Warhammer: Mark of Chaos
Encyclopedia
Warhammer: Mark of Chaos is a real-time tactics
game set in the Warhammer
universe. It was developed by Black Hole Entertainment
and co-published by Namco Bandai Games
in the US and Deep Silver in PAL territories. The game was released for Microsoft Windows
in the US on November 14, 2006, with subsequent release in PAL territories on November 23, 2006.
An expansion, Battle March, was released on September 2, 2008. It contains one new campaign and the addition of Dark Elves
and Orcs & Goblins as playable races. An Xbox 360
version was released and titled as Warhammer: Battle March, dropping the Mark of Chaos moniker.
The game, according to the developers, is a game "focusing on the armies and battles while de-emphasizing the tedious aspects of base and resource management". Set in the Warhammer Old World
, the player can command one of 4 armies from the tabletop game.
The gameplay is primarily focused on battlefield tactics, thus not featuring RTS
gameplay aspects like base-building, resource harvesting or in-battle unit production. Instead, the gameplay is intended to be focused on high fantasy
/late medieval
battles. Its gameplay is superficially similar to its predecessors and the Total War games; however, the basic game play model is significantly more simplified, and battles are more similar to real-time strategy games like Warcraft III than other real-time tactics titles.
The objective for each battle is defeat of the enemy army by either completely destroying it or causing the remaining units to flee off the battlefield. Battles are fought on a variety of landscapes and settings, with specific terrain
types granting bonuses or penalties to units. Units also have morale
, and will break and flee if they suffer enough damage or get hit by specific types of weaponry, and stamina, which will cause them to lose defense and speed when sufficiently drained.
The basic troop type present in the game is a "unit" which is anything from 1 to 96 "models" depending on the type of unit. The control system is similar to the Total War and Dawn of War
in that each unit is given orders as a single entity. As well as standard orders you are also able to arrange your units into a number of formations, with each formation conferring advantages against specific kinds of attacks. Units will also gain experience over the course of a battle or campaign and will gain improved statistics and more models.
In addition to standard units there are special "Hero
" units; unique individuals considerably more powerful than the average man or creature. In addition to being able to use and learn new abilities, they can also be equipped with additional weapons, armour or potions that grant the hero with both offensive and defensive skills and bonuses. Heroes also gain experience from fighting, and by gaining levels the player is able to unlock various skills that supplement its combat abilities. They can be attached to standard units, giving the unit a morale boost and increasing its fighting capability through the use of skills. Hero units can also initiate or be challenged to duel
s, where they fight the opposing army's hero uninterrupted until one slays the other, resulting in a morale penalty for the losing side. This is for the most part fully automated, however the player is also free to activate any duel specific skills the hero has during the course of the duel.
The majority of the single campaign is a number of different battle scenarios, in which your pre-selected force will combat a number of enemy forces. Winning the scenario will award the player gold. Between battles the game switches to a map of the area, with the location of their army denoted by a figure of their champion. The player is then able to select his or her army and move to another location. This will bring up a force selection screen, and the player will then have to select a limited number of troops and heroes to play the next scenario with. Although the campaign is for the most part linear, there are also optional side quests, which although mostly unreleated to the story will usually result in the heroes acquiring additional gold, troops or equipment that can be used in the campaign. As well as traditional large scale battles there are also Duel
scenarios in which a hero character of your choice will enter straight into a duel with an enemy champion, with victory of either champion immediately ending the scenario.
On the map the player can also access towns and encampants, which serve as the replacement for bases found in other strategy and tactic games. The player can use the gold acquired in previous battles to purchase replacements, new or improved units, upgrades such as better armour or attack power for their existing units and also wargear and items for their hero units. Conversations between characters will also occur at certain points on the map, advancing the story.
In addition to the campaign, the multiplayer modes can also be played as single player skirmish
battles.
The game allows for up to 4 players to battle using either a LAN
or over the internet
. Multiplayer battles are played in much the same way as the single player. The game includes four different game modes, including normal battles, siege
battles where one team has to defend a stronghold from the opposing army, and a reinforcements mode, where capturing strategic points on the map awards points that enable players to buy new units during the battle.
