Battle Brothers (2017)

Supporter Edition Details

The Supporter Edition is designed for players who wish to contribute to the ongoing development of Battle Brothers and future projects. This edition includes the base game and the official soundtrack, similar to the Deluxe Edition. Additionally, it provides access to a digital art and lore book, containing extensive information about the game’s world, artwork, and development process. Players also receive a unique in-game item, the legendary Fangshire, which comes with a distinct appearance and a custom backstory.

Gameplay Summary

Battle Brothers is a turn-based tactical role-playing game set in a gritty medieval fantasy world where power is limited and survival is uncertain. Players assume control of a mercenary company, making critical decisions regarding movement, recruitment, contracts, and the training and equipping of their team. The game world is procedurally generated, offering a dynamic and open-ended campaign where strategy and careful planning are essential for success. Every choice influences the company’s fate in a series of challenging encounters.

Worldmap and Tactical Combat

The game is structured around two main layers: a strategic worldmap and a tactical combat interface. On the worldmap, players can travel freely to complete contracts, discover valuable locations, pursue enemies, and access towns for recruitment and supplies. This layer also serves as the management hub for leveling up, equipping, and organizing your mercenaries. When the company encounters hostile forces, the game transitions to a tactical map, where turn-based battles unfold with detailed mechanics and historical combat elements.

Mercenary Management

Players oversee a medieval mercenary company in a procedurally generated environment. Combat is tactical and complex, with attention to historical weapons and realistic injuries. Characters who die in battle experience permanent death unless they return as undead. Each mercenary has unique background stories and personal traits, allowing for a diverse roster including ratcatchers, witch hunters, drunkards, and disowned nobles. Character progression is flexible, with no restrictive class system; experience gained in combat enables leveling up and the acquisition of powerful perks.

Equipment and Combat Mechanics

Equipment choices have a significant impact on combat. Different weapons provide unique abilities: axes allow shield splitting, maces can stun enemies, spears form defensive spearwalls, and warhammers are effective against armor. Enemy units are equally diverse, each with specific skills, equipment, and AI behavior. Outside combat, a dynamic event system presents atmospheric encounters and difficult decisions that affect the campaign’s outcome.

Endgame and Challenges

Late-game content introduces three major crises that shape the ongoing campaign: a war between noble houses, a greenskin invasion, and an undead plague. These events create persistent threats that challenge the player’s strategic planning and combat skills. The game also features a two-hour orchestral soundtrack, 70 Steam achievements, and Steam trading cards for additional engagement.

Developer Background

Battle Brothers is developed by Overhype Studios, an independent game studio based in Hamburg, Germany. The studio focuses on creating games with depth, creativity, and strategic complexity. Their work on Battle Brothers is influenced by classic titles such as the original X-Com, Warhammer: Shadow of the Horned Rat, Mount & Blade, and Jagged Alliance, aiming to deliver a challenging and rewarding experience for fans of tactical RPGs.

Battle Brothers is a tough but rewarding strategy game. Leading a mercenary company in a gritty medieval world is challenging, and the turn-based battles are both brutal and satisfying. Every decision counts, from hiring your men to choosing contracts, and permadeath keeps you on your toes.

The game does a great job of mixing strategy and RPG elements. Characters feel alive with unique traits, weapons matter, and the procedural world keeps every playthrough fresh. The late game crises and dynamic events make the world feel alive and dangerous, giving a real sense of accomplishment when you survive.

If you enjoy deep strategy, tactical combat, and meaningful choices, Battle Brothers is worth your time. It can be punishing, but that is exactly what makes victories feel earned. We recommend it for anyone ready for a serious challenge in a rich, medieval setting.