mod and my love for horsed archery.

From what I hear, aren't most mods in the process of being ported to M&B: Warband, though?
Plus, couldn't you undo the balance changes if you wanted with a mod?

Anyway, looks like a tough choice...

M&B is only $7.99 from amazon while the other one is $27.99. For $8 it sounds like something to try out.

Do I have to buy both, original and Warband or is there an option to play the original from Warband disc? Also I noticed some sellers on ebay.co.uk sell Collector`s edition of Warband
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/PC-Mount-Blad...177?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item43a3042321

What is the difference between regular and Collector`s edition?

Yes, it's quite addictive. I've been playing since 2006 (beta) and have used it , and then Warband, to satisfy my desire for decent combat in between more normal RPG's. I was surprised the other day to find I had 240 hours in just one Warband character.
There is no real endgame and I find it pointless to go beyond level 30 but no matter; there is good replayability between different factions and basic styles like crossbow heavy infantry, nomadic horse archers, knightly cavalry, etc.
Get it.

Dark Savant said:

Do I have to buy both, original and Warband or is there an option to play the original from Warband disc? Also I noticed some sellers on ebay.co.uk sell Collector`s edition of Warband
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/PC-Mount-Blad...177?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item43a3042321

What is the difference between regular and Collector`s edition?

Click to expand...

I'm not sure what the difference is between the regular and collector's edition, but you do not need the original M&B to play Warband; it's a standalone expansion. As such, to answer your question about playing the original from the Warband disk: You can't, since they are separate games.

wiretripped said:

From what I hear, aren't most mods in the process of being ported to M&B: Warband, though?
Plus, couldn't you undo the balance changes if you wanted with a mod?

Anyway, looks like a tough choice…

Click to expand...

Warband is much more popular and soon most mods will be ported.
Changes can not be undone.
I am playing the original because the mod i am using is heavy on horses and horsed units look fantastic , in the original horsed battle is like a dogfight while in warband infantry can easily stop a horse and hack the rider , arrows do not go where your bow is pointing (a bitch when you are not using the reticule) , one hand swords are useless , lancing is terrible and cavalry vs cavalry battles consists of static guys hacking each other.

On the other wand warband offers much better infantry combat,many more tactical options (but not for skirmishing Mongols) and above all Taleworlds add new shit with every new patch , things like manufactures, more horses & items.

m&b needs investment in time , if you think that you will grab an axe be able to hit anything while riding you will be very frustrated but once you learn it combat wise no other game stands near it.
Whatever is your choice be sure to read the forums and learn your moves before going into mods cause most of them are very very hard , also there is no shame to chicken shit behind a thick shield, specially when the alternative is to see most of the battle from a horizontal position

All I can say for M&B (well... Warband actually) is that it was for me the most addictive game I've played in ages - and I mean that literally... when I finally managed to stop playing I was quite relieved because it had started to affect me in a rather bad way.

I actually bought the game in 2006 and still play it from time to time ... So I guess that means I find it to be a good game. It's great gameplay.

I've never tried Warband though except a few multiplayer battles when it was still in beta, so I don't know much about it. I am guessing I would buy their next game in this genre, because I'm still good with M&B (not Warband) with mods...

I'm actually waiting for the Dark Age mod to be re-released for the latest version, because I love the story (LotR) and features of the mod.

I can recommend a few mods I liked playing depending on what you liked...

I was never a big fan of the vanilla game though, more a fan of chocolate

I was browsing through mods for M&B and saw a Star Wars conversion. That's all the motivation I need. That and the $7 price tag.

Don't think of it as an RPG. You don't do RPG sort of things in it. You level up your character in an RPG sort of way but that's where the similarities stop. I've always thought the best way to think of it is if you play Medieval Total War, and imagine a battle from the point of view of one of the soldiers (eccept there's far fewer troops on the map). It's a bit like that. You raise an army and go around capturing settlements. There are quests but they're repetitive and get old fast.

It's a good game but antiquated by todays standards as it's an indy game. The graphics and lighting is good, but in my opinon the worst thing about it is the lack of atmosphere and ambiance. For instance if you're on a battlefield and turn off the music and just listen... you can't hear anything at all. No birds, no wind. It's like you turned off your speakers. And if you go into a tavern the same thing. There's just the sound of the fire and nothing else. And all the people will just be standing there stock still with their arms folded waiting for you to come and talk to them. That's what puts me off the most when playing it from a role playing point of view.

The battles are great though. I particularly enjoyed being a horse archer.