Prior to the battle, each player has a certain amount of points with which to select an army, which is chosen by the host of the game prior to army selection. The points can be used in a variety of different ways, either buying new units, upgrading units or buying additional equipment or skills for your hero units. This enables a player to outfit an army in a variety of styles suitable for their playing style. Although the player is free to choose any configuration, there are also examples of army configurations for each of the 12 factions featured in game. In a tribute to the tabletop game, players are also able to customise their army's colours and banners. In addition, there is also a comprehensive model editor where players can change the look of individual models using a variety of heads, limbs, armour and weaponry sets. These army configurations can then be saved for use later.
The setting of Mark of Chaos is the Old World of the Warhammer Fantasy universe, one year after the Great War against Chaos. In the aftermath of the war, the chaos warbands scattered, some returning to their homelands in the north, some staying and raiding the farms and villages in the northern fringes of the Empire. The Empire, already pushed to the brink of collapse as a result of the war, is undermanned and struggles to protect the isolated farms and villages. If the tribes of chaos were once again to reunite, the Empire would most likely fall. The game has 2 campaigns that follow the story from both the Empire and Chaos perspectives, with each campaign having a different progression of events.
The Empire
is a vast human empire which resembles medieval Germany
in its looks and organisation. Their forces are primarily human soldiers of various specialties. In addition they are, along with the Dwarves, one of the few races who have developed black powder
weaponry, and have access to handguns, cannons, and other gunpowder based siege weapons. The 3 playable factions are the Ostermark, Nuln and Talabecland armies.
The High Elves are an ancient and elegant race. In addition to their normal ranks of elven spearmen and archers, they have a considerable number of elite troops, and an above average number of magical specialists. The 3 playable factions are the Ellyrian, Shadowlands and Saphery kingdoms.
The Hordes of Chaos
are Humans from the Northlands, corrupted by the gods of Chaos
by their ambition, lust or the other base instincts and emotions of humanity. In addition to human warriors and Marauders
they also have access to supernatural creatures such as Daemons and Spawns of Chaos. The 3 playable factions are the cults of the chaos gods Nurgle, Khorne and the pantheon Chaos Undivided.
The Skaven
are a race of subterranean man sized rat
s. Though as individuals they are weaker than members of the other races, they compensate through vastly superior numbers. In addition they utilise a mineral called warpstone to mutate members of their race to create giant rats and rat ogres. The 3 playable factions are the Eshin, Skryre and Warlord clans.
In addition to the four playable races there are also additional races that serve as both additional enemies in the single player campaigns and also as mercenary
"Dogs of War" units available at certain points in the single player campaign, and also as additional choices in multiplayer games. The available mercenary races are Greenskins
and Dwarves
. The Vampire Counts
are also present in the single player campaign, however are not available to be used by the player.
It's at this point we meet Aurelion, a Archmage of Saphery. Stefan sets camp while the elves go to gather their forces who are arriving by sea. It is during this brief meeting that Aurelion inquires about the mark on his face their conversation goes something like this:
"What is that mark on your face?"
"It is a scar from a hotbrand. My father,my grandfather were executed for Chaos worship. It is a reminder for me and a warning to others."
"There is no mark upon you."
"I have always thought...."
"If you were truly marked I would have killed you."
The elves depart and Aurelion finds her people have been scattered. She gathers them and after fighting Chaos and Skaven forces (Ratmen) they arrive at a fortress soon to be assaulted. The story switches back to Stefan who makes his way along. He can chose to head southwest to an old ruin or cross a bridge held by Chaos worshipers. Either way he must cross the bridge and arrive at the fortress to relieve Aurelion and the other defenders. After the battle Stefan and Aurelion speak with Prince Khalanos who wants Stefan to go north with him to counter the advance of chaos while Stefan's orders are to head east to deal with a gathering.
In the end they go their separate ways and Stefan, after helping Brother Gunther (a warrior priest of Sigmar defending a shrine from the Skaven), learns that Count Otto Gruber (whose army could not found) was guilty of worshiping Nurgle the Chaos god of the rot. Stefan is outraged for it was Gruber who accused his father and grandfather taking their lands for his own and in fact, accusing them to cover his own misdeeds. Stefan retrieves a Daemon slayer's sword from the tomb of a vampire count and heads east to deal with Gruber. He is stopped, however, by plague clouds. Two scouts die bringing him the news and he is forced to pull back. Meanwhile Aurelion and her warriors decide to find out about the clouds. They locate and destroy a shrine dedicated to Nurgle therefor allowing Stefan to make for Gruber's fortress.
