Battle Brothers - A Playthrough

Weisenhaven has another brigand problem. And we offered them a solution.



The brigand's hideout is a bit of a distance, and it would take at least a day to get there.



Instead, we'll charter a ship to Ottendorf and march from there.





Just a bunch of thugs and well-geared raiders. Shouldn't be any problem.

Their gear worries me.



Those are chain mail - and mean pikes they wield.



Gernot, Robert and another new hire was told to hold off the two pike bandits.



This approach bore fruit - we held the high ground and scored the first kill.
Our archers are also doing their best to land their shots - but the armor is proving to be very hard to penetrate.



Later, Robert the Limp's shield finally failed to block - and a pike found his shoulder.
Another bandit climbed up and clubbed him on the head. He should've died, if it wasn't for his Nine Lives.




We can't spare any men for now, elsewhere Sigbold the Laborer's ankle took a heavy blow from a mace.



The archers were told to put away their bow and raise their pitchforks to participate in the melee.



Robert the Manly claimed a kill with his Khopesh.



While Robert the Limp's immediate assailant was put down by a pike from the rear, he then steps forth bravely with his shield raised.




Sigbold avenged his ankle at last. It's 12 on 4.



Make that 12 on 3. Ejnar's pitchfork ended another brigand.



As the lone sword wielding bandit was dispatched, the company starts to make their way to the last two well-armored pike bandits.



But they arrive too late to save poor Robert - who used up all of his Nine Lives.



Anton the new recruit, seeing his colleague's death lost his confidence.
The pike bandit wasn't done and landed a hard thrust on Ejnar's knee cap.



But the arrival of the rest of the company was enough to break the two bandits' morale.



Gernot would've died if it wasn't for Nine Lives - but that pike's thrust pierced his cheek.



And that was the last of the bandit's effort, as Dietrich plunges his spear on the last bandit's back.




Rest in piece, Robert. You've fought well. We recover his badly damaged gear and salvaged what we could from the bandit's hideout.

Anton the new hire survive to be promoted.




Dietrich is a fine spearman, may he continue to improve.







Ejnar lost twice - I decided to stop while I'm ahead. For we have coins coming our way soon enough.

We've them outnumbered. Our initial salvo of arrows and bolt caught one dead before they could reach us.



As the melee ensues, Siggy the Bold suffers a Fractured Hand.



The backline thrusts their pikes in retaliation, injuring the assailant's hand.



Gernot the Stone is in trouble once more. His hand hacked into two, he wonders if his Nine Lives can save him once again.



Anton took a blade to his shoulder. The new hire's recent promotion did not help him much in surviving.



But the backline's constant thrust finally landed a good hit, bringing down two more bandits.




They begin to flee as the company advances.
Good news for Gernot the Stone, as help can finally come, with his Nine Lives not used up, it appears he'll survive this battle yet.




Alas. It was not to be. For Nine Lives does not cover against head decapitations. The cripple joins his friend, Robert in the afterlife.
Despite being on the verge of a rout, the bandit archers are still persisting with their attacks. This is dangerous since they've seized the higher ground. Anton paid the price as we advanced to their position.



The newly promoted mercenary was killed by an arrow to the chest.
The company roared in fury and charged uphill as the last bandit in melee was slain.





Robert the Manly decapitates the last bandit to signify the end of the battle.




Rest in peace, brothers.

The loot was sizeable.



And many beginners have started to earn their promotions.



Ejnar, the combat prodigy is turning into a fine combatant.



Rabe, the consistent killer scores a promotion as well.





With job offers drying up at Ottendorf, it's time to move on. This time to a village far east.



It's night when we arrive.





A brave soul was recruited from the local farming community.



And we go on the hunt.



Indeed. It can only be direwolves.

The hungry dogs are upon us.



The backliners were given nets for a reason. It's time to slow down the pack. Divide and conquer!




We surround the ones locked in deadly melee and begin stabbing the life out of them.



However, in our eagerness to surround our quarry, Eberold placed himself beneath a small cliff, making him a very delectable morsel to a pair of wolves above.




Let us hope he survive the onslaught as we focus on the wolves on grounds below.
Eberold, realizing the danger employed a shield bash to knock one of the wolf off its perch.



It won't help much. But it's the least he could do before putting up his shieldwall again.



The fight is going well, another beast is taken down in the melee.
But Eberold's luck is about to run out. His hat was bitten clean off.



If he's not careful, his head could be next.
The rest of the company redouble their efforts, stabbing the beasts with pikes and blades.



Only two atop the hills remain, hang in there, Eberold!




Welp. The wolves, sensing the incoming vengeance quickly fled north.



One was not so lucky.




The brave farmer died defending his hometown. There is only glory in his death.

Bockhorn villagers expresses their gratefulness by selling their produce on the cheap. We stuff our cart with fresh loaves of bread and crates of dried fruits.




Cart loaded, purse lighter, we set forth towards Hohenburg to offload the commodity for a small margin of profit.




The nobles of Hohenberg however, has not recognized our company's capability and no job offer was forthcoming.
No matter, our boys will grow stronger thru experience.



Sigbold the farmer has outgrown the newcomers, and deserve a new title.



With a little boost from Gifted, I'm sure the increase in his performance would be more noticable.




Robert the Manly continue to outdone himself.



He has gained enough experience to learn Rotation.



This is a very important movement skill that could save his friends or his own life if need be.
With business concluded in Hohenburg, we move westwards towards Ottendorf.



