Source-first reverse engineering of a mainline Battle for Wesnoth campaign

Southbay Departure Arc

A connected study of political convergence, permanent artifact mechanics, merfolk recruitment, final-homeland defense, and the campaign’s first overseas battle.

Home / Southbay departure arc

Arc flow

10 Sewer of Southbay │ ▼ 11 Southbay in Winter ├── Wesfolk admitted ├── Book translation begins └── eastward evacuation plan adopted │ ▼ 12 A Final Spring ├── Ruby becomes permanent Haldric attack ├── Typhon arrives with Storm Trident ├── merfolk recruitment unlocks ├── Jevyan reveals himself └── final Green Isle army defeated │ ▼ 13 Peoples in Decline ├── Green Isle left forever ├── fleet resupplies on sinking drake island └── Jevyan's Familiar continues surveillance │ ▼ 14 Rough Landing

Three different campaign jobs

ScenarioFormPrimary engineering job
11One-turn cutscenePolitical convergence and future-plan definition
12Large coalition battlePermanent hero modification, recruit unlock, villain reveal, homeland departure
13Compact island battleIntroduce a new faction/biome and bridge to the eastern voyage

Artifact lifecycle

06 Temple in the Deep └── Ruby physically acquired 09 Fallen Lich Point └── Book physically acquired 11 Southbay in Winter └── Jessene begins translating Book 12 A Final Spring ├── Ruby object attached permanently to Haldric └── translated knowledge becomes gameplay 13 Peoples in Decline └── optional core Storm Trident can permanently modify a merfolk unit

Open the complete artifact and persistent-modification index.

Recruit progression

ScenarioNew recruit accessNarrative cause
02 / 07Footpad, Poacher, Thief, ThugAlliance with Jessene and the Wesfolk
08PeasantClearwater farmers join the refugee cause
12Merman Fighter, Merman HunterLord Typhon renews the trade-and-escort pact

Allied-AI comparison

ScenarioAllied AI strategyState method
08 Clearwater PortForward defense, two-turn retreat, wall defense, offensive supportExplicit previous_ai_position variable
12 A Final SpringNorthern castles, conditional riverbank fallback, permanent wall goalsRecomputed directly from current unit positions every turn
Architecture lesson. Use explicit state when transitions themselves matter. Use direct battlefield queries when the desired posture can be recalculated reliably from the current map.

Production-reuse matrix

NeedFresh campaign workReused Wesnoth content
Southbay councilDialogue and Addroran portraitWinter terrain, city scenery, ships, music, Grand Knight
Final homeland battleLarge map, dialogue, artifact setup, selected portraits and custom Jevyan/Familiar unitsAll ordinary armies, ships, lighthouse, magical attack art/sounds, AI macros
Drake islandMap, story panel, dialogue, serpent eventComplete Drake faction, Sea Serpent, trident macro, music and terrain

Best practices demonstrated

PracticeExample
Resolve politics before a major mechanical unlockJessene earns inclusion and begins translation before the Ruby is usable.
Make roster growth follow relationshipsMerfolk recruitment follows Typhon’s renewed agreement.
Use a permanent object instead of a duplicate hero unitHaldric gains the Ruby attack without changing unit type.
Let a cutscene carry all gold forwardScenario 11 preserves campaign economy through a non-combat chapter.
Transition biomes and factions with a compact bridge scenarioScenario 13 introduces ocean travel, drakes, volcanic terrain, and eastern geography.

Scenario 11 · Scenario 12 · Scenario 13

← 13 — Peoples in DeclineArtifacts & modifications →