Stefan arrives to find a massacre: Gruber's army has been slaughtered - no doubt after they had discovered his treachery. Taking a siege tower and battering ram into his army Stefan attacks and destroys Gruber's defences and kill Steimer who was in league with Gruber (and who in the first mission comments on how he hopes Stefan can be trusted) and mortally wounds Gruber. As Gruber lies dying in the dirt Stefan stares down at Gruber's sword the following conversation goes like this.
"The runefang, the sign of an elector count."
"It is mine"
"You stole it from my father!!"
"It was not meant to be like this... I would become immortal... standing at the right hand of the Lord of Decay. I..have failed....the Rot consumes me... I am. (Gruber's body is consumed in a plague cloud - his body rotting.)
"Burn it and send the ashes to the Emperor with my best wishes."
"I am hereby reclaiming the Runefang and the lands of Ostermark. if any man disagrees then raise your voice"
(cheer)
(scout arrives)
"Sir, news has come THAT the chaos hordes are still moving. they head for Talabheim."
"Then we shall stop them!"
"Men of the Empire - this war is not yet over. We fight on!!!"
At this point we move to Aurelion who on the road meets the High Elf mage Teclis who tells her that Prince Khalanos is dead. She asks if they should leave for Ulthuan but Teclis tells her:
"The time for us to stand alone against the forces of Chaos is over. We fight with the empire."
Aurelion heads for Talabheim and after the usual orcs and chaos battle arrives near to the city.
The story switches back to Stefan and after fighting his own path through the lands arrives at Talabheim to fight beside the Elves. The battle for Talabheim ends with Thorgar the Blooded One (now a Daemon prince) being slain and all the Chaos warriors being killed. The Reiksmarshal arrives having survived a battle at the bridge to the north after taking some of Stefan and Aurelion's soldiers. The story ends with Stefan's claim to the throne of Ostermark being recognised. Before it goes to the main menu Teclis initiates a conversation.
"Our people are advanced in the arts of healing.We could remove that for you" indicating the scar on his face.
"No, I shall keep it. As you say it is but a scar - one of many I now have."
, who were hired by Namco Bandai Games
after being impressed by their work on the real-time strategy title Armies of Exigo
.
Two different styles of box art were released, one depicting an Empire Warrior Priest and the other depicting a Chaos Champion. At the same time, a Collector's Edition was released, containing the official soundtrack on audio CD, the official novelization
written by Anthony Reynolds, an art book, posters and several Warhammer themed ornament
s.
, who is most famous for his work on Supreme Commander, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
, Icewind Dale
, and the Guild Wars series of video games. The entire soundtrack is included in Audio CD format in the Collectors Edition box set. The CD is not sold separately, however it is available for download direct from Soule's website.
Track list
The single player campaigns received criticism for its linearity, and the storytelling especially when compared to the game's opening cinematic. The multiplayer support was also disparaged for its temperamental and glitch-prone account system and connection issues, although this was addressed and partly fixed in subsequent patches.
Despite the criticisms received however, the game was received positively overall, obtaining an average score of 73 at Metacritic
, and similarly an average score of 74% at GameRankings with over 80% of reviews scoring 70% or better.
Before release, Warhammer: Mark of Chaos was claimed to feature "dynamic cooperative campaign mode and a full assortment of multiplayer modes for both casual and competitive gamers". However, the cooperative campaign was omitted from the released game, even though still marketed as featuring this (the developer's homepage still listed it as a feature as of July 2007). Mark of Chaos was marketed as of "epic" scale, with "thousands of characters battling on screen"; in reality, the game features hundreds rather than thousands of individual characters. Namco, the publisher, targeted the substantial tabletop game fan base by naming Mark of Chaos a faithful translation to computer game format, however, core elements of the tabletop game (e.g., formation movement rules, combat resolution systems, and unit overlap prohibitions) are missing, invalidating tabletop tactics.
Further common sources of criticism in reviews, discussion and technical support are that the game suffers from numerous bugs, instability and prohibitively long load screens: "the standard loading screen is preceded by its own loading screen, for meta-loading", as Game-Revolution put it in their review. Also, the hero duels, one of the more distinctive features of the game, are often singled out as dull, repetitive or distracting.
