A village of working heroes
Heroes Have Jobs
The guild went broke. The dragon has the gold. The heroes need jobs, and you need a village. Put them to work, arm them well, and send them across the sea.
Lore
Once, heroes were paid in gold and glory.
I
Once, heroes were paid in gold and glory. Then the dragon came.
The village
Hearthvale
You are the mayor. The heroes are your people. Shops glow when someone is working, the Castle keeps the roster, the gate opens onto the map, and the Town Hall taxes everyone, as is tradition.
Town first
A working village, not a waiting room.
Power comes from the weapon, speed from the tool. The Town Hall decides how good the gear can be; the dungeons decide whether you deserve it.
How to play
Plan the village. Time does the rest.
Play in short visits or leave it running in a corner of the screen. The clock keeps moving after you close the game, which is more than the heroes can say.
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01
Hire the travelers
They wander into the Inn on their own clock, each with a class, a profession and one to four traits. Legendary ones are rare, and they know it.
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02
Put them to work
Miners feed the Forge, farmers feed everyone, the carpenter makes every tool. Nobody asked the knight whether he wanted to mine.
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03
Gear them up
A weapon for the road, a tool for the bench. Bind up to three rings (more power) or amulets (faster work) for good. There is no XP. There is shopping.
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04
Send a party of four
Four idle heroes, rations, gold and one potion. Every dungeon rolls its own conditions: some classes are welcome, some are a liability.
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05
Read the report
You don't play the fight. Power meets power, luck leans a little, and the story comes home: triumph, hard win, pyrrhic scrape, a brisk retreat, or a wipe. The wounded go to the Infirmary.
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06
Raise the town, then cross the sea
Reputation and gold raise the Town Hall, and with it the gear the shops can make. Then the sea: Stormwatch Lighthouse, the Isle of Bones, and the Obsidian Citadel, where the dragon sits on the guild's money.
Nine classes
A knight may be your best miner.
Class picks the weapon, and which dungeon conditions love or hate them. Profession picks the shop. A knight who mines is not a mistake. It's staffing.
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Knight
Sword
Polishes the armor, then the floor. Solves most problems with a sword.
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Paladin
Mace
Righteous, punctual, and very persuasive with a mace.
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Warrior
Spear
Believes every problem has a spear-shaped answer.
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Archer
Bow
Prefers enemies at a polite distance. A very polite distance.
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Ranger
Axe
Lives in the woods by choice. Brings an axe to discussions.
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Rogue
Dagger
Quick, quiet, and somehow your purse feels lighter.
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Mage
Staff
Reads books about fire. Occasionally the books catch it.
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Cleric
Tome
Mends your wounds and judges your choices, in that order.
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Druid
Totem
Talks to trees. The trees are on her side.
Traits
Nobody is perfect. Some are lazy.
Every traveler arrives with one to four traits, about forty in all. Some change how a hero fares on the road, some how fast they work, and none of them can be trained away. Rarity is separate: a legendary hero hits harder, not faster.
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On the road
Brave
Never runs from death's door.
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On the road
Coward
Runs from it first. Usually with your loot.
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At the bench
Talented
+15% at the bench. Annoyingly modest about it.
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At the bench
Lazy
−8% at the bench, +100% at lunch.
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At the bench
Thief
−15% at the bench. Count the spoons.
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On the road
Lucky
Gear turns up a little more often.
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On the road
Greedy
More loot, more risk, no regrets.
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On the road
Slippery
When the party runs, keeps a share of the loot.
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On the road
Hotheaded
Too proud to run. Pays for it.
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On the road
Survivor
Wounds don't become graves as often.
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At the bench
Hardworking
+8% at the bench. Shows up early, leaves late.
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On the road
Unlucky
Loot slips away; bad breaks stack.
Nine professions
The other life of a hero.
Gather
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Miner Pickaxe · Mine · ore
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Lumberjack Hatchet · Lumber Mill · wood
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Farmer Scythe · Farmstead · rations
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Herbalist Sickle · Herb Garden · herbs
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Prospector Pan · Gem Quarry · gems
Craft
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Blacksmith Hammer · Forge · every weapon
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Carpenter Saw · Workshop · every tool
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Jeweler Needle · rings and amulets
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Alchemist Alembic · five brews
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Healing · out of bed at once
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Strength · +10% party power
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Warding · ignore the dungeon's penalties
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Fortune · rarer loot
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Swiftness · home 40% sooner
The map
Fog does not hide the island. Distance does.
Valley, forest, hills, marsh, coast, snow, volcano and a dark sea. Parties walk the painted roads while you watch a timer, not the blades. Harder runs pay in rarer gear; the dragon pays in bragging rights.
- Stormwatch
- Isle of Bones
- Obsidian Citadel
What sets it apart
Town before the fight. Work before glory.
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Heroes have jobs
Class is the weapon. Profession is the shop. A mage who farms and a knight who smiths are both correct, and both a little embarrassed.
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The clock is real
Shops, travelers, the Infirmary and expeditions run on wall time. Close the game; the village does not wait, and neither does the tax collector.
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You plan. They fight.
No dungeon crawl, no battle screen. Outfit the four, pick the dungeon, and read what happened when they come home.
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No levels. No XP.
Power is weapon, bound rings, traits and rarity. Work speed is tool, amulets and traits. Nobody grinds.
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Death is permanent
The graveyard remembers them. Their weapons come home; their bound jewels do not. Send them when they're ready, not when you're bored.
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AFK or at the desk
Leave a party on the road and the shops humming, or stay and craft, sell, bind and plan. Both ways feed the same town.
The aim
The long night ends
The Ashen Dragon took the Obsidian Citadel, the sea lanes, and every coin the Adventurers’ Guild ever had. Take it all back. Dawn returns to Hearthvale, and so, eventually, does the guild’s money.
Platforms
Where the village lives.
More stores once the heroes can afford the fees.