Devlog #2: On the March

In Ashbane, every campaign begins with a choice.

A contract accepted. A risk measured. A warband assembled from the ranks of your Freeblades. From there, you leave the safety of the city and march into uncertainty.

A Contract Is an Opportunity. It Is Also a Risk.

Expeditions begin at the Contract Board. Each posted contract defines the objective of the expedition and the final battle waiting at its end. You choose the job before you ever leave the city.

One contract might send you hunting an Irekei clan leader who has been laying waste to Aduran outposts. Another may see your warband advancing into Sylvan forest lands, carving space for Reptilis expansion. The expedition is built around the contract you accept.

Not every guild sees the same opportunities. Oathbound, Dreadforged, and Unsworn banners attract different contracts, enemies, and expectations. Along the road, Event stops may offer smaller optional tasks that bring additional reward, or additional danger.

Who Marches

Before leaving the city, you assemble an active warband of six from your guild roster. Roles, synergies, and current injuries influence who marches and who stays behind. Once the expedition begins, there are no substitutions. Every decision at the roster screen carries forward into the expedition.

The Road Ahead

Once you leave the city, the expedition unfolds across a branching map. Each stop represents a location along the march, and the path you choose determines the risk you take before reaching the final battle.

Some routes are direct and safer, getting you to the objective with fewer encounters. Others are longer and more dangerous, offering greater experience and loot that may strengthen your warband for the final fight if you can manage your health and provisions along the way.

Each location type serves a different purpose:

• Battle: A standard combat encounter designed to pressure your formation and resources.

• AdjustedElite BattleA significantly harder engagement with stronger opposition and improved rewards.

• Camp: A chance to rest, recover, and make choices that grant small boons at the cost of provisions.

• Merchant: Purchase items and resupply mid expedition, with a chance at rare gear.

• Event: Narrative encounters tied to the expedition or broader campaign, featuring dialogue and player choices that can help or hinder your progress, sometimes leading directly into combat.

• Treasure: A discovered cache that may offer minor or major rewards, occasionally guarded.

• Final Battle: The final encounter required to fulfill the contract before returning to the city.

When Things Go Wrong

Expeditions are persistent. Damage, lost provisions, and fallen Freeblades carry forward from one battle to the next. A difficult fight can weaken your warband long before you reach the contract objective.

There are two ways to withdraw from an expedition. You can surrender during a battle, ending the fight immediately but forfeiting any items equipped by defeated Freeblades. If you can finish the battle, you recover their gear. Or you can abandon the expedition from the map and return to the city, failing the contract but preserving your remaining warband.

After the March

When an expedition ends, you return to the city to resolve the contract. Success brings coin and rewards, while failure ends the contract without payment and damages your reputation. From there, you can recruit, restock provisions, purchase equipment, and prepare for the next march. Accept another contract from the board, or leave the city without one and choose your own path.

What Comes Next

In the next devlog, we’ll be diving into Ashbane’s battle systems. Turn order, positioning, abilities, combos, and how combat decisions shape the outcome of an expedition.

Don’t forget to wishlist and follow Ashbane to stay updated with all the latest news. Until next time, keep your blades sharp and your contracts profitable.

• Shiverblade Studios

Ashbane