Real-time tactics
Real-time tactics or RTT is a subgenre of tactical wargames played in real-time simulating the considerations and circumstances of operational warfare and military tactics...
game set in the Warhammer
Warhammer Fantasy (setting)
Warhammer Fantasy is a fantasy setting, created by Games Workshop, which is used by many of the company's games. Some of the best-known games set in this world are: the table top wargame Warhammer Fantasy Battle, the Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay pen-and-paper role-playing game, and the MMORPG...
universe. It was developed by Black Hole Entertainment
Black Hole Entertainment
Black Hole Entertainment is a Budapest-based video game developer, founded in 2001 by seven young game enthusiasts.The company's first title was Armies of Exigo, developed with the financial backing of Andy Vajna, published by Electronic Arts and released in the end of 2004...
and co-published by Namco Bandai Games
Namco Bandai Games
is an arcade, mobile and home video game developer and publisher based in Japan which is the product of a merger between the video game development divisions of Bandai and Namco. Namco Bandai Games is a wholly owned subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings and specializes in production and sales of...
in the US and Deep Silver in PAL territories. The game was released for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
in the US on November 14, 2006, with subsequent release in PAL territories on November 23, 2006.
An expansion, Battle March, was released on September 2, 2008. It contains one new campaign and the addition of Dark Elves
Dark Elves (Warhammer)
In Games Workshop's Warhammer Fantasy fictional universe, the Dark Elves are a race of harsh, warlike and vicious Elves. They are also known as the Druchii in most Warhammer fiction books. They cruel, sadistic raiders with much disdain for all other races, especially their lighter kindred the High...
and Orcs & Goblins as playable races. An Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
version was released and titled as Warhammer: Battle March, dropping the Mark of Chaos moniker.
Gameplay
Warhammer Fantasy (setting)
Warhammer Fantasy is a fantasy setting, created by Games Workshop, which is used by many of the company's games. Some of the best-known games set in this world are: the table top wargame Warhammer Fantasy Battle, the Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay pen-and-paper role-playing game, and the MMORPG...
, the player can command one of 4 armies from the tabletop game.
The gameplay is primarily focused on battlefield tactics, thus not featuring RTS
Real-time strategy
Real-time strategy is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II....
gameplay aspects like base-building, resource harvesting or in-battle unit production. Instead, the gameplay is intended to be focused on high fantasy
High fantasy
High fantasy or epic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that is set in invented or parallel worlds. High fantasy was brought to fruition through the work of authors such as J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis, whose major fantasy works were published in the 1950s...
/late medieval
Late Middle Ages
The Late Middle Ages was the period of European history generally comprising the 14th to the 16th century . The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern era ....
battles. Its gameplay is superficially similar to its predecessors and the Total War games; however, the basic game play model is significantly more simplified, and battles are more similar to real-time strategy games like Warcraft III than other real-time tactics titles.
The objective for each battle is defeat of the enemy army by either completely destroying it or causing the remaining units to flee off the battlefield. Battles are fought on a variety of landscapes and settings, with specific terrain
Terrain
Terrain, or land relief, is the vertical and horizontal dimension of land surface. When relief is described underwater, the term bathymetry is used...
types granting bonuses or penalties to units. Units also have morale
Morale
Morale, also known as esprit de corps when discussing the morale of a group, is an intangible term used to describe the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others...
, and will break and flee if they suffer enough damage or get hit by specific types of weaponry, and stamina, which will cause them to lose defense and speed when sufficiently drained.
The basic troop type present in the game is a "unit" which is anything from 1 to 96 "models" depending on the type of unit. The control system is similar to the Total War and Dawn of War
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War is a military science fiction real-time strategy video game developed by Relic Entertainment based on Games Workshop's popular tabletop wargame Warhammer 40,000. It was released by THQ on September 20, 2004 in North America...
in that each unit is given orders as a single entity. As well as standard orders you are also able to arrange your units into a number of formations, with each formation conferring advantages against specific kinds of attacks. Units will also gain experience over the course of a battle or campaign and will gain improved statistics and more models.
In addition to standard units there are special "Hero
Hero
A hero , in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion...
" units; unique individuals considerably more powerful than the average man or creature. In addition to being able to use and learn new abilities, they can also be equipped with additional weapons, armour or potions that grant the hero with both offensive and defensive skills and bonuses. Heroes also gain experience from fighting, and by gaining levels the player is able to unlock various skills that supplement its combat abilities. They can be attached to standard units, giving the unit a morale boost and increasing its fighting capability through the use of skills. Hero units can also initiate or be challenged to duel
Duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two individuals, with matched weapons in accordance with agreed-upon rules.Duels in this form were chiefly practised in Early Modern Europe, with precedents in the medieval code of chivalry, and continued into the modern period especially among...
s, where they fight the opposing army's hero uninterrupted until one slays the other, resulting in a morale penalty for the losing side. This is for the most part fully automated, however the player is also free to activate any duel specific skills the hero has during the course of the duel.
