Crafting a Feast-Based Strategy System for Total War: Redwall: A Modder's Guide

Overview

The world of Total War: Redwall – a richly imagined fan project – brings the beloved woodland creatures of Brian Jacques’s novels to the grand strategy battlefield. While not an official Creative Assembly title, the concept has evolved through community pitches, with the latest update focusing on a cooking and feasting system. In this guide, we’ll explore how to design and implement a culinary-resource mechanic, turning dishes like Shrimp ’n’ Hotroot Soup into vital strategic assets that influence morale, regeneration, and faction loyalty. Whether you’re a modder aiming to integrate this into Mossflower TW or a game designer prototyping a Redwall-inspired title, these steps provide a structured approach. Expect a deep dive into resource definition, system logic, balance, and UI – all grounded in the lore of the Redwall universe.

Prerequisites

Modding Knowledge

Familiarity with Total War engine scripting (e.g., .lua, .xml) or equivalent game development tools is essential. Understanding of how campaign resources, unit stats, and UI panels are handled will speed up implementation.

Redwall Lore Understanding

A working knowledge of Brian Jacques’s cuisine: Shrimp ’n’ Hotroot Soup, Deeper ’n’ Ever Pie, Candied Chestnuts, and other banqueting staples. Each dish should carry a backstory tied to a specific faction or event.

Game Design Principles

Basic grasp of resource strategy (like food in Total War: Three Kingdoms), morale systems, and balancing mechanics. You’ll need to decide how much weight a feast carries compared to traditional military upgrades.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Define the Feast Resources

Begin by cataloguing key dishes from the books. For each, note its primary ingredient (e.g., shrimp, hotroot, flour, cheese) and its effect. Example resource table:

• Shrimp ’n’ Hotroot Soup: +10% morale, +2% health regeneration per turn (lasts 3 turns)
• Deeper ’n’ Ever Pie: +15% movement speed for one army for 2 turns
• Candied Chestnuts: +5% trade income for 5 turns

In your mod’s database, create a new table redwall_feasts. Include columns: feast_id, ingredient_ids (array), effect_id, duration, cooldown. Example in pseudocode:

feasts = {  soup = {    ingredients: ["shrimp", "hotroot", "water"],    effect: { morale_bonus: 0.1, health_regen: 0.02 },    duration: 3,    cooldown: 10  }}

2. Implement the Cooking System

Create a new building chain – the Redwall Kitchens. This building produces ingredients over time and unlocks recipes when certain conditions are met (e.g., owning a harbour for shrimp). Use a script that checks ingredient stockpiles and allows the player to queue a feast. For every feast completed, deduct ingredients and add a temporary effect. Sample logic snippet:

function cook_feast(faction, feast_id)  local feast = feasts[feast_id]  if has_ingredients(faction, feast.ingredients) then    remove_ingredients(faction, feast.ingredients)    apply_effect(faction, feast.effect, feast.duration)    set_cooldown(faction, feast_id, feast.cooldown)  else    return "Not enough ingredients!"  endend

3. Link Feasts to Unit Morale and Regeneration

Integration with the battle system is crucial. When a feast effect is active for an army, modify the morale and health_regen variables at the start of each turn. For battles, add a feast_buff attribute to units. In the campaign AI, script automatic feast consumption for high-stress situations (e.g., after a siege).

For example, in the campaign script:

function on_turn_start(faction)  for army in faction.armies do    if army.feast_active then      army.morale:add_multiplier(0.1)      army.units:each(function(unit) unit.health_regeneration += 0.02 end)    end  endend

4. Balance with Existing Mechanics

Ensure feasts don’t overshadow traditional recruitment or technology. Limit feast availability: you cannot cook a feast if your faction is in a severe food deficit or if the kitchen building is damaged. Introduce a Feast Fatigue mechanic – repeated use of the same dish reduces its effectiveness by 20% per use until a cooldown ends. Also tie dishes to faction identity: Mossflower rabbits prefer Deeper ’n’ Ever Pie, while Salamandastron hares favour Shrimp ’n’ Hotroot.

5. Design the UI and Player Feedback

Create a dedicated Feast Panel accessible from the campaign map. List all available recipes, their effects, and ingredient requirements. Use tooltips to show lore snippets. When a feast is active, display a buff icon next to the army portrait. In the settlement view, show a “Kitchens” sub-tab with a queue system. Example UI mockup:

• Left pane: Ingredient stockpile (shrimp: 12, hotroot: 5, water: 20)
• Centre pane: Recipe cards with “Cook” button
• Right pane: Active effects with remaining turns

Implement event messages for significant feasts – e.g., “The moles of Redwall Feast Hall have prepared a grand Shrimp ’n’ Hotroot Soup! All armies in this province gain +10 morale.”

Common Mistakes

Overpowering the Buffs

Adding a +20 morale permanent buff breaks the balance. Always cap bonuses and tie them to limited resources. Test with extreme scenarios: one feast should not win a war single-handedly.

Ignoring Lore Fidelity

Using modern ingredients (chocolate, coffee) would break immersion. Stick to what appears in the Redwall books. Research the food lists to ensure authenticity.

Neglecting Cooldowns and Costs

Without cooldowns, players will spam the cheapest dish. Implement a cooldown per faction (not per army) to encourage strategic planning. Also, make ingredients rare – e.g., shrimp only available from coastal settlements.

Technical Pitfalls

Script errors can cause crashes. Use try-catch blocks in Lua. Test each feast effect separately before combining. Back up the mod often.

Summary

By following this guide, you can build a robust cooking and feasting system that turns Redwall’s iconic cuisine into a compelling strategic layer. Remember to start small – one or two dishes – then iterate based on player feedback. The goal is to reward players who invest in kitchens and trade routes with temporary but meaningful advantages, enriching both campaign and battle depth. For further inspiration, revisit the original Total War: Redwall pitch by BuildingAirships and the Mossflower TW mod community. Happy cooking – and may your Shrimp ’n’ Hotroot Soup always simmer!