As the name suggests, the druid is a warden of nature and encourages her followers to worship and revere the natural order of the world. The first class alphabetically is the Arch Druid. Though I went with my character’s current headband and war paint, character accessories range from hoods to crowns to helmets, all of which are available to any class. For each class I’ve opted to focus on the default costume, as each option is basically a variation of the one pictured. The following analyses will focus on the overall usefulness of the different class outfits. I’ve asked Lady Greensleeves, my human character, to model each outfit for the writeup. Though there are nine races to choose from in Wonders III with male and female customizations, every race picks from the same set of costumes. While it’s important to remember that these characters are intended to be rulers and military leaders-and thus will realistically favor dress or parade outfits-because leaders participate in battle in the game, I plan to focus on each outfit’s functionality in combat situations.

Each of the seven classes has three or four different outfit types with a huge array of facial features, headgear, poses, and backgrounds that players can use to create and customize their avatars. While this isn’t entirely a deal-breaker for me, I feel like the series as a whole could show better respect for its female characters and units.Īmong the features new to Age of Wonders III are the introduction of character classes and full leader customization in terms of character appearance.

From the naked nymphs and mostly-naked ladies-of-pain in the first game to the half-naked leaders and elf maidens in armored girdles in Wonders II to Lady Julia’s trademark boob-plate, the game designers didn’t place much priority on sartorial practicality. I think the biggest trouble I’ve had with the series aesthetically is the discouragingly sexualized women’s adventuring gear found in each game. The series is set in a medieval fantasy realm similar to Dungeons and Dragons or Magic: the Gathering, filled with archetypical fantasy races, where magic can affect the game both on the overland maps and the tactical map. I’ve been a fan of Triumph Studios’ Age of Wonders series since the original 1999 AoW, and while the first game is still my favorite for it’s simplicity and straightforwardness as a turn-based tactical/strategy game, I found II and III to be similarly engaging games in their own ways.

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