Single Player
There are 2 single player campaigns, each separated into 4 chapters, one following the Empire and Elven Forces and the other the Hordes of Chaos and Skaven forces.The majority of the single campaign is a number of different battle scenarios, in which your pre-selected force will combat a number of enemy forces. Winning the scenario will award the player gold. Between battles the game switches to a map of the area, with the location of their army denoted by a figure of their champion. The player is then able to select his or her army and move to another location. This will bring up a force selection screen, and the player will then have to select a limited number of troops and heroes to play the next scenario with. Although the campaign is for the most part linear, there are also optional side quests, which although mostly unreleated to the story will usually result in the heroes acquiring additional gold, troops or equipment that can be used in the campaign. As well as traditional large scale battles there are also Duel
Duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two individuals, with matched weapons in accordance with agreed-upon rules.Duels in this form were chiefly practised in Early Modern Europe, with precedents in the medieval code of chivalry, and continued into the modern period especially among...
scenarios in which a hero character of your choice will enter straight into a duel with an enemy champion, with victory of either champion immediately ending the scenario.
On the map the player can also access towns and encampants, which serve as the replacement for bases found in other strategy and tactic games. The player can use the gold acquired in previous battles to purchase replacements, new or improved units, upgrades such as better armour or attack power for their existing units and also wargear and items for their hero units. Conversations between characters will also occur at certain points on the map, advancing the story.
In addition to the campaign, the multiplayer modes can also be played as single player skirmish
Skirmisher
Skirmishers are infantry or cavalry soldiers stationed ahead or alongside a larger body of friendly troops. They are usually placed in a skirmish line to harass the enemy.-Pre-modern:...
battles.
Multiplayer
Local area network
A local area network is a computer network that interconnects computers in a limited area such as a home, school, computer laboratory, or office building...
or over the internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
. Multiplayer battles are played in much the same way as the single player. The game includes four different game modes, including normal battles, siege
Siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static...
battles where one team has to defend a stronghold from the opposing army, and a reinforcements mode, where capturing strategic points on the map awards points that enable players to buy new units during the battle.
Prior to the battle, each player has a certain amount of points with which to select an army, which is chosen by the host of the game prior to army selection. The points can be used in a variety of different ways, either buying new units, upgrading units or buying additional equipment or skills for your hero units. This enables a player to outfit an army in a variety of styles suitable for their playing style. Although the player is free to choose any configuration, there are also examples of army configurations for each of the 12 factions featured in game. In a tribute to the tabletop game, players are also able to customise their army's colours and banners. In addition, there is also a comprehensive model editor where players can change the look of individual models using a variety of heads, limbs, armour and weaponry sets. These army configurations can then be saved for use later.
Setting
Races
The game features four different playable races from the Warhammer game, and the units available to each race are taken straight from the tabletop wargame. All the races are visually distinctive, and have their own unique units, although there is a lot of crossover between factions and each type of unit will usually have an equivalent unit in another race. Within in each race there are also 3 different factions, which are available to be used in multiplayer games. However beyond cosmetic differences, and the selection of troops there is minimal difference between the 3 factions.The Empire
The Empire (Warhammer)
In Games Workshop's Warhammer Fantasy fictional universe, The Empire is one of the human political factions and armies, and is featured in many games and novels. In terms of location, language, culture, and society, it bears a strong resemblance to the Holy Roman Empire...
is a vast human empire which resembles medieval Germany
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
in its looks and organisation. Their forces are primarily human soldiers of various specialties. In addition they are, along with the Dwarves, one of the few races who have developed black powder
Gunpowder
Gunpowder, also known since in the late 19th century as black powder, was the first chemical explosive and the only one known until the mid 1800s. It is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate - with the sulfur and charcoal acting as fuels, while the saltpeter works as an oxidizer...
weaponry, and have access to handguns, cannons, and other gunpowder based siege weapons. The 3 playable factions are the Ostermark, Nuln and Talabecland armies.
The High Elves are an ancient and elegant race. In addition to their normal ranks of elven spearmen and archers, they have a considerable number of elite troops, and an above average number of magical specialists. The 3 playable factions are the Ellyrian, Shadowlands and Saphery kingdoms.
