SpellForce: Conquest of Eo Developer Insight #5 – Meet the Circle

The latest developer insight article for Owned by Gravity’s upcoming TBS/RPG hybrid SpellForce: Conquest of Eo introduces us to the Circle of Mages that will serve as the game’s antagonists. The article tells us what the Circle is and how it operates, and also shares some neat concept art.

Here are the text bits and you take it from there:

Venerable Mages,

The year’s end draws near and we are polishing and improving the game. Today we want to give you a glimpse of the mages you will face as antagonists in the game.

Thanks to the fantastic art of our Art Director Dominik Mayer, they have faces to their names that are much more than just a portrait, capturing the essence of each.

As many of you may know, the Circle of Mages plays a pivotal role in the history of SpellForce and the future of the point in time our game is set. When we meet the in Conquest of Eo, they have been around for about a century, becoming more powerful after discovering the Allfire and learning its use.

So immersed are they in the study and practice of magic, that they rarely venture outside their studies and towers, instead sending out minions or using proxys to subtly manipulate what happens in the world. With the creation of the Circle, the art of magic has seen a resurgence, magic is now abundant and academies teaching it, have sprung up all over the world.

It is those academies you will seek out in order to gather your own apprentices, so you can make use of their powers and train them to become leaders of your troops and spreaders of your influence.

The Circle of Mages looks at your expansion with apprehension: Their task is to guard and shepherd the use of magic, preventing it from becoming a destructive force and your ambition is viewed by many as dangerous. Others see a like spirit and may seek out alliances – if you are willing to further their goals in return. You will a selection of the Circle Mages in every game, making each playthrough different due to their different character and behavior. The Circle – as everything in the game – is not good or evil, morality is a matter of choice and so their members come from all nations: humans, elves, dwarves, orcs and dark elves, each with their own agenda and interests.

It will be difficult to get along with each one unless you want to curb your own ambitions and goals but think twice before you make one or all of them your enemy, for their powers are great. As the game progresses, they learn new tricks and magic that may be quite a challenge to overcome.

So, choose your course wisely and decide when to strike and when to keep the peace…if you can.

We are looking forward to your comments and we will see you back next year with another Developer Insight!