Warhammer: Shadow of the Horned Rat
Encyclopedia
Warhammer: Shadow of the Horned Rat is a real-time tactics
computer game
published by Games Workshop
(in conjunction with Mindscape
) in 1995. It features medieval warfare
and fantasy
battles between military units at the squad
and squadron level.
Based on Games Workshop
's Warhammer Fantasy Battle
table-top figurine battle rules and set within the Warhammer Fantasy
world, the storyline focuses on a mercenary
general
's quest to stop a Skaven
plot. Playing as the mercenary commander Morgan Bernhardt, the player must defeat a variety of foes in pitched battles using traditional fantasy battle methods such as shooting and close combat as well as magic. The finances of the mercenary army are handled by Paymaster Dietrich. The player is frequently given a choice of missions to accept, giving multiple paths through the game, some of which result in different mercenary units being available to the player.
Troops killed in previous battles were not replaced (wounded troops were restored to the army in the next battle but one after sustaining their injury); this, in combination with the steeply increasing difficulty of battles meant that game missions soon became very hard. Unit losses were offset by the reinforcements that could be bought in most towns between missions. These reinforcements were bought with gold gained from combat, but the gold gained from combat was generally less than the replacement value of the lost troops. Only when the game was played with great skill did these reinforcements cover all the losses. Units gained experience and became better through use, but this in turn increased the cost of replacement. Another problem was that a fallen soldier could also be merely wounded, which would leave them out of the action for the next battle, after which they'd be healed for free. While this reduced the strain on the player's resources, it could result in the player having plenty of gold, but being unable to reinforce his or her army sufficiently to stand a chance in the next mission.
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...
computer game
Personal computer game
A PC game, also known as a computer game, is a video game played on a personal computer, rather than on a video game console or arcade machine...
published by Games Workshop
Games Workshop
Games Workshop Group plc is a British game production and retailing company. Games Workshop has published the tabletop wargames Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Warhammer 40,000...
(in conjunction with Mindscape
Mindscape Group
Mindscape is an international software publishing company, previously part of The Learning Company. They are now affiliated with EA . As of 2004, the group has offices in Europe, Asia, Australia and South America. It has an annual turnover of €38 million and employs 150 people. Mindscape...
) in 1995. It features medieval warfare
Medieval warfare
Medieval warfare is the warfare of the Middle Ages. In Europe, technological, cultural, and social developments had forced a dramatic transformation in the character of warfare from antiquity, changing military tactics and the role of cavalry and artillery...
and fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
battles between military units at the squad
Squad
In military terminology, a squad is a small military unit led by a non-commissioned officer that is subordinate to an infantry platoon. In countries following the British Army tradition this organization is referred to as a section...
and squadron level.
Design
Games Workshop
Games Workshop Group plc is a British game production and retailing company. Games Workshop has published the tabletop wargames Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Warhammer 40,000...
's Warhammer Fantasy Battle
Warhammer Fantasy Battle
Warhammer: The Game of Fantasy Battles is a tabletop wargame created by Games Workshop. It is the origin of the Warhammer Fantasy setting....
table-top figurine battle rules and set within the Warhammer Fantasy
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...
world, the storyline focuses on a 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...
general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
's quest to stop a 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....
plot. Playing as the mercenary commander Morgan Bernhardt, the player must defeat a variety of foes in pitched battles using traditional fantasy battle methods such as shooting and close combat as well as magic. The finances of the mercenary army are handled by Paymaster Dietrich. The player is frequently given a choice of missions to accept, giving multiple paths through the game, some of which result in different mercenary units being available to the player.
Troops killed in previous battles were not replaced (wounded troops were restored to the army in the next battle but one after sustaining their injury); this, in combination with the steeply increasing difficulty of battles meant that game missions soon became very hard. Unit losses were offset by the reinforcements that could be bought in most towns between missions. These reinforcements were bought with gold gained from combat, but the gold gained from combat was generally less than the replacement value of the lost troops. Only when the game was played with great skill did these reinforcements cover all the losses. Units gained experience and became better through use, but this in turn increased the cost of replacement. Another problem was that a fallen soldier could also be merely wounded, which would leave them out of the action for the next battle, after which they'd be healed for free. While this reduced the strain on the player's resources, it could result in the player having plenty of gold, but being unable to reinforce his or her army sufficiently to stand a chance in the next mission.
External links
- Review of PC version at Answers.com
- Review of PlayStation version at Answers.com
- Mark Knight's Gamesounds, download the Shadow of the Horned Rat music from the composer's website