The Hordes of Chaos
Hordes of Chaos
Warriors of Chaos is a Warhammer "Army Book," a supplement to the Warhammer Fantasy Battle tabletop miniature wargame. The book gives rules for playing an army of the human Chaos-worshippers from the Chaos wastes of the north, as well as in-game background information on such individuals...
are Humans from the Northlands, corrupted by the gods of Chaos
Chaos (Warhammer)
In Games Workshop's Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40,000 fictional universes, Chaos refers to the often stereotypically malevolent entities which live in a different timespace, known as the Warp in Warhammer 40,000 and as the Realm of Chaos in Warhammer Fantasy...
by their ambition, lust or the other base instincts and emotions of humanity. In addition to human warriors and Marauders
Marauders
- Entertainment :* Marauders , henchmen in the Marvel Comics universe* Marauders , antagonists in the role-playing game Mage: The Ascension* Midnight Marauders, a 1993 album by rap group A Tribe Called Quest...
they also have access to supernatural creatures such as Daemons and Spawns of Chaos. The 3 playable factions are the cults of the chaos gods Nurgle, Khorne and the pantheon Chaos Undivided.
The Skaven
Skaven
Skaven are a race of man-sized anthropomorphic rat-creatures in Games Workshop's Warhammer Fantasy setting. They were officially introduced as a new Chaos race in 1986 by Jes Goodwin....
are a race of subterranean man sized rat
Rat
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...
s. Though as individuals they are weaker than members of the other races, they compensate through vastly superior numbers. In addition they utilise a mineral called warpstone to mutate members of their race to create giant rats and rat ogres. The 3 playable factions are the Eshin, Skryre and Warlord clans.
In addition to the four playable races there are also additional races that serve as both additional enemies in the single player campaigns and also as mercenary
Mercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
"Dogs of War" units available at certain points in the single player campaign, and also as additional choices in multiplayer games. The available mercenary races are Greenskins
Orcs and Goblins
Orcs & Goblins is a supplemental book for the Warhammer Fantasy Battle tabletop game. The phrase "orcs & goblins" also refers collectively to all of the races that are described in this book, which includes other "greenskins" as well. The book includes background information, illustrations, and...
and Dwarves
Dwarf (Warhammer)
In Games Workshop's Warhammer Fantasy fictional universe, The Dwarfs are a race of short, stout humanoids very similar to the dwarves of Middle-Earth and the roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons. Dwarfs in the Warhammer setting are proud warriors highly driven by honor.-Homeland:Dwarfs reside mainly...
. The Vampire Counts
Vampire Counts
Vampire Counts are one of the two factions of the Undead playable in the tabletop wargame Warhammer Fantasy Battle, the other being the Tomb Kings, from the sixth edition onward when Games Workshop divided the old Undead forces...
are also present in the single player campaign, however are not available to be used by the player.
The Hordes of Chaos Campaign
The Chaos campaign follows the progress Thorgar the Blooded One, a Chaos champion who fought alongside the warlord Asavar Kul in the Great War. Now he is looking to build his forces to launch another attack on The Empire. During this time he is guided by a sorcerer by the name of Sudobaal, who instructs Thorgar to lead his men to a Chaos shrine. After enduring a series of trials Thorgar obtains the favour and patronage of one of the chaos pantheon; either Nurgle or Khorne, depending on the player's choice. Sudobaal then instructs Thorgar to locate an elven mage who knows the location of the body of the defeated Chaos warlord Asavar Kul. During this time he allies with Kasquit, a skaven warlock engineer of clan Skryre. Having angered the skaven council, Kasquit quickly accepts the alliance in order to receive Thorgar's protection, and agrees to help Thorgar locate the mage. The campaign concludes with Thorgar killing Sudobaal for turning on him and his elevation to daemonhood, and the subsequent destruction of the city of Talabheim. Roaring his victory to the gods and claiming he can't be defeated. In the distance a huge greenskin army is preparing to launch its own attack against the Old World, this possibly heralding the game's expansion: Battle March.The Empire Campaign
The Empire is placed from the perspective of "Stefan von Kessel" a captain in the army of Ostermark under Count Otto Gruber, he is however plagued by his sad past - his father and grandfather killed for Chaos worship and him being branded across his eye with the mark of chaos. the campaign starts with Stefan fending of an attack by chaos marauders. The battle is won and Gruber, Stefan and the other captains: Felsturm and Steimer hold a council of war and Steimer referring to Stefan's past several times. Stefan is tasked with going north while Gruber and Steimer attend to other things. Stefan goes north and after several battle with chaos and ork forces he arrives at the fortress he is heading for and takes it though he damages it in the process. After a heated exchange between himself,Steimer and Gruber he is sent to help the elves after the Reiksmarshal brings "requests" from the Emperor.It's at this point we meet Aurelion, a Archmage of Saphery. Stefan sets camp while the elves go to gather their forces who are arriving by sea. It is during this brief meeting that Aurelion inquires about the mark on his face their conversation goes something like this:
"What is that mark on your face?"
