Games Like Condotta

Condotta was the term for a contract to hire a military company in medieval Italy. It set the pay, term of service, and the captain's obligations to the employer. In Condotta, you take on the role of such a captain. “From Charles, Duke of Burgundy, to the captain of a mercenary company. Nicholas van Egmond collects tolls on the southern road without our leave. We order you to kill him. You will receive the payment specified in this letter after his death.” In Condotta, you choose a captain and assemble a mercenary company ready to serve anyone who pays well for your swords and your lives. One employer entrusts you with a sealed letter; another sends you to collect a debt or kill an enemy. Complete a contract and you'll be paid in hard coin—provided you do not first end up lying in a roadside ditch.

In Formation

In turn-based battles, every fighter has a role. Pikemen are especially dangerous to cavalry, while light cavalry can reach enemies deep in the formation. Choose fighters whose skills complement one another: careful positioning and well-chosen abilities will help you crush the enemy company. After a victory, you divide the spoils: captured weapons and equipment will strengthen your fighters. The wounded need treatment, and you will have to find replacements for the dead.

On the Road

At dawn, a sentry may find that a fighter has made off with part of the pay. By the roadside, peasants prepare to execute a woman for stealing grain, and she begs for your protection. A rival captain has already been paid for your head, but is willing to hear a counteroffer. If you buy out his contract, the company will pass without a fight, but less money will remain for rest and recruits. You decide whether to chase the deserter, stand up for a stranger, and when to go into battle. Road events may bring new companions to the company, draw it into someone else's feud, or leave it without money for the next halt. At a crossroads, you choose where to seek rest and reinforcements, and whether to take a detour to the ruins for the chance of a find. Contracts await on Flanders' trade roads, among sunlit Italian hills, and in the deep forests of the Baltic borderlands.

The game features 6 commanders, 35 fighter cards for your company, 74 enemy cards, and 3 regions: Flanders, the Apennines, and the Baltic Borderlands.