There, we purchase additional Throwing Nets.



The villagers seem troubled. We decide to volunteer our service.



Ah, another relic? Sure thing.



The pay is great - but probably so is the risk.



No fear. We can't remain small time forever, the White Company accepts the contract and sets forth to reclaim the relic.

Undead guardians? What could possibly be the problem?



A few blows were exchanged, arrows and bolts were fired - it was then we realized missiles do almost nothing to those possessing no flesh to pierce. Their rusty armor and shield provides ample protection from blades and pikes. The dead knew no fatigue and no fear - we were seriously outmatched.



Oswald the Servant paid the price as he was piked on the chest.



Robert the Manly roared and smashed one to bits, but a defeat is apparent.
'We've got the relic! Job's done! Retreat! Get the fuck out of here!' barks Robert.
One by one, the company peeled themselves out of melee, some sustaining blows as they retreat.



Sigbold the Tank toss the disc to Robert before falling to a skeleton's blade.
Lienhard cast his net in desperation.




He lost his nerve when the undead struck him.
Robert jumps to the rescue of Wilfried, switching positions with the hapless crossbowman.



But an orderly retreat is impossible at this point. And it was better for everyone to just scatter themselves immediately.



The company sustained heavy wounds as they scatter in all direction.
When the company regroups, they realize another man missing.



Lienhard did not make it. He and two other brothers would not receive proper burial.
It was the company's first defeat.
The battered and bloodied company was miserable as they gathered around the campfire that night, their only consolation was the starmap disc they've successfully retrieved.
The blame was entirely mine. Having gotten our hand on the disc, we need not to engage them at all. An early retreat would've saved us from losing three men and their equipment.

Wilfred gains a level.




He gets dodge, hopefully this will help him avoid more hits in the future.

Despite the losses, the contract is still fulfilled. The gold will go towards rebuilding our devastated company.



With the company in no shape for any employment, careful trade is done to earn some coin.
We ply the route to Seeburg while the wound heals.




In order to lift the spirit, the company finally acquired a battle standard.



Only Siggy and Ejnar seem to care.



No matter, the battle standard acts as a weapon and rallying symbol for our company.
Before long, the company is in good enough shape for a new contract.




A simple caravan escort to Wagenheim seems like the perfect way to restart our operations.

No sense in running under-manned. We hire a farmer by the name of Anton before journeying forth.



A long journey to the east begins, and we'll stop at Weilersheim to resupply along the way.




Good. The company is getting back in shape. Once this contract is over, we'll look go back into fighting contracts.



Spoke too soon. We ran out of medical supplies midway. Thankfully Weilersheim has ready stock at affordable price.



With supplies taken care of, we resume our journey to Wagenheim.



The men are starting to talk again. It's been two weeks since I took over and things are still in rough shape. I have less gold than I started with, the company barely in fighting form. We need a new goal to lift morale.



After much discussion, I've decided to travel to every single settlement in the known world to spread the word about our company - and hopefully drum up some business. It sounds the least dangerous of all.




The trip to Wagenheim was relatively quiet - payment was also released without much fuss.
No time to idle though, we look for another contract to fulfill.



Considering our current manpower - this may seem a tad dangerous to undertake. But the official assures us that we should be more than capable of handling this threat. He's even willing to provide us with a modest advance.



I suppose I could quickly hire four new recruits before deploying. We accept.
But some men are just not ready to face combat yet.



Siggy is just no good to us for now. We need fresh blood and morale is low. A quick visit to the tavern is arranged, and the ale flowed.



The village is in a state of fear - and recruits are lacking - we took whoever we could.




And then we set camp, waiting for the enemy….
Hours passed. Night came. And when we awoke we found nothing but ruins of what was a wheat farm.



We thought of giving chase - but gave up once we realize that we probably forfeited our pay for failing to protect the farm.



We wasted no time informing the official of our failure and moved out of the settlement immediately, seeking new contracts.



It was a major embarrassment for the company and one that they want to quickly forget.
Feels bad, men.

It was night when we arrive at Weilersheim. No matter, we're here for work and nothing else.





How much?



That's a lot of coin. And considering our previous track record at keeping alert …
I signed the contract, vowing to avoid any mistakes on this one.
With the hefty advance, we hire more men to bolster the ranks.




Yeah. They look decent enough to take on brigands. Let them come.
We set out, company banner unfurled, daring any to attack Willersheim.




We can spare a man.



Hm. That's a good sum. Maybe a bit of rest would've helped Siggy, but there's no time for that - for the 'brigands' are here. Brigands..as in undead brigands.



The company quickly decamped, readying themselves to fight this threat - roughly a dozen undead, lead by a man in black approaches Weilersheim. Robert the Manly looks at me, seeking permission to engage.



Before I could shout out the order my eyes were drawn by two more dozen dark forms approaching from the east. There were not just one, two…but THREE armies of undead marching towards the settlement.



'What do we do, Captain?'
I wasn't sure what to do - the odds are stacked against us. But to abandon this village meant certain doom to the people of Weilersheim. I'm not even sure the White Company is able to live downfailing two contracts in a row.
'Look there! It's the 1st Sudschanze Company!'



One of the army regular units has taken notice of the attack and is preparing to defend the settlement. If we could join up with them and assist each other - it might be possible to destroy this horde. One at a time.



With precious little time - I gave the order to assist the army regulars.



It was a grave miscalculation - all three undead armies did not engage us separately, instead they gathered for the battle.
We are so fucked for the next half an hour.