The Mount & Blade: Warband: A Gothic Tale Mod is a free mod that adds layers to the already multi-layered Mount & Blade: Warband game. The game map is split by yet more factions that are warring with the original inhabitants as well as warring with you.

New armor and characters

As many veteran players know, seeking out the best armor is more like an Easter egg hunt than an RPG mission. Mount & Blade has never been about searching out secrets and finding the very best items sitting under a boss’s lair. This mod adds more of an RPG seek-and-find dynamic to the game.

Redrawing the battle lines

As per expectations, the territories within the game have shrunk a little so that the new factions may be slotted into the map. This is not a bad thing, but it counter-intuitively drives down the feeling of challenge.

Not as promising as one may have hoped

The addition of new characters, factions, dungeons and bosses was a big goal, and the developer doesn't seem to have reached the many lofty goals he set himself. The additions are fine, and they work as one would expect, but there is not much innovation or shaking up going on.

Seen one orc

The visual appeal of orcs and other mystical creatures is a fun addition to the game, but it does get a little repetitive. The new factions or creatures do not add the sort of depth that one would expect from such a mod.