"It is a scar from a hotbrand. My father,my grandfather were executed for Chaos worship. It is a reminder for me and a warning to others."
"There is no mark upon you."
"I have always thought...."
"If you were truly marked I would have killed you."
The elves depart and Aurelion finds her people have been scattered. She gathers them and after fighting Chaos and Skaven forces (Ratmen) they arrive at a fortress soon to be assaulted. The story switches back to Stefan who makes his way along. He can chose to head southwest to an old ruin or cross a bridge held by Chaos worshipers. Either way he must cross the bridge and arrive at the fortress to relieve Aurelion and the other defenders. After the battle Stefan and Aurelion speak with Prince Khalanos who wants Stefan to go north with him to counter the advance of chaos while Stefan's orders are to head east to deal with a gathering.
In the end they go their separate ways and Stefan, after helping Brother Gunther (a warrior priest of Sigmar defending a shrine from the Skaven), learns that Count Otto Gruber (whose army could not found) was guilty of worshiping Nurgle the Chaos god of the rot. Stefan is outraged for it was Gruber who accused his father and grandfather taking their lands for his own and in fact, accusing them to cover his own misdeeds. Stefan retrieves a Daemon slayer's sword from the tomb of a vampire count and heads east to deal with Gruber. He is stopped, however, by plague clouds. Two scouts die bringing him the news and he is forced to pull back. Meanwhile Aurelion and her warriors decide to find out about the clouds. They locate and destroy a shrine dedicated to Nurgle therefor allowing Stefan to make for Gruber's fortress.
Stefan arrives to find a massacre: Gruber's army has been slaughtered - no doubt after they had discovered his treachery. Taking a siege tower and battering ram into his army Stefan attacks and destroys Gruber's defences and kill Steimer who was in league with Gruber (and who in the first mission comments on how he hopes Stefan can be trusted) and mortally wounds Gruber. As Gruber lies dying in the dirt Stefan stares down at Gruber's sword the following conversation goes like this.
"The runefang, the sign of an elector count."
"It is mine"
"You stole it from my father!!"
"It was not meant to be like this... I would become immortal... standing at the right hand of the Lord of Decay. I..have failed....the Rot consumes me... I am. (Gruber's body is consumed in a plague cloud - his body rotting.)
"Burn it and send the ashes to the Emperor with my best wishes."
"I am hereby reclaiming the Runefang and the lands of Ostermark. if any man disagrees then raise your voice"
(cheer)
(scout arrives)
"Sir, news has come THAT the chaos hordes are still moving. they head for Talabheim."
"Then we shall stop them!"
"Men of the Empire - this war is not yet over. We fight on!!!"
At this point we move to Aurelion who on the road meets the High Elf mage Teclis who tells her that Prince Khalanos is dead. She asks if they should leave for Ulthuan but Teclis tells her:
"The time for us to stand alone against the forces of Chaos is over. We fight with the empire."
Aurelion heads for Talabheim and after the usual orcs and chaos battle arrives near to the city.
The story switches back to Stefan and after fighting his own path through the lands arrives at Talabheim to fight beside the Elves. The battle for Talabheim ends with Thorgar the Blooded One (now a Daemon prince) being slain and all the Chaos warriors being killed. The Reiksmarshal arrives having survived a battle at the bridge to the north after taking some of Stefan and Aurelion's soldiers. The story ends with Stefan's claim to the throne of Ostermark being recognised. Before it goes to the main menu Teclis initiates a conversation.
"Our people are advanced in the arts of healing.We could remove that for you" indicating the scar on his face.
"No, I shall keep it. As you say it is but a scar - one of many I now have."
