Summary
Strategy games are one of the biggest genres in PC gaming, reaching their peak back in the 90s and early 2000s. Strategic war games in particular, in which players control large groups of units, are a particularly popular niche in the strategy genre, potentially due to their often-included morale systems.
While not all strategy game fans enjoy morale systems, they can be used to great effect, deepening the tactics of a game and provoking interesting strategic decisions during battle. Some morale systems can be somewhat unbalanced, or open to exploitation by astute players. Although these morale systems are arguably the sturdiest in the genre, some do fall prey to these pitfalls.
ManyTotal Wargames feature morale systems that allow players to rout units, withTotal War: Warhammerbeing one of Creative Assembly’s most popular entries in their long-runningTotal Warfranchise. Along with some interesting quirks the game has,Total War: Warhammerwill represent the iconic RTS series here.
InTotal War: Warhammer, units have leadership stats that determine how easily they are routed. If a unit is routed, it will begin to retreat until it feels safe. Units can only be routed a finite number of times before they become shattered, and can no longer return to the fight.
This WW2 real-time strategy gamefeatures gameplay that revolves around an abundance of realism-focused mechanics, most notably of which is the game’s morale and suppression systems that play a large part in the tactical decisions of the game.
Steel Division 2’s morale system is particularly distinct because of its suppression mechanics. In the game, each unit has “suppression” that increases as they take fire, with the suppression amount depending on which weapons they’re being attacked by. When a unit reaches its suppression limit, it becomes pinned down, meaning it no longer shoots, moves, or even reacts to the player’s orders. All that a player can do for a unit that’s pinned down is tell them to retreat, especially since units cannot restore their morale behind enemy lines.
A Simple, Yet Granular, Simulation Of Morale
Close Combat: Last Stand Arnhem
“Out of ammunition. God Save the King.” – This was the message sent by the British forces in the final hours of the struggle for Arnhem Bridge. It was intended for the Allied forces, but it was only heard by the Germans.Close Combat – Last Stand Arnhem is part of Close Combat series. Its design is based on the critically acclaimed Close Combat – A Bridge Too Far, originally developed by Atomic Games, as well as the more recent Close Combat: The Longest Day.As the Allies, you will carry out the world’s largest airborne operation, Operation Market Garden, to cross the Rhine and bring a swift end to the war or, as the Germans, use a hastily organized set of defense forces to prevent the Allies from reaching their ultimate goal, Arnhem Bridge.Close Combat – Last Stand Arnhem comes with expanded force pools, reserve & static battlegroups, a troop point buying system, ferry and assault crossings, destructible bridges, static forces and much more! Also included in this rebuild are 60+ battles, operations and campaigns including a new enhanced Grand Campaign!
While the old-schoolClose Combatseries of RTS games has never been much to look at with its zoomed-outtop-down perspectiveand static battlegrounds, many entries in the long-running series have been deeply tactical and gritty games that require heaps of strategic thinking and careful decision-making.
To succeed inClose Combat, players must pay careful attention to many elements, most notably of which is unit morale. Every soldier in each unit has their stats, one of which being a stat specifically for morale, and players need to take this (as well as other aspects of the game, such as a unit’s ammunition) into account when ordering troops around the map.
A System That Encourages And Focuses On Routing
Ultimate General: Civil War
Ultimate General: Civil War is a tactical real time strategy war game. Experience the bloodiest period of U.S. history - the American Civil War of 1861-1865.Full campaign: Fight in the American Civil War campaign and participate in 50+ battles from small engagements to massive battles that can last several days over hundreds of square miles of terrain. Campaign fully depends on player actions and battle results. Historical battles can also be played separately.Army management: You are the general. You have full control over the army composition. Based on your successes and reputation you might get access to more corps, divisions and brigades. Keep your soldiers alive and they will learn to fight better, turning from green rookies to crack veterans. Lose a lot of your soldiers and you might not have enough reinforcements to deliver victories. Your reputation will suffer, army morale will drop and you will be forced to resign.
This real-time strategy and war game has players managing armies in historicalAmerican Civil Warbattles. These battles can be extremely dramatic and engaging, with dynamic AI opponents, pleasant countryside environments, and intuitive controls.
Ultimate General: Civil Warfeaturesseveral quirky mechanicsthat work together to create a truly unique package, but routing enemies through decreasing morale is one of the most important aspects of the game. Furthermore, players can increase their in-game reputation to gain morale bonuses.
Thisturn-based RPGtasks players with forming squads of four out of various classes and battling their way through several dungeons, each with their own distinct sets of Lovecraft-inspired enemies.Darkest Dungeonis a deeply tactical and unforgiving game, with permanent death mechanics and tough combat encounters.Darkest Dungeonis entirely turn-based and features few units to control, but its morale system (in the form of stress) helps to add some extra depth to the experience.
InDarkest Dungeon, certain enemies and events increase the stress of the party, and when this stress reaches a certain point on a party member, they break. This results in what is essentially a coin flip that decides whether that party member will push through the stress and gain a temporary boon, or collapse under the stress and gain a debuff that could potentially bring the entire party down.
Darkest Dungeonis primarily an RPG, but the game emphasizes strategy and tactics quite a bit. Therefore, it warrants a special mention.
This real-time strategy gameset in the universe ofWarhammer: 40,000was developed by RTS legends, Relic Entertainment, and is arguably one of the greatest RTS games ever made, as well as one of the best entries in the storied history ofWarhammer: 40,000games.
Dawn Of Warstood out upon its release for many reasons, but one of its unique aspects was its morale system. InDawn Of War, infantry units effectively have two health bars, one of which is regular health, and the other is their morale. Different weapons deal different amounts of morale damage, and if a unit loses its morale, it breaks and becomes significantly less useful in battle.
This fantasy-themed 4X grand strategy game features tactical turn-based combat and RPG elements. The game’s combat is easy to learn but requires a great deal of strategic thinking and tactical decisions.
Age Of Wonders 4has a morale system that is vital to understand to play efficiently. Morale affects many important aspects of the game, such as the chance of a critical hit or the failure of an attack. Many things can happen in combat that affect morale, but these are, namely, the deaths of units and flanking attacks from the enemy.