Development
Development of the game was given to Black Hole EntertainmentBlack Hole Entertainment
Black Hole Entertainment is a Budapest-based video game developer, founded in 2001 by seven young game enthusiasts.The company's first title was Armies of Exigo, developed with the financial backing of Andy Vajna, published by Electronic Arts and released in the end of 2004...
, who were hired by Namco Bandai Games
Namco Bandai Games
is an arcade, mobile and home video game developer and publisher based in Japan which is the product of a merger between the video game development divisions of Bandai and Namco. Namco Bandai Games is a wholly owned subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings and specializes in production and sales of...
after being impressed by their work on the real-time strategy title Armies of Exigo
Armies of Exigo
Armies of Exigo is a real-time strategy video game for Microsoft Windows. The game was created by Black Hole Entertainment and distributed by Electronic Arts. One unique aspect of the game is that it has an underground mode...
.
Two different styles of box art were released, one depicting an Empire Warrior Priest and the other depicting a Chaos Champion. At the same time, a Collector's Edition was released, containing the official soundtrack on audio CD, the official novelization
Novelization
A novelization is a novel that is written based on some other media story form rather than as an original work.Novelizations of films usually add background material not found in the original work to flesh out the story, because novels are generally longer than screenplays...
written by Anthony Reynolds, an art book, posters and several Warhammer themed ornament
Ornament
An ornament is something used for decoration.Ornament may also refer to:*Christmas ornaments, an ornament hung from a Christmas tree*Ornament , purely decorative elements in architecture and the decorative arts*Ornament *Ornamental plant...
s.
Soundtrack
The game features an orchestral soundtrack composed entirely by award winning composer Jeremy SouleJeremy Soule
Jeremy Soule is an American composer of soundtracks for film, television and video games. He has won multiple awards and has been described as the "John Williams of video game music" and "a model of success" for Western composers. He has composed soundtracks for over 60 games and over a dozen...
, who is most famous for his work on Supreme Commander, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is a single-player action role-playing video game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks and the Take-Two Interactive subsidiary 2K Games...
, Icewind Dale
Icewind Dale
Icewind Dale is a computer role-playing game developed for Windows by Black Isle Studios and published by Interplay Entertainment. Released on June 30, 2000, it takes place in the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms campaign setting, and is based on the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition...
, and the Guild Wars series of video games. The entire soundtrack is included in Audio CD format in the Collectors Edition box set. The CD is not sold separately, however it is available for download direct from Soule's website.
Track list
Reception
The game was received with mixed and extremely varying reviews. Reviewers generally praised its distinctive and varied visuals, with the character models and the special effects earning high praise from the majority of reviews, but also criticised the rather basic combat animations and a shallowness of tactical depth for a game focusing purely on battlefield operations.The single player campaigns received criticism for its linearity, and the storytelling especially when compared to the game's opening cinematic. The multiplayer support was also disparaged for its temperamental and glitch-prone account system and connection issues, although this was addressed and partly fixed in subsequent patches.
Despite the criticisms received however, the game was received positively overall, obtaining an average score of 73 at Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, and similarly an average score of 74% at GameRankings with over 80% of reviews scoring 70% or better.
Criticism
The game received criticism upon release, mainly centered on two things: the marketing of the game, and, related to this, the lack of faithfulness to the Warhammer tabletop original.Before release, Warhammer: Mark of Chaos was claimed to feature "dynamic cooperative campaign mode and a full assortment of multiplayer modes for both casual and competitive gamers". However, the cooperative campaign was omitted from the released game, even though still marketed as featuring this (the developer's homepage still listed it as a feature as of July 2007). Mark of Chaos was marketed as of "epic" scale, with "thousands of characters battling on screen"; in reality, the game features hundreds rather than thousands of individual characters. Namco, the publisher, targeted the substantial tabletop game fan base by naming Mark of Chaos a faithful translation to computer game format, however, core elements of the tabletop game (e.g., formation movement rules, combat resolution systems, and unit overlap prohibitions) are missing, invalidating tabletop tactics.
Further common sources of criticism in reviews, discussion and technical support are that the game suffers from numerous bugs, instability and prohibitively long load screens: "the standard loading screen is preceded by its own loading screen, for meta-loading", as Game-Revolution put it in their review. Also, the hero duels, one of the more distinctive features of the game, are often singled out as dull, repetitive or distracting.
External links
- WH:MoC official game homepage - information, screenshots, forum
- Black Hole Entertainment's homepage
- Namco Games homepage